The Promise House

The sound of laughter of pure joy from a child

Our main space

The smell of rice, beans, sauce, and meat cooking on the stove

The sight of children working on mastering new skills

The feeling of love when cuddled up with a child

The sight of a child’s face lighting up with a big smile knowing they are loved

The excitement of a child beginning to crawl, sitting on their own, or playing well

The sound of nannies talking amongst themselves as children nap

The sound of music playing in the background

Each of these sound like a part of a typical home. Each of these are present in the new Promise House at COTP.

We currently have eight children from one to eight years old living in this space, all with varying forms of special needs. Each child plays a special part in this home and each child is worth it all.

Our oldest goes to school in the morning. He is very active and loves to play on the playground, run around, and do gymnastic like activities. This one will always invite the people he knows to come and sit down for a while so he can sit on their lap, sometimes cuddling and sometimes not. He could sit for hours while he is read to and will always ask for more. This one knows what food he likes and will continuously ask for what he wants until he gets it. He’s persistent. Recently he has loved helping care for babies. The other day he found a bottle near a child and tried to feed her (even though it was another child’s bottle). He now watches out for the younger children moving them out of the way of danger or pulling something out of their mouth that they shouldn’t have in there. It has been so much fun to get to watch this kid closer and to watch him come to life even more. He cracks himself up and is often making his nannies and I do the same. He’s a sweet boy who knows what he wants and sometimes gets jealous if he does not receive the attention he would like.

We were just able to celebrate this boy’s 8^th birthday. He just might be the sweetest human being to ever grace the planet earth. He rarely cries and smiles very easily for those he knows well. He loves kisses, tickles, and his favorite song “Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho.” His nannies often sing this song to him even though they usually forget the English words--just the tune makes him smile. In preschool he loves it when it is his turn to participate, when the crocodile snaps at the monkeys in “Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree,” and when we blow bubbles (among other things). I often catch him staring at me from across the room waiting patiently for me to come hang out with him. He enjoys when I read to him as well, but if we read the same children’s book to many times he gets bored. This kid is a bright child; we just need to figure out how to give him a voice.

The love between this child and one of his nannies is undeniably adorable. He is so much more content on the days she is here and sometimes he cries out just to know she will come see what is wrong. He loves it when his head is rubbed. Often, his limbs stiffen as he does not like to be strapped into a chair or a wheelchair, but a head rub will always calm him down. His leg even starts moving back and forth because of how good this feels to him. He is very observant and will watch everything that is going on around the room, stopping to stare at his favorite people. He has been working on sitting up and can now do so on his own for a little bit. He always enjoys singing songs (especially sung by his favorite nanny) and will sometimes let you help him to the motions. This kid is leery of new people, but once he knows you and can trust you, his bond runs deep.

This kid always keeps us on our toes. He has a lot of energy and a lot of love to give. I love it when he spots someone he likes across the room and will scoot over to greet them. He has some unconventional ways of showing his love, but nonetheless, he loves. This boy loves deep pressure full body hugs and thinks it is the funniest thing in the world when someone throws their whole body on top of him. He is picky about the food he eats, only eating of few bites of what he doesn’t like but could easily gobble down two bowls of what he loves. He enjoys any sensory experience from food on the ground to shaving cream or finger paint. This kid has strong opinions and everyone will know if he doesn’t like something, but can easily be made happy. Sometimes he gets so happy and excited that he can’t control himself. His face lights up with a big smile, his body tenses up so he can’t sit, and his arms start flailing while he makes some sort of a huge belly laugh noise that forces you to join in too. He loves toys that make noise with the push of a button, xylophones, and anything he can throw. He loves attention and when people love him in ways he likes to show love.

Doors are this boy’s favorite thing. He loves to open them and to shut them. He likes the noise they make when he slams them shut. If I leave my bedroom door open it will not take him long to scoot his way in and shut my door for me. It is funny to watch his little arm sneak around the corner and then to see his face with an expression of “I made it!” He is very opinionated as well and will let everyone know how he is feeling. The good news is, it

is usually pretty easy to change his mood to a good mood. Although he doesn’t like it, he can now sit on his own he has learned to like using the stander to help him bear weight. He likes to hold a toy in his hand for a few minutes and then throw it to someone else. While he doesn’t walk, he is still very mobile and can get wherever he wants to go. His laugh is infections and brings a smile to anyone who hears it.

This boy is almost always content with what is going on around him. When he first came to COTP we wondered if he would ever be able to do anything on his own. He now makes great eye contact and will turn his head to see things or hear things he needs to. He has even recently been able to sit on his own for a short period of time (which we hope to keep increasing). His hands used to always be tight fisted, but now he has relaxed them and they are open much more. He enjoys holding toys and watching bubbles float past his face. He also likes to cuddle and sometimes when he is upset, all he needs is some cuddle time to feel better. He is an important part of our house.

This girl is beautiful and her nannies tell her that all the time. They often refer to her as princess and always make sure she is dressed well. She gets her hair done often in intricate braids because that is one way her nannies show her love. She likes to sit outside and cuddle and is content with having a conversation or reading a book. She is becoming more and more interactive, smiling some and moving her mouth as if she is trying to make words come out. Sometimes she lets coos or other noises out to express contentment. This girl has been working hard on developing more muscles. She now holds her head up well and can sit by herself for increasing lengths of time. She is well loved.

Our youngest is one of the newer kids on the block at COTP. She just came to live with us in January and has made a whole lot of progress in that short amount of time. She’s gained a lot of weight and has learned to smile. She now, so easily gives us a smile that lights up her entire face. When she grins ear to ear, it is hard not to smile along with her. She has begun to move her muscles more on her own and we are working on her being able to hold her head up on her own. She has started to do this, but still needs more time to be able to hold her head up for any length of time. She gets spoiled because she is the youngest in the house and also the easiest to carry around. I think she knows she can get her way because she often cries out only to change to a huge smile as soon as someone picks her up. She is a delight to have in our house.

 

Our house may be different than any house you know, but it doesn’t function much differently. We have seven kids who cannot bathe themselves, feed themselves, or put themselves to bed, but they are still kids. We have a house full of love, a house where we work together. Our kids are kids who like to love and to be loved.

I love watching our nannies spontaneously do therapy like activities with our kids.

I love watching how our kids progress

I love watching how concerned our nannies are when a child has a seizure

This picture was initiated by a couple of nannies
because we are all in this together

I love watching how when one nanny is sick the others step up to take care of her kids and to keep a close eye on the sick nanny

I love watching how this idea has become a home

I love watching our nannies love our children

I love being a part of the beginning of this next phase of COTP’s care for our children with special needs

I love being such a part of these kids’ lives

*Children of the Promise has given explicit permission for the posting of photos on this site. Photos taken of children in the care of Children of the Promise are not to be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.