the beds

The bunk beds are made; the mattresses have been bought, the fitted sheets are on the mattresses. The rooms are painted and look beautiful. We still need to buy the curtains, duvets and duvet covers. The girls were very excited to tonight sleep in their new beds, while Marcelino looks at them in jealousy because his bed is not yet complete. The boy’s beds are almost finished, their room has also been painted and we should have them sleeping in their new beds in the next few days.

Getting beds for the nine children was a project that I wanted to make sure to accomplish while I was in Mozambique. They have been sleeping in "pack and play playpens" since they arrived at the house and many of them are about to out grow those playpens. They are also very worn and beat up. New "big kid" beds were definitely a priority for me to figure out while I was at the house.

Sergio, who is a welder and handyman who lives next door, built the beds for me. I had fun assisting him with just a little bit of the work. Pieter and I spent 2-3 days searching the city for nine mattresses at a reasonable cost. We were able to find them and as an added bonus the place said that they would deliver them to the house. I was a little bit skeptical when paying for the mattress that I would actually see them show up at the house, but just a few days later they arrived. We next spent some time searching for sheet and blankets, but were pleasantly surprised when we found out they would be arriving from the states with a lady coming to the house from Arizona. The mattresses have protectors on them for potty training and they really look nice.

It may seem somewhat silly to be so excited about something as simple as a set of beds, but I really wasn't sure if I was going to be able to pull this project off. I can't wait to receive more pictures of the rooms as the final touches are put on them.