Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Black and White Wednesday ~ Happy Birthday

Wow, it seems like forever since I participated in Lisa's Black and White Wednesday. I have finally got my act together (at least for today) and decided to post something today, as it is a bittersweet day for us...

Half way around the world there is a little girl who is turning 9 today. Will she celebrate? Will someone sing happy birthday to her as she blows out the candles on a cake? Will she make a wish as she blows out the candles? Does she even know it is her birthday? These are all the thoughts I have going through my head today. Our plan was to be have a cake delivered to her today along with a letter introducing ourselves to her as her new family. We were going to send a care package with pictures, an outfit, and a few other trinkets to let her know we are thinking about her. Unfortunately, none of that has happened.

Keliah is from a very small orphanage in Shandong Province and we are having a hard time finding out if she is able to receive anything. Honestly, we are not even certain any other child has been adopted from her orphanage. We do know that she was only one of two (from the Dezhou City SWI) that attended the Journey of Hope program. I have been searching for a Yahoo group of other adoptive parents from her orphanage with no success.

So, we have someone in China checking to see what the heal is and if we can send something to her. I just want her to know that in less than a year she will have a forever family with many brothers and sisters just like she wants.

But for today, all we can do is think about her, pray for her, and continue to work as hard and fast to get everything done so we can travel to bring her home.

Happy Birthday sweet girl. This WILL be your LAST birthday alone.


Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

From our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!



And yes, I will be one of these people...

Monday, November 22, 2010

The "D" Word

No, not that word, but in all honesty, I wish that were what this post was about. These last few days have been quite the whirlwind at our house. We found out on Wednesday that Blake has Type 1 Diabetes. To say we are shocked would be an understatement.



So, here's how it all came about. Last Monday Blake was getting ready to leave for school and said he felt like he was going to be sick. Within seconds, he was puking all over my bedroom floor. Without even hesitating, I just told him to go ahead and go back to bed and I would call the school. He spent most of the day in bed but was feeling better by early afternoon. He was able to eat and drink with no problems and actually seemed to feel a little better after he ate. I just chalked it up as being a "bug."

Tuesday he seemed fine and went to school but just after lunch he called and said he wasn't feeling well again. I talked to the nurse and she said he didn't look so good so she suggested he come home. As soon as he walked in the door, he grabbed a bottle of water and went up to his room where he slept until the other kids came home from school.

By dinner time he seemed to be feeling better so again, I thought it was just a "bug." By the time Matt came home, Blake was feeling much better so of course Matt thought maybe Blake was trying to get out of something at school (normally Blake does not like to miss school) or was just overly tired from being up all night long going to the bathroom because he was drinking so much water lately. I did explain to Matt that the nurse called and sent him home and that I didn't think Blake was faking it.

Later that night after the kids went to bed Matt came in and told me to read something adn that we needed to get Blake to the doctor right away. He had googled insulin which took him to a site all about diabetes. As soon as I saw the symptoms, I thought of everything that was going on with Blake or things that he has complained about recently.

Increased thirst and frequent urination
Weight loss (Matt had just mentioned how skinny Blake was looking)
Blurred vision (the week before last Blake was complaining about not being able to see)
Extreme hunger

Even though he had all they symptoms, I still didn't think that is what he had so by morning I had actually forgotten about it until Blake came down looking yellow and saying he had really bad stomach cramps. I left him here to take Mylee to school and called the doctor who said they could get him in around 9. So I came home, picked him up and off we went for what I thought was just going to be a "he just a a virus, give it a couple of days and he will be fine" visit.

We explained to the doctor what was going on and he went ahead and sent us to the lab. While we waited for the results, I could hear the nurses on the phone talking with someone about extremely high levels. Then, the doctor walked in, shut the door, and asked that Drew turn off the game he was playing. I knew this was not going to be good news. The diagnosis, Type 1 Diabetes. He started off by saying that he didn't know how Blake was able to walk into the -office because his blood sugar was so high. A normal level is between 70-120, Blake's were over 500! He said that usually when a kid comes in with numbers that high, they are being carried in or are immediately admitted to the hospital.

At this point we were told to drop everything because we were being sent to an Endroconologist and he would start insulin that day. So, I called Matt, he left work, came home made arrangements for our kids, had the daycare kids picked up and Blake, Matt and I were off to the hospital here in town. Blake had more labs done and then we sat for over 4 house listening to a nurse tell us about Diabetes, and how we were going to manage this. Basically until Blake gets leveled out, he is checking his blood sugar at least 4 times a day by pricking his finger. He also has to have insulin shots 4 times a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime). The biggest change is going to be his diet. Protein is going to be his new best friend and he is only allowed to have at least 330 grams of carbohydrates in a day. What he eats and how much is very important. Everything has to be measured and counted if it has any carbs in it. He can have as much protein as he wants, but he also has to balance his proteins and carbs out throughout the day. For now we are keeping a record of his blood sugar, carb intake, and how much insulin he gets (his insulin amount depends on what his blood sugar is) and then we have to call that into the doctor every morning so they can decide what needs to be upped or lowered.


This is what Blake uses to check his blood sugar.

These are his insulin pens. The blue one is used throughout the day and the gray one is the long lasting one that he takes before bed.



For now we are still trying to come to terms with all of this. For the most part Blake is doing really well. At first he was upset because he didn't think he was going to be able to play football or eat anything "good" ever again. Luckily, he can and will continue to do anything he wants. He can also eat anything as long as he stays within his allotted carbs for that meal or snack. We have been told that he will probably go through some depression and grieving as he tried to understand everything. I think right now the biggest thing is all the attention he is getting. He wanted to hang out with his friends this weekend, but as soon as he hear there were going to be girls there, he declined. He said he didn't want to deal with the girls so he would rather not go. Apparently the girls may have felt sorry for him and he said he just didn't want to deal with it (we will see if that is how he feels in a couple of years).

I think school is going to be his biggest adjustment for now. He has to really watch what he eats at school, and pay attention to his body and how he feels. He also has to take his blood sugar and give himself an insulin shot at lunch everyday. I am anxious for him to get home today so I can see how everything went.

We have had an enormous amount of information given to us and now we are trying to sort through it all and learn as much as we can about Diabetes so Blake can live as normal a life as possible. We would appreciate any and all prayers for Blake right now and his transition to his new lifestyle.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Here We Go Again!

I will be completely honest, I did not expect be writing a post like this so soon after bringing the boys home. I did know however, that at some point I would be writing about adopting again, but didn't think it would be for a year or two.

Like most adoptive parents, soon after we returned home with Drew and Jaxon I had already started looking at waiting child lists and watching the advocating sights. I love seeing children being advocated for and then finding out they have found their forever families. At the suggestion of a friend, I joined Madison Adoption Associates sight and was completely overwhelmed at how active they were. To be honest, I deleted most of the posts in the beginning because I just didn't have the time to read all of them.

Madison had just returned from doing a Journey of Hope camp in China and had several kids they were trying to find families. I actually didn't look at any of the files for quite a while until recently. There was a 13 year old girl that was being advocated for all over. My heart just broke for her knowing what her fate may be if a family didn't come forward for her. Anyway, I made the call to inquire about her but since we were no where near being paper ready, I was told that there would not be enough time for us to get everything done. I was also told that several other families had inquired about her and that they were certain she would have a family in time. That was enough for me, I think I was more worried about the thought of her not having a family more than anything. (Just to update, she does have a family and will be home before the end of the year)!

But, there was something that kept telling me I needed to look at a couple of the other girls on Madison's list. I had quickly looked before, but when I saw there needs I will admit, I got freaked out and didn't look any further. So, I finally gave in and decided to watch the videos from the camp. I was completely in love within minutes of not one, but two girls. Two girls from the same orphanage that were both 8 years old, but with completely different special needs. I finally got up the courage to confront Matt and to my surprise, he said I could request their file (requesting a file wasn't committing to anything, or at least that is what he said).

We looked at both girls' file and one was more manageable than the other, but one was not completely as thorough as the other, plus there was some conflicting information. I got back in touch with Madison to let them know we were interested in both girls but needed more information on the other. I was told that since there was some conflicting information, they were going to put girl A on hold until they could get the updated information and we could go ahead and have a doctor review Girl B's file. So, that is what we did. Within a couple of days we had an update on Girl A, but it still wasn't very clear so we asked if we could ask for another update, with a list of very specific questions. While we waited for those answers, we had Mylee's orthopedic doctor look over Girl B's file.

I remember Matt and I talking one night out by the fire about how do we choose which girl it to be our daughter? I just could not imagine picking one of these girls to leave the other behind. Bringing both home was not an option this time. His response was "we will find our daughter, and the girl left behind will find hers."

This was all going on during the weekly trips to Riley for Mylee. On the way home from one of the trips, I said a quick prayer asking God to please show me some sort of sign as to which girl (if any) was meant to be our daughter). Within minutes, and I am not even kidding, I got a call from Madison letting me know that Girl B's file had been locked. I was both disappointed and excited. Disappointed because she would not be our daughter, but SO excited because my prayer had been answered, sort of. Before we could lock in Girl A's file, we had to have those questions answered.

A couple days later, I got an e-mail with the answers to the questions we had asked. Everything was answered very clearly this time, but we still wanted another opinion so we sent her file along with the updates to a specialist. Basically, we were told that their biggest concern with this little girl was not the medical need that she had been labeled with, but more so with her adjusting to a family lifestyle and the change of moving to another country. Matt and I looked at each other, and he said "that's no big deal, not a big deal at all."

The next day, October 28, we sent in our LOI asking China to allow us to once again adopt one of their children. We got our Pre-Approval only 6 days later on November 4. I wanted to post so badly about our news on here, but we wanted a chance to share with family and friends first.

So, without further ado...



Naming her has been the easiest of all the kids. As soon as we sent in our LOI I told Matt that I wanted her middle name to be Faith for obvious reasons. As for Keliah, I love it, and it sounds a little Asian. So, Keliah Faith De Le will be her full name.

We are completely smitten with her. She is absolutely beautiful. She will be 9 on December 1 (Emma will be 9 on Dec. 11). She loves to dance and even wants to teach dance when she is older (Emma goes to an excellent dance studio here and cannot wait to have a sister to take dance with). She is very into her long hair and fashion (a girly girl!). Her favorite color is pink and she would like a pink bedroom (got that covered). She wants a large family with lots of brothers and sisters (I think we can handle that as well). Oh, and did I mention how beautiful she is?

So, where are we now? Well, our home study was updated on Sunday with our 6 month post placement. Our SW said she would have it done by the end of the week. I am headed into town tomorrow to get copies of birth certificates and our marriage certificate. Our goal is to have our dossier in China by January (we have until February 4th) to get it there. We are hoping and praying to travel in early summer this time so the kids will be out of school and it will be easier for family members and friends to help out. As of right now, the plan is for Jaxon and I go travel to China. He really wants to go back and show me where he is from so we will be spending a couple of days in Wuxi then off to Shangdong where Keliah is from.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Monday, November 8, 2010

FINALLY!

I know, I know, I have been so bad about updating on Drew and Jaxon and I apologize for that. So, I figured while the kids are watching a movie, laundry is going and my homework is caught up (sort of), I would sit down and just start typing. So, here goes.



Andrew's adjustment has been nothing but amazing for the most part. Most of you know he was at New Day Foster home in Beijing since he was 8 months old. Because of that, not only did he receive excellent love and care, but from the moment we contacted them about being his family, they did anything and everything possible to prepare him for our arrival and his departure. I am not kidding when I say that place is amazing.





From the moment we met him, he knew who we were. He has done amazingly well with transitioning into our family as well as learning English. Once we arrived home, he jumped in with two feet, and never looked back. Honestly, it is like he has always been here.



Drew is sweet, funny, loving, kind, ornery as heck, smart as a whip. He is a pleaser and loves to help. If I am doing laundry he is usually right there to help me transfer from the washer to the dryer. He loves to eat, and will pretty much eat anything. Seriously, if we would allow him to eat all day, I honestly think he would. He is definitely energetic. He is like the energizer bunny, he just keeps going and going, and going until he can no longer go. He is the best of all the kids when it is time to go to bed. Within minutes of putting him to bed he is out cold (probably from all the playing he does during the day). He is a protector. If one of the other kids needs help or gets hurt, he is the first to make sure they are okay. He definitely loves to rough house and wrestle and is pretty tough for being only 4. He has such an infectious laugh. I love tickling him just so I can hear him laugh. He is very stubborn. I don't think I have ever seen a kid as stubborn as him. Oh, and the faces he makes when he's mad just crack me up. He definitely knows how to push your buttons as well, especially Gabe's.



One of the questions we get asked alot is how Gabe and Drew are getting along. Before we had Drew everyone kept saying how Mylee was going to have the hardest time getting used to not being the "baby" anymore (there is a whole 24 days between them in age). In my mind, Drew and Gabe were going to be the best of friends. Uh, not so much. Drew and Gabe are alot alike in some ways especially hen it comes to me so there is ALOT and I mean ALOT of completion between those two. Sharing has been our biggest issue. Gabe wasn't really used to sharing his toys and still after 6 months has a hard time saying our instead of mine. Drew was so spoiled in China by his foster family that I think whatever he wanted was handed to him, no ques tons asked. So, sharing is definitely something we struggle with and are working on. Don't get me wrong, they do get along and can play really well together, but they both have to be in just the right mood for that to happen.





As for Drew and Mylee, they get along very well most of the time. Even though Mylee is older, she is much, much smaller which has sort of kept her the "baby." Although, she is very quick to let Drew know that she is his big sister. Mylee and Drew are like an open flame and a can of oil. Boy can those two get into some TROUBLE together. Most of the time is is just innocent fun, but if they are together and it gets too quiet, look out.



I will be honest, the first few weeks with Drew were difficult. I recently had a friend ask me if I felt like he was my son. Without hesitation I said yes, because I honestly, wholeheartedly love him. He is my son, without a doubt. But, I don't know if I liked him much those first few weeks. Now, before everybody gets bent out of shape, let me explain. As most of us know, the boys in China are very spoiled, and because of that, Drew didn't really have any boundaries, no consequences, and had most likely not heard the word "no" much. It didn't matter what we told him, he was going to do the exact opposite just to get a reaction from us. He hit, scratched, punched, bit, threw anything and everything, etc. I honestly felt like nothing I did mattered, and that he was just going to continue to act out. I know there are several different approaches used for behavior like this, and I also know that his behavior was mostly a result in never really being disciplined before. Once he learned that negative behavior was going to result in negative consequences, he has been a different child. Don't' get me wrong, he is not perfect, and still throws fits, but nothing like he used to. I can honestly say that not only do I love him more than anything, but I like him now too.



All in all, things are going great with Drew and like I said earlier, it is like he has always been here. He is such a blessing to have in our family and I honestly cannot imagine it without him.

As for Jaxon, things have been a little more difficult, but not unbearable. Let me back up just a little. When I first approached Matt about the possibility of adopting Jaxon, I knew it was a long shot to get him to agree. Adopting an older child (especially a boy) was something we had both said we would never do. The thought of bringing an older child in our home with small children terrified us. There were just too many unknowns that we didn't think we could prepare for. I remember looking at Jaxon's referral picture and thinking there was something different about it. There was something calming about him and his picture that reassured me that everything was going to okay, we just needed to get him home.



Jaxon's adjustment has also been quite amazing. We were not sure what to expect, but were preparing for the worst. We spent quite a bit of time researching about older child adoptions and talking with other been there done that parents. We welcomed any and all advice. We jumped into this with both feet not knowing what to expect, but knowing that he was our son and we needed to bring him home.

The day we met Jaxon I remember looking up at Matt and saying "I think I am going to be sick." We were both nervous. We didn't know if we should shake his hand or give him a hug. We just decided to play it by ear and see what happened.

All I can say is thank God for our guide, he was absolutely amazing. He did a fabulous job of translating everything that was going on to Jaxon as well as letting him know that everything was going to be okay.

Jaxon has done amazing well considering all the changes he has gone through. I cannot imagine being 14 and having to give up everything that he has given up. Courage and bravery come to mind when I think about all that he has been through these past 6 months. He could not have truly known what was about to happen. I am sure someone explained it to him, but did he really "get it?" I think back to when I was 14. I don't know if I could do what he has done. He had the courage to walk away from the only "home" he had ever really known. He had the courage to leave the only "family" he has ever really known. He said goodbye to his friends, his "brothers" and "sisters." He did all of this not knowing what he was walking into. If that is not bravery and courage, I don't know what is.

Jaxon is a great kid, a really great kid. He is such a joy to have in our family. The day we met him he wouldn't really look at us. He walked with his head down. Now, he walks nice and tall, has great eye contact, and even has a little bounce in his step. He used to eat with his face buried in his plate, shoveling it in as fast as he could. Now, he eats sitting up straight and not quite as fast as before, but still fast. When we first got home would spend hours in his room on the computer, or just being by himself. Now, the only time he really spends in his room is when he is watching a movie or sleeping. He never smiled and if he did, it was forced. Now he smiles, all the time and even laughs. He has a great laugh.

I will admit that we did and still continue to limit his time talking with his friends in China. At first we were so excited that he would be able to communicate with his friends, but that is all he was wanting to do. The longer and more often he would talk with his friends in China, the more and more distant and isolated he was becoming. So, after talking with several other parents, we made the decision to completely take away all communication with his friends for awhile. We explained all of this to him and why we were doing it. He was obviously upset, but took it pretty well. Little by little we have been letting him get back on, but he is more interested in playing games than really sitting down and talking with his friends back in China.

He went from only playing with Drew to playing with all the kids. When we first got home he really didn't play, I don't know if he had ever really been around kids younger than him. Now he will go into Gabe and Drew's room and play with them and their toys (Lego's, imaginext). He loves picking on the kids, especially Drew. I think his favorite past time is doing whatever he can to make one of them scream.

Emma adores him, and I think the feeling are mutual. They pick on each other constantly, in a good way. A while back Jaxon, Emma and I were out doing some errands and he was messing with her. She asked me why he picked on her (although she does the same to him) and I looked at Jaxon and said, "well, Jaxon loves you so much and that is the only way he knows how to show you so everytime he does it, just run up to him and give him a great big hug." Jaxon just smiled from ear to ear.

Blake and Jaxon get along really well. They have completely different personalities though. Blake is so goofy and really doesn't care what anyone else thinks. He will make a complete fool out of himself and laugh about it not caring about what others think. Jaxon is more introverted and does not like a whole lot of attention on himself and will do nothing that is going to make him stand out. Blake and Jaxon share a room, something Blake is getting used to. Blake didn't have to worry before about being considerate of someone else. Jaxon shared a room with several other boys so this was something he was used to. Blake does a fantastic job of asking Jaxon to join in if he is going to hang out with friends. Most of the time Jaxon declines, but he has gone a few times if it involves playing basketball or football. We have only had a few "issues" with the boys and those were mostly due to Blake and his adjustment of having a brother. Most of the "issues" were mis-understandings anyway and once we hashed those out, everything was all good.





Jaxon's English is really well. He did know some English when we got him. In fact, I am certain that he knew and understood more than he led on. I can't even tell you when we used the translator last. He does still get frustrated now and then when he is trying to say something and it is either not the right word, or he is saying it wrong. He gets frustrated and just says "never mind," which is something I don't allow. I make him try to get out what he is trying to say and 99% of the time he does or I am able to help him. We have a 15 year old Chinese girl from the High School that comes once a week to help Jaxon with his English. She works on vocabulary words, nouns, pronouns, and reading comprehension.

School is also going really well for him. Our school system has been extremely welcoming and very accommodating. Most of his classes are with Blake. Right now he is on a pass/fail system until we is better to understand everything. He takes Math, Science (which boys boys do not like), English (his teacher is awesome), Reading, Art, and ESL (English as a Second Language), and P.E. Even though he is on a pass/fail system we have asked that the teachers grade him just as they would any other student so we can see how he is doing. A couple of weeks ago the kids got their report cards and Jaxon is really doing well. He had all A's and B's and one C (in science). I told him he has to keep learning and really trying hard so he can go to high school next year. He asked me what happens if he doesn't get to go to high school and I told him he would have to stay in 8th grade. He thought about it for a minute and said "If I no go to High School, I stay home and you teach me." My reply, "No, you will go to high school because you are going to do your best, I don't home school."



Jaxon also takes piano from a local Chinese woman. She is fantastic and really been wonderful with him and helping us to let him know what is going on if it is something out of the ordinary. He seems to like it even though he has to be reminded to practice (typical).

Jaxon still does not call us mom and dad. He will say mom if he is talking about me, or dad if he is talking about Matt, but will not directly say "mom" to me. He has a couple of times yelled out to Matt calling him "dad." The other day we were in a store and he wanted to show me something. I was in the aisle across from where he was and all of a sudden I hear him saying "hey, hey, hey." Yes, hew as talking to me, trying to get my attention. I kindly let him know that I don't answer to "hey" and that the best way to get my attention is to call me mom. It is not something we are pushing. He will call us mom and dad when he is ready, then again, he may never. We were talking about birthdays a while back and he asked me what I wanted. I thought for a minute and then said "you know what I really want and would make me happier than anything, is for you to start calling me mom." He got this huge smile on his face and looked down. Today is my birthday, so we will see if that happens or not.

Not everything has been rainbows and sunshine here. We have had many gray, cloudy days, and some real thunderstorms. Not long after we got home we decided to go ahead and let Jaxon go to school which is something he wanted to do. Like all our kids, when they came home we asked how his day was. This went on for about a week before he got really angry and shut down. He wouldn't talk to anyone. We finally broke down and called our guide in China to help us figure out what was wrong. It basically boiled down to him feeling like we didn't trust him because we asked him what he did at school everyday. He wasn't used to anyone caring enough to ask what he did at school, if he had homework, or what he had for lunch. He really opened up that night, broke down and just sobbed as did I. I explained to him that we weren't asking because we didn't trust him, but because we cared about him.



The real "storm" came about 2 months after being home. He and Emma were in the garage cleaning up the bikes, he got mad, threw one of the bikes and broke. Emma of course came running in to let me know. When I asked Jaxon why he threw the bike he said "I don't know." The more and more I talked, the madder and madder he got. Finally he started crying and said he wanted to call Micheal (our guide in China). It was about 2:00 a.m. in China, but I didn't know what else to do so I called. Luckily, Micheal is a great guy and was able to talk to Jaxon and translate what was going on. Apparently Jaxon felt like Emma wasn't helping and he got mad resulting in him setting the bike aside. He felt like we were taking her side and was hurt. I sent all the kids to the part with Blake so Jaxon and I could talk. He was really starting to shut down which terrified me. Finally, he looked at me and said, "I want to go back to China, I don't like it here." I honestly felt like I was going to be sick. I didn't know what to do, or what to say. I tried hugging him which he pushed me away. I did finally tell him that if and when he was older and wanted to go back to China, dad and I would support his decision. I also told him that no matter what, we loved him just as much as the other kids, which is something I tell him often. I make it a point to let him know he is just as important and loved and Blake, Emma, and Gabe. Even though he is adopted, we love him just as much.

We haven't had any other break downs like that in a while. I did ask him not too long ago if he was starting to feel more at home and more comfortable. He said yes, so I asked him he he still wanted to go back to China, he response "yes, but not to stay, just to visit, I just want to see my friends, then I come home." It doesn't get much better than that.

Despite everything though, I would do it all over in a heart beat. Jaxon is an amazing kid, and I truly do love him as my own. We have only been home six months and when I look back I am in awe of everything he has done, and how far he has come. I will be honest, adopting him was probably one of the most difficult, terrifying decisions we have ever made. We completely put all our trust in God and just went with it. But, it has also been one of the most rewarding. Is it hard? Absolutely! I would be lying if I said everything, everyday was a piece of cake. I think the hardest thing has just been the communication barrier.

He is trusting us more and more which is awesome. A few weeks ago, I asked him if he remembered much about his time before the orphanage. I have asked him a few times about this and his answer was always "I don't know, I was little." So, I was completely blown away when he just started talking, nonstop. I asked questions, and he answered. I was completely unprepared, but thrilled that he was sharing this part of his story with me. As much as it hurt me to listen to it, I was overjoyed that he felt comfortable enough to tell me. This was a huge step for him. I reassured him as I do often that we love him unconditionally, and are his family forever, no matter what. He smiled and said "I know."



Jaxon is very smart. He is incredibly handsome and has a great smile. He is an awesome cook which is a bonus for me. He loves the outdoors, fishing, starting fires, playing in the woods, and swimming. He and Matt go to the range quite a bit which is great because it gives them some bonding time. He is trusting us more and more which is awesome. He is talking more and more as well. He has even said he wants to play football next year and maybe run track in the spring. He loves animals of all kind and tries to catch just about anything. He is a great big brother to the little kids.






We just had out 6 month post placement on Sunday and were a little surprised that it has only been six months. The social worker talked directly to Drew and Jaxon about living here. Obviously Drew didn't really have too much to say, but Jaxon answered all her questions without any trouble and seemed very comfortable. She asked us how it was going and we were honest, we told her for the most part things have been great, we have had a few bumps along the way, but without a doubt we would do it all over again. In fact, we had her go ahead and update out home study while she was here...

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Families Needed

I have decided to partner with the agency that we used for Mylee to help them advocate for their special focus kids. Hand in Hand International Adoptions is a small agency that believes that all children need and deserves a home. They are an excellent Hague accredited agency and the only reason we have not used them again is because we found our boys on another agency's list. So, occasionally I will be adding pictures along with a brief description of each child. If you have any questions please contact Vicki at indiana@hihiadopt.org.

Like many kids around the world, these children need families. These are just a small hand full of those who are without families. These are children, who probably don't know what it means to love or be loved. These are children that may not know what it feels like to be completely full or warm. These are children. Children who desperately need a family before it is too late.

Could you be the family for one of these children? If not you, do you know someone who may open their homes and their hearts to one of these children? Please scroll down and really look at all of the children.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me mmyag@comcast.net or Vicki at indiana@hihiadopt.org. Be sure to give Vicki the identifying information in the parenthesis after their descriptions.


Victoria was born with a heart defect (Girl V)



Tessa is post op feet issues ( I am assuming this is probably club feet) (Girl T)

Rebecca born with cleft lip, cleft palate (Girl R)

Jenna is blind (Girl J)

Hannah


Gabby was born with cleft lip, cleft palate (Girl 10-G)

Xavier is diagnosed with cross hand and feet (Boy X)

Wyatt has a heart defect (Boy W)

Urban has a heart defect (Boy U)

Quentin has a heart defect (Boy Q)

Philip has been diagnosed with cross hands and feet (Boy P)

Max has a left arm deformity (Boy M)

Landon has hypospadia (I would be more than happy to talk with anyone about this) (Boy L)

Kenton has an ear deformity (Boy K)

Isaac was born with cleft lip, cleft palate (Boy I)

Greg was born with cleft lip, cleft palate (Boy G)

Caden has issues with his elbows and hands (Boy C)

Brandon has an upper arm deformity (Boy B)

Anthony is an adorable little boy born with dwarfism. He will be 6 next week. (Boy A)

Billy has a heart defect (Boy 10-B)

Ian has been diagnosed with Hepatitis B (Boy 10-I)

Frank is diagnosed as having scaly skin (Boy 10-F)

Elliott was born with hand and foot syndactyly (Boy 10-E)


Devon was born with cleft lip, cleft palate (Boy 10-D)


Chris has been diagnosed with funnel chest (Boy 10-C)

Aaron has a heart defect (Boy 10-A)