I just finished posting updates about individual courts and adding photos to the posts about our first visits! Go check them out!
Court for Lee and Violet
Photos added of meeting Lee and Violet
Court for Daisy
Video added of meeting Daisy
Court for Amos
Photos added of meeting Amos
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Waiting at Home, Plus Theo's Second Surgery
We have had a busy week! My husband came home after passing court for our four newest kids, followed immediately by surgery for Theo.
His foot looks amazing! I am so impressed. Check out his photo coming home after this casting, compared to his foot in the previous photo!
His foot looks amazing! I am so impressed. Check out his photo coming home after this casting, compared to his foot in the previous photo!
post-casting on his second foot
before
I can't get over how great his foot looks. He had been standing on top of his foot trying to walk! This is going to make walking so much easier.
However, even though the surgery itself is a simple outpatient procedure, it has been hard on him. All of the independence we have fought so hard to give him is gone temporarily. He needs help with things he has been able to do for himself. He can't do some things he wants to. In the end this will bring him so much further forward, but he is frustrated to need to take a step back for a little while. Helping him work through that and making him comfortable has been keeping us busy!
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Meanwhile we are waiting to be able to bring Amos, Daisy, Lee and Violet HOME. We had hoped to have them home sooner, but now it is looking like their pick-up trip will not be until the beginning of January. We tried to come up with some alternative plans to speed things up, but they weren't possible with the required in-country steps. We were not able to waive the ten day waiting period for them. They were also all born in different places, requiring our facilitator to travel more to complete some of their paperwork. On top of that there is an extra waiting period for Amos to be able to change his passport.
My husband will be traveling back to pick the kids up with a couple helpers. Their passports will be completed, the kids will be picked up from the orphanages, embassy and medical visits finished, and then they will finally come home. We can't wait. Even though we won't have them home in time for Christmas here, we will have presents waiting under the tree for all of them.
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We are also working hard on things for the very special girl we are going back for. Her paperwork is taking longer than we had hoped, so we are sending in a new I-600A application to give us extra time to complete her adoption if we need it. I hope she will be home sooner rather than later, but it is much easier to send this in now and be prepared for whatever may happen. We are very thankful that the charity assistance her orphanage is now allowing seems to be helping her. We need her to stay strong until her paperwork is finished and we can get her safely to medical care and the love of our family.
If you would like to help with that, you can make a non-tax-deductible donation HERE that we can access immediately. You can also make a tax-deductible donation HERE that we can use once we receive travel dates. Or by donating HERE you can help provide her and other children at her orphanage the care and nutrition they desperately need.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Court!
We have passed court for Amos, Daisy, Lee and Violet! Keep an eye out soon for their photos to pop up on the posts about meeting them, and for longer descriptions of their court days! It will be January before they can come home due to a waiting period after court and extra paperwork time due to the holidays, but they are our newest sons and daughters!
Court for Amos
Here is the update from court for Amos!
He was very excited for today. The facilitator talked with him a little bit before my husband came in, and explained that they were going to court to do paperwork. When my husband came in, he repeated what the facilitator had said about going to do papers. They visited and he brought him candy and juice, and some magazines to look at. He also really liked the tablet, but the battery ran out after a while.
At that point he laid down on a bench and started rocking and stimming. It's tough, knowing he did not have those behaviors just a few years ago. But we will get him home where he will be safe soon.
They all went to court, including Amos. He was rocking a lot in court, but he told the judge he was very excited to go to America with his new papa. It was the same prosecutor as last time with a different judge. We were told it would be a different prosecutor, but at least he was a lot more agreeable this time. Compared to the last time we went through this court, with multiple court dates and extra requirements, this was much faster. It was still not an easy process. They grilled my husband about everything. They asked a lot of questions. The orphanage was really impressed with the change in Barton, and it helped that they said so.
Passing court for Amos was the most emotional for me out of all four children. I clearly remember our concern two years ago as this same court was so difficult for Barton, and then for a later family adopting from the same orphanage. Amos's condition is also so shocking compared to a few years ago.
This is not a fancy video. The beginning is a clip of Amos at his old orphanage. He is in the middle singing, with Barton on one side and "Dell" who was since adopted on the other side. The second part is Amos now, in the orphanage before court. That stimming that no one had ever seen before is now a constant behavior. The only difference was the transfer from one older child orphanage to another a couple years ago. I can only imagine how much more he would have deteriorated if he had been transferred to the adult facility in his region with caged pavilions.
I am so, so glad that it was our family who chose to adopt him. Honestly, many people who had committed to the child in the first half of the video would not feel prepared to bring home the child in the second half. But he is OUR son now, and he will thrive here.
He was very excited for today. The facilitator talked with him a little bit before my husband came in, and explained that they were going to court to do paperwork. When my husband came in, he repeated what the facilitator had said about going to do papers. They visited and he brought him candy and juice, and some magazines to look at. He also really liked the tablet, but the battery ran out after a while.
At that point he laid down on a bench and started rocking and stimming. It's tough, knowing he did not have those behaviors just a few years ago. But we will get him home where he will be safe soon.
They all went to court, including Amos. He was rocking a lot in court, but he told the judge he was very excited to go to America with his new papa. It was the same prosecutor as last time with a different judge. We were told it would be a different prosecutor, but at least he was a lot more agreeable this time. Compared to the last time we went through this court, with multiple court dates and extra requirements, this was much faster. It was still not an easy process. They grilled my husband about everything. They asked a lot of questions. The orphanage was really impressed with the change in Barton, and it helped that they said so.
Passing court for Amos was the most emotional for me out of all four children. I clearly remember our concern two years ago as this same court was so difficult for Barton, and then for a later family adopting from the same orphanage. Amos's condition is also so shocking compared to a few years ago.
This is not a fancy video. The beginning is a clip of Amos at his old orphanage. He is in the middle singing, with Barton on one side and "Dell" who was since adopted on the other side. The second part is Amos now, in the orphanage before court. That stimming that no one had ever seen before is now a constant behavior. The only difference was the transfer from one older child orphanage to another a couple years ago. I can only imagine how much more he would have deteriorated if he had been transferred to the adult facility in his region with caged pavilions.
I am so, so glad that it was our family who chose to adopt him. Honestly, many people who had committed to the child in the first half of the video would not feel prepared to bring home the child in the second half. But he is OUR son now, and he will thrive here.
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Court for Daisy
Here is the update for passing court for Daisy!
Court was much tougher here this time than last time! Not that they didn't seem like they would approve it, but lots and lots of questions. This judge had only done one other adoption. The prosecutor had a lot of questions also. Lots of questions about all of the dossier documents, our home, why we want kids with special needs and why we want her specifically. This court had been pretty quick last time so that was a bit of a surprise, but the judge and everyone else seemed very happy to approve the adoption when they were done.
My husband also got to spend lots of time playing with the kids at the group home! Daisy was SO happy to see him!!! She stood up in her crib and out her arms out and hugged him with her head against him. So sweet. She has a cold sore on her nose that they have been treating at the orphanage.
She was also happy to be fed while he was there LOL. She had a bottle that she held herself and a bowl of mushy stuff that was fed to her. We might need to practice eating in bathing suits on the lawn and hosing everyone off afterwards, but I think she will be able to feed herself easily. Teaching her to feed herself without spraying the food everywhere shaking her hands might take longer!
She loves rattley toys that make noise, and she had a great time playing. We have some adorable video clips of Vance handing her a toy to shake and dancing while she made noise. (Vance ages out February 14! I would love to talk to any interested families about him!)
The kids were all great. He had a great time seeing them and playing with them. The ones who hadn't seen before were happy to see pictures of our boys here at home. The staff also remembered my husband and our boys, and some of them cried looking at their photos.
I have a lot of photos and videos of the other kids from this visit! I will be sharing them and talking about some of the waiting kids in future posts!
Court was much tougher here this time than last time! Not that they didn't seem like they would approve it, but lots and lots of questions. This judge had only done one other adoption. The prosecutor had a lot of questions also. Lots of questions about all of the dossier documents, our home, why we want kids with special needs and why we want her specifically. This court had been pretty quick last time so that was a bit of a surprise, but the judge and everyone else seemed very happy to approve the adoption when they were done.
My husband also got to spend lots of time playing with the kids at the group home! Daisy was SO happy to see him!!! She stood up in her crib and out her arms out and hugged him with her head against him. So sweet. She has a cold sore on her nose that they have been treating at the orphanage.
She was also happy to be fed while he was there LOL. She had a bottle that she held herself and a bowl of mushy stuff that was fed to her. We might need to practice eating in bathing suits on the lawn and hosing everyone off afterwards, but I think she will be able to feed herself easily. Teaching her to feed herself without spraying the food everywhere shaking her hands might take longer!
She loves rattley toys that make noise, and she had a great time playing. We have some adorable video clips of Vance handing her a toy to shake and dancing while she made noise. (Vance ages out February 14! I would love to talk to any interested families about him!)
The kids were all great. He had a great time seeing them and playing with them. The ones who hadn't seen before were happy to see pictures of our boys here at home. The staff also remembered my husband and our boys, and some of them cried looking at their photos.
I have a lot of photos and videos of the other kids from this visit! I will be sharing them and talking about some of the waiting kids in future posts!
Monday, November 28, 2016
Court for Lee and Violet
Update from the first court date! My husband visited Lee in the morning, went to court, and came back to see Violet afterwards.
Poor Lee spent most of the time crying, from when they put him in the stroller and brought him out to the main room, to when he laid down again. His muscles were very tight. He did smile when my husband sat and talked with him though! They kept his toy alligator next to his bed, which was nice. Typically at many orphanages, toys given to individual kids are quickly moved into a communal location. Unfortunately that place is often in a playroom kept looking nice for visitors, where the children aren't actually allowed to play. We were very happy that Lee still had his toy to brighten his days while we wait to bring him home.
Then most of court was spent reading over all of the documents for our family and the children. They asked a couple questions and approved the adoption. Yay!! This was a very quick and easy court process.
My husband went back and played with Violet this time. She is just too perfect. She talks a lot more than we expected! She told the facilitator that my husband was very nice, and funny to play with. But she also said she couldn't understand most of what he said! She thought he talked strangely. (He knows a few phrases, but mostly speaks English.) They had fun playing with a toy and she loved the juice box and candy he brought. Her new sisters especially can't wait for her to be home.
Poor Lee spent most of the time crying, from when they put him in the stroller and brought him out to the main room, to when he laid down again. His muscles were very tight. He did smile when my husband sat and talked with him though! They kept his toy alligator next to his bed, which was nice. Typically at many orphanages, toys given to individual kids are quickly moved into a communal location. Unfortunately that place is often in a playroom kept looking nice for visitors, where the children aren't actually allowed to play. We were very happy that Lee still had his toy to brighten his days while we wait to bring him home.
Then most of court was spent reading over all of the documents for our family and the children. They asked a couple questions and approved the adoption. Yay!! This was a very quick and easy court process.
My husband went back and played with Violet this time. She is just too perfect. She talks a lot more than we expected! She told the facilitator that my husband was very nice, and funny to play with. But she also said she couldn't understand most of what he said! She thought he talked strangely. (He knows a few phrases, but mostly speaks English.) They had fun playing with a toy and she loved the juice box and candy he brought. Her new sisters especially can't wait for her to be home.
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Miracles
We have been quieter than usual. We have been busy with some amazing things. Miracles!
There is a girl who is at the orphanage we are adopting from. We met her when we adopted a few years ago. She has not done well since being transferred to her current orphanage. We've been very worried about her. With each photo we receive, we have wondered again how she is still alive.
Everyone thought she had aged out and was ineligible for adoption. Our family began making plans and asking questions. We are always radical, but this was extreme even for us. We were trying to figure out how to bring our entire family to her, to take guardianship of her as residents of her country.
WE WERE ALL WRONG.
She CAN be adopted. Her paperwork is being prepared now.
As soon as we learned this information we approached our social worker and our facilitation team. We have rushed through updates and paperwork that typically take months in only a couple weeks.
While we were starting that process, a shocking photo was shared publicly. It spread quickly. It is horrifying. It is almost too much to look at, but it is her life right now, and it has been for quite some time.
Now we are nearing completion on our side, and we begin waiting for her to be ready. We are praying things move just as quickly over there as they did for us here. She does not have a lot of time to be rescued. Her situation is clearly very, very urgent.
If you would like to help us and help her, there are several different ways you can do so.
Her orphanage IS beginning to allow some help, including some added nutrition for her and other children, and two new caretakers. You can make a tax-deductible donation HERE to help provide those things. Because of her current condition, the orphanage doctor and charity worker monitoring the orphanage are keeping an eye on her as her calorie levels are increased. Refeeding syndrome can be a real risk. For now the best we can do while she is in the orphanage is pray she stays stable and that they monitor her closely.
We have a tax-deductible account for fundraising our adoption expenses HERE. We can access those funds once we receive travel dates from her country.
We have a non tax-deductible account HERE, currently only listing the expenses we have had in rushing to prepare our dossier. This money is available to us immediately.
If you would prefer to wait until her paperwork is closer to completion, Keshia Melton is tracking pledged donations toward the adoption. You can contact her by emailing keshia.melton@mayashope.org and she will also update donors as we receive more paperwork information.
We want to be very clear that at this point our very special girl has not yet been cleared for adoption, but we will be ready as soon as she has. We are completely committed to adopting her. However, because of her current level of malnutrition and her legal status, there is no guarantee that we will be able to get to her in time. We are praying and hoping that we can get her home to love and medical care before it is too late.
A few years ago, prior to transfer to the current institution.
9 months ago
She CAN be adopted. Her paperwork is being prepared now.
2 months ago
As soon as we learned this information we approached our social worker and our facilitation team. We have rushed through updates and paperwork that typically take months in only a couple weeks.
While we were starting that process, a shocking photo was shared publicly. It spread quickly. It is horrifying. It is almost too much to look at, but it is her life right now, and it has been for quite some time.
current photo
If you would like to help us and help her, there are several different ways you can do so.
Her orphanage IS beginning to allow some help, including some added nutrition for her and other children, and two new caretakers. You can make a tax-deductible donation HERE to help provide those things. Because of her current condition, the orphanage doctor and charity worker monitoring the orphanage are keeping an eye on her as her calorie levels are increased. Refeeding syndrome can be a real risk. For now the best we can do while she is in the orphanage is pray she stays stable and that they monitor her closely.
We have a tax-deductible account for fundraising our adoption expenses HERE. We can access those funds once we receive travel dates from her country.
We have a non tax-deductible account HERE, currently only listing the expenses we have had in rushing to prepare our dossier. This money is available to us immediately.
If you would prefer to wait until her paperwork is closer to completion, Keshia Melton is tracking pledged donations toward the adoption. You can contact her by emailing keshia.melton@mayashope.org and she will also update donors as we receive more paperwork information.
We want to be very clear that at this point our very special girl has not yet been cleared for adoption, but we will be ready as soon as she has. We are completely committed to adopting her. However, because of her current level of malnutrition and her legal status, there is no guarantee that we will be able to get to her in time. We are praying and hoping that we can get her home to love and medical care before it is too late.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Court Dates and Matching Grant!
I have been a bit too busy to post lately. There is a good reason for that, and I will share more about it publicly soon! I am just way too busy making it happen right now to write it all up and then answer all of the follow-up questions. Let's just say it is amazing miracle of all miracles stuff. You will love it. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, I have some VERY exciting news about Amos, Daisy, Lee and Violet! We have court dates for all of them! They will be the week after Thanksgiving in America. The first date is the 28th, and the other two will be in following two or three days. My husband hasn't had time to get ready to fly out though, because we have been so busy with this other incredible thing!
We don't expect the kids to be home by Christmas. That is a bit disappointing. Some courts will waive the wait for court decrees to be finalized for kids with special needs and some don't. Some courts count ten days, some ten business days and also add a couple days at the beginning and end. We knew going into this that Amos's court probably would not waive it, so we weren't surprised by that. Plus we have a shorter delay to change Amos's state ID before he can be issued a passport. BUT my husband will fly back after all of their paperwork is ready to get them out! That is assuming things go smoothly and we really hope they do!
While we wait for that, we have ONE FINAL MATCHING GRANT for these four wonderful kids. It will get us fully funded to bring them all home! And with our new adventure already on the horizon, we are really excited to be able to knock out these final costs right now! When our FSP HERE reads $33,765, a donation will be made to fully fund us!
Thank you all so much for your support getting these amazing kids home! I can't wait to share the rest of our excitement with you also!
In the meantime, I have some VERY exciting news about Amos, Daisy, Lee and Violet! We have court dates for all of them! They will be the week after Thanksgiving in America. The first date is the 28th, and the other two will be in following two or three days. My husband hasn't had time to get ready to fly out though, because we have been so busy with this other incredible thing!
We don't expect the kids to be home by Christmas. That is a bit disappointing. Some courts will waive the wait for court decrees to be finalized for kids with special needs and some don't. Some courts count ten days, some ten business days and also add a couple days at the beginning and end. We knew going into this that Amos's court probably would not waive it, so we weren't surprised by that. Plus we have a shorter delay to change Amos's state ID before he can be issued a passport. BUT my husband will fly back after all of their paperwork is ready to get them out! That is assuming things go smoothly and we really hope they do!
While we wait for that, we have ONE FINAL MATCHING GRANT for these four wonderful kids. It will get us fully funded to bring them all home! And with our new adventure already on the horizon, we are really excited to be able to knock out these final costs right now! When our FSP HERE reads $33,765, a donation will be made to fully fund us!
Thank you all so much for your support getting these amazing kids home! I can't wait to share the rest of our excitement with you also!
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Posey Is So Close!
I can't believe that I am able to say this so soon! Posey is less than $200 from making her Christmas campaign goal! If you wanted to get an ornament of Posey, don't forget to order one! Raising her grant is only part of our goal here though. We also need to find her a family!
We have another great update. We have this brand new photo of Posey grinning for the camera! These new photos of her are amazing. We are very lucky to be able to get photos and updates right now. Typically they are very rare for the bedridden kids. These updates are going to make a huge difference and help Posey find her family!
I love that her new photos show her smiling! They show how alive she is! People asked if she ever smiled based on her baby photos. She was a beautiful girl with a very solemn face. Now we know that she certainly does smile!
The only thing that could make her smile more would be a family. She loved having someone play with her when she was sitting out in her chair during my husband's visit. The kids aren't usually out like that though. There aren't usually visitors to chatter away and tell her how precious she is. Usually there is day after day spent laying down in a crib.
Posey has SO much potential. She could be so happy in a family. She has been transferred, but she is still so young! She would thrive in a family. The sooner they get there, the better she will do. We have adopted older kids. The years of waiting take a toll on them. I am so thankful to be their mother, but I wish someone could have brought them home sooner. I don't want Posey to have to wait as long as my kids did. Where is her family?
We have another great update. We have this brand new photo of Posey grinning for the camera! These new photos of her are amazing. We are very lucky to be able to get photos and updates right now. Typically they are very rare for the bedridden kids. These updates are going to make a huge difference and help Posey find her family!
I love that her new photos show her smiling! They show how alive she is! People asked if she ever smiled based on her baby photos. She was a beautiful girl with a very solemn face. Now we know that she certainly does smile!
The only thing that could make her smile more would be a family. She loved having someone play with her when she was sitting out in her chair during my husband's visit. The kids aren't usually out like that though. There aren't usually visitors to chatter away and tell her how precious she is. Usually there is day after day spent laying down in a crib.
Posey has SO much potential. She could be so happy in a family. She has been transferred, but she is still so young! She would thrive in a family. The sooner they get there, the better she will do. We have adopted older kids. The years of waiting take a toll on them. I am so thankful to be their mother, but I wish someone could have brought them home sooner. I don't want Posey to have to wait as long as my kids did. Where is her family?
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Vance, Dixon and Dean Are Aging Out!
Aging out is when a child becomes legally unadoptable due to their age and the laws of either the child's country or the country of the adoptive parents. If you have any questions about this process, today's children, other aging out children, or how to adopt children with special needs internationally, email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information. See other aging out children who have been shared recently HERE. All of the aging out kids I post here have at least a $10,000 grant to assist with adoption expenses. Some have even larger grants! Please share all of these kids to help them find families! It helps!
Right now there are 12 remaining older child grants for children with special needs other than Down syndrome. If you would like to donate to that older child grant fund you can click on the donate button on their page HERE.
There are also 50 remaining older child grants for children with Down syndrome. You can donate to that fund by clicking on the donate button on their page HERE.
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Vance http://reecesrainbow.org/56885/vance paperwork and fees need to be filed before he turns 16 at some point in 2017
I had hoped to include a new description of Vance, but my husband was unable to meet with him during all of the chaos of the visit to his orphanage. Vance did have a committed family, but they were unfortunately not able to adopt him. I am very happy that he has been relisted! The facilitator said that paperwork is not an issue right now, so hopefully he will have a new family soon!
We love him! My husband spent a lot of time with him, living on his orphanage grounds for about half of our last adoption. I will write a longer update when my husband has seen him again. We are hoping to include current photos and videos to show how awesome he is and any behaviors he might have. I know another family was recently at the orphanage as well. They had their young children with them. He sat and played a card game with one of their kids.
Vance's country requires married couples with one parent at least 15 years older than him. He will need a family to turn in paperwork and fees before he turns 16 in 2017. We are waiting to receive his exact birthdate. Vance is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant!
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Dixon http://reecesrainbow.org/1128/dixon-b-304 paperwork and fees need to be filed before he turns 16 in March 2017
I am hoping Dixon will be one of the kids to receive an updated photo and profile description! Based on his current description he sounds like a very sweet kid with Down syndrome who can do a lot of things considering how long he has lived in an institution. He can walk and understands simple directions! He was learning how to feed himself. I wonder if he can now? He can make some sounds and was learning to talk. He knows his name! Would you believe me if I told you that a lot of kids in institutions never learn their names because they are never called by them? Dixon knows his name.
He likes attention even though he typically plays alone. It sounds like a lot of his play behaviors are very simple and might include a bit of stimming. Stimming is repetitive behavior that children in institutions typically acquire due to sensory needs and a lack of appropriate input. It can seem unusual if you aren't used to it, but it is a way for kids in institutions to help their brains trigger pathways that are rewarding in the absence of the stimuli most kids encounter.
Dixon has been listed for more than six years! He needs a family to file paperwork and fees before he ages out in March 2017. Dixon's country is open to adoption by both married couples and single mothers or fathers. Dixon is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant!
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Dean http://reecesrainbow.org/59152/dean adoption needs to be completed before he turns 14 in September 2017
Dean is a quiet boy with delays. He seems like he has taken a bit longer to reach milestones, but he has made consistent progress. His profile says he is able to perform self-care. He can run and use stairs. He entered the orphanage when he was found at 5 years old. He is described as a shy and quiet boy who gets alone well with the other children and adults where he lives.
Dean's country may waive many of their requirements for an aging out child. They typically will not waive their requirements for parents to be at least 30 years old. Dean's country is open to both single mothers and married couples. Dean is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant!
Right now there are 12 remaining older child grants for children with special needs other than Down syndrome. If you would like to donate to that older child grant fund you can click on the donate button on their page HERE.
There are also 50 remaining older child grants for children with Down syndrome. You can donate to that fund by clicking on the donate button on their page HERE.
If you would like to help us advocate for aging out children AND keep those grants funded, come check out the RR Older Child Advocates group on Facebook!
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Vance http://reecesrainbow.org/56885/vance paperwork and fees need to be filed before he turns 16 at some point in 2017
I had hoped to include a new description of Vance, but my husband was unable to meet with him during all of the chaos of the visit to his orphanage. Vance did have a committed family, but they were unfortunately not able to adopt him. I am very happy that he has been relisted! The facilitator said that paperwork is not an issue right now, so hopefully he will have a new family soon!
Photography by Genesis House.
We love him! My husband spent a lot of time with him, living on his orphanage grounds for about half of our last adoption. I will write a longer update when my husband has seen him again. We are hoping to include current photos and videos to show how awesome he is and any behaviors he might have. I know another family was recently at the orphanage as well. They had their young children with them. He sat and played a card game with one of their kids.
Vance's country requires married couples with one parent at least 15 years older than him. He will need a family to turn in paperwork and fees before he turns 16 in 2017. We are waiting to receive his exact birthdate. Vance is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant!
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Dixon http://reecesrainbow.org/1128/dixon-b-304 paperwork and fees need to be filed before he turns 16 in March 2017
I am hoping Dixon will be one of the kids to receive an updated photo and profile description! Based on his current description he sounds like a very sweet kid with Down syndrome who can do a lot of things considering how long he has lived in an institution. He can walk and understands simple directions! He was learning how to feed himself. I wonder if he can now? He can make some sounds and was learning to talk. He knows his name! Would you believe me if I told you that a lot of kids in institutions never learn their names because they are never called by them? Dixon knows his name.
He likes attention even though he typically plays alone. It sounds like a lot of his play behaviors are very simple and might include a bit of stimming. Stimming is repetitive behavior that children in institutions typically acquire due to sensory needs and a lack of appropriate input. It can seem unusual if you aren't used to it, but it is a way for kids in institutions to help their brains trigger pathways that are rewarding in the absence of the stimuli most kids encounter.
Dixon has been listed for more than six years! He needs a family to file paperwork and fees before he ages out in March 2017. Dixon's country is open to adoption by both married couples and single mothers or fathers. Dixon is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant!
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Dean http://reecesrainbow.org/59152/dean adoption needs to be completed before he turns 14 in September 2017
Dean is a quiet boy with delays. He seems like he has taken a bit longer to reach milestones, but he has made consistent progress. His profile says he is able to perform self-care. He can run and use stairs. He entered the orphanage when he was found at 5 years old. He is described as a shy and quiet boy who gets alone well with the other children and adults where he lives.
Friday, November 4, 2016
Meeting Amos
EDIT: PHOTOS ADDED AFTER COURT
My husband has selected the file, met, and accepted the referral for our fourth and final child of this adoption, Amos.
Amos was very excited to hear he was going to be adopted! The staff described him as one of the most physically capable kids in his part of the orphanage. They said he is very cooperative and a great helper.
They also described him as uncomfortable being in front of people. They said he spends most of his time in his room. They said he is restless.
Amos is significantly more institutionalized than he was a few years ago before being transferred to this institution. He spent most of the first visit stimming violently, unaware of his surroundings while he was stimming.
He was able to answer questions and talk when he wasn't stimming. He had calmed down by the second visit when my husband returned from signing paperwork. He had fun catching a ball and looking through his photo book.
We are 100% still bringing Amos home, even though we are anticipating his transition may be more difficult than the transition of our other kids. Amos still needs a family, now more than ever. And it is still going to be us.
I will be adding photos to this post after we pass court!
HERE ARE THE PHOTOS FROM THE FIRST VISIT WITH AMOS!!
Thursday, November 3, 2016
I Am Posey's Miracle Maker!
I am so excited to announce this! We are going to grow Posey's grant and help her find a family! First I want to introduce you to Posey if you haven't met her yet. She is so special. Then I will explain what we are going to do to help her find a family!
This beautiful little girl is Posey.
Posey needs a mama and a papa. We are going to help her find them.
It has been at least a year since Posey was transferred to the older child institution. Posey caught my eye during our last adoption. She reminds me of a girl we met named T. I will come back to her also!
Posey is a tiny, dainty little girl. She sometimes seems a bit cautious of her surroundings due to her vision impairment. Orphanages can be scary places. Posey is in the bedridden wing of her institution.
My husband was able to see and play with her during his recent visit there! So exciting!
He was able to glean some information based on the fact that she was out in the open in a group of a few of the healthiest looking children. Sometimes when there are visitors to the orphanage this group is taken out of their beds and cribs. They are placed in wheelchairs in front of a TV in a main room. Since Posey was in this group I am REALLY hoping it will mean she is getting some extra food and attention. It doesn't help the other kids who are never out of their beds, like our Lee, but I am glad for Posey's sake.
My husband had a great time playing with her. She smiled and interacted with him. She seems to be completely blind, but she does turn her head to follow the sound of your voice. She held onto his fingers with her hands. I don't know how much she can move in general because she is always laying down or rarely out in a chair like that. She would benefit SO much from therapy and medication to keep her muscles loose. He said she is absolutely beautiful, but we already knew that.
So now let's talk about what Posey's life might be like if she stays in the orphanage. She reminds me so much of the girl I mentioned earlier, T. T has spent her life in state care. This is a photo of T back when the charities were first beginning their involvement at the old orphanage.
Due to years spent without interaction or sensory input, T touches and pushes on her eyes a lot. This is a very common stimming behavior among blind children and adults in institutions. During a recent visit to the current institution T had a bad infection from doing this.
T will never have a life outside of the bed that she is in right now. T never goes outside. She will spend the rest of her life laying down in a room with no stimulation. I had hoped that Posey would be spared that dull and stifling room. Unfortunately since she was transferred from the baby house, her crib is now in the same room as T's bed. The cycle is continuing. Children are transferred from baby houses to adult institutions. They slowly deteriorate because they are never given the opportunity to develop. T will NEVER be free of that bedridden room. Posey can still escape.
_____
Now on to our job here! We are going to help Posey find a family. We are going to tell everyone all about her! We are going to raise her grant by $1000 between now and New Years Eve! It will be awesome! Anyone who wants to help, feel free! We are going to be a little bit busy with our own adoption and travel during this time, but we didn't want Posey to go unnoticed, so we jumped in!
There is a change in the name of Reece's Rainbow's Christmas campaign. In the past it has been called Angel Tree. The new name is the Miracle of Adoption Christmas Campaign. You can see all of the kids on the page HERE. You can search for her on the page with Ctrl F, or just scroll through looking at all the kids! If you donate $35 to a child, you get an ornament ($5 of the donation goes toward this) and the child's grant goes up by $30. I love these ornaments. The ones I have purchased in past years are very, very special to me. I love seeing how many of those kids have come home to families now!
We will also be running fundraisers for this, including Superman Was Adopted shirts! I am hoping to have the ordering process for those set up soon, so that they can be ordered, printed, and shipped in time for holiday shopping! I will keep everyone up to date on how that is going and what else we have to offer to raise that $1000 for Posey. Please share this and our other posts for Posey to help us make this a success!
This beautiful little girl is Posey.
Posey needs a mama and a papa. We are going to help her find them.
It has been at least a year since Posey was transferred to the older child institution. Posey caught my eye during our last adoption. She reminds me of a girl we met named T. I will come back to her also!
Posey is a tiny, dainty little girl. She sometimes seems a bit cautious of her surroundings due to her vision impairment. Orphanages can be scary places. Posey is in the bedridden wing of her institution.
My husband was able to see and play with her during his recent visit there! So exciting!
He was able to glean some information based on the fact that she was out in the open in a group of a few of the healthiest looking children. Sometimes when there are visitors to the orphanage this group is taken out of their beds and cribs. They are placed in wheelchairs in front of a TV in a main room. Since Posey was in this group I am REALLY hoping it will mean she is getting some extra food and attention. It doesn't help the other kids who are never out of their beds, like our Lee, but I am glad for Posey's sake.
My husband had a great time playing with her. She smiled and interacted with him. She seems to be completely blind, but she does turn her head to follow the sound of your voice. She held onto his fingers with her hands. I don't know how much she can move in general because she is always laying down or rarely out in a chair like that. She would benefit SO much from therapy and medication to keep her muscles loose. He said she is absolutely beautiful, but we already knew that.
So now let's talk about what Posey's life might be like if she stays in the orphanage. She reminds me so much of the girl I mentioned earlier, T. T has spent her life in state care. This is a photo of T back when the charities were first beginning their involvement at the old orphanage.
Due to years spent without interaction or sensory input, T touches and pushes on her eyes a lot. This is a very common stimming behavior among blind children and adults in institutions. During a recent visit to the current institution T had a bad infection from doing this.
T will never have a life outside of the bed that she is in right now. T never goes outside. She will spend the rest of her life laying down in a room with no stimulation. I had hoped that Posey would be spared that dull and stifling room. Unfortunately since she was transferred from the baby house, her crib is now in the same room as T's bed. The cycle is continuing. Children are transferred from baby houses to adult institutions. They slowly deteriorate because they are never given the opportunity to develop. T will NEVER be free of that bedridden room. Posey can still escape.
_____
Now on to our job here! We are going to help Posey find a family. We are going to tell everyone all about her! We are going to raise her grant by $1000 between now and New Years Eve! It will be awesome! Anyone who wants to help, feel free! We are going to be a little bit busy with our own adoption and travel during this time, but we didn't want Posey to go unnoticed, so we jumped in!
There is a change in the name of Reece's Rainbow's Christmas campaign. In the past it has been called Angel Tree. The new name is the Miracle of Adoption Christmas Campaign. You can see all of the kids on the page HERE. You can search for her on the page with Ctrl F, or just scroll through looking at all the kids! If you donate $35 to a child, you get an ornament ($5 of the donation goes toward this) and the child's grant goes up by $30. I love these ornaments. The ones I have purchased in past years are very, very special to me. I love seeing how many of those kids have come home to families now!
We will also be running fundraisers for this, including Superman Was Adopted shirts! I am hoping to have the ordering process for those set up soon, so that they can be ordered, printed, and shipped in time for holiday shopping! I will keep everyone up to date on how that is going and what else we have to offer to raise that $1000 for Posey. Please share this and our other posts for Posey to help us make this a success!
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Meeting Daisy
EDIT: VIDEO ADDED AFTER COURT!!
My husband has now selected her file, met Daisy, and accepted her referral! This orphanage visit was quite an adventure!
It started out with my husband and the facilitator picking up the regional social worker. They headed to the orphanage, but the social worker was car sick many, many times. It took them so much longer to get there than they had planned that the orphanage staff didn't think they were coming! The orphanage director had to be called back when they finally arrived. He remembered my husband from our last adoption and everyone was thrilled to hear how our kids are doing now.
Then they went over to meet Daisy. I have an absolutely precious video to share after we pass court! She was a little surprised to be taken out of her crib to play after her bedtime, but she loved the chance to shake her toy and make noise with it without anyone else to take it from her.
HERE IS THE VIDEO!
It was after lights out for the rest of the orphanage by the time they were done, so he wasn't able to visit the boys. He did get to see and spend a little time with the girls while he was meeting Daisy though!
Since it was so late they traveled back with the social worker, still sick, and ended up driving her home because her parking lot was already locked. Today they finished the paperwork for this region, so we are just waiting on a court date for this orphanage as well.
My husband still has to meet Amos, and then he will be headed back home to wait for court. We have been given a few tentative timelines, but we won't know our exact court dates for a few weeks. We are hoping everything will coordinate smoothly for the timing with all three courts and my husband's work schedule. He already had to move things around when our travel dates were changed twice, so I don't think he has any more favors left to ask for!
We are also hoping the kids will be safe and healthy until we can get them home. They have all been wonderful so far, and we can't wait to have them here with us!
Monday, October 31, 2016
Solomon Is Aging Out!
Aging out is when a child becomes legally unadoptable due to their age and the laws of either the child's country or the country of the adoptive parents. Today's child is in the same country our family has adopted from. They require married couples with at least one parent more than 15 years older than the child. You need to send in immigration paperwork and fees before this child turns 16. The rest of the adoption process can begin after that, if necessary. If you have any questions about this process, today's child, other aging out children, or how to adopt children with special needs internationally, email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information. See other aging out children who have been shared recently HERE. All of the aging out kids I post here have at least a $10,000 grant to assist with adoption expenses. Some have even larger grants! Please share all of these kids to help them find families! It helps!
Those older child grants are pretty amazing. The funds were pooled for the older children to allow the grant money to help any older child with special needs listed on Reece's Rainbow have available funding. It is already harder to find families for older kids, and having funds available to help families who feel prepared to adopt these kids is a huge help! Right now there are 15 remaining older child grants for children with special needs other than Down syndrome. If you would like to donate to that older child grant fund you can click on the donate button on their page HERE. There are also 50 remaining older child grants for children with Down syndrome. You can donate to that fund by clicking on the donate button on their page HERE.
Solomon is the first child this week. I will be writing a more detailed update about Vance later this week after my husband has seen and spent time with him.
Solomon http://reecesrainbow.org/59316/solomon-2 needs paperwork and fees sent in by March 2017
Solomon also used to live at the same institution as some of my boys. He was moved with other boys in 2013 to the facility where he is now. They are also a more closed facility where it is difficult to get updated photos and videos of the children.
Solomon is a quiet boy. He seems sad and scared a lot of the time. His life is probably scary for him. He has been seen with bruising in the past. He usually sits and rocks by himself. He loves to have his head gently rubbed. It makes him smile. Gentle touch like that is rare in his typical day.
A family was recently adopting from Solomon's orphanage. They saw him while they were there. They were surprised to hear how old he is. They said he looks like he is only 6 years old. But he isn't 6. He will actually be 16 in March 2017.
He is a very tiny boy. In his older photos he was even smaller and thinner. There are a lot of reasons why children don't grow while they are living in orphanages. Sometimes there are medical conditions. More often it is lack of nutrition. Usually the budget for food is provided by the state, but it assumes each child will need the same amount of food. Food offered is typically what is available and easy to prepare in large quantities and inexpensive. At one point these kids were being fed semolina porridge exclusively. A lot of the kids were having trouble digesting it due to previous malnutrition. It also clearly isn't a balanced diet. But it is what the orphanage can afford to provide. The amount of food allocated by the state also doesn't take into account that kids with special needs might need more calories. Everyone gets what it is allotted in most places, and that is it.
Lack of human contact and interaction can also keep kids from growing. It is called psychosocial short stature or psychosocial dwarfism. It can occur in kids who are in stressful environments without loving care. Even when appropriate food IS provided, these kids can't grow because of hormone levels and stress responses.
I don't know why Solomon is so small, but his size for his age is not unusual for children with special needs in institutional care.
Solomon has cerebral palsy. From what I have heard and what his profile says, he was born without special needs, but was very ill as a small child. The illness caused the cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Sadly I assume that means he lived with his family before he got sick, but was not able to return home afterward. Solomon needs a family who will take him home and love him even if he isn't the same child he was before that illness.
Solomon's orphanage is pro-adoption even though they are closed to charities and visitors. A few families have adopted there over the last few years. There are many available kids who could be adopted at the same time. Many of them are also older and close to aging out. Some are younger and were recently transferred from the baby house. Mario, Morris, Elijah, Jason, Jonathon, Fabio, Athens, Wylie, and Vijay are all there. There are other adoptable kids not listed on Reece's Rainbow also.
Solomon is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant to assist with adoption expenses. You can view his profile HERE or email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information.
Those older child grants are pretty amazing. The funds were pooled for the older children to allow the grant money to help any older child with special needs listed on Reece's Rainbow have available funding. It is already harder to find families for older kids, and having funds available to help families who feel prepared to adopt these kids is a huge help! Right now there are 15 remaining older child grants for children with special needs other than Down syndrome. If you would like to donate to that older child grant fund you can click on the donate button on their page HERE. There are also 50 remaining older child grants for children with Down syndrome. You can donate to that fund by clicking on the donate button on their page HERE.
Solomon is the first child this week. I will be writing a more detailed update about Vance later this week after my husband has seen and spent time with him.
Solomon http://reecesrainbow.org/59316/solomon-2 needs paperwork and fees sent in by March 2017
This is a recent photo. Solomon is walking and holding someone's hand.
Solomon also used to live at the same institution as some of my boys. He was moved with other boys in 2013 to the facility where he is now. They are also a more closed facility where it is difficult to get updated photos and videos of the children.
Solomon is a quiet boy. He seems sad and scared a lot of the time. His life is probably scary for him. He has been seen with bruising in the past. He usually sits and rocks by himself. He loves to have his head gently rubbed. It makes him smile. Gentle touch like that is rare in his typical day.
A family was recently adopting from Solomon's orphanage. They saw him while they were there. They were surprised to hear how old he is. They said he looks like he is only 6 years old. But he isn't 6. He will actually be 16 in March 2017.
He is a very tiny boy. In his older photos he was even smaller and thinner. There are a lot of reasons why children don't grow while they are living in orphanages. Sometimes there are medical conditions. More often it is lack of nutrition. Usually the budget for food is provided by the state, but it assumes each child will need the same amount of food. Food offered is typically what is available and easy to prepare in large quantities and inexpensive. At one point these kids were being fed semolina porridge exclusively. A lot of the kids were having trouble digesting it due to previous malnutrition. It also clearly isn't a balanced diet. But it is what the orphanage can afford to provide. The amount of food allocated by the state also doesn't take into account that kids with special needs might need more calories. Everyone gets what it is allotted in most places, and that is it.
Lack of human contact and interaction can also keep kids from growing. It is called psychosocial short stature or psychosocial dwarfism. It can occur in kids who are in stressful environments without loving care. Even when appropriate food IS provided, these kids can't grow because of hormone levels and stress responses.
This is an older photo when Solomon was even smaller.
Solomon has cerebral palsy. From what I have heard and what his profile says, he was born without special needs, but was very ill as a small child. The illness caused the cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Sadly I assume that means he lived with his family before he got sick, but was not able to return home afterward. Solomon needs a family who will take him home and love him even if he isn't the same child he was before that illness.
Solomon's orphanage is pro-adoption even though they are closed to charities and visitors. A few families have adopted there over the last few years. There are many available kids who could be adopted at the same time. Many of them are also older and close to aging out. Some are younger and were recently transferred from the baby house. Mario, Morris, Elijah, Jason, Jonathon, Fabio, Athens, Wylie, and Vijay are all there. There are other adoptable kids not listed on Reece's Rainbow also.
Solomon is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant to assist with adoption expenses. You can view his profile HERE or email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information.
Friday, October 28, 2016
Meeting Lee and Violet
EDIT: PHOTOS ADDED AFTER COURT
My husband has selected files, visited, and accepted referrals for our two children in the first orphanage. They are absolutely perfect.
He was able to visit Lee first. His condition is about the same as in the recent photos we had seen. He now cries softly anytime he is touched, another new development from a couple years ago.
He is never out of his crib, so being placed laying down in a stroller and wheeled out into the main room took him a little time to recover from. He did give one smile, when my husband kissed his forehead. He grabbed my husband's finger tightly in his hand.
Medically we are waiting to get more information. We are cautiously optimistic about what we have heard so far, but we don't know much until he has seen doctors here.
Then my husband met Violet. She is amazing. She is absolutely incredible. She is sweet and gentle. She is breathtakingly beautiful. She was so happy to meet her new papa, even though she called him mama the whole time. (Heehee.)
They looked through the photo book together. He brought a Masha doll that plays music, and she had a great time playing with that. They did a puzzle together and played games on a tablet he brought.
We are both so surprised that she waited for so long. And we cannot wait to get both her and Lee home! Documents for this orphanage have all been notarized, so now we are just waiting to get a court date for these two.
I will be updating these posts with photos after we pass court. I cannot wait to share them with you all!
PHOTOS ADDED!
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
It Is Travel Time!
Thank you to everyone who has helped us get to this point! I have been in awe over the last couple weeks at the way everything has come together. Thank you. It has been amazing. We are getting ready to do some incredible, super fun, super hard work. You have all helped us to be able to do it. You have given these kids a chance for a new life. You have given us the chance to love them. Thank you!
My husband is now officially on his way to meet the kids! We are all so, so excited. This will be his first trip to get referrals and meet all of the children. He will be coming home after that until court. It should be a whirlwind to travel back and forth all over the country and head back home as quickly as possible.
Side note: Yes, my husband is traveling alone for most of this adoption. This isn't something every family can do for this country, but some families qualify to adopt as married individuals. It adds a bit of extra paperwork and expense at the end, but it is the best option for some families like ours. You do need a reason to adopt as a married individual. Families who have kids with special needs at home already can qualify. Families where only one parent meets the guideline of being at least 15 years older than the child also qualify.
As we have signed documents and packed bags, we have also prepared our kids here at home for what will be happening over the coming weeks. The more we talk, the more it is obvious to me how crucial adoption is. Kids belong in families.
We talk about how we did this whole process just a few years ago to bring them home. We talk about the children we hope to bring home to our family. My kids ask hard questions, and I try my best to explain truthfully at their developmental level. I have held my great, big boys as they cry in my arms about their waiting friends. I have watched their faces fall in disappointment when they ask about friends who still don't have families. I have listened to them talk about being scared when they were transferred to new orphanages, and how their friends were scared too.
This life we have chosen is not always easy. Sometimes it is very, very hard. Our lives are messier in a lot of ways. That is okay. Messy lives sound like a decent trade off for kids to have a chance to have lives of their own. These kids are worth that much, and more. Plus, most of the time our lives are pretty spectacular. I am surrounded by the most fascinating, strong, gentle, loving, caring, silly and sweet group of kids I could ever imagine. And they are mine! How unbelievable is that!
This is an amazing, hard, incredible journey. We need more families, and fewer kids waiting in orphanages. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and allowed us to make this happen. You are playing a huge, awesome role in this story with your support. Thank you!
Side note: Yes, my husband is traveling alone for most of this adoption. This isn't something every family can do for this country, but some families qualify to adopt as married individuals. It adds a bit of extra paperwork and expense at the end, but it is the best option for some families like ours. You do need a reason to adopt as a married individual. Families who have kids with special needs at home already can qualify. Families where only one parent meets the guideline of being at least 15 years older than the child also qualify.
As we have signed documents and packed bags, we have also prepared our kids here at home for what will be happening over the coming weeks. The more we talk, the more it is obvious to me how crucial adoption is. Kids belong in families.
We talk about how we did this whole process just a few years ago to bring them home. We talk about the children we hope to bring home to our family. My kids ask hard questions, and I try my best to explain truthfully at their developmental level. I have held my great, big boys as they cry in my arms about their waiting friends. I have watched their faces fall in disappointment when they ask about friends who still don't have families. I have listened to them talk about being scared when they were transferred to new orphanages, and how their friends were scared too.
This life we have chosen is not always easy. Sometimes it is very, very hard. Our lives are messier in a lot of ways. That is okay. Messy lives sound like a decent trade off for kids to have a chance to have lives of their own. These kids are worth that much, and more. Plus, most of the time our lives are pretty spectacular. I am surrounded by the most fascinating, strong, gentle, loving, caring, silly and sweet group of kids I could ever imagine. And they are mine! How unbelievable is that!
This is an amazing, hard, incredible journey. We need more families, and fewer kids waiting in orphanages. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and allowed us to make this happen. You are playing a huge, awesome role in this story with your support. Thank you!
Monday, October 24, 2016
Andrew Is Aging Out!
Aging out is when a child becomes unadoptable due to their age and the legal process in either the child's country or the country of an adopting parent. There are many aging out children listed HERE. You can also see the children we have shared in past weeks HERE. There is still time for some of the children we have shared before to be adopted if families act quickly! They are all eligible for at least $10,000 older child grants to assist with adoption expenses. Some grants are over $20,000! You can email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information about any of these children!
Those older child grants are pretty amazing. The funds were pooled for the older children to allow the grant money to help any older child with special needs listed on Reece's Rainbow have available funding. It is already harder to find families for older kids, and having funds available to help families who feel prepared to adopt these kids is a huge help! Right now there are 17 remaining older child grants for children with special needs other than Down syndrome. If you would like to donate to that older child grant fund you can click on the donate button on their page HERE. There are also 50 remaining older child grants for children with Down syndrome. You can donate to that fund by clicking on the donate button on their page HERE.
_____
Andrew is this week's aging out child. His country allows married couples or single mothers. Many of their requirements can be waived for aging out children, with the exception of parents needing to be over 30. Andrew will need his adoption to be completed before he turns 14 in August 2017. A family could start from scratch and complete his adoption in time, or he could be added onto a current adoption. He is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant to assist with adoption expenses. Visit his profile HERE or email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information! The other child who was going to be posted has a committed family! Awesome!
Andrew's special need is albinism. He is a typically developing kid. Andrew has spent most of his life in a foster family. Andrew sounds like he is in a very caring foster home, from his description. Unfortunately, there is still a stigma attached to albinism in his country. As an adult employment, relationships, and other areas can be more difficult.
Andrew sounds like a very kind and caring boy. He has seen one of his friends adopted. It seems like he does want to be adopted but he also feels the loss that can come with that.
There is a lot of loss in older child adoption. It is difficult, because in a lot of cases it is the best situation for the child. Foster families in this country typically can't afford to continue caring for children when they are adults, even when they love them and wish they could. In a perfect world international adoption would not be the best choice. Adoption in the child's country, programs supporting families to continue caring for foster children or to help families keep their children to begin with, all of these would be much easier transitions for the children.
The problem is that even while working toward better options, there are kids waiting. These kids need something now. They need families now. Cultural shifts toward inclusiveness of those with differences are great, big, amazing things. They are what turn the tide. Cultural acceptance is great, and in the long run it will make the biggest difference to the most children.
At the same time all of these kids are already waiting for families. They need help NOW. That is why we are here. We are fighting for the kids who would be left behind. We are going to bat for each individual child, because none of them deserve to be sacrificed while they wait for bigger changes to happen. I hope Andrew will be able to find a family who will help him reach his potential without being limited by a minor special need.
Those older child grants are pretty amazing. The funds were pooled for the older children to allow the grant money to help any older child with special needs listed on Reece's Rainbow have available funding. It is already harder to find families for older kids, and having funds available to help families who feel prepared to adopt these kids is a huge help! Right now there are 17 remaining older child grants for children with special needs other than Down syndrome. If you would like to donate to that older child grant fund you can click on the donate button on their page HERE. There are also 50 remaining older child grants for children with Down syndrome. You can donate to that fund by clicking on the donate button on their page HERE.
_____
Andrew is this week's aging out child. His country allows married couples or single mothers. Many of their requirements can be waived for aging out children, with the exception of parents needing to be over 30. Andrew will need his adoption to be completed before he turns 14 in August 2017. A family could start from scratch and complete his adoption in time, or he could be added onto a current adoption. He is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant to assist with adoption expenses. Visit his profile HERE or email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information! The other child who was going to be posted has a committed family! Awesome!
Andrew's special need is albinism. He is a typically developing kid. Andrew has spent most of his life in a foster family. Andrew sounds like he is in a very caring foster home, from his description. Unfortunately, there is still a stigma attached to albinism in his country. As an adult employment, relationships, and other areas can be more difficult.
Andrew sounds like a very kind and caring boy. He has seen one of his friends adopted. It seems like he does want to be adopted but he also feels the loss that can come with that.
The problem is that even while working toward better options, there are kids waiting. These kids need something now. They need families now. Cultural shifts toward inclusiveness of those with differences are great, big, amazing things. They are what turn the tide. Cultural acceptance is great, and in the long run it will make the biggest difference to the most children.
At the same time all of these kids are already waiting for families. They need help NOW. That is why we are here. We are fighting for the kids who would be left behind. We are going to bat for each individual child, because none of them deserve to be sacrificed while they wait for bigger changes to happen. I hope Andrew will be able to find a family who will help him reach his potential without being limited by a minor special need.
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Older Child Adoption: The Hard Stuff. Plus Jennie and Evelyn Are Aging Out!
Aging out is when a child becomes unadoptable due to their age and the legal process in either the child's country or the country of an adopting parent. There are many aging out children listed HERE. You can also see the children we have shared in past weeks HERE. There is still time for some of the children we have shared before to be adopted if families act quickly! They are all eligible for at least $10,000 older child grants to assist with adoption expenses. Some grants are over $20,000! You can email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information about any of these children!
Those older child grants are pretty amazing. The funds were pooled for the older children to allow the grant money to help any older child with special needs listed on Reece's Rainbow have available funding. It is already harder to find families for older kids, and having funds available to help families who feel prepared to adopt these kids is a huge help! Right now there are 15 remaining older child grants for children with special needs other than Down syndrome. If you would like to donate to that older child grant fund you can click on the donate button on their page HERE. There are also 50 remaining older child grants for children with Down syndrome. You can donate to that fund by clicking on the donate button on their page HERE.
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Before I talk about today's aging out kids, I am going to talk about one of the realities of older child adoption. All of the aging out kids we post here are older kids.
An older child trying to adjust to a new and different place can exhibit behaviors described in one of today's profiles. Those behaviors that are described are not unique to older kids. I have heard just as many stories about 3 year olds with these reactions. Probably more, because more 3 year olds are adopted. Some of these things are the risks of adoption.
The harder part is to decide if you can do these same difficult behaviors from a teenager that you could with a 3 year old. A temper tantrum from a 3 year old is different from the same temper tantrum from a 13 year old. This can be SO hard. I have said before, one of our kids came home the size of an 8 year old. He was my size within a year. He didn't understand how much he had grown. He really didn't.
A child can have very different, much more difficult behaviors when they are in a new environment. It can require time to adjust or it can require more than that. It isn't always easy. I feel like our kids have been easy, but I often find that I had different expectations going into our adoption than other people. I do want to say that all kids are tremendously worth it, even when it is hard. It takes more than love, and that is no one's fault. Not the kids. Not the parents.
No matter what age you adopt, you have a good chance of bringing home a child who is grieving and wants to tear the world apart because they just don't understand it. It is new and it is scary. Love is scary! Being safe can be scary for kids who haven't had that. It is new. A new place, with new sounds and smells, a new language, new people, everything. With a 3 year old you have time. You have time to teach.Your child has time to learn to express and process all of that deep grief. You have time for a child to move toward healing. You could have the ability to pick that child up and move them, even if there is kicking and screaming!
It makes things so much easier to decide ahead of time what you can handle and what you will do in different situations. Talk with your family and talk with your social worker. If this behavior happens, what will your response be? What about that behavior? Make plans, even if you never need them. Hopefully you won't! But you will be prepared if you do. I highly recommend doing this whether you are adopting older kids or younger ones.
There are no guarantees. A child's reactions in one environment are not the same that you will see in a different environment. And this goes both ways! For better or worse!
I have seen kids who gave as good as they got in an orphanage environment come into other families with consistent behavioral expectations, and have zero problems ever! For some of our kids, they were WILD in the orphanage. Feral, didn't listen, had never been made to listen! Even with the best caregivers, a caregiver isn't going to care as much as a mother if a kid is picking on or bullying another. A caregiver can't correct every single behavior while watching thirty other kids with varying special needs. A mother can. A father can.
One of our kids was into everything. Mini blinds destroyed out of curiosity. Light switches flipped on and off. Closing each and every door out of nervous anxiety. Pressing the button on the smoke detector because it had a flashing light, then being a bit shocked by the noise it made! Touching, touching, touching all the things. There hadn't been so many things to touch before! A family was a hard mix of freedom and boundaries to figure out for a child who spent his life in an institution. Our kids did learn though! They are still learning!
_____
Now the kids! Both of these girls will need their adoptions completed before they turn 14. Their country is open to single mothers and older parents! They do require parents to be over 30, but they have waivers available for almost all of their other requirements. There is time for a family to start the process from scratch right now and bring these girls home in time. An in-process family could also add them to an adoption! Email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information.
______
Jennie http://reecesrainbow.org/57164/jennie adoption must be completed by August 2017
Jennie's profile is so short. It says she has Down syndrome and malnutrition. Her last update what when she was 8. It says she is walking but not talking, 7 years ago. That is it. That is her whole profile.
Half of her lifetime. That is what has passed since Jennie's file has been updated with current information. What has she done? What has she missed out on? In the absence of actual information on kids, my mind always wanders into the "What-Ifs?" territory. I hope she is safe and fed and warm, even though I know that statistically she might not be.
This picture of Jennie took my breath away when I first saw it. She reminds me of another girl, a girl who lived in the bedridden ward with our kids. (Side note, as I am sure you all know, there is NO reason for kids with Down syndrome to be confined to cribs. NONE.) The other girl was listed as Velia. She was transferred with Lee and the others, and then thankfully adopted. She is in an amazing family now, learning to walk and explore and experience everything she missed.
Jennie can already walk. Is she talking yet? I don't know. 7 years is a long time. A friend of mine posted photos of two younger girls with Down syndrome in the same country as Jennie. The girls were tied to their chairs to keep them contained all day. (Please pray with me that they will be listed for adoption soon!) Is Jennie tied to a chair? Does she still stay in a crib like the one she was photographed in? I can dream that she has been spending her time in a foster family, but I would expect her file would have more recent updates if she had.
Here is another fact about adoption in Jennie's country. It takes money and energy and paperwork to list kids for adoption. A lot of orphanages don't list kids because they don't see them having a chance to be adopted. They don't want to throw that money away. That is why the little girls my friend posted weren't automatically listed for adoption. They needed to PROVE their likelihood of being adopted. They needed prove their worth. It is heartbreaking. They are worthy. Every child is.
Someone, at some point, saw Jennie's worth. Someone worked to get her listed, even though we don't have an update on her. I want a family to come and show that her being listed was not throwing money away. That it wasn't a waste to list her for adoption. That it isn't a waste for little girls tied to chairs to be given the chance for a family. They all deserve a chance for a family and a real life.
Jennie is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant. You can visit her profile HERE or email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information.
_____
Evelyn http://reecesrainbow.org/65630/evelyn adoption must be completed by August 2017
Evelyn has developmental delays. Evelyn has two descriptions in her profile. The first is from the center where she has been living. The second is a report from her being hosted in America. I am thankful for the second report especially, because I would write something much different based on the first description alone.
Evelyn's first description talks about how she is a favorite in the center and stays in a small group. It talks about how she visits the homes of nannies. She is shy with strangers. She can count to 100 and writes very nicely. She loves to sing.
Her second description talks about the time she spent with a family in America during a hosting trip. It was not an easy time for her or her family. She cried, had extreme tantrums, and was very demanding. The last part is not too unusual for "favorites" in the orphanage system. Kids belong in families. Institutional care is so hard on kids, even the ones who are "favored" over the others. It was recommended that she needs a patient and experienced family who is familiar with older child trauma and possible attachment issues. Evelyn still deserves a chance to have a family.
Both of the descriptions can be found at her profile HERE. You can also email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information. Evelyn is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant to assist with adoption expenses.
_____
Last thing. I don't usually include our own info on these posts. I like to focus on the kids! I am making an exception right now. We travel in 10 days to bring home 4 kids. One of them aged out 10 months ago. We are currently $11,617 short of being fully funded. We have two matching grants right now. We will receive $1000 when our account reads $24,149. We will receive $2500 when our account reads $27,649. Those two grants will get us within about $5000 of being fully funded. Our family is ready and willing to do the amazing, hard, incredible work of adopting older kids all over again. If you would like to help us, tax deductible donations can be made HERE.
Those older child grants are pretty amazing. The funds were pooled for the older children to allow the grant money to help any older child with special needs listed on Reece's Rainbow have available funding. It is already harder to find families for older kids, and having funds available to help families who feel prepared to adopt these kids is a huge help! Right now there are 15 remaining older child grants for children with special needs other than Down syndrome. If you would like to donate to that older child grant fund you can click on the donate button on their page HERE. There are also 50 remaining older child grants for children with Down syndrome. You can donate to that fund by clicking on the donate button on their page HERE.
_____
Before I talk about today's aging out kids, I am going to talk about one of the realities of older child adoption. All of the aging out kids we post here are older kids.
An older child trying to adjust to a new and different place can exhibit behaviors described in one of today's profiles. Those behaviors that are described are not unique to older kids. I have heard just as many stories about 3 year olds with these reactions. Probably more, because more 3 year olds are adopted. Some of these things are the risks of adoption.
The harder part is to decide if you can do these same difficult behaviors from a teenager that you could with a 3 year old. A temper tantrum from a 3 year old is different from the same temper tantrum from a 13 year old. This can be SO hard. I have said before, one of our kids came home the size of an 8 year old. He was my size within a year. He didn't understand how much he had grown. He really didn't.
A child can have very different, much more difficult behaviors when they are in a new environment. It can require time to adjust or it can require more than that. It isn't always easy. I feel like our kids have been easy, but I often find that I had different expectations going into our adoption than other people. I do want to say that all kids are tremendously worth it, even when it is hard. It takes more than love, and that is no one's fault. Not the kids. Not the parents.
No matter what age you adopt, you have a good chance of bringing home a child who is grieving and wants to tear the world apart because they just don't understand it. It is new and it is scary. Love is scary! Being safe can be scary for kids who haven't had that. It is new. A new place, with new sounds and smells, a new language, new people, everything. With a 3 year old you have time. You have time to teach.Your child has time to learn to express and process all of that deep grief. You have time for a child to move toward healing. You could have the ability to pick that child up and move them, even if there is kicking and screaming!
It makes things so much easier to decide ahead of time what you can handle and what you will do in different situations. Talk with your family and talk with your social worker. If this behavior happens, what will your response be? What about that behavior? Make plans, even if you never need them. Hopefully you won't! But you will be prepared if you do. I highly recommend doing this whether you are adopting older kids or younger ones.
There are no guarantees. A child's reactions in one environment are not the same that you will see in a different environment. And this goes both ways! For better or worse!
I have seen kids who gave as good as they got in an orphanage environment come into other families with consistent behavioral expectations, and have zero problems ever! For some of our kids, they were WILD in the orphanage. Feral, didn't listen, had never been made to listen! Even with the best caregivers, a caregiver isn't going to care as much as a mother if a kid is picking on or bullying another. A caregiver can't correct every single behavior while watching thirty other kids with varying special needs. A mother can. A father can.
One of our kids was into everything. Mini blinds destroyed out of curiosity. Light switches flipped on and off. Closing each and every door out of nervous anxiety. Pressing the button on the smoke detector because it had a flashing light, then being a bit shocked by the noise it made! Touching, touching, touching all the things. There hadn't been so many things to touch before! A family was a hard mix of freedom and boundaries to figure out for a child who spent his life in an institution. Our kids did learn though! They are still learning!
Adoption is worth it. Older child adoption is worth it. We considered all of the possibilities with all of our kids. We made plans. We made sure we were prepared, but we didn't panic. Some of the best advice for parenting and life that I have heard is to make decisions from a place of calm rather than fear. That is what we try our best to do.
_____
Now the kids! Both of these girls will need their adoptions completed before they turn 14. Their country is open to single mothers and older parents! They do require parents to be over 30, but they have waivers available for almost all of their other requirements. There is time for a family to start the process from scratch right now and bring these girls home in time. An in-process family could also add them to an adoption! Email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information.
______
Jennie http://reecesrainbow.org/57164/jennie adoption must be completed by August 2017
Jennie's profile is so short. It says she has Down syndrome and malnutrition. Her last update what when she was 8. It says she is walking but not talking, 7 years ago. That is it. That is her whole profile.
This picture of Jennie took my breath away when I first saw it. She reminds me of another girl, a girl who lived in the bedridden ward with our kids. (Side note, as I am sure you all know, there is NO reason for kids with Down syndrome to be confined to cribs. NONE.) The other girl was listed as Velia. She was transferred with Lee and the others, and then thankfully adopted. She is in an amazing family now, learning to walk and explore and experience everything she missed.
Jennie can already walk. Is she talking yet? I don't know. 7 years is a long time. A friend of mine posted photos of two younger girls with Down syndrome in the same country as Jennie. The girls were tied to their chairs to keep them contained all day. (Please pray with me that they will be listed for adoption soon!) Is Jennie tied to a chair? Does she still stay in a crib like the one she was photographed in? I can dream that she has been spending her time in a foster family, but I would expect her file would have more recent updates if she had.
Here is another fact about adoption in Jennie's country. It takes money and energy and paperwork to list kids for adoption. A lot of orphanages don't list kids because they don't see them having a chance to be adopted. They don't want to throw that money away. That is why the little girls my friend posted weren't automatically listed for adoption. They needed to PROVE their likelihood of being adopted. They needed prove their worth. It is heartbreaking. They are worthy. Every child is.
Someone, at some point, saw Jennie's worth. Someone worked to get her listed, even though we don't have an update on her. I want a family to come and show that her being listed was not throwing money away. That it wasn't a waste to list her for adoption. That it isn't a waste for little girls tied to chairs to be given the chance for a family. They all deserve a chance for a family and a real life.
Jennie is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant. You can visit her profile HERE or email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information.
_____
Evelyn http://reecesrainbow.org/65630/evelyn adoption must be completed by August 2017
Evelyn has developmental delays. Evelyn has two descriptions in her profile. The first is from the center where she has been living. The second is a report from her being hosted in America. I am thankful for the second report especially, because I would write something much different based on the first description alone.
Her second description talks about the time she spent with a family in America during a hosting trip. It was not an easy time for her or her family. She cried, had extreme tantrums, and was very demanding. The last part is not too unusual for "favorites" in the orphanage system. Kids belong in families. Institutional care is so hard on kids, even the ones who are "favored" over the others. It was recommended that she needs a patient and experienced family who is familiar with older child trauma and possible attachment issues. Evelyn still deserves a chance to have a family.
Both of the descriptions can be found at her profile HERE. You can also email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information. Evelyn is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant to assist with adoption expenses.
_____
Last thing. I don't usually include our own info on these posts. I like to focus on the kids! I am making an exception right now. We travel in 10 days to bring home 4 kids. One of them aged out 10 months ago. We are currently $11,617 short of being fully funded. We have two matching grants right now. We will receive $1000 when our account reads $24,149. We will receive $2500 when our account reads $27,649. Those two grants will get us within about $5000 of being fully funded. Our family is ready and willing to do the amazing, hard, incredible work of adopting older kids all over again. If you would like to help us, tax deductible donations can be made HERE.
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Chantelle-Ann and Angela Are Aging Out!
Aging out is when a child becomes legally unadoptable due to their age and the laws of either the child's country or the country of the adoptive parents. Today's children are in the same country our family has adopted from. They require married couples with at least one parent more than 15 years older than the child. You need to send in immigration paperwork and fees before these children turn 16. The rest of the adoption process can begin after that, if necessary.
If you have any questions about this process, today's children, other aging out children, or how to adopt children with special needs internationally, email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information. See other aging out children who have been shared recently HERE. All of the aging out kids I post here have at least a $10,000 grant to assist with adoption expenses. Some have grants of over $20,000! Please share all of these kids to help them find families! It helps!
______
Chantelle-Ann http://reecesrainbow.org/103300/chantelle-ann needs paperwork and fees sent before she turns 16 in 2017
Chantelle-Ann is the first aging out child. She recently had a committed family who met her but did not feel they would be able to provide for her needs within their family. I think it was a really heartbreaking decision for them to make. They so badly want her to find the right family where she can thrive, and I admire SO much the openness and honesty they are sharing.
"She is very smart and curious. She likes technology as she kept trying to figure out the tv and loved our phones, except my husband's phone wasn't too crazy about her, haha. She is adorable and tries so hard to communicate. She has a lot of potential if the smallest child in the family."
They clearly love her very much. She wants a mama of her own so badly. She sounds like she has the ability and desire to learn so much.
Right now Chantelle-Ann is the size of a 10 year old although she is 15. I would bet she has the potential to grow in a proper family setting with good nutrition! One of our teenage boys came home the size of an 8 year old and was my height within a year! She does express toddler-like behaviors that due to her size can be harmful to small animals. It is also recommended that a family only have older teenager or adult siblings in the home with her. She is large and strong, and has waited in an institutional setting without the loving guidance of a family for too long.
This is the sad part of older child adoption. This is why I am a very strong advocate for adoption of kids of all ages. Kids belong in families. Families can teach children. Families can model correct behavior. Families can put an immediate stop to less desirable behaviors. But in an orphanage or institution? Even the best caretakers can't watch everywhere and correct everything. Unfortunately there are also caretakers who don't have the best interests of the children at heart. There are caretakers who abuse and model that behavior. None of this is the child's fault. They are blameless in this. This is something terrible and unfair for them, that they have been placed in this situation.
It is tragic for the children. Chantelle-Ann has SO much potential. This family has raved about how clever she is. She is a very smart girl who could do so much more if she was given a life outside of an institution. She will need the right family. She still deserves a family! Please share her so that the right family can find her.
Chantelle-Ann has a $10,000 older child grant available for assistance with adoption expenses. Email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org or view her profile HERE for more information.
______
Angela http://reecesrainbow.org/33135/angela120 needs paperwork and fees sent in before she turns 16 in February 2017
Angela is the second child today. She was in a bedridden room the last time a family saw her. I have been trying to find numbers on how many kids over the age of 10 have been adopted from bedridden wards in this country. I can tell you that it isn't very many. There are the kids I know of who have been adopted or have families in process in the region we last adopted from. I have heard of a couple kids here and there in other regions. There haven't been very many kids, but the numbers are going up over time.
As it becomes more common and more kids come home and more kids make progress and improve, I am hoping it begins to send a message. I am hoping the photos of the transformation of these kids will show their potential. I am hoping it will show their worth and value. We love and value our children. Their condition in these bedridden wards is NOT caused by their diagnosis. It is caused by the care and treatment and lack thereof. Yes, even when kids come home to families their underlying medical issues remain. But look at the difference in our kids.
Angela will be beating the odds to find a family in time. The odds are, in her country, that she will spend the rest of her life in a crib or bed. The odds are that a family showing up at her orphanage would be met with at best mild shock. I want Angela to win. I want all of the kids to win. Angela is deserves so much more than a life in a crib or a bed.
I LOVE the updated photo from a few years ago. She is absolutely beautiful. She is blind but she can follow the sound of your voice and she loves the attention of someone talking to her. There are so many resources in the US for blindness! Her profile also lists hydrocephalus. There is a diagnosis of a heart defect, but the profile doesn't list the severity. It may be mild or it may not.
There are many kids who were previously listed as being in the same orphanage, and may or may not still be with Angela and able to be adopted with her. Many of them are also over 10 and would also be eligible for an older child grant like Angela! Angela is eligible for a $10,000 grant to assist with adoption expenses. You can email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org or visit her profile HERE for more information.
If you have any questions about this process, today's children, other aging out children, or how to adopt children with special needs internationally, email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information. See other aging out children who have been shared recently HERE. All of the aging out kids I post here have at least a $10,000 grant to assist with adoption expenses. Some have grants of over $20,000! Please share all of these kids to help them find families! It helps!
______
Chantelle-Ann http://reecesrainbow.org/103300/chantelle-ann needs paperwork and fees sent before she turns 16 in 2017
Chantelle-Ann is the first aging out child. She recently had a committed family who met her but did not feel they would be able to provide for her needs within their family. I think it was a really heartbreaking decision for them to make. They so badly want her to find the right family where she can thrive, and I admire SO much the openness and honesty they are sharing.
"She is very smart and curious. She likes technology as she kept trying to figure out the tv and loved our phones, except my husband's phone wasn't too crazy about her, haha. She is adorable and tries so hard to communicate. She has a lot of potential if the smallest child in the family."
They clearly love her very much. She wants a mama of her own so badly. She sounds like she has the ability and desire to learn so much.
Right now Chantelle-Ann is the size of a 10 year old although she is 15. I would bet she has the potential to grow in a proper family setting with good nutrition! One of our teenage boys came home the size of an 8 year old and was my height within a year! She does express toddler-like behaviors that due to her size can be harmful to small animals. It is also recommended that a family only have older teenager or adult siblings in the home with her. She is large and strong, and has waited in an institutional setting without the loving guidance of a family for too long.
This is the sad part of older child adoption. This is why I am a very strong advocate for adoption of kids of all ages. Kids belong in families. Families can teach children. Families can model correct behavior. Families can put an immediate stop to less desirable behaviors. But in an orphanage or institution? Even the best caretakers can't watch everywhere and correct everything. Unfortunately there are also caretakers who don't have the best interests of the children at heart. There are caretakers who abuse and model that behavior. None of this is the child's fault. They are blameless in this. This is something terrible and unfair for them, that they have been placed in this situation.
It is tragic for the children. Chantelle-Ann has SO much potential. This family has raved about how clever she is. She is a very smart girl who could do so much more if she was given a life outside of an institution. She will need the right family. She still deserves a family! Please share her so that the right family can find her.
Chantelle-Ann has a $10,000 older child grant available for assistance with adoption expenses. Email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org or view her profile HERE for more information.
______
Angela http://reecesrainbow.org/33135/angela120 needs paperwork and fees sent in before she turns 16 in February 2017
Angela is the second child today. She was in a bedridden room the last time a family saw her. I have been trying to find numbers on how many kids over the age of 10 have been adopted from bedridden wards in this country. I can tell you that it isn't very many. There are the kids I know of who have been adopted or have families in process in the region we last adopted from. I have heard of a couple kids here and there in other regions. There haven't been very many kids, but the numbers are going up over time.
As it becomes more common and more kids come home and more kids make progress and improve, I am hoping it begins to send a message. I am hoping the photos of the transformation of these kids will show their potential. I am hoping it will show their worth and value. We love and value our children. Their condition in these bedridden wards is NOT caused by their diagnosis. It is caused by the care and treatment and lack thereof. Yes, even when kids come home to families their underlying medical issues remain. But look at the difference in our kids.
Angela will be beating the odds to find a family in time. The odds are, in her country, that she will spend the rest of her life in a crib or bed. The odds are that a family showing up at her orphanage would be met with at best mild shock. I want Angela to win. I want all of the kids to win. Angela is deserves so much more than a life in a crib or a bed.
I LOVE the updated photo from a few years ago. She is absolutely beautiful. She is blind but she can follow the sound of your voice and she loves the attention of someone talking to her. There are so many resources in the US for blindness! Her profile also lists hydrocephalus. There is a diagnosis of a heart defect, but the profile doesn't list the severity. It may be mild or it may not.
There are many kids who were previously listed as being in the same orphanage, and may or may not still be with Angela and able to be adopted with her. Many of them are also over 10 and would also be eligible for an older child grant like Angela! Angela is eligible for a $10,000 grant to assist with adoption expenses. You can email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org or visit her profile HERE for more information.
Friday, October 7, 2016
New Travel Dates, New Fully Funded Amount and Auction Is Posted!
I have never heard of this happening before, but our travel dates have now been changed twice! We are thankful that they will be sooner than we first anticipated, but we have had an exciting time changing flights and work schedules for each change in the date. Our new appointment will be October 27. That is less than 3 weeks away! Our account has been getting closer to where it needs to be. Thank you so much to everyone who has been helping us!
We are also going to subtract $1500 from our current needed total. We based our travel expenses on what they were during our last adoption. At this point flights are looking to be much cheaper than they were two years ago, despite the likelihood that we will be traveling during the holiday season. Our new fully funded total is $36,000. We need this account HERE to read $35,239.
Our latest auction has been posted HERE! It will run from October 7 to October 16 at 11:59 PM EST. Please come check it out! We are still accepting donations!
We are also working on our giveaway this weekend and that should begin at the beginning of the week. Donations for that are welcome as well!
Thank you all so much!
We are also going to subtract $1500 from our current needed total. We based our travel expenses on what they were during our last adoption. At this point flights are looking to be much cheaper than they were two years ago, despite the likelihood that we will be traveling during the holiday season. Our new fully funded total is $36,000. We need this account HERE to read $35,239.
Our latest auction has been posted HERE! It will run from October 7 to October 16 at 11:59 PM EST. Please come check it out! We are still accepting donations!
We are also working on our giveaway this weekend and that should begin at the beginning of the week. Donations for that are welcome as well!
Thank you all so much!
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Moment of Truth
Moment of truth. Travel dates are 3.5 weeks away. We are about $15,000 from fully funded right now. That is how much it costs to add an adoption from an orphanage in a different region. Due to circumstances beyond our control we are needing to go to 3 separate orphanages when we planned for 2. $36,739 is what we need this page to read HERE.
My husband asked me with tears in his eyes how we could leave one of them behind. A lot of you read and shared his "Papas Wanted" post about our last adoption from his perspective. He loves our kids and the kids we have met SO much that he has even talked with me about MOVING to this country to fill a need that exists. He is an incredible husband and father. His heart is breaking over this situation right now.
Because the truth is we can't leave any of them behind. I am flooding this post with photos.
Amos aged out in December of LAST year. He turns 17 soon. We need to file an I600 for him immediately upon accepting his referral so that he can still be adopted. We sent the I600A LAST YEAR to be eligible to save him, even though we were about to move across the country and it was crazy. He was Barton's friend. Barton who we adopted after he aged out. No one was coming for Amos. We saved Barton from that cage of adult men. That is the same place Amos needs to be saved from. His court has been one of the most difficult I have ever heard of in this country. We went through it last time and we still said YES to Amos.
We put Violet at the end of the list sometimes. We committed to her and Lee last, but I also feel selfish saying "We just really like this girl and think she is awesome and want to be her family." We think that about all of our kids, but Violet isn't urgent life or death like the others. Yep, I feel selfish to say we want to adopt a 13 year old girl with special needs who has spent her life in an institution. Orphanages and institutions are bad places. Children are abused, even in front of visitors. That is what happens when the caretakers are being watched and on their best behavior. Violet has waited so long. No one has come for her. She deserves to be safe and loved too.
Lee is with Violet, but he is in the bedridden wing. These children are being abused also. Bedridden kids who can barely move are covered with bruises. Then there is neglect. Kids are starving. He is starving. He turns 13 in November, and he is a wisp of what he was when we met him two years ago. His file has a terminal diagnosis in it. We had to decide when we learned about it whether or not we could bring him home, knowing we might have a very short time with him. We said we would be brave. We said we would bring him home and love him, no matter how long he had left. But now I am afraid the orphanage will starve him to death before we come. I HAVE NOT and WILL NOT come to terms with that. He can die here in my arms and it will break me completely but he will know he is loved. He cannot die there alone. Not this boy I love so much.
And sweet little Daisy, we expected her to be transferred in with Lee. I am glad she isn't starving too. She is still waiting at the group home because the change to fostercare has been delayed. This fostercare arrangement makes kids unavailable for adoption. At 18 in this case they will be sent back to the same places they were originally destined. Her fate would be sealed. She would starve in those rooms later, but it would still happen. We are coming for her, that noisy little girl who has spent her life tied into a crib for lack of supervision. Our sweet little Daisy.
Who could we pick? Which child is not worth $15,000? The answer is of course that they all are. Every child is. These children we have chosen are worth it. We won't leave them behind, but right now the money isn't there. We are working on it. You have ALL been amazing in your support of us. Offering fundraisers, sharing, donating, praying. Thank you. We are rolling out a couple more fundraisers tomorrow. We have tried loans, no go there. We have a very small amount set aside to hospitalize Lee immediately when he gets home. I don't think we can safely touch that money, with what he will need.
We have done this before. We have brought home older kids with special needs. They have thrived. We have worked through institutional behavior. We are ready to do this. We can't wait! We need to get our newest kids home too.
My husband asked me with tears in his eyes how we could leave one of them behind. A lot of you read and shared his "Papas Wanted" post about our last adoption from his perspective. He loves our kids and the kids we have met SO much that he has even talked with me about MOVING to this country to fill a need that exists. He is an incredible husband and father. His heart is breaking over this situation right now.
Because the truth is we can't leave any of them behind. I am flooding this post with photos.
Amos aged out in December of LAST year. He turns 17 soon. We need to file an I600 for him immediately upon accepting his referral so that he can still be adopted. We sent the I600A LAST YEAR to be eligible to save him, even though we were about to move across the country and it was crazy. He was Barton's friend. Barton who we adopted after he aged out. No one was coming for Amos. We saved Barton from that cage of adult men. That is the same place Amos needs to be saved from. His court has been one of the most difficult I have ever heard of in this country. We went through it last time and we still said YES to Amos.
This is the adult facility in Amos's region.
Here is adorable little Amos when he was younger.
Here is Amos, bigger now, but still adorable to us.
These are both photos of beautiful Violet, one with her head shaved and one without.
This gentle girl deserves to be safe.
Emaciated and bruised in the bedridden ward, this is one of the formerly healthy girls we met two years ago.
Here is Lee two years ago and now. His arms are so skinny.
He was once so alive. Now I am afraid he is losing hope.
There is a set of tights tied around her waist and tethered to the crib to keep her in.
Our lovely little Daisy is waiting for a family to give her the chance to explore the world.
We have done this before. We have brought home older kids with special needs. They have thrived. We have worked through institutional behavior. We are ready to do this. We can't wait! We need to get our newest kids home too.
Theo, Barton, Orion and Evan. They have grown more in the last two years than anyone dreamed. They can't wait to help their new brothers and sisters grow also.
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