Waiting Child Webinar Part 2!!

I just realized Gladney is having another webinar in just two days!!  I knew it was coming up, but did not realize it was so soon!

I believe a number of the children on my Gladney's Waiting Children page will be spoken about.

I'm getting myself over here to register immediately! I can't wait to "meet" these sweet kiddos through Pat and April, the wonderful ladies who will be speaking.

Waiting Child- Sadie

1/8/2013 Update: Sadie has a family!!!


I want to introduce you to Sadie.  I would tell you how precious she is, but I think her picture will prove that point much more effectively than I could.

Sadie is five and a half. She has mild Cerebral palsy; right side hemiplegia.  She is able to dress herself and does use her right arm as an assist but not as a dominate arm. She has tightness in her muscles on her right side. It was reported that she trips sometimes especially when she is going fast, but Pat Marcus did not see this.

Pat Marcus met her in June.  She spoke about her in this webinar from 17:50-18:55. 

Sadie likes fruit and does not enjoy fried foods.  She likes to play outside, she walks, she runs.  She is a delightful little girl who shows how minor a need CP can be.

She attends the orphanage pre-school and is able to communicate with her wants and needs with peers and caregivers. 

Sadie is available for adoption through a partnership program that Gladney has with the orphanage responsible for her care.

If you would like more information about Sadie you can contact April Uduhiri at April.uduhiri@gladney.org or 212-868-4565.  You can also contact me at erinmrtn@yahoo.com if you have questions about her or about working with Gladney.  Both of our girls are "Gladney babies" and I'll be glad to tell you about our experience with them.

Sadie is also listed on Reece's Rainbow.  You can make a tax deductable donation to her adoption fund here.  The full amount of the donation  goes directly towards adoption expenses for any family that chooses Sadie.  I am excited to be able to mention this option for people who may desire to help a specific child but be uncertain what they can do!

Waiting Child- Lauren

Today I want to introduce you to little Lauren.

Lauren is 2 years old.  She is described as "an active little girl who has a bit of a stubborn streak! She loves playing with older children and usually gets along well with others. She likes to watch TV and play with dolls. Lauren also enjoys animals." 

Lauren has Down's Syndrome, esotropia (which is a "form of strabismus, or 'squint', in which one or both eyes turns inward.") and a congenital heart defect.

 

She has been in the same foster home since she was very young and I loved how her file describes her as both lucky and unlucky.  Lucky because she is loved but unlucky because of her diagnoses.

Pat Marcus met her in June and speaks about her in the webinar found here from 29:00- 31:00.  Pat shares a lot of sweet little details about her.  It seems she was none too happy with Pat as evidenced in this picture...

She sounds like such a little sweetheart with a big personality!  I know it seems she has a lot of needs, but I can't help but point out again that her biggest need is the need for a family. 

Lauren is available for adoption through one of Gladney's partnership programs.  If you would like more information about her you can contact April Uduhiri at April.uduhiri@gladney.org or 212.868.4565.  Or if you have questions about her or about working with Gladney you can email me at erinmrtn@yahoo.com.

Waiting Children

I listed 8 more children under the Gladney Waiting Children tab at the top of the blog.  They are so precious!  Several of them have more significant needs and just need to be at home with a family!

Please take a look at these little ones and see if one of them may be yours. 

Pat Marcus will be speaking about meeting some of these children on tonight's webinar.  There is not time to talk about all of the children tonight, but they do plan to have another webinar soon.

If you have questions about the children you can contact April at april.uduhiri@gladney.org or about working with Gladney you can email me at erinmrtn@yahoo.com.

A Little Reminder

Gladney is having a webinar on Thursday evening at 7:00.  Pat Marcus will be speaking about meeting each of these children as well as other children she met on her most recent trip to China. 

I can't wait to listen in and hope you will to! You can read more about it here.  And you can register here.
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On a different note, I recently realized the option to follow my blog by email was not working.  This issue has been resolved and should work properly now.  Please let me know if you have problems.

Another Announcement...

 I am so excited to announce that...

Di Di has a family!!

It Takes A Village!

I'm sure we've all heard this saying which was made more common by Hillary Clinton's book, and, while I may not agree with the premise of the book, when it comes to adopting a child it becomes so true that it really does "Take a Village" to make it happen.

On Tuesday I went to the Department of State in Harrisburg to see if anyone there could help to get the documents needed for my friend's adoption in Russia.  One very helpful man wondered how I was related to the situation.  Are you another sister? (Liz's sister was there last week.)  Do you go to church together?  No and no.  Another lady chimed in to say, "She is a member of the village.  It takes a village, you know."  I said, "I'm just a friend.  I have adopted internationally twice."  And he totally got that because he adopted from Ukraine a few years ago.  So we stood there in the halls of the North Office Building racking our brains trying to figure out what we could do to help get a precious 2 year old girl in Russia home to her Mommy who loves her.  And for a few moments we became part of "the village" working together for the good of the child.

My heart is very burdened today for the children with Cerebral Palsy* who need families.  I can't stop thinking about this particular need.  Right now Gladney has five children ( including precious Yana!) with CP waiting for families.  Five!  Each one of them an individual, precious in their own right.  Not a diagnosis!  A child! 

And guess what?!  It is going to take a village to get these children in to loving homes!  I can't do it by myself, you can't do it by yourself, but we can all pull together to make it happen!

If you can advocate and raise awareness, do it!  If you can bring a child with CP into your family, do it!  If you can help financially, do it! If you can pray especially for these children, do it!  If you want to help, but don't know how, leave a comment or send me an email at erinmrtn@yahoo.com and I will gladly help you brainstorm about it!  We can all do something, and God only asks that we do what we can.


* For those who are unfamiliar with CP it is a non-progressive condition caused by an injury to the neuro system before, during, or immediately after birth. 

Waiting Child- Yana

There is something about this little girl that stirs my heart. The first time I saw her picture I gasped at how absolutely beautiful she is!

This is Yana.  She is 2 1/2 years old.  She has cerebral palsy that effects all four limbs.  Her type of cerebral palsy is called quadriplegia with an athetoid component. She also has decreased head and trunk control.

 Here is what Pat Marcus said about her, "She has a smile that would stop the room. She did not like lying on her back but when in supported sitting, She looked right into the camera. She is a really beautiful girl."

 She desperately needs a family who will love and believe in her!  She needs the therapies that will allow her to reach her full potential.

Yana currently resides in an orphanage.  Pat Marcus met her in June and spoke briefly about her in this webinar (this is part 2 of a webinar, you can find part 1 here).  Another webinar is scheduled on September 20th at 7pm EST  where Pat will speak more about her and the other children she met on her most recent trip to China with Superkids.  You can register to attend the webinar here.

Yana is designated to Gladney through a partnership program with the orphanage in charge of her care.  If you would like more information about her you can contact  Judy Hayes at Judy.Hayes@gladney.org or 432-563-3344.

Or if you you have questions about her or about working with Gladney you can contact me at erinmrtn@yahoo.com.

A Few Announcements!

Da Da's file is now on the shared list meaning that he can be adopted through any agency!!


And...

Zuo Zuo has a family!!

And...

Mei Mei has a family!!

Waiting Children

I just posted 11 new children on my waiting children page.  These children are all designated to Gladney through a partnership program with the orphanage in charge of their care.  I will be writing posts with more information about them over the next little while. Also, Gladney will be having a special webinar with Pat Marcus speaking about meeting the children.  I'll keep you posted as to when that will be!

As always, if you have any questions about any of these children or about working with Gladney please email me at erinmrtn@yahoo.com.

Edit:  I also added a new page entitled "My Family Found Me" to announce when a sweet little one is matched with a family.  So check out the good news there!  Run Run has a family!

Updated Picture of Di Di!

This picture of Di Di was taken just a few weeks ago!  She is just so precious!  She is still waiting for a family.  Gladney is looking for a homestudy ready family for her.

Want To Watch A Spiderweb?

Remember the webinar (or "spiderweb" if you are Annika) Gladney held a couple of weeks ago?  It was recorded and you can view it here (part 1) and here (part 2).

Pat Marcus speaks about her time in Shanghai and JiangXi provinces in China.  She introduces some absolutely gorgeous kiddos who are waiting for families.  Some of the children are available now through Gladney's GuangMing program. 

Gladney has not yet received the files for the children from JiangXi, but they expect to receive them soon.  Wouldn't it be great if there were families waiting for the children's files to be available so that the children could come home as soon as possible!?

Anyway, take a look.  One of the little girls is so gorgeous I gasped out loud when I saw her picture!

And, as always, if you have questions about the children or about working with Gladney send me an email at erinmrtn@yahoo.com.  I will answer any questions I can!

Boys, Boys, Boys...

One of the most common misconceptions about adopting from China is that there are almost exclusively girls waiting for families.  When the reality is that, in the waiting child program, there are many more boys than girls waiting for families in China!  Right now approximately 75% of the children on the list of available children that China releases are boys!

As a matter of fact, being a boy is almost considered an additional "special need".  A boy and a girl near the same age with similar special needs may even have their files classified differently.  The boy's file will more likely be designated "Special Focus" meaning that he is considered more difficult to place for adoption, while the girl's file will not be. Since when is gender a special need?!

I do not think this means that there are literally many more boys than girls in orphanages, but rather it reflects the fact that the vast majority of people adopting prefer to adopt girls.

I do not know why most people adopting request a girl, but I have heard the idea that girls are "easier" to parent than boys. I do not see it that way. Each of our children have their own unique personality. Each have strong and weak points. Each of them has challenged us as parents. Each of them has brought us untold joy.

 If you are considering adoption can you at least think about opening your heart to a little boy? People who are open to boys are often matched with a child much more quickly!

Now I know, we have adopted girls, and there is no question in my mind that these girls were placed in our family by God.  So this post is not about making people feel guilty for deciding to adopt a girl, but just to make people more aware of how many boys are waiting for families!

I Just Can't Imagine...

I read this story and it brought tears to my eyes.  I cannot even imagine knowing that one of our girls had a biological sibling waiting for a family.

Please read the story and ask yourself what you can do.  Could she be your daughter?  Can you share this story on your blog or Facebook?  Can you pray for her and for her brother?  We can all do something!

About Di Di

I added another edit to this post.  It seems Di Di is still waiting for a family after all.  I know this was a very difficult time for the family who hoped to adopt her and my heart goes out to them as they make decisions that are best for their family.

Gladney is really looking for a homestudy ready family for Di Di and for Da Da.  Their files may need to go back to the CCCWA before long and it is never certain what will happen to the file after it is returned.

Please take another look at these two beautiful children!

Waiting Child Webinar

Gladney is holding a special webinar on Thursday, July 19 at 7 PM EST in which Pat Marcus will be speaking about her recent trip to China when she visited children in the Shanghai and JiangXi provinces.  She will be sharing her experience with meeting each of the children she met that are available for adoption through Gladney's partnership program with certain orphanages in these provinces.  I know she met a lot of children and I'm really excited to hear more about these precious children.

I will be sharing our China adoption story as well.  This is way a bit outside of my comfort zone, but I'm going to try!

If you want to join in you can register here.

Too Old? { The Story of my Snaggle-Toothed Boy }

This is Casper.  He was born on a cold January night in 2005.  The only problem with that was that we were not expecting to meet him until mid-April.  In the middle of  being rushed to the OR so that the necessary emergency c-section could be performed,  I was being told that he may or may not cry at birth, but that they would do everything they could for him.  He cried.  A tiny little sound like a kitten mewing.  Only in my ears it was a loud sound echoing around the OR because I was so tense listening for it.

But this is Casper.  Now he is 7.  And he is a strong, healthy boy.  He is a sweet natured boy who still loves to climb on my lap to be cuddled.  He is my quiet child.  The one who will spend long periods of time driving little cars and trucks around and lining them up in neat, precise rows.  He loves to read.  He spends many a quiet hour curled up with a book.  But he can be loud.  And he can be silly.  I look at him and wonder what he will do with his life.  He is still such an innocent little boy with his life stretching before him.

Now, take a look at the little boys on my sidebar.  Two of them are a few months younger than Casper.  And yet for so many families it is just "too old".  And it just breaks my heart to think of my sweet little Casper being passed over because he happens to be a 7 year old boy who had a "very difficult neonatal path". 

I think about how if Casper were in need in a far off place how we would fight with everything in us to get to him.  To be with him.  We would do anything to be there for our son!

And then I think of how each of these boys are precious to God.  They are God's own dear children.  They are in need.  And God has commanded us to work in His stead here on earth.  Why aren't more Christians standing in the gap?  Why are we not tearing down walls with our bare hands to get to the children in need all over this world!?  There are so many.  The need is so great.  If you cannot open your home to a child, can you financially help someone who can?  If you cannot do either, can you lift these children up in prayer and tell others of the need?  Can you sponsor a child or a family in need?

I do understand that we cannot all adopt and that God does not place adoption on everyone's heart. But He is very clear on this point,  "As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."  We can all do something.

Di Di...

Has a family!!! 

I am so thankful and excited to announce that a family has decided to move ahead with adopting Di Di. 

Congratulations to the happy family!

Waiting Child- Qiao Qiao

Just take a look at this handsome little boy!  He just melts my heart!  He is almost 7 years old.  His special need is a repaired cleft lip and palate.   And he really needs a family to call his own. 

Qiao Qiao is a cheerful boy. He currently lives with a foster family in southern China and attends the senior level pre-school class. He likes to watch TV, especially cartoons, one of his favorites is the "Pleasant Goat" cartoon. He enjoys imitating the characters he sees (that should be a hoot). His favorite toys are remote control cars and airplanes. He has a good appetite and especially likes wontons. Qiao Qiao does well in school and is described as well-mannered and hard-working.

Pat was able to spend some time with him just last week, so I'm sure we will hear some more details about him shortly.

Playing ball with Pat/

Qiao Qiao is designated to Gladney through one of their partnership programs.  To request a password to view their photo listing contact Judy Hayes at judy.hayes@gladney.org.   That way you can see his picture without anything covering his eyes.  He is such a cutie!

It always especially hurts my heart when I see a boy this age waiting for a family.  Casper is 7, and I just can't imagine him waiting like this!  Take it from a mother of three boys, boys are so much fun!

You can contact me at erinmrtn@yahoo.com if you have questions about Qiao Qiao or about working with Gladney.  We used them for both of our adoptions and would be glad to share our experience.

The Desires of { My } Heart...

"Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)

I am, by nature, a quiet type of person.  I hate conflict.  I hate being too busy.  My favorite thing to do is to stay home and just kind of putter along doing my thing without a lot of stress or pressure.  (OK. I also like to take my children wading and sit on a chair with my feet in the water reading a book, but you really can't do that every day.)

My old pair of Tom's are perfect for wading:)

My life mantra is There is more than one right way to do anything. I don't mean in matters of principle of course, but I really don't care how (or if) you clean your kitchen or plan your menus or if you choose to breastfeed or bottle feed your baby or what time you get out of bed in the morning.  I trust that most of us are really trying to do the best we can in the circumstances we are in.  You do your thing, I'll do mine and we will all live happily ever after.

Another characteristic of mine is that I love newborn babies.  Oh my, how I love everything about them!  The way they feel.  The way they smell.  The faces they make.  Their little noises.  Everything, just everything!

So does it not seem strange that the Lord gave me one of the greatest desires of my heart (a daughter) in Kazakhstan and one in China?  And that I needed to leave my home and my children to go get them (when I naturally want to stay at home)?   Does it not seem strange that I had to put together two detailed dossiers that had to be done one and only one right way?  And does it not seem strange that He gave me these wonderful girls at ages 13 months and 3 1/2 years (instead of as newborns)? 

And does it not seem strange that I consider it all to be just perfect??!!

He literally replaced my natural desires and gave me new desires!  He gave me the desires of my heart!  And in the process my eyes were opened to the needs of orphans and my heart was enlarged toward them.

And now?  My desire is to go wherever I need to go.  And do whatever I need to do.  And love every child of any age that I can love, whether for a day or for a lifetime. 

This is the desire of my heart.