Waiting Child- Amanda

I wrote about meeting "Amanda" here.  I was so touched by meeting her and her foster father that I wrote that post on a brief lunch break, because I knew that hers is a story that has to be told.  There is a measure of responsibility that comes with being allowed to meet children like Amanda.  It is a privileged afforded to few.

So here you go, this is Amanda.

She  will be 13 in December.  This means that we have 15 months until she turns 14 and is no longer eligible for adoption.

She is intelligent and her favorite subject is math.  She has such a delicate beauty and seems very mature and graceful.

Amanda has had recent spinal surgery and we believe she had Spina Bifida but in her file they call this post operative straightening of bulging lumbar backbone.  She uses a wheelchair to get around but can take some steps.  She is independent in all her self care activities.

This sweet girl wants a family who will be patient and love her.  She also hopes for siblings. 

Amanda's relationship with her foster father was so close and sweet!  We just heard that she has been returned to the orphanage due to her foster mother's deteriorating health.  I just can't imagine how lonely Amanda must feel!  She was loved and cherished by this wonderful family for 9 years!  My heart just hurts to think of her back in the orphanage, I only assume her longing for a family is very great!

You can view a video of her here.


Amanda is designated to Gladney through a partnership program with her orphanage.  For more information about her please contact Lindsay Miller at lindsay.miller@gladney.org and cc Wendy Stanley at wendy.stanley@gladney.org on the email.  You can also contact me at erinmrtn@yahoo.com.


Please help me find this exceptional young lady a family!  Share this with anyone you can!  Pray for her and her foster family as they must all be grieving!  Together we can make a difference for this beautiful young lady!

Introducing...

Waiting for Blessings

The new advocacy site my friend and fellow adoptive mother Suzanne Meledeo from over at Surpassing Greatness are launching together.

We are going to be posting about waiting children, our personal experiences as adoptive parents, and sharing other families' stories as well.  We have so many precious children that we will be introducing you to over the next little while!  Starting with this post tonight.

Hope to see you all over there!

And if you have adopted an older child and would like to share your experience over at Waiting for Blessings we would love to hear from you!

Wordless Wednesday { Superkids Trip Flashback }

Chelsea and Zhen Zhen

Superkids Webinar { Jiangxi Province }

Tomorrow, August 22, at 7:00 PM  (Eastern Time) it is webinar time again!! And, oh my, do we have some adorable children to introduce to you!! 

I'm going to list all of the kiddos we will be talking about here.

I wish I could put all of their photos in this post.

  There are just too many.  They are all so precious! 

Just rush over here and register, I assure you, this is a webinar you don't want to miss!

*URGENT* Waiting Child- Desi **AGING OUT!!!**

Today I want to tell you about Desi.  She is a lovely, healthy 13 year old girl.  She needs a family urgently!  Desi will turn 14 in May and will no longer be eligible for adoption.  If a family does not step forward very, very soon Desi's chance to have a family will be over!

Here is what is said about her. "Desi is a beautiful girl who needs to find a family fast! As per China regulations, once she reaches the age of 14 years she will no longer be eligible for international adoption. She is described as a talkative, outgoing and happy girl. She loves to sing and dance! Everyday after school she will watch TV with her friends and imitate the performers – learning their dances and songs! She is well-behaved and polite in school and is helpful to the teachers."

Desi is on the CCCWA shared list, so she can be adopted through any agency!  Since her birthday is so soon she needs a family that already has a Log In Date (LID).

If you are interested in learning more about Desi please contact April Uduhiri at april.uduhiri@gladney.org or 212-868-4565.

Waiting Child- Kayley

Sweet, beautiful little Kayley is 5 1/2 years old.  She is waiting for  family to step forward and claim her for their own!

Kayley likes to play with other children.  She enjoys being tickled and her favorite toys are building blocks that are shaped like snowflakes.  Sho loves candy and snacks and knows to say 'thank you' for her snacks.

When asked to by caregivers Kayley can point out which other children are her friends.

She is receiving language training twice a week to help with her development and it does seem she has made great strides in the last year!

Here is what a Superkids volunteer said after meeting Kayley: "We really enjoyed our visit with Kayley! She is very outgoing and full of joy. Her caregivers report that she has made great strides in the past year and is very talkative and eager to learn. She was very friendly with the other kids and the adults and loved playing with the toys that we brought. She counted easily and was talking in full sentences. She identified all of the objects on our picture cards and imitated the English words. She loved playing the piano and listening to music. She also likes to sing and put on a little show for us! Kayley appears to be a happy, active and friendly little girl!"

Doesn't she sound precious?  She is very close to Annika's age and I can certainly assure you that it is a wonderful, darling age!  Can't you just imagine her twirling into her family's life and adding so much sparkle and joy?

Kayley is from a large orphanage in Asia.  She is a part of Gladney's partnership program with the orphanage in charge of her care.  To learn more about Kayley please contact April at april.uduhiri@gladney.org.  Or you can email me at erinmrtn@yahoo.com if you have questions about working with Gladney.  They helped us bring both of our daughters home so I'll be glad to answer any questions!

**URGENT** Waiting Child- FangFang **AGING OUT!**

I have a very urgent need to tell you about today.  FangFang is an almost 14 year old boy from China in need of a family.  He is blind and was in an accident which caused him to almost lose his middle finger on his right hand.  It is not clear how much he is able to use his finger.

FangFang will age out in June!  Meaning he will no longer be eligible for adoption!!  He most likely faces a very grim future if he is not adopted.


He is a happy, talkative boy when he is in a familiar environment, but can be shy in unfamiliar surroundings.  He likes playing outdoors and swinging.  He likes being with a friend for company since he is blind.

FangFang is described as a gentle boy who loves music.  (Doesn't he sound like a wonderful boy!?)   He started special classes to learn braille but had more difficulty with this than peers. He has good ability to imitate and memorize. He has also learned many English words. He now attends school at the institute and is very good at oral problems and riddles.

Time is running out!  We urgently need a family with a Log In Date (LID)!  Fang Fang is on the SHARED LIST, so he can be adopted THROUGH ANY AGENCY.

If you want more information about how to adopt FangFang you can email april.uduhiri@gladney.org or erinmrtn@yahoo.com.

Please share this post and help to find FangFang's family!

The Best Kind of News!

I just moved two more little pictures from the "Gladney's Waiting Children" page to the "My Family Found Me!" page.

I don't always mention it here, but I always love this little process.  Two more children with families!  It just makes me so happy!!

Congratulations to the families of:

Sadie & Pheobe!

I hope the process goes swiftly and smoothly and that these precious girls can be home soon!

Adoption Related Miscellany

As I have mentioned,

November is National Adoption Month!!

I had intended to have new posts about adoption almost daily throughout November.  I wasn't counting on our internet being down for a couple of days though.  But anyway I am ba-a-a-a-ck!  So...

Don't forget about little Sadie!!
Please friends, let's try to pull together to make a difference for this precious girl!

And...

I'm still looking for people to guest post for me. 
I have some fun posts coming up, but I'm still open to more!  So if you would like to do a guest post this month please contact me at erinmrtn@yahoo.com. Other bloggers are welcome, but you do not need to have a blog to participate I would love to have some posts from adoptive parents, adoptees, birth parents, and adoption professionals. If adoption has touched your life please send me an email.
And...

Gladney's Taiwan program is hosting a two-part informational webinar on Friday .

This sounds like a webinar that would be well worth your time if you are interested in adopting from Taiwan or adopting an older child. There will be several professionals and wonderful adoption advocates speaking. You can register for the webinar here.

Happy News!

Wyatt has a family!!!

His picture can now be found on the "My Family Found Me" page!

Blessing on this sweet boy and his family!  May the time between now and when you are together move swiftly!

Waiting Child- "Tessa"

Today I want you to meet Tessa.  She is going to have a birthday soon.  She will turn 2.  How I wish she would receive the gift of a family for her birthday!

Tessa is from Asia.  She has a cleft lip and palate.  She also appears to possibly have a syndrome, her file states that she appears to have Down's Syndrome.

Tessa has been in the same foster home since she was very small.  She is very close to her nanny and cries when she sees her nanny carrying another child.  She understands what is being said to her and will smile when asked if she wants milk. 

And, wait for it, this is my favorite detail: she likes to look pretty and wear pretty clothes.  When you tell her how pretty she looks she smiles happily.

Pat Marcus, a pediatric physical therapist, met her in June.  She had just had surgery to repair her cleft lip and also had a cold.  She was not a happy camper (who can blame her?!)  but it was reported to Pat that she is normally a happy little girl.  Pat speaks about meeting her in this webinar.( INTRODUCING OUR JIANGXI REFERRALS – PART 2!!!).

This baby needs a family.  Her physical needs may seem large, but her greatest need is just the same basic need that all children have, she needs a family.

Tessa is also listed on Reece's Rainbow.  You can make a tax deductible donation toward her adoption costs here.  This is such a great opportunity for people who want to help but can't adopt her!  Remember, we can all do something.

If you would like more information about Tessa please contact April Uduhiri at april.uduhiri@gladney.org.

If you have questions about working with Gladney please don't hesitate to contact me at erinmrtn@yahoo.com. We adopted through Gladney twice and I am glad to share our experience!

Don't Miss the Webinars!!

April Uduhiri and Pat Marcus
 

Remember when I told you about the special place Pat Marcus holds in our hearts?  Well, here she is with April Uduhiri, another person who is very special to our family.  April is the Gladney Asia program caseworker that worked with our family through out Eliana's adoption.  She is the one who sent us emails like this one sent at almost 7:00 on a Thursday evening, long after I assumed we would not hear anything that day:

Subject:  :)

Erin – your CIS approval came back from the Consulate today and the dossier is complete! It will go out tomorrow to China.

Congratulations! We’re all excited to see you move forward another step towards bringing Xing Xing home.

Anyway, these are the ladies who spoke on the recent webinars about children available through Gladney's partnership program with various orphanages in China. You can see parts 1 & 2 here. They speak about all of the kiddos you see here.

And these are also the ladies that we plan to visit with in person on Sunday! YAY!!

New Kiddos!!

I listed five more children on the Gladney's Waiting Children page!  They are adorable!  These children seem to have really minor needs and range in age from 20 months to 10 years!

Please look, share, do what you can to help these children find a family!

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.

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.