Jewels in My Crown

Help for Kalinovka

2012-01-27T21:05:00.000-08:00

Back in 2008, when I was newly informed of the plight of disabled orphans in Ukraine, I began communicating with a Mennonite Brethren missionary couple in Zaporozhye. They had heard of a remote orphanage for disabled children in that region of Ukraine, but didn't know much about it at the time. They referred me to an American man who is descended from the family who owned the place when it was a large and prosperous Mennonite agricultural estate.

Now called Kalinovka, it is fascinating to see the old photos of the original buildings alongside newer photos of the buildings stripped of their ornamentation after the revolution. From the Happy Child Foundation story HERE:

Given land by the Russian government, German-Mennonite colonists settled here in the early 1800s. Kalinovka, itself, began as an agricultural estate named Steinbach, founded in 1813-14. Over nearly four generations, the Schmidt family made Steinbach into one of the most renowned farms in the region, encompassing some 20,000 acres of wheat and pasture land. Tsar Alexander I visited here in 1825, interested especially in its model tree-planting program. In time Steinbach also became known for its high-quality school, library, and its splendid buildings. In the decade before and after 1900, the Steinbachers sponsored retreats for teachers and ministers participating in Bible seminars. After the 1917 revolution, the family was forced to leave, and by 1923 disabled children were already occupying the main buildings.

Much work has been done in this facility over the past few years. One encouraging development includes a remodeled family type home on the property for several of the older boys. Another great sign of progress is that a young boy with Down Syndrome was very recently adopted from Kalinovka!

Much is yet to be done. My friend Gretchen is working with an organization in Chicago to ship some much needed supplies to Kalinovka in the next TWO WEEKS! Please visit her blog HERE if you want to know how you can help. There is a list of items and contact information posted there.

It is heartwarming to know that someone, somewhere, does indeed care about these children who are living in such difficult circumstances. I always imagined that I would be able to help them one day. Perhaps we can do that together now, with some help from Gretchen and her friends.

Handling disappointment...or not so much.

2011-11-28T20:45:00.000-08:00

I'm having a hard time with this:

Love those crib slats? How about the fact that this child's diaper is completely soaked? That this child won't be getting out of this bed today?

I just returned from Ukraine. Well, I've been home about a week. It takes me that long to get over the jet lag and process the whole experience. Add in some doctor appointments and a holiday and it seems to take forever to get back to normal.

You can read about the trip over at Project TLC. I just wanted to share my personal feelings here about what I experienced.

Even though it was plain to me that God had been very busy planning all sorts of wonderful moments for us to experience and inroads to make, the disappointments of the trip are weighing heavily on me. I know that God is working in these dark places, even we are not there, even when we are not thinking of them. He's very much in control.

So why doesn't He just fix things for these children? What is the purpose of it all?

Please don't forget the children living lives of quiet brutality in Eastern European orphanages. They are hidden treasure.

"Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.” Luke 9:48

My friend Shelly

2011-11-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

When you come here you get what I'm thinking about today. I'm not one to work on a blog post for more than a few hours, which is probably why the quality of my writing isn't all that great. I try to go back and work on my drafts, but I lose my train of thought and everything I wrote before sounds dumb, which is also why I rarely go back and read stuff I wrote awhile back!

Today I'm thinking about a very special family. A very special adopting family. This could be long!

I was cyber-introduced (meaning we have yet to meet in real life!) to Shelly after she and her husband adopted three, yes THREE!, children from Ukraine in 2010.

I had just finished a successful (praise God!) fundraiser for a little girl named Tori, when a very large donation was made to Tori's adoption grant fund. I was very surprised when Shelly and her family committed to adopting Tori, considering they had just adopted Hudson, Owen, and Evelyn earlier in the year.

Since Tori had lived at Yolochka (where Theo and Zhen lived) for her first four years, she was very special to me. Truthfully, all the Ukrainian orphans really tug on my heartstrings, but the ones from that particular baby house shatter me.

Shelly asked me about the other children I met at Yolochka. I told her about a little girl named Anastasiya who was utterly ignored. She would sit (sitting is really too nice a word) slumped over in a highchair for hours on end. Every.Single.Day.

Well, that was that, Shelly and her family agreed to adopt Anastasiya in addition to Tori! It always warms my heart when a family chooses the overlooked children, the funny looking ones, the delayed ones, the truly sick ones, the ones that no other family wants to chance. But those are the sort of people Shelly and her husband Brian are. They look past the outward appearance. They look at the unwanted and unloved children through the eyes of their creator. And they love them fiercely.

So you have probably guessed by now that Tori and Anastasiya were both adopted by Shelly and Brian early in 2011 and renamed Reagan and....CARRINGTON!! Yes, THE Carrington!

Over the past year, Shelly and I have become close friends. We take turns holding each other up. We understand each other. I can call her when I have a child eating Styrofoam, or mulch, or...poop!

Shelly knows the particular sort of despair that I suffer concerning the orphans of Ukraine. She has been there, done that. She gave me the courage to go ahead with Project TLC when I wasn't sure if I had anything to offer.

Now Shelly and Brian are adopting again. Yes!! WOW!! They were moved by the story of another bunch of very neglected children in another orphanage in Eastern Europe. Isn't that just amazing?

I just want to publicly thank Shelly for being such a wonderful and faithful friend to me. And I would love for you to visit her NEW ADOPTION BLOG and give her some bloggy love (that's bloggy speak for kind words and encouragement). Oh my stars! Aren't they a beautiful family?

While you are there, if you are so moved, you may want to throw a 10-spot into the pot to help Shelly and Brian with their adoption expenses. You could be chosen to receive an Apple 32GB iPad2 that they will be giving away later this month.

This sweet family is lovingly raising 7, soon to be 9, children, some with significant medical and therapeutic needs. They are making a life long commitment, financial and otherwise, to these children. I believe that donating to this cause is money well spent. It is a labor of love for them. I'm proud to chip in to assist with their adoption expenses. And I'm proud to ask you to consider doing the same.

I will not forget you.

2011-11-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

Did you know that November is Adoption Awareness month? After my spectacular Down Syndrome awareness blog challenge failure, I will not be making any pledges this month.

But, I do want to bring awareness to some special children who need families and some special families who are working toward adoption.

Today is the perfect day to share my little lovey boy, Maxim!

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”
Isaiah 49:15

Here is what a friend had to say about him just last week:

Maxim is one of the sweetest little boys I've ever met. He pats my arm in the most adorable, gentle way, and it absolutely melts my heart! He is now walking with very minimal assistance, and crawls faster than any other child I've ever met. He is a smart boy, and will follow directions (for example, come over to the carpet). He has an amazing attention span, and will bounce a ball back and forth with me for at least 20 minutes straight. He has the most wonderful laugh, and is a very joyful little guy! He has so much potential, someone please choose Maxim!!

Maxim has a large grant with the Reece's Rainbow adoption grant organization. It will go a long way toward helping offset the cost of his adoption. And, I'm not the only person who is in love with Maxim. Melissa over at http://journeytoapromise.blogspot.com/ has met and played with Maxim!!

Did you know that Maxim was on my short list? I really wanted to adopt that cute little guy but he had no grant money at the time and I was really worried about raising funds. Oh, so little faith! As it turned out, Theo really needed urgent medical care, so I can't say that we made a mistake. It just hurts to know that Maxim is still waiting.

There is another little boy with Down Syndrome living in the same institution as Maxim. This little boy needs out quickly. I fear that he...well, I fear for his health.

These two boys could be adopted together! And did you know that many Ukrainian adoption facilitators do not charge extra to adopt an additional child? That's right! I can put you in touch with some very friendly and very experienced professionals who will assist you in adopting both children with no extra charge for the second child.

Happy Adoption Awareness month! Tomorrow I'll share about a very special adopting family!

Another Theo?

2011-10-20T18:28:00.001-07:00

How many of you have been touched by Theo and his amazing transformation?

It's really a miracle. Wouldn't you agree? I wish you could all meet him in person. I wish you could see how much I adore him.

How many of you were so moved that God has opened your heart to the possibility of adoption?

I'm aware that there may be a hundred Theos, probably many more. We know they exist, but we can't help them because we don't know where they are. They are hidden away behind walls of concrete as well as ignorance and shame.

But, what if?

What if you were made aware of a child like Theo? A child that was not in good condition. Not in a great situation. But, so full of promise. So tough. So loved by the God that created him.

Today I was made aware of such a child. Oh my heart!

I keep thinking how amazing it would be for someone who was inspired by Theo or Carrington to say "YES!" to this little boy. Perhaps someone already has.

But, I wonder how many of you are talking yourself out of rescuing a child like Theo. Your house may be too small. You don't think you could afford it. Your other children would suffer. I've heard it all. I've said it all myself!

Would you like more information? Email ProjectTLC@cox.net.

The Burden

2011-10-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

When I was in Ukraine last year, I saw what I saw. And I can't forget it. And it wasn't a mistake. It was ordained. It was presented to me. Revealed to me. When it was presented to me, it became my problem.

No, not mine alone, but mine nonetheless. And now I've got to figure out what to do about it.

Here are some other people and organizations who are sharing the burden with me:

My neighbor, Rachel. Well, almost neighbors anyway! She's just 30 minutes down the road from me. She is adopting L'il V from St. P*te.

Rachel is a lovely young single lady with a huge heart for orphaned children. She has a few fundraisers going on to help get over the final financial hump. Won't you visit her blog and give her some encouragement?
My friend, Faith, who is adopting again! This time saving a handsome young man with Down Syndrome, named Josiah, who was just transferred to a mental institution. Time is of the essence here people. Children who are transferred to institutions like his often develop mental illness. Some awesome young ladies are hosting a giveaway fundraiser for Josiah HERE.
A new special needs school has opened in Crimea, the southernmost region in Ukraine. You can sponsor children by assisting with their tuition HERE. These are children that otherwise might be stuck at home with no opportunity for an education, or worse, abandoned to life in a mental institution.
Don't forget about Project TLC. Serving the very least of the very least is what TLC does.

Won't you take a look at some of these links and help bear the burden, too?

Ideas anyone?

2011-10-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

Well, the time has come. Project TLC now has it's own bloggy home. Yep! Finally.

Skip on over to http://project-tlc.blogspot.com/ and check out our ministry intro video. We'll have some more updates soon on our fall trip to Ukraine.

So now. What should I do with this space? It's feeling a little redundant. Ideas anyone?

The heart of an orphan

2011-10-09T19:54:00.000-07:00

I often struggle to wrap my head around the enormity of the orphan crisis. Recently, this video made a big impact on me. There is so much truth here:

My heart was broken in two when I left Theo and Zhen's orphanage last year. After singing songs like "Jesus Loves the Little Children" and praying over them for over a month, I walked out the door with my boys. Maybe, perhaps, I put a little tiny piece of their heart back together. It's probably been ripped off again by now...a year later.

This IS going to require an army.

More Zhen

2011-10-08T22:00:00.001-07:00

What a difference a year can make! Last year the Buddy Walk was too much for Zhen to handle. The crowds, the noise, the celebration pushed him over the edge.

There was hitting, slapping, biting and head butting as a result. Poor little guy.

This year Zhen experienced:

brotherly love,

proximity of two skulls without fear,

new friends,

and hugging!

Day to day is tough. But looking back in time, the healing is remarkable!

Zhen

2011-10-07T21:47:00.000-07:00

Zhen is a tough nut. A tough nut to crack. He prefers to keep to himself and often slips quietly off to his room to play in silence. I'll never forget the heavy silence of his orphanage. It made me want to tip-toe around the place.

Apparently he's most comfortable by himself in quiet places, which means he's really not that comfortable in this house much of the time! But that's OK, right? We don't grow when we are comfortable, do we? We need to be stretched and challenged.

Living in this family has stretched and challenged Zhen.

And I'm starting to see the fruit of those challenges.

Zhen has never really been interested in playing with other people. Alongside, sometimes. Interacting and cooperating, no. He's also never really been interested in the TV other than to irritate people by turning it off, or the volume all the way up!

We look at this kid now:

He's found his groove all of a sudden! I know, you cant' really to see his face, but this was the best I could get without interfering with the fun. (And yes, those were his glasses that he threw. They really blend in with the carpeting. Not good.)

He's coming out of his shell and starting to really enjoy his family, other people, and life in general. I hope this is a trend that continues.

Heartfelt thanks from Project TLC

2011-10-06T12:19:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all the people who took a step of faith and donated to Project TLC over the summer. We were able to assist a mental internot (institution) in Crimea with some really boring supplies. Our hope is that these gifts would free up resources to better feed and care for the children who reside there.

The leadership team of TLC has made plans to visit the facility very soon. Your gifts along with the proceeds of the Cupcakes for a Cause fundraiser last month will make it possible for us to meet needs that we find when we visit, needs we haven't even anticipated. Urgent medical procedures, therapy equipment, bedding...who knows what needs we will find?

Please consider any additional gifts as you are led. Paypal donations can be made using the link at the top of the page. Memo checks (please don't forget the memo) for Project TLC and mail to:

His Kids Too!

219 – B Delta Ct.

Tallahassee, FL 32303

Here is a translated breakdown of the items that were donated so far. Some things appear more than once because they were purchased at different locations/times. We will, of course, keep you updated. Heartfelt thanks!

Theo

2011-10-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

This was my face when I realized that there was no SD card in my camera yesterday after taking (or not taking) photos of Theo boarding his Kindergarten bus for the first time!

Yep, Theo is an official Kindergartener!

And since I don't have any new photos to share, I thought I would share with you the truth about taking photos of Theo. The truth is that all you have to do is take 200 photos or so, to get a few good photos.

We had a really fun time last summer trying to get usable immigration and passport photos!

I'll try again tomorrow.

How typical is that?

2011-10-04T18:08:00.000-07:00

When Ralphie was a baby I wondered what it was like to have a child with Down Syndrome. I mean, really, he was a baby. He was just like all the other 7 babies I had previously cared for. I was so curious what life would look like when he was older.

Ralph is not a baby anymore. He's four. And now I know. He's just like the 7 other children that have previously raised to this point. For the most part anyway. Communication is his biggest challenge.

He's pure boy.

He's busy.

He's so typical! So much so that I often forget about Down Syndrome altogether.

He's just Ralph.

He puts his underwear on like every other four year old boy I've ever known. How typical is that?

The difference

2011-10-03T18:49:00.000-07:00

I often wonder what the difference is. What is it about orphanage life that is so damaging to a child?

Most children in orphanages are kept relatively clean. Most are kept fed. What is so magic about family life that allows children from hard places blossom and grow in amazing ways?

Take a look at these faces and tell me how we can live with the fact that 100's of millions of children do not have the love of a family? Thank you Susanna for sharing those beautiful children and difference that love can make.

When we wake up and get in tune with the heart of God, we will be tripping over each other to take them in and shower them with His love.

Theo, then and now.

2011-10-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

This blog started as an adoption blog back in early 2010. I've been fumbling around with it for the past year or so since we arrived home with Theo and Zhen. They are part of our family now so I like to include them on our family blog, Ralph and the Crew.

I'm not quite sure what this blog wants to be anymore.

While I'm trying to decide what to do with this space, I'll leave you with a short video of my Theo. He's going to walk. He's getting it! Remember this kid?

He could barely hold his head up then. Well, look at him now!!

And no, my kids never wear clothes. Oh wait, that's clean laundry that's getting folded, so I guess they do! ha!

31 for 21 Challenge!

2011-10-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

I'm taking the 31 for 21 Challenge here at Psalm68. This is a challenge to post every single day for the month of October to raise awareness for Down Syndrome. After all, October is Down Syndrome awareness month!

If you know someone with DS, give them a hug in honor of DS awareness month. If you don't know anyone with DS, I'm sorry.

Really, I am.

Taking a break.

2011-09-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

I've been taking a little bloggy break. But, I'm working on a couple of neat projects. Can't wait to share them with you. Soon. Don't give up on me.

Putting the "fun" in!

2011-09-17T19:18:00.001-07:00

Project TLC's first major fundraiser is coming up next weekend in Kearney, Nebraska.

Check out this news story: Cupcakes for a Cause. The paper even published a cute photo of Carrington, who is looking might chubby these days!

“If you’ve seen ‘Cupcake Wars,’ that’s what it will be like,” said Thompson, an organizer of the event. “We’re asking people to enter their cupcake displays, 48 cupcakes that are baked and decorated however they want and then the public is asked to come in and vote on those displays.”

Those awesome event organizers put the FUN in fundraising. Thank you ladies!

Here is Theo tearing into some cake. He's working on some chub, too.

Sharing Theo and Zhen

2011-08-29T21:58:00.000-07:00

It is nice to be able to show Theo and Zhen going places and doing new things.

Yes, Theo is stuck in a stroller. He will be walking one of these days and will have even more freedom. Here he is at my son's triathlon last weekend. Afterward we had pizza for lunch. Let me tell you, Theo can pack away some serious pizza!

Zhen is in love with our ice cream maker. He turns the squeaky handle and he knows how to break up the ice with the stick. He's showing so much progress lately in understanding English and in good behavior.

We have a long, long way to go. Sometimes it seems impossible, but we still put one foot in front of the other and press on. Thanks for letting me share. :)

A Sweet Anniversary

2011-08-16T19:55:00.000-07:00

A year ago on August 16th, I spent a few hours here. Waiting. Waiting for the "wizard" to bestow two magic passports upon me.

Successful at last, we raced to the orphanage to collect Theo and Zhen. I begged for a photo of Theo in his bed. He was in bed number one.

The ladies getting Zhen dressed to leave forever. What? No shoes?

Nope.

We walked out the front doors. No one was around. I could have grabbed a few extra kids and no one would have known. That's how many people cared that these boys were leaving forever.

I found that the ladies had decorated Theo before we got away with him.

I found out that he did in fact have the strength to roll over. And not much in the trunk to hold his diaper in place.

Our friends Bob and Judy helped us get our bags and children up onto the train. We pulled out of town just as the sun set in Simferopol.

On the train for 15 hours. I'm beat. Look at that tiny four year old!

Almost home, little dudes. Almost.

Happy got 'em day!

Surgery Tomorrow

2011-08-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

Thank you for supporting TLC's efforts to help Andrei from Crimea. He is blind in one eye due to a horrible mistake by an eye surgeon several years ago in Ukraine. With your help we collected $575 to help this young man keep from losing sight in his other eye.

Andrei and his mother arrived in Chicago late last week. Here he is enjoying some Olive Garden. I wonder if he might gain a few pounds before he heads for home?! His surgery will take place tomorrow at 12:10pm Central Time. Please pray for him, his mother and the surgeon as well.

I learned a little more tonight about what Andrei is facing. He must remain in a face-down position for 2 weeks following the surgery. Can you even imagine? He is not a baby, so he understands what is at stake, but it's going to be very difficult for him and his mother. Eating, sleeping, everything...face-down at all times.

Also, please remember Andrei and Marina's host family. The family thought they would be hosting for one month, but the doctor informed them that Andrei cannot fly for at least two months after this surgery. A pretty huge change of plans there. Also, though the doctor has reduced his fees, the hospital is proving to be more costly than expected. Much to pray about.

Thank you.

If you wish contribute, checks may be mailed to:

Calvary Baptist Church
1017 N. School St.
Normal, IL 61761
And they will also send a tax deductible receipt. Please mark the check "PROJECT ANDREI"

Make Me Smile Monday!!

2011-08-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

Still waiting on photos from Belogorsk, so here is something to make you smile...

From this:

To this, in one year:

Go ahead, you know you want to smile! Do it!

Thank you from Project TLC

2011-07-21T21:40:00.000-07:00

Project TLC is pleased to share with you that in our first two months we have started and nearly completed or first two projects. The overwhelming positive reception we have received continues to strengthen our resolve. We can make a difference, however large or small, and God will be glorified.

Due to some logistical difficulties our distibution of aid to the mental institution in Belogorsk was delayed by about a week. We are waiting for funds to transfer and for the institution director's wish list to be translated for us. This assignment should be completed very soon and then we will have photos to share with you.

Our second project is to help a young man from Crimea get the surgery he needs to retain what is left of his eyesight. See Eyes of a Child. I have news from Andrei's pastor that he and his mother will arrive in the USA on August 4th and will be seen by the eye doctor the very next day.

Pastor Bob asked me to express his thankfulness to everyone who has been willing to help a little boy that they have never met. Project TLC is so happy to put a good sized dent in $2,000 that Andrei needs for his treatments. We would like to make a bigger dent and so until next Thursday we will dedicate contributions to Project Andrei. Your gifts are tax deductible as allowed by law. You may use the paypal button at the top of the blog page or send to:

His Kids Too!
219 – B Delta Ct.
Tallahassee, FL 32303
*note Project TLC on check memo

Thank you for your prayers and support. Thank you for sharing our stories with your families and friends. Thank you for sharig our projects on Facebook and Twitter. Thank you for allowing us to bring our passion for the children of Crimea to life.

Messed up tonight...

2011-07-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

I'm a blubbering mess tonight. I can feel that fire flaming up inside my broken heart again.

It all started when I stumbled across some photos I took in Ukraine that I thought were lost. I was browsing through these photos while chatting with a friend who is presently over there adopting. She told me this story:

Friday I went in the sleeping room to see [a certain baby]. One of the babies fell back and got his head stuck in the crib railing. He was screaming and I took him out and yelled for the nannies to come. When they came I told them what had happened and showed them that the crib was now broken. They put him immediately back in his crib still screaming.

[A friend] said they really do believe that if they pick them up too much they will spoil them and they will cry more. So they put them in their cribs and leave them.

That story hit me like a sucker punch. This is what we are up against! It's so huge! I feel so small and powerless. I know that is what orphanage life is like. I was there. I saw it. I heard it. I smelled it.

But it has been almost a year and those memories are fading. Not gone, just softened by time.

As I was chatting with my friend I saw these photos and the memories came roaring back.

Here is Theo. Emaciated beyond belief. He is swallowing air. I can tell by his expression. He would continually swallow air and his belly would get hard as a rock. Then he would puke. Then he would start all over again.

The darlings in Theo's room. These kids were NEVER taken outside. Ever. And the little girl always had her hands tied up. The kids were left like this for long periods of time. No adults to be found.

Here is where I really lost it tonight. This is my sweetheart. He's looking right at me. Piercing my heart. This boy was so hungry, ravenous really, for a friendly voice or a little song. One day while laying in the big playpen, he was slapped around for daring to crawl over to see me. All I could think was, "don't these people fear God?"

My love again, trying to catch my eye. What a lovely son he would be. What a joy his mother and father tossed away.

Theo in pain.
Some days I couldn't wait until it was time to leave. How awful. But, I couldn't do anything to help him. My hands were tied.
Day after day.

Here is little miss Carrington. She would sit slumped over like this for hours at a time. No one cared. She was nothing to anybody. No wonder she wasted away.

So tonight my heart is thoroughly trashed again. I'm feeling overwhelmed by the huge-ness of the problems I'm facing in Ukraine. Am I wasting my time? Am I beating a dead horse? Will anyone come alongside me to encourage me?

How heartbroken our Father must be! These kids need so much. And yet, so little would make a big difference. I'll never give up on them. It's just hard to keep going sometimes.

Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Psalm 82:3-4

Resilient

2011-07-17T17:44:00.000-07:00

Resilient:

1. (of a substance or object) Able to recoil or spring back into shape after bending, stretching, or being compressed.
2. (of a person or animal) Able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions
3. Theo

I cried myself to sleep the evening after I met Theo for the first time. The last time I cried out to God like that was when we didn't think Ralphie would survive shortly after he was born. I don't have the words to describe my rage and heartbreak.

One year after we found Theo in such awful condition that we were reluctant to even share about it on this blog, he is gaining the confidence and strength he needs to walk independently. Just look!! He just started doing this today!!

Yesterday, Theo was playing around in the living room doing his little planks and pike positions. He really wants to be a big boy, walking and running like everyone else. Suddenly I noticed that he was slowly raising his upper body...he was going to stand up! Stand up without anything to pull up on!

I began to involuntarily squeal! Actually, it was more of a scream. Theo did indeed stand up but I screamed so loud I scared him and he fell back on his butt!! I'm continually blessed to call myself his mother. My boy keeps smashing low expectations. He's tough. He's a survivor. He IS resilient.

Looking back today...

2011-07-15T13:10:00.000-07:00

ONE YEAR AGO

ON THE 3RD FRIDAY IN JULY

Eyes of a Child

2011-07-12T19:30:00.001-07:00

In the eyes of a child there is joy, there is laughter
There is hope, there is trust, a chance to shape the future
For the lessons of life there is no better teacher
Than the look in the eyes of a child

On occasion you will hear me complaining about Zhen's eyes. Seriously, why couldn't the orphanage arrange to have his cataract removed when he was a baby? Then his vision could have developed normally as he grew. The sad truth is that in Eastern Europe, babies with disabilities just don't get the medical care that they need.

Then I stop whining. And I'm thankful. For I remember a bright and beautiful boy that I met at church in Ukraine last summer. Meet Andrei...

About two years ago, Andrei was having some problems with his eyes. His parents took him to an eye specialist in Kiev who recommended laser surgery! Cool huh?

After the laser surgery was performed, the doctor came out to talk to the family and said... "Oops, we made a mistake and your son is now blind in that eye". (Can you even imagine?! The word "malpractice" comes to my mind.) The doctors did not operate on the other eye at the time, (thank God!) but said that it would need surgery in the future.

Over the course of the next two years, Dema and Marina, Andrei's father and mother, home schooled Andrei because the doctor said that a blow to the head or a fall could make him permanently blind. Now, I ask you, is that any way for a young boy to live, in fear of getting bonked on the head or falling down? No rough housing with his little brother? No running?

Now Andrei is now down to 50% vision in his one good eye.

What a nice looking family! Andrei's father leads the singing at church and teaches young adults. His mother is the church pianist. This photo is a couple of years old.

Last Friday, Andrei was having some problems with his eye and so the doctor wanted to take his eye out (!!!) and coat with silicone to help preserve the eye. Well, instead of that (sheesh!) we would like to get Andrei to the United States as quick as possible so that the doctors here can work on him. Marina had an appointment today at the US embassy in Kiev and thankfully, she was able to get the visas they need to leave Ukraine right away.

In a couple of weeks Andrei and his mother will travel to Chicago. A doctor there believes that he can help save his one good eye. A nearby church has agreed to host mother and son for one month while Andrei receives treatment. The good doctor cannot treat Andrei for free, but he will reduce his fee. What a great opportunity!

In keeping with our mission to improve the lives of children in Crimea, Project TLC would like to assist this family with their expenses. We will dedicate contributions received over the next two weeks in order to preserve what is left of Andrei's limited eyesight.

The total projected need is at least $2000, so please share this far and wide, and donate as you are led. You may use the Paypal button here:
Or you may send your gifts to:

His Kids Too!
219 – B Delta Ct.
Tallahassee, FL 32303

*note Project TLC on check memo

God bless you!

Then and now.

2011-07-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

Earlier tonight I was chatting with a friend who is in Simferopol adopting from Theo and Zhen's old baby house, Yolochka. I was answering some questions and looking back at some old photos and I happened upon this video.

Oh, how these boys have changed. Theo could barely sit up and had to be tied into the swing. It's a common practice used by the caregivers there. And he just looks like death.

Now check this out:

He's not even the same child, is he?

Fundraising update! :)

2011-07-03T13:03:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update to let you know how our fundraising for July is going. We have raised $817 so far. That leaves $1183 to get to our goal.

Please share Project TLC as you are led. Thanks everyone!

Oh goodness!

2011-07-01T17:53:00.000-07:00

You may notice that I removed the chip-in from this page. Everything was set up correctly but the contributions were not being properly reflected on this page OR on the chip-in website.

Rest assured that your gifts were properly sent to Project TLC in care of His Kids Too!. I will be replacing the chip-in with a paypal button and making regular updates so that you can see our progress.

If this is the least of our problems then we have nothing to complain about, right?

Thanks!

East Bound and Down

2011-07-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

East bound and down, loaded up and truckin',
We gonna do what they say can't be done.
We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there.
I'm east bound, just watch ol' "Bandit" run.

This song was running through my head today. I wonder how far I can take this illustration?

We (Project TLC) have been hired (called?) by God to take a truckload (carload?) of contraband (soap? diapers?) across international borders. Satan is in hot pursuit and we foil and embarrass him at every turn. Ok, so it doesn't sound quite as exciting and thrilling as high speed car chases and runaway brides, but you get the idea, right?

We do have a long way to go. $1500 is a long way.

We do have a short time to get there. Just two weeks.

We will do what they say can't be done. We just need some of you to run interference for us. Be our "Bandit." Share about Project TLC with good people. Tell Satan to back off.

Thank you!

This is the kind of child...

2011-06-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

Meet Reagan. This is the kind of child...

...who lives in mental hospitals in Eastern Europe. Bright, intelligent, beautiful. Just like your own children I'll bet.

It's not fair. Reagan was condemned to a life without a family, without love, without comfort because of a medical condition. When her poorly funded invalid home would run out of soap and diapers she undoubtedly went without...well you can probably imagine.

Reagan's story has a happy ending because she was recently adopted by the Burman family. Her adoption was likely the first international adoption to take place from her institution. We'd love to see many more!

But what about the children who are still left behind? The bright and beautiful children? The slow or mentally impaired children, who are every bit as loved by our Creator? Can we simply go on with our busy lives and forget about them? God forbid.

This is where Project TLC comes into play. Your tax deductible gifts to Project TLC will go a long way toward improving the lives of the children at Belogorsk. We pray for loving families for them all, but if that never happens we will have done our best to make their lives more comfortable and meaningful.

Pray for Victoria and her sweet family...

2011-06-27T20:23:00.000-07:00

The firework stands are open for business in our little town. June is nearly finished. Project TLC has just a few more weeks to raise funds to distribute aid to Belogorsk in July. We are starting so small, but have high hopes. God will provide. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Tonight I would like to turn your attention to sweet Victoria. She was recently adopted from Ukraine and came straight off the airplane to the hospital. You can read more about her family's journey on their blog HERE. She's severely malnourished and dehydrated. Sound familiar?

I don't know if you can imagine the disappointment and difficulty they are going through right now. After having mommy gone for weeks and weeks, she's still not home. Dad HAS to go to work. When I was in Ukraine for 40 days last year, the outpouring of support and love was so amazing that I was afraid to ask for help when I found myself stuck in the hospital with a emaciated and malnourished Theo.

I don't even want them to have to ask for help. Let's show some big love and care to this beautiful family. Check Carrington's BLOG to find out how you can help.

Zoo!

2011-06-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

I really got a kick out of Zhen at the zoo this week. The American Farm exhibit made this boy quite nervous. He is suspicious of stuffed animals. Hand puppets horrify him! But, he didn't cry or whine like I would have expected a few months ago. He simply kept his precious toes away from the hungry sheep in the petting area.

I often wonder what his life would have been like after transfer to a mental hospital or "invalid" home as they are sometimes called. I doubt if a trip to the zoo would have been on his itinerary.

Then I happened upon an article from a Ukrainian charity's website. Read this account detailing a zoo field trip for some residents of a Ukrainian invalid home.

This is just the sort of enriching experience I wish for the disabled children of Crimea. A zoo field trip is going on the Project TLC bucket list.

Field trip!

2011-06-22T21:33:00.000-07:00

Theo and Zhen have been to the zoo before, but they haven't really experienced it yet. Yesterday the weather was so nice that we just had to make time to visit the zoo again. This time the boys had a more meaningful experience.

Theo was excited by the sheep! She how his legs are sticking straight out? And toes pointed? That is classic "excited Theo" posture.

Zhen was not too sure about the sheep. I can just imagine what thoughts might be running through his head.

"Oh no! Too close. What the heck is that fluffy thing?"

"Help!"
Theo was overstimulated after visiting the farm animals so our visit was short. He just couldn't stop fussing and crying. It always makes my heart ache when I can't figure out what he wants.

On a more positive note, Theo watched me making his bottle of Pediasure today and started clapping his hands. He may be quite delayed but he keeps making progress and showing new skills. I don't always give him enough credit.

Theo hurts.

2011-06-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

Theo tried some new things today! He's really grown so much!

We must have spent an hour in the bounce house! He loved being jiggled! He crawled around and looked out the windows. Precious!

He's doing so well. So much better than I imagined when I met him. And yet, he struggles. We struggle. I don't talk about it much. I don't even really think about it much because I'm so in love with him.

It's nearly midnight here and Theo has just now settled down to sleep. He had a difficult time tonight, like many nights. He flips and flops and cries out. My mommy instincts tell me that he is in pain. Is it reflux? Is it growing pains? Is it fear?

He can't tell me. And that breaks my heart.

I don't know why I wanted to share this tonight. Perhaps I'm frustrated with all the romance surrounding adoption. It's all warm and fuzzy and lovey when you are striving to accomplish the adoption. Then reality hits you.

And I haven't even touched on Zhen's issues. I want to be real with you, so I'm pledging not to sugar-coat our experience. So many families are not properly prepared for the realities of post-institutional children. It's work. Hard work. It's heartbreak. But, honestly...I believe...

it's worth it.

Looky!

2011-06-09T21:19:00.000-07:00

Check out this beautiful ministry video for Project TLC:

I'm so pleased with the way Project TLC is falling into place. We have an amazing leadership team and amazing supporters. I cannot wait until we have some success stories to share with you.

2011-06-07T16:44:00.000-07:00

What a darling little baby! Look how peaceful and serene he appears. I'll bet that his momma would have really enjoyed him. If only...

I ofter contemplate Zhen's birth mother and father. As a nurse married to a port worker, they strike me as solidly middle class, or as middle class as you would likely find in Ukraine. Both parents with solid, well paying, skilled jobs.

I'm certain that Zhen was a "wanted" baby. What a tragedy for him to lie in an orphanage crib uncuddled, unkissed and unloved. Just being, existing, living in an orphanage is detrimental to a baby's development. When you add Down Syndrome to the equation, the problems are compounded. It is a tragedy.

But, it is also a tragedy for his birth mother, father and brother. They are also victims. Their dreams crushed by a society that doesn't value individuals with any sort of differences. I want to remember to have compassion for them. I want to remember to have compassion for the other parents who were compelled to give up or even abort their babies to satisfy their societal norms...all over the world.

Look at the beauty they are missing.

Once upon a time, in a faraway land...

2011-06-01T22:20:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time, in the faraway land of our cold war enemies, a baby boy was born on the second day of June. In a city by the sea, this baby boy entered a mean world. A society which would make no accommodation for him. A society which would not accept him.

His young mother, a full twenty years younger than her husband, in her distress, fled. She ran away from the maternity hospital, as if she could escape from the reality of her son's apparent imperfections.

You see, the little baby boy was born with 47 chromosomes instead of the typical 46. This little microscopic addition to every cell in his body sealed his fate. No mommy. No daddy. He would serve time in a lonely crib, to pay for the crime of being born with Down Syndrome.

I cannot tell you about his so-called life for the next four years. Those years remain a mystery except for one thing. A woman, an angel to me, visited this little boy's orphanage grouppa in 2008. The little boy caught her eye with his big beautiful melancholy eyes. She took his picture. She made a little video. She left.

By and by, I saw this photo.
His sad eyes spoke to my soul. I recognized him as my son. Today that little boy is officially my son. He is officially a U.S. citizen. He is writing a new life story. Ten months after arriving home...
barely escaping the faraway land with his precious life...

...my son, the little boy with the sad eyes, is five years old. Happy Birthday dear Theodore. And many, many more.

Many more trips to the zoo.

Many more swings.

I'm so glad you are mine.

My little lovey.

2011-05-31T22:03:00.000-07:00

It's summertime! School is out and this house is ROCKIN'!! I'll have more to share about Project TLC very soon. In the meantime, here is a little Theo for your viewing pleasure.

He loves life, even when it's painful and stinky. He never gives up. I wish I was more like him.

We will not forget you.

2011-05-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”
Isaiah 49:15

You cannot see him well, but there is a little boy in that playpen. I sang songs to him daily last summer while I waited for Theo to be dressed for our visit. This is as close as I was allowed to get.

This little boy will likely not be adopted, even if he is registered. He has surely been transferred to the institution by now. He is the reason that TLC exists. I refuse to simply forget him.

Project TLC desires to serve the children we left behind. We desire to be distinctively Christian. For those reasons and many more we have chosen to partner with His Kids Too!, an experienced, Christian charity recognized in the USA and Ukraine. Your generous gifts to TLC will be administered by His Kids Too! and are deductible as allowed by law.

While we do occasionally work in concert with other Christian aid groups working in Crimea, we are not officially connected to any other aid group or ministry. We look forward to tackling work that has been prepared for us.

We won't forget.

The Math

2011-05-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

Imagine a place slightly smaller in area than the state of Texas with over 100,000 children living in orphanages. It's Ukraine. Only 10% are true orphans, children whose parents have died. So, somewhere around 90,000 children have parents who are drug users, or in jail, or abusive, or in the case of children with special needs, simply unable to care for them.

If 100,000 children are living in orphanages that house around 200 children, on average, then let's do a little math. I love math. 100,000 orphans ÷ 200 orphans per orphanage = 500 orphanages.

There are about 500 towns in Texas with a population greater than 4,200 people. Imagine an orphanage housing 200 children in each and every Texas town with greater than 4,200 residents.

To be completely fair the population of Texas is about half of the population of Ukraine. I believe it is still useful to take numbers like 100,000 orphans and relate them to images that our minds can grasp.

In the end though, we are talking about living, breathing, flesh and blood. They are children, not numbers. They are priceless. They are worth our trouble.

TLC for the 99

2011-05-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

Last summer we left the ninety-nine to find the one. We literally left our nine children to rescue two. (If you are new here check the archives from July and August 2010.)

My heart was forever changed.

Scores of people travel to third world countries on mission trips and return home content to settle back into their comfy lives. And that's OK, I guess. I cannot discern the difference between them and me, but, my broken heart will not leave me alone. I'll never be as satisfied with comfort as I used to be.

When I left Ukraine to return home with my two new sons, I left the ninety-nine once again. I left behind treasured children to whom I sang for 5 weeks. To them I sang, "Jesus Love's Me." I told them that Jesus loves them. Twice a day. Every day.

Then I left.

99% of the children I left behind will never be adopted. They will never have a visitor. No one to teach them about Jesus. They are as alone as a person can be. I can't forget them.

I won't.

Allow me to introduce Project TLC. Project TLC is the Spirit-led effort of three mothers who adopted children with Down Syndrome from this region of Ukraine. We are dedicated to improving the life of disadvantaged children in Crimean communities and orphanages, serving their spiritual and physical needs with the love of Christ.

Adoption is wonderful and I fully support it. I just cannot forget the ninety-nine I left behind. Do you have a heart for these children, too? Will you support us?

The female inmates of mental institutions, women and girls, are often forced to use cloth pads each month. In addition, they frequently run out of laundry and bar soap. Can you imagine? We plan to make a gift of hygiene items, soap and diapers to one specific institution in July. With the Father's help , we will raise $2000 before the end of June so we can deliver this aid.

Remember, but for the awesome grace of our Father, Theo would be living in a mental institution right now. That is, if he managed to survive another year.

And Carrington. This little one barely escaped the orphanage with her precious life.

I hope that you will support Project TLC for the sake of Theo and Carrington. You may email ProjectTLC@cox.net for more information. And watch this space...more announcements about Project TLC will be coming soon.

Anguish

2011-05-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

I've shared this before. This sermon is speaking to me in a powerful way today. What is it that makes you pound your fists on the table and weep? What is born of your anguish?

On this mother's day...

2011-05-08T20:09:00.000-07:00

On this mother's day, I can't help but think of my Ukrainian boys' birth mothers. I know they don't celebrate mother's day like we do here, but I cannot help myself.

When birthdays, ladies days, and mother's days roll around in Ukraine, are they reminded of the terrible day their sons were born? And the terrible decision they were forced to make? Judging by the sheer volume of social orphans, there must be a whole generation of would-be mothers who are likely hurting on days like today.

I envy the fact that they gave birth to my beautiful boys. How precious and sweet smelling they must have been as newborns. I imagine how snugly soft they were and how they would have melted into my chest. I imagine gently rocking them and watching them drift off to sleep in mommy's safe arms. I imagine their snickers and giggles as daddy would play with their little piggies.

baby Zhen. :)

Sadly, that was not the reality for my boys or their birth mothers. Motherhood is a miraculous gift. One that keeps giving over the years as I surrender to it. I know what babies with Down Syndrome feel like. How they look right into your soul. The world's best kept secret. Knowing what those women and men lost out on hurts my heart. And yet, I'm so very thankful and mindful of the great treasure that has been entrusted to me.

So on this Mother's Day, I'm sending out prayers for the mommies who gave up on what they didn't understand, what they couldn't have known. I won't forget you. Ever.

Just you wait and see.

2011-04-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

Today I'm grateful. And I'm angry. How is that possible?

I'm grateful to live in the United States of America. What an exceptional place! I never knew how wonderful it was until I got a look at some other places. For one thing, I'm grateful that we have the finest of medical care available.

Theo and Zhen, my two children adopted from Ukraine, were in the hospital this week. Theo was in shock on Sunday for an infection that had escaped attention too long. Zhen had outpatient surgery today for a congenital cataract. Both are doing great! I'm so pleased!

Yes, there were some inefficiencies and staffing issues with the hospital. However, on the whole both boys received great care. Theo's bloodwork showed liver and kidney damage on Sunday. I shudder to think what would have happened to him if he was living in the institution when he got sick. He might not have had a happy ending.

And Zhen would have NEVER had his eye surgery in his birth country. What for? That is the attitude. Why fix his eye? He is an invalid, he will never read or do anything.

So wrong.

The so-called invalid is presently experimenting with ways to get the tape off of his face. His tongue is nearly long enough to do the job!

So I'm angry, too. The surgery that Zhen had today to remove a congenital cataract, is generally done when a child is very young. It is done early so that the brain can develop normal vision. We do not know if Zhen will ever be able to see out of the eye that was fixed today. No guarantees at all.

He will have his good eye patched for 6 hours a day for the next 5-6 years. Yes, I said years. All to force his brain to use the previously unusable eye. How do you think he will tolerate this?

This aggravation could have been completely avoided if he had surgery as a baby. But in Ukraine, children with Down Syndrome and other differences are not receiving even the simplest of necessary medical procedures. If they live, they live. If they die they die. If they develop, great. If not, who cares?

So I'm angry.

And I'm going to do something about it. Just wait.

Update from TLOT

2011-04-26T04:34:00.001-07:00

Will you join me in support of The Least of These? Here is a quick update from the director:

Stephanie,

The matching funds are coming in VERY slowly!!!! We still need almost $18,000 to meet the matching grant. The first camp starts June 6th in Kerch. It will be the most expensive. Our budget for that camp is about $23,000. Our second camp has a budget of $9,000. The outreaches in Simferopol and Belogorsk should cost about $5,000.

We are trusting God that He will provide. I also believe He will and does use people like yourself to HELP!!!!

Summer 2011

June 6th -15th Camp Hope
June 16th 18th Kid's crusade Kerch
June 19th Church at Pastor Homenko
June 20th - 22nd Camp preparation at River of Joy
June 23rd - July 2nd Camp at River of Joy
July 3rd Church
July 4th - 6th Take break
July 7th -22nd Outreaches in Simferopol and Belogorsk

God bless you for your help.
-------------------------------------------

Now, you could potentially adopt a child for $20,000, and that's a great thing! But think of the hundreds of lives that could be changed this summer through the efforts of The Least of These. To donate you can click the Paypal link on their website here, or you can mail gifts to:

The Least of These
914 SW Coast Hwy, Suite 101
Newport, OR 97365
tlot@theleastofthese.org
541-265-5501

The Least of These

2011-04-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

Adoption was a fantastic opportunity for our boys, Zhen and Theodore. Without a doubt, they would not have had access to the medical care they needed so desperately. They would not have had access to the top notch education that they are enjoying. Good for them right?

But what about the children that we left behind? The ones who are forgotten, overlooked, or lost. The ones who are too old to adopt, too rough around the edges, or too much trouble. Who is going to care for these children? Who is going to tell them about Jesus?

While I believe in adoption with all my heart, the truth is that most of these children will never be adopted. The church has not yet awakened. We're working on that, right? So in the immortal words of Mr. Rogers, let's think of something to do while we're waiting. (The link to Mr. Rogers is for you, Jessica)

I'm going to share a couple of groups that are caring for these children. Tonight I'll start with The Least of These. They are ministering to the lost and forgotten children in the poorest of regions in Ukraine. They are working in the preschools, the internats, the sanatoriums and the invalid homes to reach people for Christ.

The Least of These is providing hundreds of needy and hurting children the opportunity to attend a completely Christian camp this summer. Just think about the many lost souls that will find their salvation at camp this summer! They will be adopted into an eternal family. What could compare to that?

Are you able to go? Team members are needed for the summer outreach in June.

Are you able to give? Funds are needed to operate Camp Hope in Kerch, the town where Theo was born. Gifts to The Least of These are tax deductible as allowed by law and are currently being matched dollar for dollar.

Are you able to pray? Please hold the volunteers and staff of The Least of These up in your prayers as they continue to reach out to the children and youth of Ukraine. Pray also that their current needs may be met. And check out the album of outreaches and testimonies dating back to 2003.

I hope that you will remember the ones we left behind by prayerfully supporting The Least of These.

My Easter horror story.

2011-04-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

Here is the view from where I'm sitting right right now.

Crazy huh? Theo became very sick yesterday. Scary sick.

He had been running fevers off and on for a couple of days. A dose of ibuprofen and he would be good to go for the rest of the day...sometimes well into the night! Yesterday was different.

James and I were at church for all three services so grandma sat at home with Theo for us. When we got home, she told us that he had slept until 11am and then didn't want to eat when he got up. She was rocking him when I walked in. He looked odd, but I couldn't put my finger on what was different.

There was no time to get an Easter dinner on the table in time for our hungry crew, so we went ahead and took Theo and the rest of the kids out for Chinese! Nice Easter dinner, huh?

I held Theo for a while and he was heavy and floppy in my arms. But, when he saw my plate of food he sprang to life just long enough to grab some mushroom beef and stuff it in his mouth! I decided to put him into a highchair so that I could sit less than three feet away from the table to eat.

Theo kept slumping over sideways in the highchair. I would straighten him out and he's start crumpling over again. Occasionally his eyes would roll back. He didn't look good at all. Not only did he not look good, he looked different in a way that I couldn't quite figure out. His face. Hmmm.

He was so limp in my arms when I lifted him out of the highchair to go home that I asked James if we should take him to the doctor. He was breathing strange, too...a couple of regular breaths and then he would stop...and then come up for air a few seconds later. Why does stuff like this always happen on a weekend?

As soon as we got the crew back home, I put a call into our doctor's nurse line. She recommended that I take him to be seen. So I put Theo into a nicer, cleaner pair of jammies and headed out to the minor emergency office, all the while wondering what they would think of this 24 pound almost-five year old child with Down Syndrome.

Can you guess? Yep, the minor emergency office was closed for Easter. Dang. I would have to go to the hospital ER and pay a $200 co-pay. Ouch, right? But, for Theo it's nothing. :) The cool thing was that the ER was dead and we got right in. I was acquainted with the ER physician, that was also nice.

Looking at Theo lying on the big white cot I suddenly noticed the delicate line of his jawbone. He looked different.

He was hooked up to an O2 sat monitor and I was shocked to see him in the upper 80's. Not cool. I asked the nurse to start him on oxygen right away. She agreed with me. I went to the waiting area while they started an IV, drew blood and did a chest x-ray. I've seen enough medical procedures and I don't have anything left to prove. I can't stand to see him hurting. As it turned out, one of the blood samples clotted too quickly and had to be redrawn. I stayed in the room this time and he only grunted a bit while the vampire rooted around for a vein. Poor sweetie.

This is getting long, but I don't want to forget these things. After Theo's IV was started and he had a couple bags of fluid pumped into him he started to perk up. Then it dawned on me...his face. It was pink and plump again. I could no longer see the obvious line of his jawbone. That bony jaw was looked like it did when we brought him home in emaciated condition.

Theo weighed 22 pounds yesterday at the ER. He was 25 pounds in Kansas City two weeks ago. That just goes to show how fast a little guy like Theo can go downhill. He was in shock when we arrived at the ER. I'm more frightened now than I was at that moment, now that I understand what I was seeing and couldn't process.

Here's the best news of the day, and I firmly believe it is because of all the prayers on his behalf: Theo is doing great!!

He's been moved out of ICU to the pediatric floor. He's not hooked up to a bazillion monitors and oxygen anymore. He's just been snoozing hard. God willing, his bloodwork improves some more tomorrow and we can go home in the afternoon. Please let it be so!!

Look at my peaceful little angel.

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement. I love you. Yeah, you.

New chapters, new books.

2011-04-20T21:06:00.000-07:00

I'm quite happy to report that Carrington Burman is home with her family. She is beginning a whole new chapter!!

I've talked with fellow adoptive moms about kids like Carrington, Yana, and Theo, and I've come to the conclusion that no one has written a book about our kids. What they will and will not do, what they can and can not be expected to do...all of that is unknown. No book about Down Syndrome, no book about adoption, no book about orphans, no book is really relevant. We are writing it as we live it.

What we do know is that we are blessed with amazingly resilient children. How they survived their years of neglect is a mystery to me. They amaze me.

And we also know that these children are part of an elite club. The lucky few. They were adopted.

Of the more than 100,000 orphans in Ukraine alone, somewhere around 2000 were adopted last year. Less than 2%. And you can bet that only a fraction of the children who were adopted had significant special needs.

So as we witness the turning of a page and the beginning of a fresh new chapter in the life of Carrington, we must not forget the children who are left behind. As we continue to write the Book of Theo we can't forget that we are also contributing to the stories of all the other lives that we touch.

Most of the children left behind will never know the love of a mommy and daddy. In the days and weeks to come, I'll be sharing with you new ways to help these friends of Theo and Carrington. This is going to be a real page turner!

Ukraine Adoption Notice

2011-04-09T13:26:00.001-07:00

I just received this information from Orphan Justice Center:

On the evening of April 7, 2011, President Yanukovych signed a Decree transferring all functions of, the State Department for Adoption and Protection of the Rights of the Child (SDA– the current central adoption authority of Ukraine), to the Ministry for Social Policy. We do not yet know how the implementation of this transfer will affect processing of adoption cases. Whether SDA will be able to continue processing currently filed cases remains unclear.
The Presidential Decree will become effective immediately upon its publication in the Government’s official newspapers, which may be as early as Monday, April 11.

According to SDA, there are now 134 U.S. families registered with the SDA, some of them already in-country. We are asking all American families that are currently in Ukraine or have appointments with SDA during the next few weeks to send their contact information to the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine’s Adoption Unit at: kyivadoptions@state.gov. Families should contact their local adoption service provider for further updates and details.

We will keep monitoring the situation and will provide updates as they become available.

Disabled persons in Eastern Europe are not valued. Their situation is and has been dire for many decades. For many of the children, their only hope of reaching their potential and for a good life is international adoption.

Adoption is not enough. But it is a start. We hope to affect cultural change by demonstrating the value of differently abled persons. That is why we beg and borrow, skimp and save.

Let us pray that this development does not adversely affect the many families in the midst of adopting from Ukraine. Let us pray that it turns out to be a positive step in the right direction.

Two Princesses

2011-04-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

I don't have any new information about Carrington that you can't find on HER BLOG. But I do have a new photo of the little princess in the arms of her beautiful sister! It appears that the littlest princess is feeling so much better that she has experimented with being naughty! hahahhaha! Those are no-nos on her arms. They are arm restraints that keep her from being able to reach her face and yank out any tubes. You go Carrington! Give 'em heck!! Show 'em what you are made of!! Tough stuff, that's for sure.

Smashing!!

2011-04-03T21:58:00.000-07:00

This was a great weekend for Theo. Oh my stars! He's so fun. And every single day he gets more fun! How can it be? He started moving forward in his walker on Saturday. He wants to be a big boy. He wants to GO places!

Theo is strong enough to stand with help balancing; however, he has never indicated that he understands he needs to move his feet to go anywhere. Sometimes I will ask one of the kids to help him balance while I move each leg as if he is walking.

For Ralphie we hung him in a harness over a treadmill! Same idea. But Theo's feet always remain stuck to the ground when I'm working with him.

Then on Saturday night when I was preparing to put him in the bathtub with Zhen and Ruby, he got so excited! He started freaking out while I was removing his clothing. When I stood him up he actually started moving his feet as if he would run to get in the tub. And I do mean RUN! WoW!!

He is a HOOT in the tub. He is so talented at splashing that I'm drenched and the bathroom floor is flooded in a matter of minutes! It's just pure joy!

Today I needed to stop by the pre-school to pick up some paperwork. As I opened the door I saw my little love in the hallway...

standing in a gait trainer...

TAKING STEPS!!

Walking is not even in Theo's IEP. It has been pushed pretty far into the back of my mind. But it just goes to show the kind of healing and progress can be made by even the sickest, most neglected child. He is smashing my expectations every single day.

Which reminds me of Carrington. She's up a couple of pounds since coming home last month. Her bubbly personality is making an appearance! Her doctors want to do a few more tests before they schedule her surgery for reflux. They are also trying to coordinate things to get her poor ruined teeth taken care of at the same time.

I'll wager that Carrington will smash all of our expectations as well. In addition to her physical and emotional restoration, she is inspiring people to go beyond, to do more, pray more and love better. I hope to have some specific stories to share with you soon. And photos of course! :)

Hi Reagan!

2011-04-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

I've been quite down lately and I don't feel like I have much of value to contribute. I don't like to be cryptic so even thought there is lots going on, it's just easier not to share. But here is something I can feel good about sharing with you!

I still feel like thanking everyone who prayed and contributed toward bringing this girl home. Remember Tori? She's officially called Reagan now and just look at that smile!! Reagan loves to talk, talk, talk! Her biggest brother doesn't always appreciate that and he will hold up his hand and say, "girrrrr-ll!!" Like, girl give me a break! haha! And she is so very bright. Her new mommy has her doing some worksheets already.

Reagan's little sister, Carrington, is doing OK. She's gained a little weight but is still battling reflux. I expect to hear more about her possible scheduled surgeries sometime tomorrow. If you are not already keeping up with Carrington's blog you can find it HERE.

When I think about Carrington and Theo and Hailee and some of the other really tiny and neglected children that have come home from Eastern Europe over the past year or so, I can't help but wonder how many other children are wasting away...waiting. I can't help but think about how unlikely it was that these particular children were plucked out of that existence. I could never have imagined these events. I always thought that adoption was for rich people! It almost seems like a fluke.

But, it wasn't a fluke. It was a response to our own redemption. We were adopted into the family of God when we accepted Christ. It's a beautiful thing.

I want it for you.

And the children we had to leave behind?

I want it for them.

There are more Carringtons, and Theos, and Hailees. They are laying in lonely cribs right now and they don't even know what they are missing.

2011-03-25T20:32:00.000-07:00

Oh dear. Where to even start.

I've been on the run, with my children home for spring break and road trips and sleepovers. So, I feel like I'm really falling behind. There is so much that I need to share and pray for...where do I even start?

Carrington is doing great! She's been in the USA for a week now, and in the hospital for a week now, too. She gained a little weight and lost some which is not completely unexpected. It seems that her little body doesn't really know what to do with the nourishment that it is getting.

How can this be? Unless...

We really don't know how and what the doctors and caregivers were caring for her at the orphanage. It's entirely possible that she was only getting one meal a day. It's possible that with her severe reflux that it was all coming up...one meal a day or more.

But then again...we know of more than one, or two, or three children who have come out of this particular place in bad shape. It's difficult to make sense of it. I knew that Carrington was ignored but I never expected to see her in such awful shape.

I was just made aware of a newly listed child in this orphanage. She is in the grouppa for the most severely ill children. It's a good bet that she's in her crib 24/7. She's probably never been outside. It gives me chills to think. More about her later.

And then there is Kiril, who was denied a family by a prosecutor and judge in Eastern Europe this week. You can read more HERE. I'm so heartbroken for his sweet family who has faithfully jumped through hoop after hoop and spent tens of thousands of dollars to bring him into their family.

Please pray for Kiril and his family, that their appeal would be successful and they would be reunited soon. Pray for the other families adopting children with Down Syndrome in the same region who will be facing the same judge soon.

Thanks all!!

2011-03-22T11:24:00.001-07:00

Thank you and more big smooches to everyone who participated in Andrey's chip-in event here. We raised a fantastic $460 for his grant fund! My fundraising goal is ALWAYS $20,000 for an adoption grant fundraiser, even if I'm only giving away a book or some other small prize.

Why?

Well, that is the amount of money that it would take for him to be considered "fully funded," meaning that his family would have most of their expenses covered. That's what I want for his family...the peace of mind that comes from not having to worry about whether you'll have all the funds in place when it comes time to travel.

I just randomized my list of entries and then chose a random number. The winner of The Boy from Baby House 10 is....

WENDY G.!!

Wendy G. has an interesting connection to Andrey. Here is a note she left for me on the chip-in site:

Hi Stephanie, This is Wendy (Andrea G.'s mom) here and I want to thank you for
your dedication to special needs orphans and for loving this little guy enough
to do something about rescuing him. He became so special to Andrea while she was
in Ukraine and as a result, special to me as well. God bless.

Thanks again!

More Carrington.

2011-03-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

I didn't get to talk to Shelly about Carrington today, but I did send her the first set of grocery/restaurant gift cards from the chip-in. Awesome! I love how we pull together when one of us needs some help!

If you look to the right you will notice that Carrington has a button to take you to her very own blog. You can get regular updates there in case I fall behind here.

Carrington is finally tolerating some feeds. Only 10cc per hour, but it's way better than what she's had for a long while. She did lose half a pound since she was admitted, but didn't lose any more last night. She didn't gain either, but not losing is still a really big deal at this point.

Please continue to pray for the family. I can tell you from personal experience how difficult it is to finally get your child out of institutional care only to find them right back in institutional care, however much nicer it is. It's time for them to be together as a family, adjusting to their new normal, getting to know each other, but no. That's the goal and it's just out of reach. Frustrating.

SMOOCHES!!! Last Day!!

2011-03-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

Big sloppy smooches from Andrey and me!!

Thank you for your generous gifts to Andrey's adoption grant fund. I love you all and your heart, but you know what gets me? It's those $5 donations. They almost bring me to tears sometimes because I always imagine that $5 is really ALL they could do, and it's not much but they did it anyway...ya know?

And then some of those gifts are from folks who are desperately raising funds to rescue their own children. May God bless you and take your gifts and multiply them like the loaves and fishes!!

This is the last day for this chip-in for Andrey. I'll end it at midnight central time tonight. Then I'll draw a name for the hardcover copy of The Boy from Baby House 10 that I'm giving away.

Maybe next time I'll give away something really exciting. You KNOW there will be a next time, right?

Carrington says "Hello!"

2011-03-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

Carrington says "Hello!"

"Thank you for praying for me. I'm much more comfortable and relaxed today than I have been in a very long time. My mommy is even feeling more settled. Please keep praying for us both."

Miss Carrington is a total princess. Isn't she beautiful? Here she is in her swing, which she LOVES. She's blown through a set of batteries already! She's been sleeping a lot, too. Which is probably good, right? Do you think she knows that she has finally made it home? Where she is loved? And cared for? And now she can let her guard down a bit?

I think so.

I'm sending out some gift cards to Shelly tonight. I'll continue to send them as long as folks want to contribute. When your child is in the hospital, the last thing you need to think about is what to make for dinner, right?

More updates tomorrow...

Look who it is!

2011-03-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

Look! It is Andrey! He's the little boy with his hand in his mouth standing at the rail. And watch for him to pull his bootie off at the end. CUTENESS!

Oh, he's just as precious as I imagined from his pictures! And he can stand! Isn't that fantastic news?!

One more day for Andrey's chip-in. Please, someone save this child now.

Support a hurting family...

2011-03-19T21:24:00.000-07:00

OK, I've heard from enough people that want to help so here it is:

I know from experience how difficult it can be to care for a family while running back and forth from the hospital. And I know how hard it can be to ask for help after being on the receiving end for a time.

If you have any other specific ideas to help Carrington's family, please share them with me in the comment section. I'm open to suggestions!

Not out of the woods...yet.

2011-03-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for Carrington. You saw the photos so you know she is in really terrible shape. After talking to her new mommy today, it sounds even worse than even I expected.

She is getting the best available medical care in a large, big city hospital. And has been for a few days now, but she is not out of the woods yet.

Here are a few of the facts:

1. Carrington weighs only 11 lbs at age 3 1/2.
2. Her echo cardiogram showed no defects BUT but they couldn't complete the test because she is too emaciated.
3. She does not have HIV, but still waiting on some other tests including an MRI.
4. NG tube feedings were started but Carrington started to reflux at 11cc per hour so those feeds have been stopped for now. (11cc is less than half an ounce)
5. She has been sleeping finally, 16 hours straight at one time!
6. Though her hips are not dislocated, something about them is not right so an ortho consult is in the works.

The doctors say that Carrington has been slowly dying. The can't even do surgery to help her reflux because she would not survive it.

This girl was in the same room as Zhen last summer. There are other smaller than average children in there, but no others in that same sort of awful condition. Not that I know of anyway. Most of the children in that particular room are quite chubby and healthy, like Anna and Zhen. It doesn't make any sense.

I noticed her last summer...slumped over in a high chair when I arrived to pick Zhen up for our visit. When I brought him back over an hour later she was in the very same position. No one could even be bothered to straighten her out? I was so relieved when her family committed to her. I was just sure that she was pretty much always ignored.

I could say more. Later perhaps.

Please remember Carrington's mommy. She's completely frazzled after an emotionally charged two month long adoption journey. She missed her children at home terribly. She has been stressed and sick and at the end of her rope.

I know EXACTLY how she feels. She's home but she's not home. Her daughter was rescued from one institution but now she's stuck in another institution. And after being on the receiving end of so much support over the past few months it is impossible to ask for even more help. Come back tomorrow - I hope to share a few ways you can help, if you are so moved.

Update on Carrington

2011-03-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

Sarah has an update on Carrington HERE.

Carrington is very fragile right now. It's a complete miracle that she made it home alive.

Carrington in February 2010. Note the layered, fluffy pajamas. :(

Reintroducing proper nutrition to a child in her condition can be very dangerous. Her blood chemistry is likely out of whack. Please pray that her body responds to treatment.

This is why I will not stop screaming and begging for you to pay attention to this orphan crisis. It's a continuous emergency. I will not rest...

I know it's not an IPad...

2011-03-18T06:58:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Andrey's chip-in ends on Monday! Wow! Where did March go?! I'm actually still wondering what happened to January, *grin*

I just can't get this little cutie off of my mind. He looks like pure love to me. My children say he looks a lot like Theo.

There are a lot of really needy children right now. And there are a lot of needy families right now. I just want to encourage you to chip-in a 5-spot for Andrey. Think of it as a couple of loaves of bread, or a bucket of ice cream, or a bag of oranges or anything else you can buy for $5.

If you can't toss in a few presidents, would you please pray that a family would rescue him ASAP? He's going to be a huge blessing to them. HUGE.

I know I'm not giving away an IPad or anything fabulous like that...I'm just doing what I can at this moment in time. And I'm asking you to do the same for Andrey or whoever else captures your heart. Thanks!

Under the fluffy pajamas...

2011-03-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

Look at those beautiful chubby cheeks! Isn't she a total doll? She's almost 4 years old.

And those luscious, chocolaty brown eyes? How could you not love this sweet child?

But, appearances can be deceiving. What you see is not always what you get. This little jewel was lost and starving, abused and neglected, like so many other children around the world. She was the very least of the very least. The bottom of the barrel.

Despised (sound familiar?) by those who were charged with caring for her.

But then...

...she was rescued.

Thank God that Carrington was rescued! She now has a name and a family to call her own. And someone to love and tenderly care for her for the rest of her sweet life.

But the cute cheeks and the fluffy pajamas were hiding the terrible truth. Carrington is in very bad shape.

We don't' really want to know the truth, do we? We would really rather not know some things at all. You know, the whole "ignorance is bliss" thing, and all.

We really must confront this, though. This does not have to happen to any child. Anywhere. Still, I'm encouraged, because Carrington is on a plane right now headed for her new home America. PRAY for her and her mommy as they make their way home today...and then straight to the hospital. I look forward to sharing her physical and emotional restoration with you.

Let me suggest that if this reality makes you feel uncomfortable...

...or guilty

...or tearful

...or angry

then perhaps God is calling you to do more than sit on the sidelines.

You men. When are you going to stop responding to these children like a sissy? Let your manly heart be broken and then put on your full armor and fight for them! This is one of God's precious, beloved children and if her condition breaks HIS heart then it had better break yours.

And you ladies. Are you so comfortable in your perfect, orderly world, enjoying your blessings and luxuries that you are unwilling let go of any one of them?

And you churches. Are you addressing the orphan crisis? Are you equipping families to adopt? To foster? Are you regularly sending mission teams to orphanages? And why not? Isn't adoption one of the central themes of the gospel of salvation?

Let me encourage you all to get in the game! Pray-give-go!

Pray - pray for the children, for their hearts and minds and bodies to be preserved and protected. Pray for families, that they would be courageous to keep and raise their children, no matter what their imperfections may be. Pray for the families that God has called to rescue the abandoned children, that they would hear the call and follow with conviction. And there is so much more to pray for, isn't there?

Give - financially assist an adopting family or give to a waiting child's grant fund. Give your time. Babysit for an adoptive family. Hold a fundraiser for them. Clean out junk from your closets and donate to their garage sale.

Go - go adopt a child and give them a chance to reach their true potential. Go visit an orphanage. Many churches and organizations offer short term mission trips to orphanages around the world.

Just go.

Just give.

Just pray.

Just do it.

Hair

2011-03-10T18:34:00.000-08:00

I was never a HUGE fan of his:

But there is a new rock star in my life. I love, love, LOVE this guy!

Theo's hair is getting to be ridiculous, I know. But, knowing that he lived 4 years with a shaved head, I cannot bring myself to cut it.

In the US, we spend a collective $19 billion on hair care services each year. Umm...wow! We must really care about good hair. It feels good to shake it. It feels good to run your fingers through it. It frames our faces, reflects our style, and helps make us uniquely identifiable.

Hair.

In Theo's baby house all the disabled children have their heads shaved regularly. Year round. Girls and boys alike. I'm sure there may be practical reasons for this, but still...it is dehumanizing and demeaning. You can actually tell which children are favored by the caregivers because they may have a little fringe of hair left untouched by the shears. It is as if, somehow, these imperfect creatures deserve to be stripped of this little piece of identity.

I've been thinking about suffering and what a universal experience it is. There are suffering, hungry, abandoned children all over the world. What is it about the disabled orphans of Eastern Europe that has so captured my heart?

Could it be that these children are set apart, hidden away, abused, neglected, and stripped of their humanity because of the very way that God made them? What a slap in the face to our Lord. What an impoverished mindset.

Hair.

I'm going to let Theo's hair grow as a form of protest against that mindset that would have kept him stripped of his humanity and identity for the rest of his life.

And because he is a rock star!

PS - don't forget Andrey. His fundraiser ends on World Down Syndrome Day, March 21st. See the chip-in at the top of the page.

Sweet Nikita

2011-02-27T21:00:00.000-08:00

I always loved this sweet face. I suspect he was sedated and struggling to get his eyes open all the way.

Sweet little Nikita had a family on the way to adopt him, but he died a couple of days ago. Leukemia. Cancer sucks. The fact that he had no mommy and daddy sucks. The whole situation sucks. Please think of and pray for his heartbroken family who were working so hard to reach him.

When I say that we reached Theo just in time, that's exactly what I mean. There are orphans all over the world. There is suffering everywhere. But the brutality and inhumane treatment of disabled babies and children in Eastern Europe is particularly disturbing. It's a real crisis.

Things are getting better. Things are changing. The testimony of the parents who adopt these rejected and unwanted children is being noticed. Just not in time for Nikita.

Please, sweet Jesus...when will you make things right? Will you please send a family for Andrey...and Maxim...and Mila...and Pauline...and Eddie...and you get the picture? Will you send champions to defend these children and keep them from harm?

The boy from baby house 14.

2011-02-26T07:23:00.000-08:00

Just to be crystal clear...

I'm giving away my nearly-new, hard-cover copy of The Boy from Baby House 10 to help this little boy from baby house 14*:

*FYI - Baby house 14 is a random, made up number used by Reece's Rainbow

Check out those baby blues! And that sweet little pouty mouth! I'm in love. *sigh*

See? He can smile and laugh!! This little boy is going to be a HUGE blessing to his family. Could that be your family?

Someone you know?

Someone you don't know, but knows someone that you know?

Do you see where I'm going with that? Thanks for sharing this!

Gifts of ANY size to Andrey's grant fund are appreciated. Your name goes in the virtual hat for each $5 gifted.

Underdog

2011-02-25T19:36:00.000-08:00

Are you old enough to remember the not so kind and gentle days when the P.E. teacher would choose two team captains, two handsome and physically gifted young people no doubt, and those two team captains would build their teams by alternately choosing classmates to play on their team?

Well, I am. And I do.

Because I was always picked last. Or second to last.

Maybe that's why I'm compelled to root for the underdog.

Andrey is a classic example of an underdog. He is at a huge disadvantage in his country in Eastern Europe. He is considered inferior. He's weak and expected to be a loser.

Andrey has seen parents come, choose other children and leave. He's still waiting to be picked. He's an underdog and he's going down.

Andrey is already four years old. But, he can't sit up for long by himself anymore. He cannot stand anymore, even with help. He used to be able to do these things. He is regressing. His caregivers don't have time to work with him. They think he is a worthless imbecile.

This from Andrea, who spent several months volunteering at Andrey's orphanage:

"...Andrey is quite neglected at the orphanage. Because he doesn't really sit by himself, he spends pretty much all of his time alone in a big crib-like playpen. The workers compare him to the other children with DS and often say things like, [Johnny] has down syndrome but he is smart, not like Andrey..." I have been told that I was wasting my time with him and one day when Andrey & I were in the visiting room with [Johnny] & his parents the head secretary came by and told [Johnny's] parents that they had made the right choice..."

Andrey's caregivers are wrong. He is priceless. As the least of the very least, he is royalty in God's kingdom. The Underdog Prince Andrey! How we treat him and think of him is how we treat and think of our Lord.

Again, from Andrea:

"He is such a sweetheart, so cuddly and generally a content little guy...even
just spending a couple hours a week with him, I saw a big change in him during
the few months I had with him. He learned to pull himself up while holding my
hands and started pulling himself up on the side of the crib whenever he saw me
coming. He also became much more playful and interactive with me. He has a real
sense of humour and would love to drop toys on the ground and make me pick them
up again. He also thought it was very funny to take his booties off. He would
wait 'till I turned my head, pull one off and then when I caught him he would
laugh and laugh."

So why is this beautiful child sitting in an orphanage? I can't pretend to grasp the magnitude of pain and suffering in this world. It weighs me down at times. It crushes me at other times. However big the problem is, there is just no way that I can do nothing. How could I live with myself?

As bad as things are for Andrey, things may get worse when he is transferred to a mental asylum. By law, that is where he will go to live at a certain age, sometimes 4 or 5 years. This tiny boy who is losing his ability to even sit up will most certainly be assigned permanently to a crib. A tiny little jail cell for a tiny little inmate. Game over for my little underdog.

If he loses his ability to feed himself or hold a bottle he may be in real danger. Some children are tube fed at the baby houses, but I don't know about the institution. I feel that this precious boy is losing his will to live. He needs a family...like yesterday!

I've tried, and miserably failed, to adequately convey the hopelessness and boredom the children with Down Syndrome and other disabilities suffer in the baby houses and asylums in Eastern Europe. Some things are not easy to put into words. Not simply because they are awful, but because I don't have the frame of reference to fully understand the things I witnessed.

The hopelessness is crushing and the boredom is not leisurely, it's brutal. I was reminded of this after finally reading The Boy from Baby House 10 this week. The book is an amazing true story. The first four chapters left me with my mouth hanging wide open. I could have sworn that the authors had been with me visiting Theo in the room for the "incurables."

Please, won't you help me help Andrey? Before he regresses any further? Before he is transferred to an institution? He absolutely must have a family if he is to survive and reach his potential.

The only thing standing in the way of Andrey finding a family is money. Of course. Children with large adoption grant funds get families sooner. It's just a fact.

In honor of the Underdog Prince Andrey, I'm going to give away my copy of The Boy from Baby House 10. I'll draw names from the chip-in on World Down Syndrome Day, March 21st. Names go in the hat once for every $5 gifted. Please consider a tax deductible gift of any size to Andrey's grant fund through the chip-in posted here:

The Boy from Baby House 14

2011-02-25T15:31:00.001-08:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

3 more on my heart...

2011-02-21T18:45:00.000-08:00

Masha has a family committed to her. And as a bonus, the family has promised to adopt Christopher, too! It has given me such a peace to know that these two little lambs will soon be loved and cherished. I hope that this family contacts me, as I have more photos and videos of Masha. They don't belong to me anymore. :)

Some of my most favorite Reece's Rainbow children have recently been matched with families. Peter for instance! He always reminded my of Ralphie. I showed his photo and description to Ralph's cardio nurse several years ago and she always asks about him. I can't wait to tell her the good news! Peter is reported to be very ill, however. Pray that he can hold on long enough for his family to get him home and get him the medical care that he desperately needs.

But...

There are three more. My special three. I'd like to check them off...one...two...three! Families for each!

I often think that if I could just see these three particular children find their place in a loving family that I could let my heart heal a little bit. Maybe then I could let go of the pain that I carry around. Maybe?

1. Mila

I spent a lot of time observing this girl last summer. I tried to get a nice photo but she was always glued to a caregiver and photos were absolutely forbidden. So I had to be content to watch and wonder.

Mila's a good girl. She follows instructions. She helps pick up toys. She's friendly! One day James and I were walking down the driveway of the orphanage after our visiting hours were done when Mila and her nanny were walking back to the building. She must have sensed a unique opportunity because she took my hand and turned to leave with us. ha! I had to gently lead her back to her nanny with a completely broken heart.

Mila is no dummy. She has seen mommies and daddies appear and then disappear with her friends for four long, boring years. She wants a mommy and daddy of her own. She needs them.

2. Andrey S.

I honestly don't care for this photo. His old photo was much nicer. It showed off his blue angel eyes! Here he is stuffed in lacy pink girl jammies. What is it with the girl clothes? Zhen is wearing a pink t-shirt in his immigration photo!

Andrey is one of those children that I can't believe no one has scooped up yet. He really couldn't be any cuter. Lots of Reece's Rainbow children have been adopted from his baby house and no one wanted him?

It is obvious that he is regressing. Without stimulation and therapy he may continue to withdraw. He needs a reason to live. A reason to love. A family would do the trick. I just know it. I just don't know how long he can wait...

3. And I saved the best, most special child for last...drumroll...

Maxim

Ok, so his eye turns in a bit. Ok, a lot. :(

Try this...cover up one eye with your pinky finger and look how sweet his face is!! Or, if you love him like I do you don't have to cover up anything at all. I imagine that Theo may look a little like Maxim when he is bigger.

What can I tell you about Maxim other than he is special to me. I love him. I want him to have the best possible life. To run and play and be free. He is 6 years old, but he seems quite small.

My friend Melissa had the opportunity to meet and play with Maxim last fall. HERE is what she had to say about him. We are both crazy for him and will work like mad women to help raise money for the family who commits to him. You have our promise in cyber-ink!

So there they are. My special three. (I actually have a top ten list. Does that even surprise you?)

Is there anyone out there who loves them like I do?

Is there anyone out there who has room in their heart for one of these children?

Don't be afraid.

It will be the "best good deed" you will ever do. (hat tip ~ Rob Nalle.)

Masha

2011-02-10T19:28:00.000-08:00

It's been a week.

How many families with glowing reports about her cuteness, intelligence, and personality does it take? Five is not enough?

Even the orphanage speech therapist loves her so much she is willing to let other families play with her and take *GASP!* contraband photographs!! Does this mean nothing?

How much free money for adoption expenses does it take? Is $17,000 is not enough? That kind of money will take you a long way in Masha's country!

Someone make me understand why this child is still waiting for a committed family. We hear it all the time...only money is keeping all the Reece's Rainbow children from loving families. Prove that.

I'm just taking this pretty personally. I love her. I'm not the only one, am I?

The Key - a Call to Prayer

2011-02-04T14:40:00.000-08:00

Here is the official word: Masha WILL be transferred to the mental institution. It will likely happen next week.

Oh, my heart.

I have failed her. She's the one.

She is the one child for whom I was bent on finding a home. I was certain that someone would be touched by our story and be inspired to rescue her.

Like Theo was rescued.

There is still a chance for Masha.

And Tori is the key.

Tori, soon to be renamed Reagan, was transferred about a year and a half ago to the same institution that Masha will soon call home.

This coming Monday morning in Eastern Europe there will be a meeting. A very important meeting. An American couple wishes to adopt Tori and has received her referral. They will show up at Tori's institution and meet with the director.

Now, I have heard conflicting reports about this director. Some say the director is difficult and some say the director is agreeable. Some say the director is opposed to adoptions. This director has the power to say "yes" or "no."

We must pray for this director. For a soft heart, for a willing spirit. For Tori is the key. If she can be rescued then there is still a chance...

for Masha,

and Eddie,

who both have grants that could cover their WHOLE adoption! And the countless others who have been and will be sent to this place.

So please pray now. Let us storm heaven for the sake of the inmates (yes, this is what they are called) of Tori's institution.

If you wish to pray during the actual meeting, set your alarms...Monday morning. Early. 1 a.m. - 3 a.m. Central Time, USA, I'm guessing.

Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes. ~David Platt, Radical

Please keep sharing...

2011-02-03T18:07:00.000-08:00

The past week has been so insane that I have neglected to update properly.

Of course, you know about Masha...she's been on my mind all time. This girl is really something special. I did not advocate for her during the Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree season because the focus was on children with Down Syndrome. I felt terrible about that knowing that she would turn four years old in January.

In fact her birthday is the same as my Zhen. Never did I expect this to happen quite so soon, but she is being prepared for her transfer to a mental institution. Imagine plucking a child out of your family and dropping them off at a hospital to live. She will be removed from the only home she has ever known. As dysfunctional and cold as orphanage life is, for all practical purposes, that is her family...her brothers and sisters and mommies.

She is the size of a one year old baby. An easy mark. Who will make sure no one hurts her? Who will make sure no one steals her food? Who will encourage her to walk and talk and learn new things? Will she be afraid? Will she be cold? Will she lose her sparkle?

Knowing that transfer day was possible I started a chip-in fundraiser for her at the beginning of the month. I was supposed to draw winners on my birthday...but...I ended up out of town. I had an opportunity to attend a Down Syndrome conference in Kansas City. I got home late on Saturday and Sunday morning my husband was ushering at church so I had to get nine kids ready to go.

Monday morning was eye appointments for Zhen and Theo at 8am. 8AM!! The news for Zhen was not good. He needs surgery and even then may not regain sight in his bad eye. Tuesday I found out about Masha's imminent transfer and scheduled my 18 year old son for knee surgery the next day. Wednesday was his surgery plus four parent/teacher conferences.

Today was...NOTHING!!! YAY!!

So now I have time to update properly. I decided over the weekend to extend Masha's chip-in fundraiser because I was just so busy and there weren't that many contributors anyway. Now I'm glad that I did. BUT...since a generous benefactor has donated $17,000 to her grant fund, I'll be ending the chip-in and drawing names on Saturday.

God willing, she will have a committed family very soon. Will you continue to share her story so that her family will find her?

Wow!! Look what has happened!!

2011-02-02T21:35:00.000-08:00

What a day!

I woke to find that Masha had received a $17,000 grant! How very exciting, right? She needs someone to step forward right away. Still praying like CRAZY!

After making breakfast and answering a few emails, I took my 18 year old son to the surgery center to have his knee fixed. Four hours later we headed for home. He was still pretty dopey when we left. He kept telling me how great his girlfriend is and that he really likes her! I've had to repeat his care instructions several times. Too funny!

When I got home it was time to rush out the door for parent/teacher conferences. Four of them. I have great children who are doing awesome in school, by the way.

Home. Dinner. Jammies. Babies to bed. Bath. Ahhhhhh! Time to sit down and update the blog. Oh no!

My computer is nearly dead. It's not charging and I'll have to take it in for fixing. Now I'm self medicating with cheesecake and writing on an iPod so pardon my typos and word choices. This is far from ideal. Haha!

Time. Time for me to beg. One last time.

2011-02-01T07:32:00.000-08:00

I wish I had time to write and ponder and edit and muse over what I'm about to say. I'll probably miss a few things and I won't be very eloquent. I don't have time. Time is a luxury.

Time is nearly up.

For Masha.

I got a call from the school district at about 5:30 am today to tell me that school would be cancelled. Do they really think I needed to be woken up on a day that I don't have to GET up so early? Anyway, I took the opportunity to check my email and this is what I found:

"We saw Masha today and were playing peek a boo with her and laughing with her etc. Oh my gosh the doctors from the institution were there to give her a physical for her transfer to the institution."

Days. Days people! She has a few days left at her baby home, the only home she has known. In the dead of winter she will be loaded in a van with the other dear children that are out of precious time and taken away to an even more loveless and hopeless environment.

I think it would be possible to delay this. There are people who might possibly have the influence to delay this. Oh, it's such a long shot that I hate to even write it down!! But, I have to. She's special to me. Ya know? My heart is breaking and I can't stop crying. She needs a family in the next day or so.

If there is one thing I've learned over the years, and trust me I've learned A LOT, it is that things are not always what they seem. Why? Because we are walking by sight and not faith. Masha is not only what you see in her description. She is a living breathing doll. EVERYONE who has seen her and played with her has fallen in love with her. She has something special and not ONE SINGLE fiber of my being believes that she is destined to live out her life in a mental institution.

OK, I'm using a lot of caps, huh? I just don't know how to convey how awesome she is and how devastated I am. Please, I'm begging you to help me help Masha...one last time. Can you email, tweet, blog, and FB her face and her story? I know she has a family out there.

And don't give me the "you can't save them all" and don't EVEN give me the "maybe it's God's will" crap today.

I will never stop trying to save them all.

And God's desire for orphans is abundantly clear in his Word:

Proverbs 24:11 - Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.

James 1:27 - Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

I could go on and on...but time's up.

the transformation continues...

2011-01-26T21:05:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of my school boys. Don't you think I should be able to get them to look at the camera at the same time?
The bus will be here soon. Let's get zipped up!

Backpack on. Ready to go!

OK, doesn't this look like he's ready to take off walking?

Looking good, huh? Honestly, he's leaning against big brother's leg. But with his new SureSteps he's got good stability and balance!! One of these days...

These boys are true miracles. I can't even comprehend it sometimes. When I get them out of bed each morning I have to just say "Wow!" Thank you, Lord!

It would have been frighteningly easy for us to have said no to adoption. We couldn't afford it. We already had our hands full. The travel was nearly impossible.

Scary.

We could have missed out on these unfolding miracles.

I'm so happy we said yes!

Set your alarm...

2011-01-25T20:47:00.000-08:00

I'm very happy to report that three children with Down Syndrome have been adopted from Theo and Zhen's old orphanage in Eastern Europe over the past three months. One came home in November, one in December and one just last week!

Here's more good news! Four more children (three with DS) will, God willing, be rescued from there, from a bleak future in the next six weeks or so. Pray for the Burman and Karol families as they make their way across the globe to redeem their precious children.

But, all is not well. Four little children are stuck. Four families are, too. They are in desperate need of prayer support TONIGHT. Tonight - while we sleep - around 2:00 am or later - the judge in their region of an Eastern European country will be deciding whether court dates will be given to two of the families - the Davis family, adopting Kirill and the Hook family, adopting Eva. I learned yesterday that NO CHILD WITH DOWN SYNDROME HAS EVER BEEN ADOPTED FROM THIS REGION.

None.

Never.

I'll be setting my alarm for 2 a.m.

You can read the back story, as told by my friend Julia, HERE.

All four of these little ones are in the same region of an Eastern European country (not the same as Aaron's). Four children trapped in a system that won't let them go. Why? Because last year a woman in Tennessee decided to send back the son she had adopted. She put him on a plane, alone, to his country of origin. It was the worst kind of scandal. It made national headlines and all those in the adoption world quaked in fear because it had the potential to topple a house of cards in Eastern Europe. Fortunately for most, the worst did not happen and adoptions continued.

But not for these four families - their adoptions came to a screeching halt. Why? Because their children were in the SAME REGION where that child was returned. The officials there were hurt and angry. It horrified all involved and the judge, in outrage, put a moratorium on adoptions. Closed door. The families have been forced to wait. The children stuck in an unforgiving system. Three of the families did get to go meet their little ones. But they can't bring them home. They have prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed.

And things have moved. Slowly but surely.
And these four families are holding their breath - hoping - gasping - praying that the walls really will come down. Over the coming weeks, the judge, who finally agreed to lift the moratorium, is supposed to be issuing court dates for these families. Oh the joy unspeakable. But they are scared and weary of broken promises. They need us. They have increased their praying. They have committed to fasting and praying until they receive those dates. Will you pray with them? Consider fasting alongside them?

Please. Don't forget...

2011-01-20T20:44:00.000-08:00

Please don't forget about Masha. I was unable to get updated photos of her so far this month. I may have another opportunity next month. She's special. Take my word for it! Pray for a family for her!

And don't forget to chip-in a little to her adoption grant. The money goes directly into her Reece's Rainbow account. You can give with confidence knowing that Reece's Rainbow has distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars in child specific grants to assist adopting families over the past 4 years.

Look at the latest cute giveaway item! It is a crocheted earflap hat in a popular Eastern European country's flag colors (light blue and yellow, with a white band) with a small embroidered RR rainbow-like decoration on the front. It is a toddler/small child size and made of acrylic yarns to avoid allergies and for ease in washing-handwash.

How sweet is that little hat?!

With six giveaway items and six contributors, your chances are good, huh? Again, one name in the hat for each $5 and once again if you share about sweet little Masha on your blog. :) Thanks!

Guess who?

2011-01-15T20:27:00.000-08:00

Can you guess whose little piggies these are? Aren't they sweet and perfectly yummy?

They belong to my little lovey, Theo. Of course. :)

Theo now tips the scales at 20 pounds 9 ounces in his nicest jammies. So lets just call it 20 pounds. That means that he has gained 7 pounds in the past 5 months. He has grown three inches in height. He has gained 1 inch in head circumference.

Let's put that weight gain into perspective. He has gained as much weight in the last five months as he gained in his first four years.

I call that astounding. A miracle.

New adventures start this week...pre-school!

Word!

2011-01-13T11:17:00.000-08:00

Word! Word! I have word!!

Do you ever have a memory that is so sweet, but far away...and you start to question it? Was she really that beautiful? Did it really happen that way? Did it ever happen at all?

There have been people who have disappeared from my life and they are so far gone that it almost seems that they never existed. And there are memories that are so sweet and lovely that I'm sure I'm romanticizing them in my mind.

Masha. My beautiful, sweet Masha. I have word about Masha. God willing I will have some new photos of her soon.

She exists! And she really is beautiful. I now have independent confirmation. :) Look what I found in my email this morning:

She is beautiful - absolutely beautiful. I don't know ifshe is walking but she is able to stand by her self in her crib. They fed her a bottle - so not sure if she is spoon fed too????? But she is so little - I can't believe her age! But this was surely her!! Her hair is still shaved :( I wanted to pick her up so bad, it is so hard to hold back. Her sleeping crib is right across from Anna's - so the two were both standing just looking at each other - Priceless!!!!

Please consider Masha. Share her story. There is no future for her in Eastern Europe.

Listen up...

2011-01-12T18:44:00.000-08:00

One thing about the orphanage that you might have heard about but you wouldn't really expect to be so very true is this: it's eerily quiet. Walking down the hall you might not even believe that there are really bunches of children living in the building.

Maybe it has something to do with the construction techniques used in Eastern Europe. Every building I saw was built of concrete or stone. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that crying is not rewarded with attention. Theo and Zhen do not cry to get my attention. They sit quietly in their beds when they wake in the morning. Makes me a little sad.

Theo's grouppa was very quiet. Honestly, only one or two children were ever up and about at any one time. Even Zhen's grouppa was mostly silent, even with three or four children up and "playing" (sitting and staring into space). I often wondered why no music or TV programs? At least one other family has reported that educational TV programs were played for their child's grouppa. Those were different groups of children though.

Though I believe Theo has a profound hearing loss, I noticed that he lays his head on those annoying toys that have sirens and honking sounds. He lays on them and smiles. And smiles. He also calms when I sing close to his ear. He will press his head into my mouth as I sing to him.

I don't want him to live in silence. I feel like he is, in a way, still locked up if he cannot hear. In an effort to give him something more interesting to listen to than a firetruck siren I broke out some headphones tonight.

What would be good for him to listen to? How about one of the Bach Inventions? Yes! So I sat him on my lap, started the music and placed the headphones on him. Well, of course he immediately threw up on me! No biggie. Happens all the time. We finished the song before getting cleaned up. haha!

Whoa! What's that I hear? When he finds something that he can actually hear his eyes fill with wonder! I LOVE it! We will have to make this a habit for certain.

I know there are plenty of hearing impaired people who live full and happy lives. But hearing things makes Theo sooooooo happy! I can't wait until next Monday when I find out for certain how much, or little, he hears. Then we will know how to help him even more. No more living in silence.

Growing!

2011-01-11T19:52:00.000-08:00

I've got no new photos to share tonight. Sorry! I just have some good news to share before I hit the hay...

Theodore has a sedated procedure at the super large regional children's hospital next Monday. For all sedated procedures a child must have a physical exam completed within 30 days prior. We had to cancel this procedure last month when Theo caught a cold. Boo! So his physical expired by a week or so.

Today I took him in for his repeat physical exam and found that he has finally broken twenty pounds!! He was 20 pounds 9 ounces in his nicest, warmest pair of jammies.

Since September he has grown three inches in height. His head circumference has grown by one inch. His growth charts are skyrocketing!

I'm so thankful to God. Thankful for preserving Theo's life for the first four years. Thankful for access to medications and nutrition to help him with catch-up growth.

Goodness! At the rate he is growing he may actually be ON the growth charts by his next birthday!

Happy! Hurting. Hopeful!

2011-01-10T18:39:00.000-08:00

Happy! Happy birthday sweet Zhenya!

We must have sung the birthday song a hundred times to him today. I hope that he enjoyed all of us singing to him. We'll have his party in a couple of days when daddy is home to share in our joy.

Hurting. Yes, certainly. Zhenya had a rough day for one thing. Every now and again some orphanage behaviors pop up and surprise us. Just when we think we are smooth sailing. What is it about orphanage life that harms children so? It hurts me that he lived that way for so long. He cannot tell me what is the matter. Not with words anyway.

And I'm wondering about Zhenya's birth parents. Are they hurting today, too? Do they remember the day their 2nd son was born? How could they forget? Do they know that he was adopted? Do they know he is now an American citizen?

As always, I have more questions than answers.

And I'm hurting for Masha who turned four years old today, too. Dear sweet, tiny Masha. No cake for her. No ice cream. No joyful singing. Just a day like any other day, except...

Now that she is four years old, she could be transferred to the mental institution at any time. How is that for a happy birthday?

Hopeful. I'm hanging on the the hope that, although I have no idea if this is how it really works, many children have been adopted from Masha's baby home over the past 9 months. At least nine that I know about. Perhaps there is room for Masha to stay in the baby home a bit longer? Perhaps she will still be there when her family arrives?

Hopeful. I'm hopeful that we will find a family for her very soon. With a $5,000 grant and the money we raise with her giveaway this month and another possible large donation in the works my hopes are high, indeed!

Won't you help me honor Zhenya's 4th birthday by making a $4 (or more!) donation to Masha? Help us seal the deal for her and make 2011 the year she came home to her forever family!! Cash is fine...donations made by check can be made payable and mailed to:

Reece’s Rainbow
PO Box 4024
Gaithersburg, MD 20885

Or, you can quickly and easily donate through the chip-in, where the money goes straight to her account with Reece's Rainbow.

Remember I am giving away Crazy Love, a beautiful Lia Sofia necklace, pretty silver earrings, funky cool bracelets, and a taggy sensory blankie. Your name goes in the hat once for each $5 you gift and one more time if you share about this giveaway on your blog. Please...share this and leave me the link in the comments section.

More items and more good news!

2011-01-09T19:00:00.000-08:00

Thank you Dara, for donating these beautiful earrings to give away for Masha. Aren't they pretty?

Dara is a preschool teacher in Wisconsin. She moved to the USA from Sweden 5 years ago. Back in Sweden she worked as a special education teacher for children with Down Syndrome. Thank you, Dara!

Here is a cute little taggy blankie from Shelly in Texas. Shelly and her family adopted three children with Down Syndrome from Eastern Europe about a year ago. They are adopting again and will soon be traveling to meet their two new girls. One of the girls lives in the same group of children as Masha!

Shelly has lots of these awesome sensory blankets to sell, but she has donated one for me to give away for Masha. If your name is drawn you can choose, OK?

God is so good!! He has moved many hearts to contribute to this giveaway project. He knows how much I love her and want her to possess the love of a family. He also knows how frustrated and overwhelmed and shattered my heart can be.

The need is so incredibly great for orphans in Eastern Europe. Families are getting ready to travel and are thousands of dollars short on funds. Beautiful, worthy children are being transferred to hopeless institutions. They are living, and dying, with unrepaired heart defects and other untreated medical conditions. They are abused, alone, and unloved.

I was feeling particularly low this morning. I didn't want to go to church, but of course I did go. And God met me there. Among lots of other things, I realized that I have not yet sacrificed to the point of shedding a single drop of blood. And I may never have to. I can carry this pain in my heart and still have joy.

So I wasn't a bit surprised later in the day when I checked my email that Masha now has...ta-DA!!...a $5,000 adoption grant fund. Five. Thousand. DOLLARS!! And then, almost immediately, I got an encouraging phone call from a friend who knows where I've been and where I'm coming from. Thank you, dear friend! Thanks be to God! What would I do without you?

More pretty items to give away!

2011-01-07T10:56:00.000-08:00

Good things are happening for Masha. Just believe me when I tell you this! Today I received these two beautiful bracelets in the mail from Ann to give away for Masha.

Can I just tell you a little bit about Ann? She is in the process of adopting a beautiful little girl from Eastern Europe. Ann is in a pickle. She just found out that she needs to raise 100% of the money for her program BEFORE she can travel to see her girl. She needs our help, too. Read her plea HERE.

I have found a group of the most generous people on the face of the earth. They don't have a lot. Many are desperately raising funds for their own adoptions. Some are digging out from under recently completed adoptions. Some are dreaming of the day that they can finally adopt a child. Whatever the case, they understand the power of giving sacrificially. It amazes me. And it warms my heart!

Aren't these two bracelets cute together? I'm so pleased to add them to my list of items to give away for Masha. Check out all the other pretty bracelets HERE and help support Ann's adoption.

Here's a completely gratuitous photo of my Theodore. Those cheeks are really chubbing out. Doesn't he look good? Minus the scratch on the forehead, of course.

When you are just learning how to get around and play, boo-boos happen. It's so sweet to see him learning what toys are for. Ruby is so patient with him.

I hope that Masha will find a sister as loving and fun as Ruby! More photos HERE.

With love, from Sarah...

2011-01-05T09:59:00.000-08:00

It's always encouraging when our children "get it." At Sarah's age I had no clue about orphans or children with special needs. Here is a message I received from her this week:

I am 12 years old, and I have a heart for helping others, especially orphans. I am the new and proud big sister of a sweet little boy, Elijah, who just came home from Theo and Zhen's former orphanage in Eastern Europe. I was on a mission trip to EE earlier this summer, and I would LOVE to go back. I love to crochet and I am raising money for orphans on my blog by selling my handmade items (www.handiworkforelijah.blogspot.com). Right now I'm raising money for Eddie. He is in Elijah's former groupa and isn't treated very well. I hope to raise enough money so that his forever family will step up and bring him home.

This is a necklace I got for Christmas, and I would like to donate it to Masha if you would like it. I just followed you, but I have been looking at your blog for awhile. Just let me know! We will be happy to ship it out to whoever wins it.

Thanks,
Sarah

Lia Sophia Pearlette Necklace - Retail $48

Thanks Sarah! Thanks for donating the lovely Lia Sophia necklace to raise money for Masha. Thanks for your heart. Thanks for loving the "least of these."

I hope that you will visit Sarah's blog and purchase some of her adorable handmade bath mitts, baby hats and more. And don't forget to chip-in a little for Masha and you might be the winner of a beautiful pearl necklace!!

This is what...

2011-01-03T14:11:00.000-08:00

Not that we are perfect, or even that great, but we are family. My children...

Minus Ruby who really needed a nap. :(

This is what I want for Masha! And for all the other children who are loney, unloved, neglected, starved, sick, scared, hurting, abused, and so on.

More giveaway items are coming in. I'm afraid I may have more giveaways than contributors! Eeek! God's got it though. I know lots of people like Masha. I just wonder why she is still waiting for a family?

They must not know about her yet.

Let's fix that, ok?

Thank you!

2011-01-02T21:57:00.000-08:00

Thank you Jenni for being the first to contribute to Masha's fundraiser! And to think that you are in the process of raising funds for your own adoption. I'm really blown away by the generosity of the families I have "met" through Reece's Rainbow and adoption in general. You know who you are and you are so precious.

Also, I have received several offers for additional giveaway items. Yay!! I'll give more details here when I pin them down. Isn't that great?! I'd almost rather give away a bunch of small items than one big thing. More happy people, right? I'm hoping to come up with 31 different items, one for each day of January.

When there is a big job to get done around our house I always tell my children, "many hands make light work." That's the whole point behind a chip-in type fundraiser. Thanks for lending a hand!

A Tale of Two Birthdays

2011-01-01T20:53:00.000-08:00

Thank you for all the kind comments about Zhen and Theo. Since I see them everyday it is difficult to notice the incremental changes in them. Only by looking back can I see the enormity of the changes.

In a little over a week Zhen will have his 4th birthday. His first birthday as a part of our family. What a happy day it will be for him!! If he had not been made a part of our family he would be facing a move - transfer to a home with even less to offer than a poorly funded orphanage. In that region, transfers typically occur on or soon after a special needs childs' 4th birthday.

The institution. Mental hospital. Internat. Different names for the same place, which is no place for any child.

There is another child who shares a birthday with Zhen. Born on the very same day, in the same region of an Eastern European country, they ended up in the very same grouppa in the very same orphanage. It won't be a happy birthday for her.

My Masha. In my heart, she is mine. I love her. LOVE. HER.

Have I told you how she would buzz over to meet me each day in her little walker? Have I told you about her bright smile and cheerful nature? In my head I can imagine her with pigtails! She is a little ray of sunshine. A little ray of sunshine who will soon lose everything and everyone she has every known. She'll find herself in a place much like you will read about HERE. Unless...

I feel so helpless. I'd go back for her in a heartbeat but I can't just yet. She needs another family to step forward for her, and quickly. I can raise awareness and I can raise money, right? But I have no iPad, iPhone, Kindle or any other fancy gadget to give away. How can I create enough excitement to prompt people to give without a huge giveaway item? Can it be done?

All I have is a crazy love. My love for God. My love for Zhen and Theo. My love for Masha. Crazy. So I'm going to give away a copy of this book by Francis Chan. The message of Crazy Love had a huge impact on me and my desire to adopt special needs children.

On January 31, I'll randomly draw a winner from the list of contributors to Masha's grant fund chip-in. One chance for each $5. I'll throw your name in the hat again if you also share about Masha on your blog. Please help me get the word out about this little gem of a girl. Do I have to beg? I will! Just leave the link in the comment section.

I know. It's crazy to think that I could raise $20k for Masha. I'm so busy with the new boys and their needs and the rest of my large family right now. The truth is I can't do it. Alone, I can't. With God's help, anything is possible. :) Will you be a part of this?

PS - I hope to add more items to give away on January 31. If you have an item you would like to donate or a fantastic idea email me at nancefamily8@cox.net. Thanks!

Goodbye 2010 - you were awesome!

2010-12-31T21:26:00.000-08:00

We have experienced heaps of blessings this year as a family. This year was all about saving two boys, Zhen and Theo, from a dismal life in an Eastern European mental institution.

They try. They really do, the doctors and staff of the orphanage. There was simply no way they could have known what Theo needed was growth hormone treatment. There is no way they could have provided it for him. His time was running out. I doubt he would have survived another winter.

I get a little choked up when I see how strong and happy he is these days. I love this boy something fierce! Look at the life in those eyes.

And Zhen. So much stronger than many of the children there, physically anyway. Emotionally he was weak. They try. They really do, the doctors and staff of the orphanage. The kids are clothed and fed and pushed around in strollers. There is just not enough staff or time for hugs and snuggles and teaching and toys.

I fall in love with this beautiful boy a little more each day. He's learned to seek and accept affection. When I kiss one cheek, he always offers me the other. He thoroughly enjoys all of the toys in the house, especially the linky rings.

He brought his linky rings to the doctor's office the other day. As he was fiddling with them the doctor asked me if he was getting good at putting them together. I said no. I put them together and he rips them apart.

Just then he brought the rings up right in front of his nose and he snapped them together! Don't you just love it!

Now that Zhen and Theo are home and safe I'll be turning my attention to the "lost children." The children who are left behind. I cannot let myself forget them. I carry an ache around in my heart for them. If the pain ever goes away, if I ever forget them they will cease to exist for me. I won't let that happen.

I don't know what 2011 has in store for us, but I'm looking forward to it a great deal. I cannot wait to see more lost children be found. I cannot wait to see how God moves and shakes. Life just keeps getting richer and more interesting every year!

Happy and blessed new year to you!!

First Christmas

2010-12-25T21:43:00.000-08:00

I spent some time today reflecting on Zhen and Theo's past Christmases. What were they like? Was there any celebration at the orphanage? I just don't know. I also spent some time thinking of where they might be today if we hadn't gone crazy last year.

Zhen would be turning four next month when he would be moved to a mental hospital. It's a dark place for a timid, frightened little boy. Theo would have been moved last summer and would not likely have survived in the condition he was in. If he had survived, he would be bedridden today and every day. Staring at the ceiling or the bars of his crib.

Praise God! This was not to be. Their lives were redeemed and every time I hear the Christmas story I hear the story of Theo and Zhen. I can hardly think about it without my eyes leaking! It was a miracle and we couldn't have done it without God.

This is certainly their first American style Christmas if nothing else! Does every American boy want a Tonka truck, or what?

Zhen was sure that it was for riding on! I just love the way he gets into a chair or onto a toy by bending over and backing up. It's a total hoot!

Zhen didn't fit so well, but Elmo did.

My little Theo looking so happy and healthy.

He got a vibrating teething toy from Santa. He's got plenty of teeth, although they are a bit ground down. He loves the sensation. I may have to stock up on these!

Showing him how to open a present. He didn't really get it. Neither did Zhen. In fact, after opening his truck, he toddled off to play with it. He was done with Christmas!!

Each day Theo is showing new skills. Today he almost got his knees up under him! He's bending his knees a bit more now when he drags himself across the floor. Some days I wonder if he will ever crawl, and then there are days like today when I have hope. Every teensy tiny advance he makes is like medicine to my heart.

Poor tired but still beautiful Zhen. We do stockings after all the other presents are done. Look what he pulled out of his! Twins!

Here is a present, Theo!

No clue. I'll bet next Christmas is a completely different story. I'm looking forward to next year and all the great things that are in store for my two Ukrainian miracles!

Another first!

2010-12-23T20:00:00.000-08:00

I cannot imagine that Theodore has ever had a chocolate chip cookie before this very day. I wasn't sure if he was ready for it, but while I was busy baking dad handed him one!!

What do you think? Was he ready? :) (I just think he's a little dreamboat!)

Here comes dad with another cookie!!! This is the face he makes whenever he sees food of any kind.

Give it to him, already!

Please!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

On a side note, I'm not sure that chocolate after dinner was a good idea. Theo just absolutely would not go to sleep at bedtime. Maybe it was the sugar, maybe the chocolate. I thought a nice warm bath would relax him, but they just get him all excited.

We are looking forward to many more firsts for Theo and Zhen over the next few days. Merry Christmas!

Christmas letter to an orphan

2010-12-19T18:40:00.000-08:00

Shamelessly stolen from a dear friend. You can click on the photos for more information.
**************************************

Dear little one,

I saw your photo today. You are so adorable! Your eyes are so deep and full of hope.

I love your little smile, I know it must be hard most days to find the strength to smile.

I have heard how little food you have, and that sometimes you have to share food with your friends. What a sweet and giving little person you are!

But I am writing this letter to tell you that I will not be able to help you.

You see my family is happy with the life we are living.

We already have four children and it would just be too much bother to the rest of our family to try and help you. I know that we could get bunk beds and you could share a room with one of our bio kids but really that is no life for either of you.

We have so much going on around here and life would be too chaotic to add another child to our family. We already have two children in dance classes and two that play sports. Christmas is coming up soon and our children already have a Christmas list a mile long of things they simply must have! They have to keep up with their friends when it comes to the latest toys and technology!

I have a ladies night out next week and I have nothing to wear. I really need to purchase a new outfit. I guess I could sponsor you but it will have to wait until next month.

I really need that new outfit and my children are "dying" for some fast food tonight. Good luck to you and I hope that you will find your forever family soon!

Merry Christmas from the Jones family

More miracles...

2010-12-17T18:06:00.000-08:00

It's crazy how fast this little dude is changing! Look what I found today:
I know, it's picture of Theo. He's sitting up. Oh wait! He's sitting up! He was just crawling around on the carpet a minute ago.

Transitioning from a prone position to a sitting position is something most babies learn by around the age of 9 months. Typical babies just do it, no big deal. For Theo it's HUGE!

Love, love love!

I just love celebrating every new skill. This kid lived in a cage (tiny crib) for four years. Watching him come alive is so rewarding. *sniff* I mean what are the chances that a tiny little guy like Theo from an Eastern European orphanage would end up in my home in the middle of the U.S.A.? It's so improbable. But, it's really heartwarming. Did I mention how much I love this little one?

Jill's Story

2010-12-14T17:55:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas to you dear readers! This is my little gift to you...a gift that I received when I became friends with Donna and her daughter Jill. Because of these friends, I was able to joyfully accept that my son Ralph was born with Down Syndrome. Enjoy!

Jill's story - written by her mother, Donna:

Jill was born in 1964 (back in the dark ages of mental retardation). She was not diagnosed with Down Syndrome until she was 3 months old. There were no tests back then to determine this condition, but we knew she had a developmental disability from birth. Parents just know these things sometimes, don't they?

On a visit to the the pediatrician at 3 months of age, the doctor picked up Jill under her arms. She slipped right through his hands. He said, "Yes, I believe she is retarded. Now, you will need to decide what to do with her. I must advise you that she will probably never be able to walk or talk. Most certainly not be able to read or write. I would advise you to put her in an institution."

I replied, "We have had her as part of our family for 3 months and have learned to love her and see potential in her. We will keep her in our home!"

Jill had a fairly normal life growing up. She just did things a little slower than most kids. She not only learned to walk and talk, but learned to read and write, ski, roller skate, dance, and play the piano. She rode the bus downtown to her job at a bank for several years.

She began taking piano lessons at age 16. We realized the talent she had when she sat at the piano and played melodies with her right hand. It was time for piano lessons! I asked a former student of my husband (who was a music teacher) if she knew of a college student who needed the money and would be willing to take Jill as a piano student. To my surprise she said, "I would!" Jill took lessons for several years, learned to read music and even learned to memorize everything she played.

To this day she practices a half hour every day except Sunday. She has had the opportunity to play all over the state, for many schools, at weddings and parties and at the state fair. We have always had the philosophy that Jill can do anything anyone else can do - it just might take her a little longer. I'm so glad we decided to keep her out of an institution!

***I'll be passing along any kind comments that you have to share with Donna and Jill.***

My daughter.

2010-12-05T19:46:00.000-08:00

I can't sing anymore. I have an OK voice...actually I think I'm pretty good. I just get choked up every time I open my mouth. All my emotions are still so raw. Even singing The First Noel made me weep this morning in church. Not your typical tear-jerker of a song, is it? I guess that is how undone I really am.

My open wounds are for the children I left behind in Eastern Europe. They start to scab over from time to time. Then I can function normally and fit in with the other suburban families suffering from dreamy affluenza in my quiet little town. Then something happens, the scab is ripped off and I'm yanked back into reality again.

A couple of days ago my daughter Rose yanked me back to reality. After looking at some children on the Reece's Rainbow website and praying for them she asked me a question. A question that just about broke my heart. "Mommy, if I was in an orphanage in __ (a certain EE country), would you adopt me?"

What could I say? I had to say yes, didn't I? I said yes.

But what is the real truth?

What if we didn't know about her? What if we didn't feel we could handle another child? What if we couldn't raise the money? What if our income didn't qualify for immigration purposes? What if we made excuses? I went to bed that night completely wrecked and wondering.

Then a few days later I watched this video and the questions in my mind changed. Now the questions were more like...what would I do to be able to get to my daughter??

You see, I do have a daughter in an Eastern European orphanage. Masha. In my heart she is mine. She is one of the least of these. She is royalty. Fearfully and wonderfully made by God. I can't get to her. You call yourself my friend? I need you to get on a plane and get to her! Who will go get her and be a mommy to her for me?

But you don't know her. You have not seen her giggle and dance. Her life isn't affecting you. I know you care and it probably makes you sad that she will be sent to live in a mental institution when she turns four years old next month. But, you'll sleep just fine tonight.

And so will I. And I hate that.

She's so far away. It feels like a dream. Was I even really there? And anyway, I've done my part, right? It's not my problem.

Except that, I'm still a part of the body of Christ. And He has shown me and given me a piece of His heart. And my heart is always going to hurt for the ones left behind. I will always be reaching out, encouraging, preaching, yelling, screaming...until the rest of the body wakes up. And then we will rescue the children like Theo, and Zhen, and Masha, and God will get the glory.

Look at my little big boy!

2010-12-03T19:08:00.000-08:00

Today was a good day for my heart. The good news just keeps on coming!

When I woke up today I was greeted by Theodore who was sitting up playing in his bed. He was sitting up! He transitioned from laying down to sitting up!! This is HUGE!

I think he may be about done with the baby seat. What do you think?

Ralphie loves Theo! Theo merely tolerates him! ha!

Theo had a pre-op physical with his pediatrician this afternoon. He is up to 18 pounds from less than 13 in August. That's dramatic considering his size!! Most exciting is that his head circumference has grown at the same rate as his weight and length. Do you get that? His brain is growing!

The visit was a pre-op physical because Theo has an MRI and sedated hearing test scheduled for next Friday. I'm not holding my breath, though. He's been super snotty and coughing a bit. We may have to reschedule. :(

For your entertainment...

I can't forget to tell you how wonderful Zhen is doing. His cheeks are a little red from the cold, dry air. But, I think they are adorable!

Tonight I got down on the floor and taught him how to fly!!! A little tricky balancing him on my feet and taking photos! haha! He's so ticklish this is almost impossible to do!

Guess what today is?

2010-12-02T20:57:00.000-08:00

Can you guess what today is?

Why, it is Theodore's half-birthday! Any excuse to celebrate, right? I thought about making a cake, but he wouldn't have enjoyed that. Instead he celebrated with apricot baby food! A first for him!!

I had a hard time getting a good photo of him tonight for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Ralph would not leave him alone. He kept grabbing Theo's hands or patting his arm. Very sweet, but...a little aggravating when he won't move on to something else after a few minutes.

The second reason I couldn't get a good photo is that Theodore is a world champion spitter. Did you know that is a sport? OK, I'm exaggerating. But not by much. See the apricot splatter pattern on the highchair tray?

I didn't really want to have to clean apricot baby food off of the camera lens. He got my shirt several times!! Good thing he's super cute, right? Now he's officially a super cute 4 1/2 year old boy!

More miracles...

2010-11-30T12:31:00.000-08:00

It's been a whole week of miracles for Theo. This amazing little boy has really come so far from the day in July that we met a little tiny bag of bones. There are still some uncertainties and I can still feel his hip bones through his jammies, but what good news I have received this week!

Firstly, Theo had an appointment with a specialist for a condition that was going to require surgery. Now, we are not in a small town by any means, but this specialist only comes here once a month. So I guess he is pretty special! ha! It took some time to get an appointment.

Surprise!!! No surgery needed. The doctors in Ukraine were wrong. Heck, the doctors at the children's hospital here in the USA were wrong, too. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I was flabbergasted!

Later that day we got Theo (Zhen and Ralph, too!) fitted for some ankle/foot orthotics. Theo's going to walk one of these days, I just know it. We are going to give his feet and ankles all the support they need to make it happen. The good news here? All of Theo's deductibles and co-insurance limits have been met, so there will be no out-of-pocket expense for these braces.

Yesterday was the long awaited pediatric dentist appointment for my little man. I was quite certain that very few of his teeth would be salvageable. I felt a little, ok a lot, odd walking in carrying him in an infant car seat. Everyone was so kind though that I soon felt at ease. The hygienist was able to scrape a ton of strangely colored tartar off many of Theo's teeth, with me holding him down. All of a sudden his mouth didn't look so scary.

The dentist came and examined him shortly after and found no problems other than a couple of enamel defects. In fact, she pointed out some positive things about his mouth...like the nicely spaced lower front teeth. There is plenty of room for adult teeth to come in without crowding. Again, I was blown away. I was pretty certain he would have multiple teeth pulled. Great news, huh?!

Last night Theo and I stayed up late together like we normally do. After his injection he gets a little hyped up. I put him in the high chair and let him eat some little baby puffs. He did great scooping them up and getting them into his mouth without any assistance from me. Then after the puffs ran out I decided to see what he would do with a cracker. See?

He did a fantastic job of munching on his crackers and moving the food back in his mouth to swallow. Very little food that went in came back out again. He's learning to eat!!!! Without feeding therapy! I knew that he would learn with opportunity and a little time. Still, I call it a miracle.

Next week...preschool evaluations, sedated hearing test and MRI. Looking forward to the many more miracles that are to come!!

2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Jewels in My Crown

Help for Kalinovka

Handling disappointment...or not so much.

My friend Shelly

I will not forget you.

Another Theo?

The Burden

Ideas anyone?

The heart of an orphan

More Zhen

Zhen

Heartfelt thanks from Project TLC

Theo

How typical is that?

The difference

Theo, then and now.

31 for 21 Challenge!

Taking a break.

Putting the "fun" in!

Sharing Theo and Zhen

A Sweet Anniversary

Surgery Tomorrow

Make Me Smile Monday!!

Thank you from Project TLC

Messed up tonight...

Resilient

Looking back today...

Eyes of a Child

Then and now.

Fundraising update! :)

Oh goodness!

East Bound and Down

This is the kind of child...

Pray for Victoria and her sweet family...

Zoo!

Field trip!

Theo hurts.

Looky!

Once upon a time, in a faraway land...

My little lovey.

We will not forget you.

The Math

TLC for the 99

Anguish

On this mother's day...

Just you wait and see.

Update from TLOT

The Least of These

My Easter horror story.

New chapters, new books.

***Ukraine Adoption Notice***

Two Princesses

Smashing!!

Hi Reagan!

Thanks all!!

More Carrington.

SMOOCHES!!! Last Day!!

Carrington says "Hello!"

Look who it is!

Support a hurting family...

Not out of the woods...yet.

Update on Carrington

I know it's not an IPad...

Under the fluffy pajamas...

Hair

Sweet Nikita

The boy from baby house 14.

Underdog

The Boy from Baby House 14

3 more on my heart...

Masha

The Key - a Call to Prayer

Please keep sharing...

Wow!! Look what has happened!!

Time. Time for me to beg. One last time.

the transformation continues...

Set your alarm...

Please. Don't forget...

Guess who?

Word!

Ukraine Adoption Notice