All They Need

Hi everyone,

If you are joining me from Erin Martin's blog for the first time, Welcome.  We are doing a special joint advocacy joint post today today.  Erin and I both have a heart for waiting children.  As the Holidays approach, it makes us dwell on home, family and the joy that a forever family can bring.  We know how much these children need a forever family.  They all have the same special need.  That need is Downs Syndrome.  These beautiful children need structure, routine and consistency to maximize their potential.  We want to help them find their forever families, live life to their fullest potential and not spend another Holiday in an orphanage. They are such happy children.  Their happiness is contagious and they made us happy just spending time with them.  The thought of any of these precious waiting children coming home gives a whole new meaning to being Home for the holidays. So help us advocate for these wonderful children.  Share the post and send positive energy.  We hope they will all find forever families.

Charlotte is a beautiful girl who is 5 years old.  She is described by her caregivers as playful.  She speaks in long sentences and talks a lot with her friends.  Charlotte was able to stack cups and place larger objects in smaller objects.  She had a good pincer grasp.  She liked to draw shapes but she could not write her own name yet.  She can walk and run and really enjoyed playing with our van driver, Mr. Li.  Charlotte attends Kindergarten outside the orphanage.   

Alan is a sweet boy who is almost three.  He is just learning how to walk and does so by holding the caregivers hand.  The caregivers say he rarely cries.  He holds onto the table and cruises along.  He likes to play by himself.  He plays with the stacking cups  Alan can move from his back to his belly to sitting on the floor.  He crawls with his belly on the floor.  His favorite foods are rice and fruit.  

Amelia is a beautiful one and a half year old girl.  She was making simple sounds and turned when she called her name.  She had a scar by her right ear.  She has low muscle tone and a bit of a tongue thrust.  She enjoys being cuddled.  She likes to be fed first in her room.  She is sitting with support and tried to belly crawl but could not move forward or backwards yet. 

It takes a special family with an amazing heart to guide these precious children on their Journeys.  Are you a parent who can open your heart to any one of these children?  All they need to be happy is a forever family!

If you have stopped at the Superkids blog first, click here to go to Erin Martin's blog to read about the other three children we are advocating for.  If you would like any more information about these children, feel free to contact me at patriciamarcuspt@gmail.com or Erin at  erinmrtn@yahoo.com

Matching Thursday

I know, it's Friday but I wanted to tell you a little about our Thursday meetings.  Thursday is an amazing day. The Asia Program staff meets to discuss, our children, our families, questions we have gotten over the week and Gongzhan gives us updates from China when needed.  So for families and children, your names cross our lips every week.  We think of every one of you and every child who will come to us and every child we met.  So Yesterday was a great day!  We had a special guest, April(former waiting child case worker) who came by with her new baby! April is on maternity leave and will return part time in the new year.

So Yesterday was a great day in more than one way.  We reviewed some matches that have just been sent to China.  I also remembered I did not highlight some of our matched children.  They are ALL so special to us. So look for upcoming blogs that focus on this.  I want to share the joy for these special these children and their families.  

So for now, Matching rocks!  Family's rock!  Our wonderful kiddo's rock!

I leave you with some pictures of amazing children who are in our hearts.

Keep up the positive energy everyone!  One of these beautiful children has found their family.  I'll let you know who next week.

I have found my Family!

I know its a cliche, but Ding Ding Ding Ding!!!!!!!!

We could not be happier.  A little girl has found her family!   Our very special sweetie has found a family to love her forever.  She is just amazing.  Full of life with smiles and giggles to light up a room.  Ainsley is going to a wonderful family who transferred to Gladney for this sweetie.  So, so cool!  You guys rock and so does this little one.  Actually I usually say boys rock and girls are cool!

So Ainsley, you are cool! You wait no more. Hope you can feel this wonderful families love on the other side of the world.  So with out further delay,

I have found my Family!!!!

There are tears of joy here for this beautiful girl, her amazing family and how this all worked out!

Yeah, you are both cool!!!!!!  

      

Advocacy Monday

This September when the CCCWA was visiting, we had a outdoor lunch at the home of a wonderful Gladney Family.  I met a remarkable girl during the outing.   Her name is Mattea. She told her story of being adopted from an orphanage and having a best friend in the orphanage.  Mattea was adopted but longed to see her best friend have a family too!  She desperately wants to see the friend again.  To have her experience the love of a family.  She told her story in Chinese and the officials from the CCCWA were very moved, many in tears.  It broke all of our hearts.

Now sometimes fate deals a good turn  This little girls mom, Vickie, is a Physical therapy assistant and was able to meet the child.  She has a Special focus issue but it appears this may not be the case.  Now those that have worked with Superkids know that I get very upset when this happens.  Files are so important because often its all potential adoptive parents get to make a very difficult decision.  They might turn down a child because of a label that might not be correct.  On the parents side, they must make the decision with the info they have what is best for their family.   So, I would like to share with you the information on this sweetie.

She has been called Lauren by other advocates. She is 12 years old.   That means she has just two years left to be adopted.  Her medical need is congenital high myopia, Strabismus and Downs syndrome (which the mom who met her does not believe she has. )  Now you know there are no guarantees. She is currently living in foster care.   She is independent in her self care.  All her gross motor milestones are present, like standing on one foot and hopping.  She has goods fine motor because she is able to eat with chopsticks, button and zipper.  She can use advance language to describe things and her feelings.  Reportedly, from the file, Lauren has better expressive abilities than receptive.  She requires repetition to learn.  She completes her homework on time and knows when she cannot understand something to ask the foster mother.  She is described as a delightful child who makes friends easily and is very cooperative.

Vicki had this to say about her. " She has a ready smile and likes watching TV.  She loves to sing and dance with music.  She enjoys computer classes and playing games on the computer, but also loves being and playing outdoors.  Her favorite color is yellow.  She is currently in 6th grade.  This sweet girl really wants a family!"

Vickie has been privileged to conversations between her daughter and Lauren. She is articulate at level we don't often see. She does not seem to have the characteristics of Downs syndrome. She is a beautiful girl who needs a family. 

I believe in Advocacy and in a chance for this beautiful girl to find a forever family if she has Downs syndrome or not. So today share about Lauren please.  I have faith she will find her forever family.  Surely there is a family with a heart big enough to give her all the love she needs to grow and reach her full potential.

If you want more information about Lauren, please contact me at patriciamarcuspt@gmail.com.  I can pass you on to Vicki who has met Lauren for questions she can help on.  It would be great to make Mattea's and Lauren's wishes come true. 

  

Matching Rocks!!!!!

Today was the happiest of days.  Yes, Gladney families and friends and everyone who has ever reviewed a file,  matching rocks.  Matching meeting was today and I am incredibly happy to announce this beautiful amazing child has found her family.


Every child who finds a family, we celebrate.  So  Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding.( I am the official bell ringer.)

I have found my family!!!

We could not be happier.  She is amazing!  We are celebrating with her forever family!  She is beautiful on the inside and outside.  And now she will have a family.   The family that she has deserved for her entire life will be hers. Wow!

Yes, a very good day friends!

Advocacy Monday

Xin Xin is a beautiful almost three year old girl who is waiting for her family. She has a smile that could melt your heart.  Her sweet personality lights up the room.  She likes toy balls and can crawl on hands and knees.  She has good fine motor skills.  Xin Xin's medical need is Osteogenesis Imperfecta , brittle bone disease.  As a physical therapist I have worked with this disease extensively.  These children are treated with a supplement to make their bones stronger.  They can also receive surgery to place rods in their long bones to decrease the likely hood of fracture.  Exercise is helpful to continuing to build bone strength.  I consulted recently with a pediatric orthopedist about Xin Xin.  His main concern is that everyone be aware that children with issue are of normal intelligence and can achieve a full and meaningful life. For children with OI fractures tend to slow down as they reach puberty and then adulthood.

This beautiful little girl is protected from fractures at the orphanage.  They try to keep her off her feet.  It is a big deal for a child to have a fracture while in an orphanage.  It must be set in a hospital and care giving is an issue with a cast.

Xin Xin needs a family to love her.  She is waiting for someone to step forward and be her Mom and Dad. To help her live her life to her fullest potential.   To say that she is so much more than a medical need.  She is a little girl waiting for a forever family who has a heart big enough to accommodate a few casts or broken bones in her lifetime.  To help her dry her tears, love her forever. Could she be your daughter?

For more information, contact me patriciamarcuspt@gmail.com 

Unexpected Events

Well, maybe we should call them bloopers.  I thought since today is not a serious day we could talk bout some of the funny unexpected things that have happened in China.  Just so you could share in the Journey.

There are several events from past trips that I thought were funny.  I fell on the area that is pavers in the courtyard in Shanghai children's home.  Not so bad as I wasn't hurt, but my computer went flying in the air and landed 15 feet in front of me.  It was the best advertisement for a padded computer sleeve in history because my computer was fine. Later that same trip, Karen another physical therapist fell and landed flat on her face too.  She tripped over a door jamb.  Note to all of you,  jet lag makes you uncoordinated and punchy.  There was also the time I ate something I was allergic to and my eye swelled shut.  Not fun.

This trip had its share of Bloopers.  the best Shanghai blooper was when we lost Chelsea on the train.  She got in the subway and the doors closed in front of Gongzhan and I.  there were loads of Hand signals about where to get off and we caught the next train.

JiangXi province is always a challenge.  First and foremost the travel is always hard.  There also seems to be the new idea that the bathroom walls should be glass.  Now not so bad when you are in a room by yourself but not fun in a room with a friend.  After one hot long day in JiangXi we finally arrived at the hotel to get to our room to discover that all the bathroom walls were glass.   (BTW, there was a glass shower in Shanghai as well so its not just JiangXi,)   Darla kind of sunk onto the bed to find it was a board covered with padding.  We all laughed over this.  I have a wifi hub that converts the cable internet to wifi in the room.  Erin and Darla spent time that night sitting on the floor outside the room to talk to their families.  I don't know why they did not come in.  There would have been screaming if I came out and tripped over one of them.  We also ate very unusual things in JiangXi. province.  We were served all variety of food in JiangXi.  Changsha too.  Duck tongues, jelly fish and fried frogs.  We also had the Chinese equivalent of Turducken. Some exotic food are good, some are not to our liking but it is always a challenge to not be disrespectful to food your host offers you.  

Getting from JiangXi to Hunan proved to be a challenge this year.  We had reservations on the bullet train which was late by over three hours.  We ended up pushing our way onto a local train and sitting in the dining car as we did not have tickets.  That was after trecking up three flights of steps to get on the platform.  No joke. That was my epic meltdown. Now I can climb three flights of steps but I can't do it carrying my international suitcase and eighty four page profile sheets my computer and a carry on.  No escalator or elevator.  I cried.

Once we made it to ChangSha we were greeted by a buffet with Snake as an entree.  Now ChangSha is HOT.  JiangXi was hot and humid but ChangSha was hot and dry.  In ChangSha we were close to the orphanage.  We could walk form our hotel every day.  It was a little hazardous getting there.  there was a big intersection where three roads converged.  We always seemed to be in the middle of it when the light changed.  Leaving us scurrying off the road.     Once walking back from the orphanage we learned that motor bikes ride on the sidewalk.  I came nose to nose with one.  I was looking into the drivers eyes  and he was no more than eight inches from me. What did he do?  Beeped his horn.   Chelsea and Erin were practically rolling on the floor.

Last but not least,  the most unexpected occurrences are with the wonderful people we meet, the connections we make.  Friends we get to see year after year.  Staff, facilitators, orphanage directors, provincial officials. We are welcomed with open arms.   We can survive glass bathrooms, funny food and difficult travel.  We go with a great purpose and it is all worth it when we see one of our Superkids find their forever family and come home.

I am leaving you with some travel and food pics

the courtyard in Shanghai

traveling in mountainous JiangXi

Lunch in the cafeteria in Shanghai

. a delicious surprise in the bun