Seth does have additional needs. His Cleft Palate has been repaired at some point, and we had no issues regarding his cleft palate during his month with us. When adopted, he will need some speech therapy. But that does not stop him from communicating!!! He can speak some English, and LOVES learning more English! Every day during hosting, he would sit down and do English lessons, and openly try to engage in English discussion. However, when nervous, Seth has a slight stutter. He is proficient at using a translation service like google, and his favorite thing to write was: I love you mom.

Seth is a funny kid, and has a great sense of humor. We would openly joke for Christmas all he was getting was underwear (he wanted a digital watch)…and it was an ongoing joke with him all hosting. He also loves all other boy things: legos, playing games on the tablet, and going for walks to the playground. He hesitates to try new things, but once encouraged…he was unstoppable! He loves the trampoline park and bowling. His favorite food is pizza. He also can eat applesauce by the jar full, as well as crackers.

Seth is a big helper, and really loves to try to please. We do not require our host children to assist with lots of chores, but every day he would find the broom, or mop, or vacuum and he’d busy himself. All he wanted in return was praise and a hug. Seth was really open with affection, and loved to hold hands, be rocked, he loved bedtime stories, hugs and kisses, and would love to show off his video games. He related well to anyone in his host family, but did struggle with meeting strangers. He did warm up to people once he realized they were family friends. He would comply with just about any request (not so much on eating vegetables, but everything else), and was very appropriate with his interactions with his host family. We had no major behavior issues during his month-long hosting.

Seth bonds well with family. He longs for a connection. He is meant to be someone’s son. His ideal family would be aware of cognitive delays associated with FAS, and be trauma informed with an understanding of institutional life. He has spent a large portion of his life in an orphanage. His orphanage director is very eager to find Seth a forever family, and very supportive of his future.

While in America, we asked Seth his birthday for paperwork we were completing for the trampoline park, and he has no idea when his birthday was. He said no one had ever celebrated him. A few days later, all the host families came together for a birthday celebration for Seth. He was so pleased to have his very own cupcakes, and grinned all evening as we looked at pictures. On departure day, he was very very sweet and cried a lot as he boarded the plane. He’s still very young, he needs family to watch out for him, to teach him, and to love him for the amazing little boy he is. Seth is very capable of learning, his behavior issues were very minor, he has the worlds best smile, and a heart of gold. Seth would thrive in a family where a mom and dad could love him.

From a family who met her in January 2014: Maia is a sweet little girl. She was able to follow orders and do everything that her teacher asked her to do. She doesn’t speak but giggled a lot and made some noises. Her doctor said that while she was unsure if Maia would speak, she felt the prognosis was good. Her eyes are crossed. Vision and hearing are otherwise fine. Maia has mental delays and would benefit from focused attention and education. Maia is lively and active and ready for a family who is ready to play!

He needs a family! He is going to be transferred very soon with no big chance to survive. The place where they are transferring him is really terrible for children.

I think Irina wants to get out of the facility. She was transferred to this facility a couple years ago. Before she lived here, she lived in a ‘normal orphanage’ with a special needs group. When they lost their funding she was transferred here. When we take her for a walk she walks to the gate and she just stares at the world outside of those gates. She realizes there is an entire world out there. One day the nurses saw us at the gate though and they yelled at us for minutes. We were not allowed to take Irina there, she could walk away. The gate is closed and locked and we were there with her, so there was no way she’d walk away, but from that day on Irina was even more closed and she lost most of the initiative while walking. She even lost her interest in the swing. She needs someone she can trust, someone who she’ll know will stay and will love her. She has already been listed for so long! She needs a family!

From a volunteer who visited with her in July 2015: ” Irina is a beautiful girl with dark hair and big dark eyes. She has a cleft palate. She is a precious and happy little girl. She loves personal attention. She is craving attention and physical touch. If it was up to her she’d be held and hugged all day. She can react really shy to people who talk to her and especially when yelled at, she will become really introvert. She is a really sweet girl. Irina is a physically quite healthy girl. She is well nourished, she can walk, run, swing, etc. Her physical development is good, compared with the other children in the same facility. She seems to have a strong body. She knows how to use a swing properly and can swing by herself. She enjoys it a lot. She can play accurate with toys, like dolls, or pretend play with kitchen tools. She knows how to walk stairs. She can dress and undress herself. She can drink from a cup and eat by herself. She is potty trained and will tell if she has to use the bathroom. She doesn’t talk, most likely because of her cleft palate. She doesn’t make noises, but her eyes express a lot about how she feels. And her smile will tell you when she enjoys something. She understands what is being said to her and she can follow orders. When Irina is in the group, she’ll try to stay away from the others. She prefers to play by herself, but she is also capable of interacting with other children or adults. She prefers to play with children who are smaller or younger than her, probably because they are no threat to her. Last year I saw how she was being bullied by other (bigger) children. She tries to flee from bullies (and from yelling), but there is nowhere to go. This year she is doing much better. She has grown physically, which made her less of a target for the bigger children. Maybe also because new smaller children are in the group now. Sometimes she’s still the target of bullying and harming behaviour, but at other moments she will show these behaviours herself. She can be a bully to the smaller children herself. I think this is her way of showing that she is stronger now, but this is no good development. The longer children are in this facility, the more harming behaviour they show. Irina is still able to receive love, but time is ticking away. She needs a family. She would thrive in a family where she could be ‘the baby’.”

If you are unfamiliar with FAS, please spend some time researching this condition. Just as with Down syndrome, FAS and FAE have a wide variation of effects on each child, both medically, physically, and cognitively. This is typically dependent on how long during the pregnancy the mother consumed alcohol, and of course, how much. There is no way to know this ahead of time.

Irina has been transferred to the older child internat now.