Newly Listed Children

Vann smiles and reacts when caregivers interact with him. He can roll around in his crib and is often placed in a walker. He picks up toys, shakes them and tries to manipulate them.

Delyse was raised by her birth parents until she was 20 months old, at which time she was removed with malnutrition. She pulls to a stand, crawls, and can take steps while holding someone’s hand. She is social and interactive with other kids and adults. She plays simple games with caregivers. She mimics motions and actions of other people. She waves hello and good-bye and can say a few simple words. She responds to her name. She plays with toys and can stack blocks.

Vannah moves her upper and lower limbs and independently rolls from back to stomach and stomach to back. When she is placed in a chair, she sits with support. She makes attempts to crawl. She reaches out and holds objects with different shape and size. She has increased muscle tone of the lower limbs. She shows interest in her environment and what is happening around her. She reacts with a smile when caregivers interact with her. She reaches for toys.

Vivian can roll over independently from the back on the stomach and back again, sits unsupported in a high chair and tries to crawl. She can take steps when holding both hands of an adult. She shows interest in her environment. She focuses on toys and plays with them. She can imitate basic tasks with toys when shown by an adult. She reacts with appropriate emotions to her environment and familiar people. She laughs when a staff member plays peek-a-boo with her.

Vivian needs surgery to repair her cleft palate. Doctors will not perform the surgery until she gains weight and can eat with a spoon. She has difficulty with a spoon due to the cleft palate, resulting in her being fed via a NG tube. Doctors assume that Vivian cannot hear due to the absence of ear canals, but her hearing has not been formally tested at this time. She does react to loud noises.

Rhyleigh’s gross motor skills are well developed. She walks, goes up/down stairs, climbs, and navigates her environment independently. Her fine motor skills are delayed, but developing. She can color, put objects in/out of containers, and has a developed tweezers grip. She understands what is said to her. She can say several simple words and point to parts of her body. She follows simple instructions such as taking items to her designated cubby (she can identify which one is hers), wiping her hands with a napkin, throwing items in the trash, etc. She assists with hygiene skills but cannot yet do them independently. She uses the toilet when placed there, but does not yet self-initiate.

Leo is very agile and curious. He likes to read and play sports and is talented in music. He has many friends, has completed 3rd grade and is eager to learn at school. He is helpful and quick to understand. He is describe as curious, calm, friendly and smart. He forms his own opinions and quickly absorbs new information. He is very interested in creative play and books. He is talented in music and likes to sing, dance and play instruments. When conflict occurs, he tends to feel hurt and then he checks for others feelings. He tries to provoke other children when he gets angry. He communicates well and has strong social skills. He enjoys playing with other children. He is diagnosed with Hypermetropia.

K is active, strong and is very close with his brother. He enjoys music and is in the 2nd grade. He is independent, curious and likes to think. He is talented in music and enjoys tasks where fine motor skills are required. He has congenital glaucoma and can’t see with his left eye. He is self conscious of his eye, has low self esteem and visits a psychologist to help him learn how to manage his anger and express his emotions. He likes to be alone or in a quiet environment and enjoys watching TV. He has difficulty making friends but wants to communicate with other children and staff members. He has a speech disorder and difficulty with attention, concentration and self regulation. He takes medication to lower his anxiety. He is diagnosed with mixed disorder of scholastic skills, congenital cataract and congenital glaucoma.

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He has a severe heart issue, doctors do not give him a chance for heart surgery, by their opinion he needs heart transplantation, and it’s impossible in his home country.

He is such a good kid, his development is pretty good.

At age of 2 months old he survived a surgery for heart defect

Harlan has 2 siblings: his half-sister, born in 2010, is not adoptable because she lives in her biological father’s family. His brother, born in 2006, lives in a different orphanage.

Due to this boy’s special news, the governmental authorities may consider the separation of brothers. However, the family is to be approved for 2 children to cover the age of the older brother, (even if they don’t plan to adopt him) in order to separate the boys.

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These sisters must be adopted together!

Ian walks with support and can take some independent steps. He’s easily comforted with hugs and affection. He loves music and will smile and dance when he hears it. He also loves cars and trains. His expressive and receptive speech are delayed. He is not yet speaking and the difficulty with communication (his foster mother not understanding what he wants) leads to crying and “meltdowns”. He foster mother reports that he likes to do things his way and he has learned that when he’s told “no”, he can have a “meltdown” and get his way. He has recently started speech therapy to assist with his language delays, but is living in a small town that has limited resources to provide the therapies and support he needs.

Photos and videos are available through the agency.

Emma was recently transferred to a group home where she can receive more specialized care to help her continue to develop and receive appropriate medical care. She is receiving monthly blood transfusions at this time for her anemia. She had surgery to correct clubbed feet in 2020. She can sit unassisted, stand next to a stable support, walk around fixed supports and walk while holding the hand of an adult. Videos from May 2021 show Emma playing with an electronic toy. She is pushing the button to get the toy to make a sound. Her fine motor skills are not well-developed at this time, due to her spasticity. Emma responds positively to adults and other children. She smiles and laughs when adults interact with her.

Solomon is an adorable little boy — an active little boy with a ready smile! He gets along well with others and likes to be close to people he is familiar with. At the time his file was prepared (November of 2019), Solomon could walk with his hands holding onto something for support. He was not yet speaking, but his favorite song was Little Apple. When music would play, he would shake his body. He has a good feel for the rhythm. His caretaker calls him “young master.” Every time he heard her call out “young master,” no matter how far away he was, he quickly crawled up to into her arms. Solomon has good eating habits and is not a picky-eater. He likes snacks and fruits the best. He also is said to have moderate sleep. Solomon is adored by his caretakers and we can completely see why! It is our hope Solomon will be adored by a loving family as soon as possible!

UPDATE Feb 2021:  Compared with other kids with Down syndrome his age in the orphanage, Solomon is clever and thoughtful with strong learning ability and imitation ability. In terms of self-care, he can take off his socks, put on socks and shoes under the caretaker’s guidance, cooperate with caretakers and brush teeth and put on clothes. Solomon learned to eat with a spoon within two days; In terms of cognition, Solomon knows the caretakers in his room and will imitate animals’ calls, etc In the aspect of emotional expression, when adults correct his improper behaviors, he will look at the caretaker innocently, showing grievances and sadness. He will feel sad when eating less or different from other kids’ bowls of food, and he will be happy immediately when eating the same as other kids.

Videos available!

Lottie is the sweetest little girl! She understands the role and importance of the family. When she is asked about having parents who give her affection and care, she gets emotional, smiles, and jumps, saying “I want to.” Lottie likes three-dimensional stimuli, technological gadgets, and exploring her surroundings. She enjoys watching music videos and playing with other children. Lottie loves receiving attention from adults. She is a sociable girl. She likes to explore her surroundings, dress up, and do art!

The adoption agency has additional pictures & videos!

Annalise is described as a happy, playful, and quiet girl. She is sociable with peers and adults. She likes to go to the park and play with balls. She also likes to play with the other children and adults. Annalise loves to build towers with blocks, organize hoops, play with bubbles, and dance. We can’t wait to see who Annalise’s family will be!

The adoption agency also has a $1000 grant for Annalise.

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Abby is a beautiful little girl with big brown eyes. Her gross motor skills are good. She is walking with little assistance. Her non-verbal communication is good. She has a ready smile and will respond to stimuli with her eyes. She is speaking words and attempts to communicate. Doctors have recommended occupational, physical, and speech therapies. Doctors have stated, “Concerning her diagnosis one suggestion is that, the child has epileptic encephalopathy (suspect syndrome Dravet).” (This description was from August 2018)

An update on Abby dated May 7, 2021, states her situation has improved drastically. She has progressed in her motor, cognitive growth and social skills. She readily socializes with her peers and caregivers and follows instructions when given. She has developed a rich vocabulary while still having some difficulty pronouncing some of the words correctly. She imitates different behaviors and LOVES to sing her favorite songs. She is attending an individual program suggested by a therapist.

Abby needs an opportunity for family. Can you imagine what she could do with a family who loves her and supports her in all of these activities? Would you welcome this little girl into your home?

She has FAS and epilepsy and resides at the orphanage in Eastern Europe. Alivia is an affectionate girl who loves to hug and kiss the staff. She is soft spoken and initially with new people she will observe quietly but then she is not shy and initiates conversation with people she knows. She loves singing, acting, and dancing. She also loves to draw and listen stories. Alivia’s psychological evaluation report indicates that she has developmental delays.  She can be easily distracted but is easily redirected with reminders.

 

 

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Zalynn lived with her birth family until after her 4th birthday. Her gross motor skills are well developed. She walks independently, runs, grabs a ball with both hands, kicks a ball, climbs and descends stairs with a railing support and jumps. Her fine motor skills are delayed. She can cut with scissors, but cannot accurately follow lines to cut items out. She holds a pencil and can draw a circle. She’s learning to trace her hand. She feeds herself and drinks from an open cup. She can get undressed by herself and can put her socks and shoes on independently. She requires assistance with other dressing tasks at this time. She responds to her name, follows simple instructions, and can indicate when she’s hungry. Her expressive speech is delayed, but she can communicate using a few simple words. She plays with toys and interacts with adults and other children. She has pretend play skills. She willingly participates in group activities with other children.

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We are looking for a family for a precious one year old boy that was born with Down syndrome in Eastern Europe.  He is described as active, alert and has mostly positive emotions. He is happy, communicative and loves attention. Jamsey is happy when he is spoken to and cuddled and enjoys playing seek and hide. He can sit himself down, sits without help and smiles when he is spoken to. Jamsey follows someone with his eyes, vocalizes sounds and loves to hear others sing. He falls asleep easily and sleeps eats well.

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He is currently in 6^th grade. He is active physically and likes outdoor activities as playing soccer and biking. He is willing to help and enjoy gardening. He also loves puzzles and is very good with putting together hundreds of pieces. He is a polite and open boy. He knows what adoption means and very much wants to be adopted. He is dreaming about a family!!

He doesn’t take any medications.

Dorie

The girl has a poor vocabulary, and therefore difficulties with understanding. She is active in words, conducts a dialogue, makes a simple description, but her statements are simplified and not always logical. Speech defect (interdental). She is an active child, shows great curiosity and wants to attract attention. She is willing to play and imitate but is less fond of organized games and has difficulty concentrating, as well as controlling and planning his activities.  She shows a bond with her siblings, especially her brother Nathan.

Nathan

Strong motor skills – correct for age. Walks, runs, overcomes obstacles. He participates in games, wants to attract attention and is upper active.

Perception and hand-eye coordination – within the normal range for age. The boy notices details, differentiates shapes and colors. Recognizes pictures, selects pairs. He connects the pictures. He places the blocks in the holes of the puzzle. Builds block structures – simple and complex at the age level. Slight speech delay. Social behavior and emotional zone – age appropriate. There is a great need for a relationship, attention and contact. Sometimes he is too impulsive and reacts hypersensitive.

Iggie

Low birth weight,  FAS

Strong motor skills – the boy walks independently, runs, overcomes obstacles with a slightly lower fluency. He imitates simple, single body movements, claps his hands, raises his hands up, stomps his feet, enjoys simple games with adults, keeps up with the group. He puts circles on the pyramid, builds a tower from blocks, creates a row (“trains”). He scribbles with a crayon without imitating the direction and shapes, but he likes to draw with adults.

Speech shaping – reacts to sounds from the environment, looks for the source of the sound, reacts to musical sounds. Active speech at the word stage – repeats many one and two-syllable words on command. Points to parts of the face, says the correct words (ear, eye, etc.).

Social behavior and the emotional sphere – visible improvement of contact and relationships, establishing contact without difficulty. He is cheerful, establishes basic relations with children, reacts positively to games, and imitates. Develops the basics of independence in everyday activities. Eat by himself.

 

The children experienced neglect and abuse before coming to the orphanage.

She has multiple special needs including mild intellectual disability, speech delay, ADHD, heart and kidneys defects.

She is a sensitive and cuddly girl who is friendly with other children and likes playing together. She is working on new skills every day and making a great progress! She willingly participates in all activities and has no problems with behavior.  She likes to help with making sandwiches for lunch and always eager to help. Her self-serving skills are good.

 

 

He is happy and  cheerful boy with a great need for individual forms of contact and no behavioral disturbance. He walks correctly, runs, overcomes obstacles, and willingly participates in  the physical games. He has the features of motor hyperactivity, but the boy is able to adjust the activity to the form of tasks. Recognizes pictures, selects them in pairs and combines them correctly. Easily places shapes in the holes of the puzzle. Builds simple and complex structures. Mild speech delay – he can name objects, activities, features. Expresses single sentences, also complex ones, but uses these sentences less well.

From an agency representative who met him June 2021: He is pure joy and his little giggle is contagious.  He is so sweet, always look happy and friendly.  D is getting wonderful care while he waits for a family!

Photos and videos are available through the agency.

She is a premature baby. FAS and heath defect (corrected), strabismus. She is s an active, cheerful child who can walk, run and jump. A is a calm girl, she is interested in the surroundings and likes to play.

Meet sweet Allison who is almost 5 years old. The agency has many photos and videos of Allison that can’t be shared publicly. Allison is described as vibrant and friendly. She likes to cuddle with caregivers. She likes to play with any toy given to her, and she is still learning how to properly play with different types of toys.

Allison has cerebral palsy and microcephalus. She is delayed developmentally. Allison is able to pull herself to standing (we have video of her doing this!) and can stand alone without support for 10-20 seconds. She can also take a few steps when holding onto something for support. She responds to her name but is not yet saying any words.

Allison’s birth mother made the difficult decision to make an adoption plan for Allison so that she can receive the best care available. Her birth mother visits her at the children’s home on a regular basis. I’m sure it would ease her birth mother’s mind to know that Allison has a loving family who is able to meet her needs and help her thrive.

The agency was able to spend time with sweet Alanna in November, 2019. Alanna is now 6 years old. Alanna is full of giggles and cuddles. She loves music and dancing. She has such a sweet, fun personality and seems to thrive in social situations.

We last saw Alanna a year earlier in 2018, and she seemed to be much more mobile this year. She was active – bouncing and climbing on soft benches. Alanna has cerebral palsy and is weaker on her left side. Alanna is now eating solid foods – she had been using a feeding tube until January 2019. Her social worker told us she can eat a bowl of food in about 15 minutes now! She attends physical and occupational therapy once a week each. Alanna only says a few words, but her social workers state she understands most of what is said to her and she can follow one step directions. Could Alanna be your daughter?

Rebecca is of typical social ability, as well as social skills. Her fine and gross motor skills are also typically developing, somewhat delayed due to her blindness. She plays with dolls and communicates verbally with peers and caregivers. She has good behavior with staff and other children. She is described as sober, happy, content, active, and engaged.

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Florence is a beautiful, smiley and easy going girl! She thrives with her title of Princess in her foster home.

Florence is nonverbal but uses other ways to communicate. She smiles and arches when she is happy and will cry when she is in pain, hungry or sad. For example, she usually gets sad if others go on a walk and she thinks she’s not going to go. She likes when you give her simple yes/no questions like which outfit she wants to wear for the day. At school, she has been working on different ways to communicate like using an eye gaze program to speak through a dynavox or trying to use her hand to choose answers.

Florence has a g-tube. In the past, she has eaten meals blended by mouth. Her g-tube was used to give her medicine and water. However, currently she is being fed all food and water via her g-tube as her caregivers are assessing what is safe for her. There are not swallow studies available in her home country so it is a little bit challenging to figure out what is best for her. Her diet is being supplemented with a mix of complan, a powdered-milk nutritional supplement, and real food blends. She is doing well. Also, she does take muscle relaxing medication to help with her spasticity.

Her personality has started to shine through even more so. She likes to laugh. She thinks her friends that do silly things are really funny and often they make her snort when laughing a lot.

She attends therapy four times a week currently for stander time, stretching and exercises. The therapists always say she doesn’t complain unless it is a day where she is clearly uncomfortable before she comes.

Florence enjoys being held by her people and especially when they sing to her or dance with her. Even though she cannot talk, she interacts well with her friends in her foster home! Such a joyful, sweet girl she is.

This little girl with Down syndrome is described as brave, loving and interested in activities. She adapts well to a new environment and enjoys coloring, painting, musical activities, singing and playing with toys and dolls. She is developmentally delayed and needs a loving family to help her reach her full potential.  Her facilitator describes her as “high functioning”

Zeek is being taught to use a wheelchair. He can currently turn, but has not yet mastered going forward and backwards. He is also learning to pull his torso up and move around when in his bed or on the floor.
He can physically handle toys. He picks them up, transfers them between hands, looks for them and retrieves them if he drops them. He can push buttons and activate sensory toys. He follows simple directions such as “give me”. He plays peek-a-boo. He enjoys interacting with the staff. He will hold out his hand for a hand shake, make kissing noises, and reaches to be held. He uses his hands to show how big he will grow up to be when asked by an adult. He is pronouncing sounds and syllables. 

From a family who met her in March 2021:  Gemma is an adorable little girl. She has a bright and spunky personality and is full of laughter and smiles. She loves to be held and embraced and ran to us with hugs. She played ring around the rosy with us, danced in our arms, and loved to be twirled. When given a kiss, she instinctively gives one back. She is so sweet. She loves to play outside, ride a scooter, play in the sand. She says “yes” (in Russian) for most things but she can say other words. She understands everything said to her. She listens extremely well to the nannies and they speak to her as they would a typical 5 year old. She can do the physical tasks a pre-K age child can do (get dressed and undressed, ride a scooter, play with toys, etc). She is toilet trained, though the nannies had her in a pull up while with us. Her vision is impaired and though she can see well enough to get around just fine, she holds things very closely to her face to see them. She has a hearing loss diagnosis but appears to be able to hear everything, though maybe she could still benefit from hearing aids. We were told that she is developmentally like a two year old. This was true in many of her behaviors but we found that she understands much more than a two year old. She has autistic behaviors without an autism diagnosis. She is definitely a sensory seeker; she has a lot of energy and needs to be given tasks and activities to keep her focused. When she is engaged in something she likes, she is completely absorbed in it. She could play the piano for a very long time oblivious to everything going on around her. Though she appears to be in her own world, we were often able to “intrude” into her world and to play with her, to get her to smile and to mimic us and were seeing gains so quickly. Her smile and laughter bring so much joy! Gemma is smart. She can learn. We taught her some basic sign language (“more”) and she began to use it right away without any coaching. She immediately caught on. She will flourish so much in a family who gives her the tools to communicate. She is truly an amazing child, adorable and full of life.

Josiah can walk, kick and throw a ball, climb steps without support and drive a toy riding car. His fine motor skills are developing. He can manipulate toys and is beginning to work puzzle and make shapes on paper. He can identify his colors and basic shapes. He initiates contact with other children and plays well in a group. He follows verbal directions and responds to his name. He can speak using simple words and is starting to put words together to make simple sentences. He participates in organized small group activities. He loves to dance and will mimic dance moves/hand motions that go along with specific songs. He feeds himself. He can get undressed by himself, but still needs some assistance with getting dressed. He gets tired quickly, as a result of his heart condition. Josiah had his most recent heart procedure in March 2021. He is on a low fat diet and takes several daily medications for his heart condition.

Kinsley is a beautiful little girl who loves to look pretty. She likes to wear red, pink, and yellow dresses. She also loves accessories like hair clips, earrings, and bracelets. She loves to play with dolls and she also likes to play pretend teacher. Kinsley loves cats. She also loves to watch Princess Sofia. Kinsley is active and likes to swim, ride her bike, and play at the park. We hope this little sweet girl will find her forever family soon!

Additional photos available!

VIDEOS  (Password: Adoptmaa)
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-kinsley1
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-kinsley02
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-kinsley03

There is a $500 agency fee reduction for Kinsley’s adoption with a specific agency!

Kinsley is eligible for a $10,000 grant with the LPA, as long as the family joins LPA!

Kinsley needs a family with an approved home study to be able to lock her file or submit a letter of intent to adopt her. A family without a home study can look at her redacted file. If you are interested in reviewing Kinsley’s file or in adopting Kinsley, the agency would be happy to assist you.