My Family Found Me

Scott spent the first 9 months of his life with his birth family. He was placed in an orphanage at 9 months old. He can sit up unassisted and can stand up with support. He will reach for a toy, hold it in his hand and manipulate it. He likes being held and cuddled. He is babbling and will repeat some basic words such as “ba-ba” and “ma-ma”. He’s been diagnosed with anemia and an iron deficiency.

Benson is a beautiful little boy! Benson was said to be a timid little guy who was a little scared of the dark. A nightlight of some sort is helpful for him when it comes to sleeping.

Update June 2019: Benson is a smiley guy; blessed with a happy, enthusiastic nature and responds with effervescence to interactions with adults and children. Benson loves social situations and is enjoying some pre-kindy group playtime, several afternoons a week, which involve free playing, manipulative skills, singing, rhythm and socialization. He is very settled within his family home, and is self-motivated to play, whether with his playmates or alone. Benson perceives happy situations and will often raise his hands in the air and exclaim, “Hooray!” , such as when he attends birthday parties or sees people applauding. He is delightful.

Benson understands his caregivers’ interactions with him, but has a very limited vocabulary. Benson is very tender-hearted. Benson loves to watch and imitate , slowly improving his cognition with sorting , counting and self-care skills. He has developed lots of physical skills in the last year. He can sit independently, pull himself to stand without help, cruises holding on to furniture/ caregivers’ hands, and can take a few steps without holding on! Benson loves balls and enjoys sitting opposite a caregiver doing rolling, throwing and catching across a short distance.

Update from a family who hosted him: If there is ever a boy who is destined to be someone’s son, it is Seth. Hosted in December 2019/January 2020, he truly showed what an amazing and sweet kid he is. Seth longs for a family of his own, a mom to hold hands with and hug, a dad to share a snuggle with and a laugh. He was one of five kids during a Christmas hosting, and he did fantastic even with the chaos.

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.

Update from December 2020

The boy is active in motor development. He crawls for toys, climbs obstacles, stands up on its own and walks by furniture.  He manipulates the toys by tapping one against the other or on the floor, examining them in their hands, shaking them. He moves elements of manipulation boards, notices small details of toys, can press buttons of playing toys. He takes out and puts the blocks in the box. He is interested in the surroundings, explores the available space and actively participates in the proposed games.

Speech development is delayed but progressing. Kalvin reacts to his name, babbles, and responds with vocalizations to the speech addressed to him.

He is an active and social boy. He loves cuddling, tickling and early childhood games. He takes an active part in them, is able to focus on the activity that interests him and shares the field of common attention.  He falls asleep on his own and can sleep well through the night.

Compared to the population of children with Down syndrome, Kalvin functions very well. His development is constantly and dynamically progressing, and his active behavior and interest in the environment allow for a positive prognosis of further development. Placing him with a loving family will help with further dynamic development and satisfy his curiosity about the world around him.

She stands upright in her crib and “walks” around it, and when she is among the other children, usually the staff put her in a walker. She has good support of her foot, she can be lead by both hands in bigger spaces. Alone takes a toy and manipulates with it. Likes teases and contact. She is fed by the adult, uses dippers. Does not talk syllables. Continues with prescribed daily kinesitheraphy. Suffered acute respiratory viral infection, applied antibiotic therapy, no complications

Update 2020:

Stella has lived in a large orphanage her entire life. She can stand while holding onto a fixed support and walk while holding the hands of an adult. She will hold toys, move them from hand to hand and knock them together. She will pick up toys that are near her in order to manipulate them. She enjoys musical toys. She seeks out other children and enjoys playing near them. She likes being cuddled by adults and laughs out loud when they play with her. She reacts when called by her name. She eats from a spoon and drinks from a cup with help. She’s in the process of being toilet trained.

Videos from February 2021 show Joshua walking, sweeping with a broom, putting butter on a slice of bread with a knife, getting his hair cut, using a needle & thread, using a pencil, watching Blues Clues and responding at appropriate times, feeding himself with a spoon and pouring his own drink into a cup, talking and responding verbally to questions and playing with legos.
Joshua’s medical report indicates that he spent the first 4 years of his life in an orphanage. His right leg is slightly shorter than his left leg. He walks “swinging his right leg out” and his lower limbs are tight. He takes Baclofen to help with this. He’s diagnosed with mental delays, though he’s made significant improvement since being removed from the orphanage and placed in a foster family a year ago. He can ride a scooter, build with legos, and catch small objects. His attention span has greatly improved since leaving the orphanage. He can now attend to tasks for longer periods, including watching an hour-long TV show. He can memorize short poems/verses. He speaks in short sentences and can understand and follow directions. His behavior has improved since leaving the orphanage. He’s attending a day program for kindergarten. He enjoys playing with toy vehicles and can name the parts of a car. He is toilet trained, brushes his teeth and feeds himself.

Krystina can walk and feed herself. She responds to her name and follows simple directions, but she doesn’t talk. Her thyroid levels are checked by an endocrinologist every 6 months.

Kyle is a happy, content, and active little boy. He can scoot around independently and pull himself into a high kneel position which he can then hold. He can stand with support. His language and social interactions are age appropriate.

Megan is an adorable little girl, born with Down syndrome and CHD- VSD, PDA, PFO, and moderate-severe pulmonary hypertension. She underwent the ligation of the arterial duct and the VSD repair in August of 2017.

Megan is described by her caretakers as active and smiley! She likes playing with toys with sounds and participating in outdoor activities. Megan has a good appetite and she is not a picky eater. She has rehabilitation training with a therapist everyday. Megan turns and smiles when her name is called but, at the time her file was prepared, she was not yet saying words. Megan likes when the caretakers tease and talk with her. As of the fall of 2017, she could crawl, stand up from a sitting position, and walk in her walker. She has good fine motor skills. Megan is very much adored at her orphanage. We are hoping to get an update for her and find her a forever family that will continue to adore and support her as she grows up!

There is a $1000 agency grant with for Megan’s adoption with her current adoption agency.

Yager loves the company of the adults. He likes to be engaged in play and laughs when interacted with. He has a special relationship with one of the staff members, who always accompanies him for operations and for check-ups. While lying on his back, he can turn on his abdomen, he pulls himself up with his arms. The muscles above the waist are very well-developed. He will reach for an adult and when you extend your hands, he immediately pulls himself to the sitting position. He eats from a bottle while holding it himself. When he sees toys, he reaches for them and tries to get them. If he gets upset he easily calms down if cudded.

He repeats syllables and pronounces sounds. He holds toys in his hands and knocks them together. He can follow simple directions.

Photos and videos are available through the agency.

Are you ready for some cuteness?! Check out Liviah, so fancy in her red dress with her hair in a little ponytail! Bows would be a hit!

Her file describes her as active, cheerful, smart and clever. She is loved by teachers and caretakers. Liviah’s communication and cognitive development has progressed since coming into care at age 1.5 years. She is now ale to ask for help, express her needs, respond to simple questions, and although not potty trained she can express herself when she needs to use the bathroom. She enjoys therapy and learning about facial features, playing a clapping game, and imitating sign language.

Liviah likes to ride on the scooter, go down the slide and explore, taking walks inside and outside! She likes can build a 5-6 block tower with blocks, loves balls, listening to Opera music and match shapes in a puzzle. Her file reports that she has fallen in love with “painting” and “going to the theatre”. She loves dancing and when she sees a cell phone, she gets excited, starts dancing and in her own way, asks for Opera music to be played!

Liviah has many videos available!

Kora can eat solid foods, she can eat all foods suitable for children. But because it is an institutional setting, we give the children little fish to eat. All bones are removed from meat and fish by nannies before serving to the children for safety. We usually give her softer foods. She can grab things to eat herself. She also will break off and share snacks with other children.

*What she means is that they give them soft foods usually mixed with rice to prevent choking, to help the children eat faster, and so they don’t have to distinguish from children with stomach or eating issues. All the children who have come with this diet have had stomach issues because of it and have needed time to adjust to eating harder foods but recovered fine. Each day after eating in the morning and night she will drink a little milk.

Kora can understand almost everything that is said to her. She also can respond using actions, she just cannot communicate with spoken language, she can only speak a little. She did not show any problems with the heart after her heart surgery. Previously her eyes often had tears. In December 2019, an eye examination was performed. She had a Nasolacrimal duct narrowing + nasolacrimal duct intubation. She has recovered well from this.

There is a $1,000 Agency Grant with a specific adoption agency to help a family bring Kora home!

Update from Oct. 2020: Our most recent updates on Magnolia have shown her making significant improvements! Magnolia has the sweetest smile and seems to always be in a happy and content mood. It’s been two years since we last met Magnolia and she is now able to feed herself snacks, put small objects into containers, identify pieces of clothing, match animal sounds to the correct animal, identify familiar adults in photos, and recognize a daily schedule. There is a bright and happy future for little Magnolia. She deserves to spend it with a caring and loving family. Photos and video are available from the agency.

Original post from 2018: Sweet, sweet little Magnolia! Her little smile was worth every bit of effort it took to coax it out of her. She was a little shy at first when the agency’s team met her, but warmed up with a little effort on our part. And her little face lights up when she sees someone she knows. Magnolia has cerebral palsy. She is 3 years old. She turns when her name is called. She cannot yet speak but obviously understands what is said to her. She can sit propped up if placed in a sitting position. She uses a wheelchair to get around. She goes to a special education preschool and loves toys with music. She enjoys playing peek-a-boo and obviously anticipates that you are going to uncover your face.

Trent is receiving ongoing medical care for his heart condition. Doctors in his country have determined that the surgery he needs is too risky to be performed there. Trent’s full health condition is listed as: Complex congenital heart malformation – Pulmonary atresia with interventricular defect. Hypoplastic confluent pulmonary arteries. Multilateral pulmonary circulation. Congestive heart failure. Chronic therapy with ACE inhibitor, diuretic. Treated with antibiotics. Prevention of bacterial endocarditis.

Developmentally, Trent is reported to be developing cognitively at a normal rate. He does not have any known cognitive delays. His gross and fine motor skills are well developed for his age. Due to his heart condition, he gets physically tired easily. He has good concentration and pays attention to details. He plays with toys and interacts with people appropriately. He talks in simple sentences and understands everything said to him. His memory is well developed and he’s already demonstrating higher order thinking skills. He sings children’s songs that he’s memorizes, can answer questions about objects in a book, and can also form questions, ask them and wait appropriately for an answer from someone. He does not have any known behavior issues. He interacts appropriately with other children and with caregivers. He’s described as calm and friendly.

Violet is a very petite girl, born in September of 2010, who appears much younger than her age. She is very shy and afraid of strangers, but is extroverted and cheerful around her caretakers. In fact, this cuddly girl loves to be held by her nannies. She gets along with the other children and likes to play games with them. Though she is behind other children her age, Violet continues to make progress in her development. She now speaks in short sentences, such as “I want to eat that” and she can answer yes or no questions. When she became scared of a stranger visiting, she told her nanny “I want to leave.” Despite Violet’s tiny size, she can run very fast and is able to go up and down stairs by holding the railing. Her self-care is good. She feeds and dresses herself and can climb up into a bed that’s taller than she is. She can point to body parts when asked and can do simple counting. She is also able to follow basic directions.

Violet is diagnosed with developmental delays and a congenital heart defect-VSD, that she has received surgery for. Though she was previously on a medication for pulmonary hypertension, she is no longer taking any medication. She was not re-tested for PH. Violet also had a test that showed a ring abnormality of chromosome 15. You can read more about that here.

Agency staff who met Violet said that it appears to be understaffed based on observations and conversations with caregivers, with a higher than typical child to caregiver ratio. As a result, most of the children do not receive any rehabilitative services or therapies. Most of the children do not attend school and do not receive any lessons within the orphanage. Many of the children spend most of their time in their crib. Due to this, these children may have delays more significant than typical institutionalization. This could potentially be part of why Violet has developmental delays. Though she is behind other children her age, Violet continues to make progress in her development. She needs a patient, gentle, and loving family to help her adjust and provide the stimulation and nourishment she needs to learn and grow.

A family that traveled more recently said: “The children in this orphanage are in a group of 13 (ages 6-13) with 3-4 nannies. They were happy and loved, excited to see us and all smiles. My daughter has been home since 1/28/20 and learned English words and how to write her name in country. They watched Paw Patrol and other cartoons and have learned preschool skills from the shows. They do not go to school, but do have craft classes. My daughter can cut with sisters, paint, draw, and color in the lines, so I know someone worked with her. I met Violet and she is very sweet and social.”

There is a $1,500 agency grant for Violet’s adoption with her current adoption agency.

There is a $5,000 agency grant for Quinnlee’s adoption with her current agency!

Update below from August 2019 & a video from September 2019!

She is behind normal kids, but much better than other kids with Down syndrome. She has a very strong self-esteem. She’s not potty trained yet, but will ask when she needs help. She is active, busy, sometimes shy, and likes playing with kids of the same age. She is well behaved and obedient. She can walk, run, jump, and go upstairs and downstairs. Her fine motor skills are fair. She can draw, write, and pick up tiny objects.

Quinnlee is attached to her caretakers. The person she is closest to is her foster mother and she knows to care about others. She likes interacting with other people. She gets along well with adults and kids. She has been in a foster family since July of 2013. She gets along well with her foster family. She has experienced two foster families, but can get used to it quickly. She can express her needs well. Her language is a little behind kids of her age. Quinnlee likes dolls, and blocks, and bright colors.

 

Marielle is a sweet girl who is rocking an extra chromosome. She plays happily and babbles when playing. She likes to be held and pays close attention to her nannies when they hold her and talk to her.

Marielle’s file shows no heart defect. She would do so well in a family! And look at that hair!

Update Oct 2017: She likes to play in the activity room at the orphanage and especially enjoys toys that make sounds. She loves to be held. She can speak several words like “xie xie” (thank you), “bu ke qi” (you’re welcome) and “chi” (eat). This sweet little girl enjoys music and smiles often.

Update from Feb 2019:
Marielle is generally healthy. She can feed herself & dress herself. She is potty trained, and considered “high functioning”. She can climb, run, jump, go upstairs and downstairs by herself, string beads, button clothes and so on. There is a$1,500 agency grant for Marielle’s adoption with her current adoption agency. They also have MANY additional videos of her!

Video, photos & update available from summer 2020!

Watson is a precious little boy. He can roll over and sit alone. Watson loves hugging! When he’s upset, Watson will calm down when his caretaker holds and pats his back. Watson’s caretaker often takes him to the garden to enjoy the sunshine and get fresh air. He has a good appetite and doesn’t have issues with swallowing. He is currently in diapers and is noted to be a sound sleeper. Watson lives in an area with about 40 other kids, two and under. We have requested an update and are hoping that Watson’s family sees him while he is still so young! What a precious son he will be!

Update August 2020: Watson can stand up by himself, walk by holding a hand, recognize people, and speak “Mama and Nainai (granny), etc.” Watson has been living in a foster family. He doesn’t go to school yet. Watson doesn’t take any special medication or receive any surgery. He sometimes catches a cold, gets a fever, and receives proper medical treatment.

There is a $1,000 agency fee reduction for Watson’s adoption with his current adoption agency.