My Family Found Me

Nora lived with her birth family until she was 3 years old. She was removed due to neglect and placed with a foster family. She lived there for 2 years. The foster family did not want to raise a child with disabilities, so Nora was moved into a group home. Nora likes listening to children’s songs and singing, watching TV, cartoons, playing with a ball and with dolls. During the summer, she loves playing on the swing. Nora walks independently while swinging her left leg.

Her fine motor skills are underdeveloped; she has not formed skills for writing. She has a poor grip in the left hand. She recognizes parts of her body – hands, nose, ears. She recognizes her reflection in a mirror. She interacts appropriately with both children and staff in the group home. She enjoys talking and speaks freely in conversation with the other children. She follows directions and can answer questions, though she often just smiles when asked a question (which may be because she doesn’t understand the question or doesn’t know the answer).

Photos and videos from March 2022 are available through the agency.

Raymond is an adorable little guy with cerebral palsy in desperate need of a family who can provide better for his needs. He has so much potential but none of it is available to him due to his current living situation and lack of appropriate resources. Raymond follows simple commands such as “laugh”, “sing”, or “stick out your tongue”. He can stack three blocks and likes to play with toys where he can put smaller objects into larger ones. He is working with a therapist to learn to use a walker. He reacts with a smile to adults who are well known to him. He can babble and imitate animal sounds. Raymond likes to interact with other children and to play simple games. He chews his food well when he’s spoon fed and he drinks from a special bottle. Raymond has lived with the same foster parents since he was a month old. It is not clear from his documents the extent of his visual loss which may be complete or partial.

 

Kellan is a seriously adorable little boy, born in June of 2015 and diagnosed with congenital heart disease and down syndrome. He is monitored by a children’s hospital cardiologist and regularly takes his maintenance medications for his heart condition. Kellan loves to cuddle and though he doesn’t mind playing alone, he does have a special friend he likes to play with. He laughs when tickled and when being entertained. Kellan can grab toys, sit, and stand while pushing a walker. He sways his body when he hears music and will turn his head when his name is called. Kellan regularly smiles and loves to wave goodbye and blow kisses. He can babble two syllable words. Though you can’t see his pictures publicly, take our word for it- Kellan is one cute little boy! *

Photos and video are available for seriously interested families. Kellan is from a small Asian country. Per his country’s regulations, pictures and videos can only be shared with seriously interested families directly and are not allowed to be shared publicly. Kellan’s file is listed with multiple agencies with a sending program from this country and approval is dependent on the head of adoption in this particular country. There is a $2,500 agency grant for Kellan’s adoption with his current adoption agency.

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.

Vaughn is a beautiful boy who has many interests. He likes to dance, listen to music, and play the maracas and drums. He also likes to look at books. Vaughn relates well with his peers. He recognizes and respects authority figures. Vaughn participates in many activities. During his free time, he likes to play with a ball on the court and run.

VIDEO:  https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-vaughn1
Password:  Adoptmaa

There is a $1,500 agency fee reduction for Vaughn’s adoption with a specific agency.

Lisa is a happy and sociable little girl. She enjoys meeting new people and interacts with them appropriately. She responds to her name and verbalizes using sounds and syllables. She follows basic directions. Her motor skills are developing. Videos of Lisa show her playing with a ball and manipulating it appropriately. She currently moves around by crawling. She can take steps when holding 2 hands of an adult and can also move using a walker. She is receiving therapy to help develop her motor skills.

Photos and videos are available through the agency.

Mabon has been adopted domestically.

 

$1,928.80 has been donated towards the cost of my adoption!

 

 

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$1,185.00 has been donated towards the cost of my adoption!

Keaton has no physical limitations and is incredibly active. Keaton loves to jump on the trampoline, play chase, and ride bikes. He started attending a full-day public school in January 2020 and has quickly and easily made friends with the other children in his class. Keaton is very motivated to learn and tries to soak in as much information about everything around him. He is behind slightly academically due to the previous orphanage he was living in, however he has made incredible strides in his education this past year. Keaton is currently reading at a 1st/2nd grade level, and can complete double digit addition and subtraction questions. His ability to both understand and speak English has also increased exponentially this year. He is able to communicate most everything he wants and needs in English and will use 6-8 word sentences in English regularly. If he doesn’t know the English word for something he will describe it using other words until his point is made. At school, Keaton tells his teacher that his favorite subjects are reading and dance class!

Keaton takes daily medication and uses a catheter throughout the day. Keaton is incredibly independent in his medical care and daily catheterizations requiring only some supervision to make sure his catheter is cleaned properly. More information available about Keaton’s continence care for seriously interested families.

Keaton is a very spirited, sweet, and creative child who has formed healthy attachments with his current caregivers. He is independent in all of his daily living tasks and likes to make a good impression at school by making sure he dresses nicely. He has a great sense of humor and will laugh at his own jokes with the sweetest smile and biggest, belly laugh. Keaton loves building in sand and playing in mud. Keaton honestly just loves all things outdoors in general! Keaton is such a clever child with an incredible future ahead of him, especially in a family to call his own!

$1,300.40 has been donated towards the cost of my adoption!

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!

$207.00 has been donated towards the cost of my adoption!

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.

$1,698.50 has been donated towards the cost of my adoption!

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!

$45.00 has been donated towards the cost of my adoption!

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!

$20.00 has been donated towards the cost of my adoption!

 

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.

$211.50 has been donated towards the cost of my adoption!

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.

$1,336.30 has been donated towards the cost of my adoption!

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.

 

Videos show Bonnie smiling at the camera, responding with smiles when spoken to, grasping a toy when it is handed to her and shaking it, lifting her head and working hard to control it and attempting to engaging with the person videoing her by making sounds and eye contact.

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.

Adeline is a sweet little girl who was very sick when she arrived into the care of her orphanage, but has begun thriving. She babbles, but does not yet speak. Her BERA hearing test in June 2020 showed moderate bilateral hearing loss and follow up recommended in 6 months. She is on Thyronorm medication for hypothyroidism. She has mild valvular pulmonary stenosis. No symptoms at present, so no treatment required, just routine cardio check ups. Adeline is sweet and joyful. She has appropriate attachments with adults she loves and is cautious around strangers. She is developmentally delayed, but making great progress. She has an adorable laugh! Adeline crawls and walks with a push toy or with an adult’s hands. She loves sensory play. A favorite is playing in shaving cream, and when an adult claps to make the shaving cream fly everywhere she bursts out into excited laughter! Adeline is a darling little girl, who quickly captures the hearts of all who enter her home. She would make an amazing addition to any home!

Cutie pie!!!

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.

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.