Meet our focus for July: James!

James!

 

James needs a family! He already walks, smiles, plays, poses for pictures and is a super smart bundle of joy!

 

 

James is not in an institution and is instead in a foster home! In fact everything about New Hope Foundation is amazing! We've seen kids in institutions in China come home in rough shape. But here they are healthy--socially, emotionally and physically.

 

To quote their website, they aim to...

 

To take physically handicapped babies under six months old and provide them with a caring and secure environment;

To provide long-term care in as close to a normal home environment as possible;

To seek out the very best medical solution for their handicap and facilitate their treatment;

To work very closely with the local Children’s Welfare Institutes to give these children the very best opportunities for the future and also raising the awareness of the needs of these abandoned children in China;

To employ and train local staff, as well as working closely with local community to help support their needs;

To provide an opportunity for volunteers to get be involved with the care of these children;

To provide training and support for prospective foster parents in conjunction with the local Children’s Welfare Institutes; and

To keep accurate records of the children’s development so that they have a “history”.       

I can't tell you what that will do for his brain development and transfer to a new family! Wonders!

 

For more information on James (and more pictures) please click here.

 

PLEASE SHARE JAMES' PICTURE ALL OVER!!!

 

SHARE THIS PAGE!

 

SHARE NEW HOPE'S PAGE!

 

SHARE SHARE SHARE!

 

You can make such a difference! We know three families now who have found their AMCers from someone sharing on Facebook alone!

 

And once again we have no way to donate your monthly $12 to this child's adoption fund, but you can continue to make donations to the few families who are in the late stages of adopting their AMCers and who are desperate for help:

 

The Blackmon family needs a few thousand. They met their children last month and are waiting to finalize their adoptions.

 

The Schmitt family also need a few thousand. They have also already met their children and are waiting for their final trip.

 

Caius' family (the Robinsons) have committed to another child (another double adoption!) and are a few thousand short as well. They are finishing up their dossier and are almost done with all the adoption paperwork. The way things are going they may finish their adoptions and take home their children around the same time as the Blackmon and Schmitt families even though they have not met their children yet!

 

Also if you wish to donate towards New Hope Foundation to help kids like James, go here.

 

Thanks!

 

Aubree Update!

***Updated on 7/10/13 to include more info from people who met Aubree. New info in parenthesis***

 

Aubree

 

 

 

(Aubree loves to go outside and pick flowers! She also knows how to write and has memorized around 100 poems and songs.)

From a gal on a short-term mission trip who spent some time in Aubree's orphanage recently:

Aubree is a happy, loving, and well-adjusted little girl. She is popular in her groupa and loves to talk to people and attend the Montessori program at her orphanage. That being said, she is a child you don't want to turn your back to. She bites, pinches, and hits you when she wants attention or is jealous.  (Same gal adds later, "That typically happens when she is very excited. During our one-on-one time or when she was taking her classes she was very sweet and loved to show off her journal.") She is also very dominant and wants to have your attention at all times, which is difficult when there are other children in the room. ("These kids just have a short amount of time with their visitors and they know it and they crave attention so badly. This girl is a sweetheart and would be a great daughter. Dave and I were there for 21 days and had tons of interaction with the girls especially. She never did that [pinching, hitting, etc.] to me. They all really loved my husband." ~Jane)  While she is very smart, I believe she has some mental delay, though how much of this is due to being raised in an orphanage environment is unclear. She was thrilled when I told her a lot of people loved her and were praying for her, and in the right family she would thrive.

(I told her that many people loved her and were praying for her to find a family and the look on her face was indescribable. It was like "Really? People love me?")

I can't imagine having to vie for attention all the time! I can't wait to see this girl in a family who cares about her and gives her their time and attention! The missionary suggested that making Aubree the youngest child or only child in a family would make her super happy. 

I loved this update because the last update was so heart-breaking--Aubree clinging to a dad's hand (as he was adopting her friend), begging for a Mama and Papa of her own, crying for a family to love her. It's nice to see her relaxed and in her social element. She sounds like a goofball! And cheerful and happy and well-adjusted among her peers. And she pinches... which just makes me love her more. I don't know why. ;)


As far as the small glimpses of Aubree's AMC in her legs only it seems she has straight legs and club feet. They are small from not getting a lot of weight bearing. I don't know the condition of her hips, but I do see a dimple on her side that indicates that she is affected there. But I wouldn't put walking out of the question once those feet are fixed and she starts weight bearing! Her arms are strong and so she can transfer and is pretty mobile. Pretty much from what we do know it looks like she will be 100% independent one day!

Aubree has 13 months to find a family!!! Please share her file! Go here to learn more!

Bill has a family!

Bill/Liam

 

We just got word that Bill has a family! Bill (or Liam as he was listed in China) spent five years in a Chinese orphanage and two years with a temporary family in America who were not a good fit for him.

 

Now he has a WONDERFUL family! (Friends of friends.) He is in great hands now!

 

(Thanks for letting us know, Ani! We do worry about "our kids." ;))

 

First Oscar/Oliver, then Cauis and now Bill!

 

Come on Raymond and Aubree!!!

Caius has a family!

Someone said yes!

 

Caius has a family!

 

Go here to read all about them.

(And their family blog is here.)

 

Three families wanted this little guy. Three!

 

I wish all our kids has as many pictures as this one so people knew how great they are. Then they'd all have families!

 

AMCers rock.

 

Congratulations Caius!

 

A family is coming for you!

 

You're going to have siblings who love you and help you. And parents who cuddle you.

 

Say bye-bye orphanage! My mommy's coming!

Our focus for June: Oliver (Oscar)

Oliver

 

 

Over the last couple of weeks there has been a small sharing campaign to find little Oliver a family. New Day Foster Home put up a video of Oliver that we could share. CCAI (Chinese Children Adoption International) had Oliver listed as "limb differences" but many AMC families noticed that it was arthrogryposis right away. (We're so smart. ;))

 

 

 

He looks to have classic amyoplasia, the most common type of AMC, affecting all four limbs. The contraption they have him in seems to be a supination splint since his shoulders are a bit inverted. (Just a guess.) I see contractures in his knees, wrists, elbows and clubfeet. I also see stretches and serial casting in his future. Based on the number of kids we know with amyoplasia we can tell you he'll be mobile, functional, ambulatory and do well in school. That's a prediction we'll put money on!

 

Last month Oliver was picked up by Reece's Rainbow and given the code name Oscar. And then last week Oscar got a family!

 

 

 

Oscar is on the My Family Found Me page!

 

So we are waiting to find out who the family is and what their needs are.

 

I love when a kid gets a family, and it's even more exciting to happen so fast!

 

 

If his family sets up an FSP through Reece's Rainbow (meaning they need to fundraise) we'll be sure to help. Right now we have no way to help and just want to celebrate with them! If you were looking to give a donation to an AMCer this month, please still consider the Blackmon family. They are in country right now picking up their two children (one is an AMCer) and are still a bit short. Go here to help them! Their need is much more urgent.