Isn't he adorable!!??

This little guy in waiting in C*hina for a forever family. 

He just a little over 1 year old. 

He healthy and cognitively on track 

He has upper extremity arthrogryposis 

He has been in physical therapy for 2 months 

He is pulling to stand 

Could he be your son?!?!?!

If you want to learn more about him see these blog posts: The gift of a home and still waiting

If you want to know more about how to adopt him click here (and then hit "contact me" to the right) 

I have upper extremity arthrogryposis (as well as lower extremity) and my arms looked just like his does when I was born but I got immediate treatment in the form of occupational and physical therapy, stretching and splinting. I have had just a few surgeries on my upper extremities because I have adapted  well to using my hands/ arms like they are. Despite the fact my hands are clubbed, my elbows no longer straighten out, my shoulders are severely limited and only 2 fingers and my thumb can truly flex I am able to cook, dress myself, bathe independently, I drive an unadapted car, I brush my own hair and teeth and I live 100% on own. 

So you see this little guy has a TON of potential if given the opportunity to be a in family and has access to medical treatment! 

Joel has a family!!!

In the most exciting thing I've ever done on this blog, I have news to announce! Joel has a family! My family! Go see our blog here!

~Alexis

Meet Tayron (domestic adoption)

Tayron is 11  years old and available for adoption domestically! 

Tayron is an outgoing and friendly young man with a great sense of humor. He makes friends easily and enjoys the company of others. Tayron has a quick wit and he impresses everyone he meets with his great personality and positive attitude. When he is not watching sports, Tayron enjoys watching “Hannah Montana” and the Disney Channel. Tayron likes going on outings, especially shopping and sporting events. One of his favorite places to go is Dave & Busters because of all the televisions available to watch sporting events.

Tayron has been diagnosed with Arthrogryposis, a rare congenital disorder that is characterized by multiple joint contractures and can include muscle weakness and fibrosis. Tayron is confined to a wheelchair and does not have use of his arms and legs. Despite his illness Tayron is like every other boy as he enjoys watching sports, especially the Philadelphia Phillies. Tayron even had the opportunity to meet and get autographs from Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins, two players from the Phillies. In fact, Tayron’s room is filled with sports memorabilia.

All families will be considered for Tayron. He is legally free for adoption.

See Tayron's picture and profile here:

http://www.adoptuskids.org/_app/child/view.aspx?id=41775

Happy Adoption Awareness Month!

To start out Adoption Awareness Month with some good news...

The word is out! Sandra's forever family found her! No news on the family yet, but we're excited to see her listed as found!

And "Patrick?" Well his name is now Joshua! And his mom and dad and brother and sisters are all excited! You can donate to his adoption here. His family just finished their dossier a little over a week ago and are waiting for permission to travel! Visit their family blog here!

Anastasia is just precious in this new picture we have of her! She's still waiting for a family. What they did to her hair is a crime! She is ready for pretty locks to match that pretty smile! Are you her mommy?

Joel is a darling little baby boy who needs a family. He just had his first birthday last month. Last we checked he had no interest from potential mommies, but he has had some interest in fundraising. He has over $3,000 in his account! That's enough to cover the cost of a Home Study--the first step in the adoption process! To help his fund grow, click here. To read a plea for Joel's life, click here. Are you his mommy?

There are more children with arthrogryposis who need families. Igor has been transferred! How horrifying! Leo has been listed for so long. Raymond has $0 in his account. We can fix that! And Victoria is so active despite having no walking therapy; she needs a family! Elizaveta was un-listed from Reece's Rainbow because they lost track of her whereabouts. And Laurel... 15 years old and still waiting for a family! I can't imagine. Alexis too! Eleven years old and still waiting. Gosh. And there's more.

But during Adoption Awareness Month we also want to point out the adorable children in wonderful families! Remember Madeline and Ethan (formerly Gabe)? They are in a wonderful family! Cameron (Jordan) found his forever family, and they continually pour out their happiness when they write about him. Then there is Andrei (Grady). He has a wonderful family! Do you remember that cute little baby Tasha? Well her name is Ember now and her family is wonderful! Little Victoria was not only adopted into a wonderful family, but her mom is the most hilarious blogger I know! And baby Henry (who kept his Reece's Rainbow name--love it!) is in a wonderful family! Then there is Bryson who has a wonderful family. And Evan's family! Just wonderful! (If you click on Evan's link you'll read the best blog post about arthrogryposis adoption ever!) And Sophie and Ben's family! Yes that's right, TWO kids with AMC! And Aaron's family! His mom yells from the rooftops about adoption! She directly led to Patrick finding his family! And look at all the family links on the right side of this blog! Wonderful!

Are these families wonderful? Yes. (Duh.) Are they special? Not really. They're normal, everyday people. What makes them wonderful is their willingness. That doesn't make them super human. But an everyday, messy, hum-drum family is one hundred times better than no family.  

I hope Adoption Awareness Month is bringing you to this blog. I hope you are encouraged by the ones who found families, and will think about supporting the ones who are waiting. But I feel I can't end this post without mentioning those who wait and wait. Their only hope is adoption. They go to mental institutions even though arthrogryposis is not a mental condition! They languish! Please pick one child with AMC and just spread the word about him or her. Donate to their accounts! Send words of encouragement to their parents. Let's join forces and get these children home! They don't need a huge home, lots of money or a specifically-sized family! They don't need a home that is super organized and spotless! They don't need the best doctors or schools! They don't need parents who "have it all together!" They just need a home.

Adoption awareness month. Life saving month. Kids with arthrogryposis make the best aditions to families. Please spread the word! 

give a child the gift of a FAMILY!

ever think about photography?
wish you had a REALLY nice camera? wish you could take better pictures of your kids and grandkids and dogs and cats? wish you didnt have to spend so much to have such a nice camera? well guess what! YOU have a chance to donate just 20 dollars to help bring a little boy home from Serbia. and in doing so YOU GET A CHANCE TO WIN AN AWESOME CAMERA KIT!!! camera, lens, bag, and more! go to
http://myianna.blogspot.com/2011/11/nikon-d3100-camera-giveaway.html
and donate so YOU can have a chance to win a Nikon D3100! kids sell wrapping paper for schools, and you could spend 20 bucks easily on school and sports fundraisers. you could spend 20 bucks easily buying a fancy coffee every day. but you really have a special opportunity here to spend $20 to give a boy a LIFE! and you could win an awesome camera for doing so! well? what are you waiting for? get on over and donate! lets get this little boy a chance at a real future in a family filled with love, instead of a cold sterile insititution where no one will love him as their own. 20 dollars people. thats all it takes. donate and you could win a camera! but if you dont you still win because you helped give a child the gift of a family! THAT is priceless.

Meet Laurel 

She was born born August 1996. Did you read that....SHE IS FIFTEEN YEARS OLD!!!!!!! And has NEVER had a family!!!!!!! Imagine being 15 years old and never having someone love you like a mother/ father does (I would like to think she's experienced some sort of love from some caregiver in 15 years bc my heart just can't take that the thought of her never experiencing love) 

She has all extremity arthrogryposis — and look at that beautiful smile!  Im guessing w/ aggressive treatment (a lot of it surgical because she is older) she has the potential to ambulate. 

She's already 15 years old which likely means she will become UNADOPTABLE at sixteen which is less then a year away! I'm guessing if she is not adopted she'll spend the rest of her life in an institution. 

SHE IS ELIGIBLE FOR AN OLDER CHILD GRANT

Is she YOUR daughter!!! 

Here Reece's Rainbow Profile can be found here: http://reecesrainbow.org/laurel

Jack Needs a Family (Urgent!)

This message is from Kids To Adopt that originally posted on September 27th: "URGENT! Jack needs a family by next month or he will not have an opportunity for adoption - ever! We have a $5,000 grant available for him. Please contact our office if you are interested in info on this sweetie!"

Jack is seven years old and has arthrogryposis in his lowers only. He is fun! I would love to see him with straight legs and casted feet, walking around! Please inquire with the agency for more information.



UPDATE: I copied and pasted the information below straight from Kids To Adopt's website. Jack is from Russia and needs a family before moving to the institution! It's worse than I thought. Please help share his story!

Jack’s Story

Jack was born in November of 2004. He was born at 34 weeks weighing 4.4 pounds. His mother did not receive prenatal care. Jack is a cheery young boy with a sweet smile.

Disabilities

He has many disabilities including arthogryposis of the lower extremities, hernias, hip joint dysplasia, scholiosis and hemangiomas to name a few. This little guy’s legs are stuck in a criss-cross position but that doesn’t stop him from getting around using his upper body which is very strong. Jack is very small and will continue to stay small for his age. At 5 years 2 months he was only 26 ½ inches tall and weighed 22.2 pounds. We are not sure that they are measuring his legs in his height. Since he can’t straighten them, getting a realistic measurement on him is pretty much impossible. We have excellent developmental information. Jack has very good upper body dexterity.

His future is grim without a family.

Jack will never have the chance to get an education or the medical care he needs where they plan to move him. He will never get released from the institution so, this will be his life sentence! This special boy needs a family with a huge heart and a wheelchair accessible home so he can learn how to be independent. A family adopting Jack must have access to good medical care or a Shriner’s Hospital because Jack will definitely need some medical intervention when he comes home.
Contact us today if you are interested in adopting this sweet boy!


Click here to go straight to his page. Email Katie if you are interested! katie@kidstoadopt.org