Lovey Girl

I hope you aren't sick of these stories because I have LOTS to tell!!!  Ths is my lovey girl.  She was the first child we meet here.  She was not afraid of us like so many of the other younger children.  (Seriously, I'm thrilled now when I walk into a room of little ones and just 1-2 burst into tears and not the whole group!)

Lovey has not been in many of the organized activities but our paths have crossed in many ways.  She's my assigned "baby" to feed at baby feeding times twice a day.  She lives in a room of about 6-8 other young children and she's clearly the oldest in the room.  She's not quite 4 and I believe she'll move to a new room when she turns 4.  

She didn't participate in the show that some of the children put on for us the first day but she was in the back watching.  Such sad eyes.  

But those sad eyes can quickly turn into a bright smile! 

And she reappeared in the therapy room with other children who appeared to all have CP.  That's her smiling at the bottom of the picture.  It was very unclear why she was there as she could easily do all the movements meant to stretch out the other childrens's tight muscles.

Here's what I learned.  She's 3.5.  She's been at this welfare house for a year but lived at another one for 2 years before that.  She was transferred to welfare house because the first one noticed she was behind developmentally.  One staff member told she had a problem with her brain but that's a common way to describe a host of issues.  I tried to find out what type of tests they had done but it appears the diagnosis is on the basis of observation only. 

This is one spitfire little girl!  She walks, runs, potties all by herself.  She is verbal and appears to hold appropriately aged conversations with the staff and nannies.  She is pretty independent and well loved.  She is still fed in the baby room by a nanny spoon feeding her but I think that may be just due to her living in a baby room.  She has serious spunk!

I will miss our feeding times when we leave.  She comes running into the room and holds her hands up to me for a giant hug!  She's playful and silly while eating (which may also explain why they still spoon feed her!)

Lovey Girl needs a family to love on her.  She has so much to give and appears to have everything she needs to catch up developmentally.  She's lived a lifetime in her short 3.5 years and deserves to grow up in a loving family.

Please meet Beautiful Boy....

Here is another new friend I want to introduce to you.  I call him Beautiful Boy.  He is 12 years old.  His special need is that he has some type of operation on his legs (club feet maybe?).  The assistance director says he a little trouble walking but that's not evident at all!  There is one "normal" boy in this group and I really thought Beautiful Boy was that child.  He is a bright, helpful and funny little boy.  

I have a video of him talking and of the not very noticeable scars on his legs (near his ankles) but I don't seem to be able to post that to blogger.  I'm happy to share it if anyone wants to meet him on a video!

When I learned he had scars (and that was his special need), I pulled off my shoe and showed him the scar from my recent surgery.  While my scar is a little smaller than his, I wanted him to see that I'm not "normal" either.

I was talking to the assistant director who was with us and told her that he would not be considered a special needs child in America.  He would need to learn the language and get caught up academically but Beautiful Boy would have a great potential in America.  

Beautiful Boy has 2 years before he ages out and lives out his life in an orphanage.  He does not have the education that "normal" children receive so he has very little chance of a normal job outside of the orphanage setting.  This special needs label should NOT limit his potential happiness with a forever family.

It is going to be really, really hard to say goodbye to Beautiful Boy tomorrow (tears are welling in my eyes just typing that line).

Day 3 recap

Today marks the halfway point of our time at the Welfare House.  It's also the day our tiny team shrinks a bit as Jason leaves for Ethiopia to shoot some footage in an orphanage there.  

We started our day by playing in the courtyard with a group of kids we'd seen before.  You can already feel the relationships taking hold.  We all have nicknames for these kids and the kids clearly have their favorites among our team members.  "The Mayor" continues to be Lara's best friend.  

Please notice the boy in the white shirt with red collar behind Lara and The Mayor.  This boy has been present at several of our outdoor playtimes but quickly fades to the back and hangs against the wall.  I honestly hadn't spent any time with him because I thought he was a worker.  He reappears later in the bog...stay tuned!

The nannies run the kids through a series of exercises using the hoops.  I have to admit that it felt GREAT to stretch out with their routine!  Although I'm sure I'm nowhere near as graceful as the nannies.

I found out this nanny lived in this orphanage as a child and aged out of the system.  She went through teacher training but is not allowed to teach in a regular school.  She is now a full time employee at the welfare house.  The assistant director spoke of her with pride.  This nanny has been with us every day so far and I've been so impressed with how she cares for the children.  

After the organized activities, Lara and Miranda broke out the beach balls they had brought with them. The kids LOVED them!  (Great tip for future teams - stock up on these at end of season sales!)

True to form, the kids LOVED playing with Jason when he wasn't filming!

Speaking of filming, I turned my camera over to this young man and he was so excited to take pictures.

This young man has aged out of the system but is still allowed to live at the welfare house.  He can live there until he is 35 and then he will have to move to an elder care facility.  It is clear he loves the children and helps the nannies and staff a great deal.  The nannies and staff have a great affection for him.

After outdoor play (sweat!) time, we headed in for some crafts.  We were in for a real treat!  This was not the typical American craft...this was a chance to learn a Chinese art form.  

The nannies demonstrated how to spread the ink to form the tree branches.  This was harder than it looks!!!

Remember the boy in the white shirt from the courtyard earlier?  He was at my table and came alive doing this artwork!  The boy in the orange shirt is such a sweetheart.  He has CP and walking is a struggle but he does everything with a great smile on his face.  He really worked hard on his art!

This was my partner for the activity and we finally got our branches blown out!

We then used the tips of our fingers to dot on flowers. 

I'm so in love with this boy.  I'm not sure of his age but I believe he will soon age out of the system.

And here is our finished product!  Not too badI

In the afternoon, Jason left for the airport and Lara, Della and the assistant director went out to shop for some supplies we were buying for the welfare house with the donations and Miranda and I spent the afternoon in the Angel Room.  I just posted about one little girl in the Angel room so I'll post some pictures and quick comments below.

Twin girls with what appears to be dwarfism.  They aren't too keen about me and always give me this very serious look.

This beautiful girl has been matched and is heading to her new home soon!

This little girl has also been matched (I believe, or AWAA has her file).  

The babies LOVE this male caregiver and his arms were always full!

This little girl has also been matched with a family and will be going home soon.  The staff LOVES to point out who is being adopted!

That's it for now.  Another long hot day today.  We have 2 more days to love on these babies.  Please pray for us to remain strong and say the words that need to be said.

Let me introduce my new friend Sweet Baby Girl

I would like to introduce you to one of my new little friends.  I call her "Sweet Baby Girl."

One of the challenges on this trip is that the children's names are written in Chinese characters.   Because the tones are so different between the 2 languages, it's often hard to repeat the sound of the name without any spelling reference.  At least it is hard for me.  So we create nicknames.

This little girl is in the baby room where Jason and I have been feeding the babies twice a day.  We are not allowed to take any pictures in that room.  Jason and I both have been feeding toddlers but we always spend some time with the babies in the cribs.

This little girl is so very solemn.  I've never gotten her to smile and she just seems so guarded. She has a disformed hand and I believe is missing her other hand.  One foot has 4 toes but the other foot has all the toes.  You can tell from her flat head that she has spent a lot of time laying on her back.

Today Miranda and I spent time in the Angel Room, which is a room sponsored by a foreign benefactor. To my surprise, Sweet Baby Girl was there as well!  I decided I would love her the entire time I was in the room.  I tried holding her, sitting her up against me but found she was most comfortable just laying between my legs.  She is perfectly healthy other than the hand/foot deformities but is tiny.

Later, back in the baby room for feeding, I learned that Sweet Baby Girl was born in October and has only been at this welfare house since June 27.  It is unclear if she was transferred from another welfare house in June or if that's when she was abandoned.  (The flat head is also a result of the care she received before coming to this welfare house.)

Back in the Angel room, we got her sitting up in a boppy chair.  That also allowed me to love on her and spend some time with some other kids.  Miranda even got Sweet Baby Girl to hit her foot against the tambourine to make noise!

After spending time in the Angel room, we headed back to the baby room to feed the babies.  Sweet Baby Girl's crib is right outside the washroom so I always say hi after washing my hands before the feeding.  When I leaned over her crib this time, she responded with the biggest smile and just melted my heart.

You can see the beginnings of a smile from our time in the Angel room.  

This Sweet Baby Girl NEEDS a family to love on her!  Her special needs are so minor in the US.  Shriners provides care for children with missing limbs until they are 18.  She does not appear to have any other issues.  

I don't know where Sweet Baby Girl's file is in the process but we could share story after story after story of children much like her.  These kids needs families.  The need is so great.  While the nannies on the welfare house will love on her, if she is not adopted (most likely internationally as the medical cost for these issues in China would be large), she will continue to live in the welfare house until she is 35 and then would be moved to an elder care facility to live out her life.

THIS is why I'm in China.  To help tell Sweet Baby Girl's story.

Day 2 recap

We all decided to forego the hotel breakfast buffet this morning.  It's very traditional with no western options.  The food we are eating the rest of the day is amazing so we decided to skip the hotel's options for our own protein bars and oatmeal.  Plus it allowed us to sleep in and/or have a little extra time in the morning.

A funny story about the hotel.  We have been asked to be prompt in the morning.  The welfare house picks us up from the hotel in a converted ambulance that still has the medical markings on the outside.  The hotel we are staying in is a very nice hotel and they do not want the bad publicity that might occur by having an ambulance waiting around each morning!  So, we are prompt!

This morning we arrived at the welfare house and 12 kids and several nannies were already waiting in a bus to go on a field trip.  

This was my little seatmate.  He was soooo interested in watching out the window.  The nannies originally shut the shades to keep the sun out (tanned skin is seen as an indication of a lower class so Chinese ladies try to protect their skin from the sun at all times.)  

The bus ride was a hoot!  The nannies brought songs for the kids to sign.  As we are rolling down the streets in China, we were singing the ABC song, Old MacDonald, You are My Sunshine and several others that I hadn't heard in years!

These kids do not get to leave the welfare grounds often so this was a real treat.  We went a botanical park.  We have yet to see other westerners in this city so our very tall American team draws a crowd on our own.  Add in 12 disabled children and we were quite the sight!  The kids were so excited to be out and I was SOO proud to be with them.  

Once at the park, we paired up with kiddos.  This little boy was my partner.  He kept a iron grip on my hand at all times and was fascinated by texture.  He needed to feel the walls, the stones, the tiles, everything.  Because I had carried my backpack with me, he could put his bottle of water in the side pocket of my backpack.  He was so protective of that bottle of water and carefully took it out and put it back in each time he wanted a sip of water. (How my kids take for granted that I will cart their drinks on outings.)

This is one of a few non special needs children in the welfare home but he is not available for adoption at the time as the authorities are searching for his parents.  He is a doll baby!

Lara and "the Mayor" (a nickname given to this boy by a previous visiting team).  Yesterday he was a bit unkind to Lara but today he ONLY wanted to be with her.  In fact, on the bus ride home, I was placed next to him and he made it quite clear that he could only have one friend today and I was NOT that friend! :)  But we had fun with the situation and he got to sit next to Lara at lunch and the remainder of the bus ride home after lunch.

This was the only girl with us today.  No one in the team remembers seeing her in our interactions with children yesterday and we hope to learn more about her throughout the week.

The nannies take such loving care of the kids.  That has become so clear in our interactions and eases my mind as an adoptive mom.  While these kids would do better in a family, they are being treated well by nannies who care deeply for them.

Does the young man above not have the greatest smile in the world?!?!  Walking looks difficult for him but he pushes forward with this "can-do" attitude.

One our way back to the welfare house, the kids were in for another treat.  We took them out to lunch! Again, we were quite the sight and took up 3 large tables.  The kids enjoyed delicious food and some special treats.  Jason tried to teach his new spinning game to his table.  (Sorry, Becki!)

One thing I'm loving about the Chinese culture is REST TIME!  After lunch, everyone takes an 1.5-2 hour rest time.  We are brought back to the hotel to rest and freshen up.  It's hotter than blazes here right now and we melt just walking outside.  You spend any amount of time outside doing anything and you are instantly a hot sweaty mess.  So, we clean up and reapply deodorant during rest time as well. :)

After rest time today, we split up into 2 small teams.  Lara and I helped in a therapy class.  I'm guessing these children have CP.  The teacher did a great job leading them through exercises to work their tight muscles.  Each child worked so hard.  We sat behind the children and assisted them.  Once class was over, we got to play with them.  

The little girl in the bottom of the picture is the first child we met yesterday and has been the baby I feed each day.  I don't know much about her story except that I was very surprised to see her grouped with these children.  She does not have any signs of CP that I can tell.

  

This boy!!!  Oh my stars, this boy!!!  He lives in the room next to the girl I feed.  The younger children eat meals in the room in which they sleep.  We are not permitted to take any pictures in these rooms.  We break into smaller groups and often wait in the hallway for the other group.  I've peeked into this boy's room a few times and he breaks out the biggest grin you can imagine.  We've played hide-n-seek just using the door frame and seeing his smile just melts my heart.  I saw him work so very hard in the therapy class and he did a great job!  He clearly has a strong spirit in that tiny little body of his.

And this boy!!!  We met him the first day and he lives in the same room as the boy above.  He, too, has a terrific smile that lights up the room.  Today he was intent on building the blocks as high as he could. We got every block we could find on his tower and he was ecstatic!

After playing with the kids we were treated to another amazing meal at the welfare house.  No meal has been the same as a previous meal and each one is DELICIOUS!  We were told some teams struggle with food while on these trips but that has not been the case for us.  I may come home 10 pounds heavier than when I left the states!

During dinner, the topic of Chinese medicine came up.  This beautiful woman is the director of the children's unit.  She started showing us some techniques to relieve tension and pain.  I think this was the first time the entire trip that Jason wasn't speaking.  She said her teacher, Mr. Wang, was in town and would be willing to teach us more about Chinese medicine. 

Mr. Wang met us at our hotel and it was quite the treat.  He showed us several things we should be doing every day to help improve our overall health.  We were also given some tea to drink by the welfare house that has special properties to improve our health. So, I'm feeling very relaxed having worked out some kinks and enjoyed a cup of the wonderful tea.

That's about it for today.  Another great day spent with the kids and staff.  Jason leaves us tomorrow to film in Ethiopia.  His fun personality will be missed by all.  Please pray for his traveling safety.

Other than Jason leaving us, I'm not really sure what tomorrow holds.  

Day 1 recap

We returned to the welfare house this afternoon and the kids we met this morning put on a show for us.  It is a traditional Chinese show and the kids did a great job.  They were so excited when we arrived.  They were all in traditional Chinese costumes and makeup.  When we arrived, we were seated up front.  One of my new little friends came up, grabbed my hand and led back to the seat next to his. What a sweet special little boy!  I taught them to shake my hand and say "Nice to meet you" and they taught me the Chinese word for baby.  

I am so in love with these older boys.  These boys are about to age out and desperately need families. They are so sweet and kind natured.  

The nannies even performed for us doing a beautiful dance.

Miranda and Lara performed 2 songs for the kids.

Miranda and Jason performed the Frozen song (am I a bad parent if I don't know the name of that song?!?).  Thankfully for the kids and staff, I did not sing or perform!

This is a group of smaller kiddos.  The boy at the front of the line (yellow shirt/red shorts) is a bus driver and kept picking up animals as he went.  Adorable!

Since we've been here, we've eaten lunch and dinner at the welfare house.  The hotel breakfast was very traditional Chinese and I think we've all agreed to dine on the granola bars we brought from home for breakfast tomorrow.  But, the meals prepared at the welfare house have been amazing!  They have a chef that creates wonderful flavors.  The chef and his staff prepare food for all the children, the elderly  and the staff.  The above was our feast for dinner tonight.  Lots of seafood!  My favorite food was the dish at the top of the picture in the yellow/green bowl.  Unfortunately, we're not able to obtain the ingredients in the US so I MUST feast up on while I'm here!

After dinner, the director of the entire complex drove us to the seaport to see the sunset.  It was a beautiful setting and nice to see a bit of the town.  

Tomorrow we get to take several of the children out on a field trip to a garden.  I'm so anxious to spend more time with these kids who have captured my heart in one day.  Thanks for the all the well wishes, prayers and uplifting comments.  I am humbled by these kids.

Meeting the kids

I'm not even sure how to begin this post.  We are back at the hotel for some rest time.  We go back this afternoon to watch the children perform for us.  I'm a mess of emotions right now. 

The kids are amazing!  And so full of love.  And so desperately want a family to love on them.

We were scheduled to have a tour of the facility today and we weren't sure exactly what to expect.  I was not prepared for the size of the facility.  It's very large!  As I understand it, there are also elderly living there as well but they do not interact with the younger kids.

Walking into the first room, we got a chance a play with the kids.  

This little girl came up to us immediately and wanted to show us her toy.  She is 3 years old and I later had an opportunity feed her.  She's a happy and outgoing little girl!  She was the first of many children to melt our hearts this morning.

We visited a few more therapy rooms where the staff was working with smaller groups of children.  The majority of the children at this welfare house (as they call it) are special needs.  It is clear the staff is concerned about helping them work their muscles and brains.

I believe this child is 5 and the caregiver was helping him work his legs.  She later put him on the blue ball to her side.  It is so clear these children are receiving very good care and are with care givers who want them to have the best.

We also visited what was called The Angel Room.  It's a specially equpped room that hires special caregivers to work with the children.  I believe it is funded through an organization in the US but I'm not positive.

This little girl wanted nothing to do with me at first and went crying to a caregiver.  It reminded me of Elise's initial reaction to me.  I eventually got a smile.  :)  

We spent the most time in an outdoor courtyard with some older children.  When we walked out, one boy came over, grabbed my hand and directed me on what I needed to do.  The children were doing some exercises with hula-hoop type rings.  

The boy above has Down Syndrome and is 12 years old.  He kept telling me he was a good boy who wants a family.  He has 2 more years to be adopted before he becomes unadoptable.  I soooo want him to find his family. 

Jason was a HIT with these boys.  This young man is 20 (I believe!) and has aged out but still lives at the welfare home.  We saw him several times and it's clear he helps out in many ways.  He was fascinated by Jason's camera.  This young man is apparently an artist and I can't wait to see some of his work.

This young man has also aged out and still lives in the welfare house.  The little guy to his side was pushing him around in his wheelchair.  He has such a sweet personality and I saw several kids pushing him around in his chair.

These are just a few of the MANY pictures I took today.  This sweaty stinky girl needs to clean up a bit so I don't scare off the kids this afternoon!