Finding Caroline!
This past June, we heard from one of our adoptive dads, Jesse, as he prepared to celebrate his very first Father’s Day. Now we’re excited to share a bit from his wife, Lindsey, on their search for a child with special needs, their matching process, and how they came to find a beautiful little girl named Caroline!
After taking the weekend to do research, talk at length, and compile a list of questions, December 7th was the day we reached out to several adoption agencies to get more information as we anticipated this was a long and tedious process. Almost as if it were fate, the first agency to call us back was “Children of All Nations – Great Wall China Adoption” and after speaking with their matching specialist, Meredith, for only a few minutes she couldn’t hold back her excitement at the feeling she had about us and an updated file that had just been received that morning. Once Meredith shared this special little girl’s pictures and video with us and before even finishing reading her file and watching her videos, we had already fallen in love with her. We don’t see her as a little girl with special needs, we see her for her bright smile, adorable pigtails and the daughter we will call Caroline and love with every fiber of our being.
If your family is interested in learning how you can be matched with a Waiting Child in GWCA’s China adoption program, visit our China Waiting Child photo listing or contact us today!
Resources
- Visit GWCA’s Waiting Child Photo Listing!
- Learn how you can be matched with a Waiting Child
- More about the China matching process
- Contact a Matching Specialist
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5 More Kids Home From China!
After seeing 19 kids come home in June, we’re delighted to welcome home 5 more kiddos from our China adoption program! Congratulations to each of these children and their new Forever Families as they begin their journeys together.
While a few of these kiddos just met their new families for the very first time, two of them came to America one year ago with our Orphan Hosting program. This program gave them the opportunity to spend time with families that were either advocating to help them find an adoptive family, or proceeding with the adoption process themselves. At the end of the hosting program, these two kiddos had to return to China while families worked to bring them home forever. We know that this time apart is difficult for both the host kiddos and their families, and we are SO happy that they have now returned to stay with their families forever!
If you’re interested in learning how you can start your journey towards adopting a Waiting Child from China, contact our China matching specialists today!
Resources
- Learn More About Adopting form China!
- Visit Our China Waiting Child Photo Listing
- Contact Our China Matching Specialists
- Learn More About Orphan Hosting
8 New Kids Added!
New Kids on the Block
Meet this week’s New Kids on the Block: Leo, Kai, DJ, Wen, Leila, Little Leo, Finn, and Isla. If you’re interested in learning more about any of our new kids, contact our China matching specialists today at (5120323-9595!
Leo is an amazing 12-year old boy who was hosted in the United States in early summer! Here’s what Leo’s host mom has to say about him:
“Leo is a 12 year old orphan from China residing in Wisconsin until July 10. At that time he will return to his orphanage in China. It is our family’s intention to connect this sweet boy with his forever family so that he can return to the US as quickly as possible. Leo is full of joy and smiles, and loves music. He has taken a liking to American music and sings along often and also has been singing in Chinese. He also plays the piano in our home nearly every day. Though he doesn’t play a familiar tune, he plays it appropriately and even looks at the song books as he is playing. He also likes to push buttons and play with toys that make noise or move. Therefore, he has been drawn to toys that typically get played with by toddlers. He didn’t know any English when he arrived, but he has quickly learned some words and is very good at mimicking words and phrases that are spoken to him. We have also developed some hand motions to communicate. He can let us know when he is hungry, thirsty, finished, or needs to use the restroom. He also understands some of our hand motions which has helped with our communication. He is a very affectionate boy that loves to hug, hold hands, and snuggle on your lap. He is also very silly. He often does things to make the family laugh like wearing silly hats, and dancing around and laughing. Leo also loves to be in motion. He really enjoys riding in a car and giggles as we go up and down hills every single time. Swinging is his favorite activity at the park and he screamed and laughed with amazement as we went down waterslides. Leo has a diagnosis of PKU (Phenylketonuria) which is a genetic metabolic disorder that means he does not digest protein like most people. Leo will need to be on a special diet to address his PKU diagnosis. While here he has been an incredible eater! He is open to almost all foods including fruits and vegetables and he ate all of the special low protein foods that are manufactured for those with PKU that we offered him.”
This boy need consistent care and a forever home! Please reach out if you’d like to review his file!
Kai is an adorable 8-year old boy in need of a forever home! Kai is developmentally delayed and has strabismus, meaning that his eye turns inward slightly. He was hosted in the United States in early summer and has made amazing progress in the short time he has been with a family! He has bonded well with his host parents, and is described as a friendly kiddo who is very kind and pleasant to those he meets. He has a cheerful spirit and loves to laugh. Please reach out to Great Wall if you’d like to learn more!
DJ has it all – a great smile, a big heart, and an open mind to snapping photos with us! He was an all around sweet kiddo who said he’d like a new toy for Chinese New Year. He does well in school and has pretty handwriting. He knows his numbers in English, and we think he’d thrive in any family! He will be hosted this July in the United States, so please reach out to Great Wall if you’d like to learn more or speak with his host family!
Wen is a beautiful 12-year old girl who was hosted in the United States early this summer! Here’s more information about Wen from her host mother:
“Meet Wen! She is the bravest 12 year old girl that I know. This particular girl is sweet, intelligent, and very playful. She loves animals and children. I have been impressed by her maturity and the way she takes responsibility to help out around the house. She has had formal schooling in China and is right on part emotionally and cognitively with other children her age. Her condition of cleft lip and palate does not interfere with her communication abilities. She has a rich vocabulary and has picked up some words in English just over a few days. I can tell you that she will likely need bone graph surgery in the near future and dental work. Fortunately, this condition is easily corrected in the United States and insurance will pay for it. I have two children with this condition and work with a great team of doctors that have guided me in their care. I want to thank you in advance for taking the time to read this!!! She is a special child who deserves a loving family.”
Please reach out to Great Wall if you’d like to learn more!
Leila is a smart 13-year old girl who is healthy! She is aging out this December, so Great Wall is working hard to find her a family. She will be hosted in the United States this summer, and interested families may be able to meet her! She loves to write, and has written a science fiction novel that has been published on the internet! She does very well in school and hopes to be a writer as an adult as well. Please reach out to Great Wall if you’d like to learn more!
Leo is a sweet kiddo who is about to turn 7 years old! He has developmental delays as a result of growing up in the orphanage, but he seems to be doing great overall. Leo was hosted in the United States this summer for a month and has made leaps and bounds since arriving! He has made incredible progress with his muscle strength, learning capacity, and English vocabulary! He giggles often and has a big belly laugh that has brought a lot of joy to his host family. His host family describes him as incredibly adaptable and resilient. He has been able to adjust to any situation that he is given, and has an incredible ability to develop trusting relationships with both adults and children. He loves his host brother and would has made great connections with both parents, grandparents, and neighbors. He is a loving and bright kiddo who has made a lasting impact on everyone he has met. Please reach out to Great Wall if you’d like to learn more!
Finn is a cutie who is 2 years old! He has a special need that affects the development of his teeth. Finn seems to be developing well physically and cognitively. His file indicates that he has been hitting his developmental milestones. He can understand simple language and commands and knows how to communicate with his caretakers. Finn’s file is very limited so we are currently trying to get some more information on him! Please contact our matching specialists if you’d like to learn more about him!
Isla is a sweet little girl from China that is 2 and a half years old. Isla has cerebral palsy and because of a slight enlargement of ventricular system noted on her CT scan, her file suggests that she might have communicating hydrocephalus, although it sounds like that has not been confirmed yet.
Isla can sit by herself, but she cannot yet walk by herself, although she is able to walk when someone is holding her by the armpits. She can grasp objects such as toys and she can crawl. Isla is not talking yet. Isla tends to be more timid and quiet. She is close with the other children in her orphanage that are in her class. Isla’s favorite toys are balls and stuffed animals.
Read MoreTwo JOY Kids Find Forever Families!
We are so incredibly happy to announce that two of the kiddos from our very first JOY program have been matched with Forever Families! Congratulations to Josiah and Amelia from all of us at GWCA and CAN!
Much like our traditional Orphan Hosting programs, our JOY program strives to find loving and permanent homes for the children that are currently with our Orphanage Partnerships. Josiah and Amelia both spent one week exploring the city and doing fun activities with our JOY families and a few other children from their orphanage. Once our JOY families came back, they worked to help advocate on their behalf to help them find forever families, and we are so happy to see how successful their advocacy has been!
We are currently advocating for a few other kiddos who participated in our JOY program earlier this year. Each of these kiddos spent time with American families who were able to learn more about both their personalities and their special needs. This is incredibly helpful for adoptive families, as it provides them with information that may not have been included in their file. If you are interested in learning more about the JOY kids that we’re advocating for or viewing their files, visit our China Waiting Child photo listing, or contact one of our China matching specialists today!
Resources
- Learn about our upcoming JOY Mission trips
- Visit our Waiting Child photo listing to learn about other JOY kids in need of Forever Families
- Learn about the China adoption process
7 New Kids on the Block
Sully is an adorable little boy from China that just recently turned 4 years old. Sully is blind but has some light perception, and he has post-operative hydrocephalus (he has a shunt). Sully is a very lucky little boy because he lives in a special foster home in China called Bethel that is specifically for blind and sight impaired children. He is getting excellent care at Bethel and is receiving rehabilitation therapies that he would normally never receive in a regular orphanage. Sully arrived at Bethel when he was just around 9 months old and he has been there ever since.
Paxton is a cute little guy who is 5 years old! He has a condition known as osteochondroma. This means he had some minor growths on his body that are non-cancerous. He had a small growth on one of his fingers that has since been surgically removed. Paxton has great language ability and can communicate with his caretakers and peers very easily. He doesn’t have any mobility delays and is quick in reaction. Paxton gets along very well with others and is closest to his caretaker. If you’d like to review Paxton’s file, please contact one of our matching specialists!
Lacey is an adorable girl who is 9 years old! She has a bone defect that affects the movement of her left leg. She can walk, run and jump but just at a little bit of a slower pace than her peers. Her file suggests that she has good motion coordination and can even kick a ball and ride a bike. She is a great help to her caretakers and is always serious about helping out with the younger kiddos! Lacey has normal language development and gets along very well with other children her age. Lacey takes school very seriously and always tries her best to improve. Great Wall is currently working on getting some updated information on her. Contact a matching specialist if you’d like to review her file!
This sweet kiddo’s name is Wyatt, and he is four years old! Wyatt’s medical file indicates that his right eye has been removed and that he has glaucoma in his left eye. From an update that was received in December, 2015, his caregivers indicate that he can see up close out of his left eye. Due to the glaucoma in his left eye, he will need surgery and additional treatment.
Despite his vision impairment, Wyatt is a sweet, curious kiddo who love to laugh! Wyatt was sent to live with a foster family in 2013, and has thrived under their consistent care. Wyatt has excellent cognitive and language development, and is able to recite children’s poetry! He loves to dance and does not appear to have any mobility delays despite his vision impairment. Wyatt loves animals, and loves to feed ducks the most! He is a clever and sweet child who would thrive with a forever family’s care! Please reach out to Great Wall China Adoption if you’d like to learn more!
Ace is a sweet little boy from China that is almost 6 years old. Ace is blind in both eyes and has some developmental delays. Ace is a very lucky little boy because he lives in a special foster home in China called Bethel that is specifically for blind and sight impaired children. He is getting excellent care at Bethel and is receiving rehabilitation therapies that he would normally never receive in a regular orphanage.
Ace is in a class for children with additional needs, as he is still non verbal. He is learning to communicate with a mix of vocalization and sign language. Ace has some developmental delays and he has some characteristics of a child with autism, although he has not been diagnosed with autism by professionals. Ace loves hugs and cuddles and loves music and will hum along to the songs he listens to. Ace is a child that really needs a consistent routine, so any family wanting to adopt him will definitely want to keep that in mind.
If you would like to see additional photos and more information on Ace (known as “Charlie” at Bethel), you can do so here: http://twentyless.com/charlie-3/
If you would like to see a recent video of Ace (known as “Charlie” at Bethel), you can do so here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2uKHkbMh8I
You can contact the China Home Finding Team at Great Wall if you would like to learn more about adopting Ace. We hope we are able to find Ace her Forever Family soon!
Jasper is a cute little guy that is 4 years old! He has limb differences of his hands and feet but his file suggests that this doesn’t affect his mobility. Jasper is described as being a curious kiddo who always wants to learn more about his environment. He is smiley and active and loves to be teased! He can walk independently but is sometimes a little unstable. Jasper’s file is outdated so we are working on getting some updated information on him. Contact Great Wall if you are interested in learning more about him!
Felicity is an adorable little girl from China that is almost 4 years old. Felicity is completely blind, so she is a bit more delayed than some of her friends in terms of her gross and fine motor skills. However, Felicity is doing quite well in many other areas. Felicity can now stand and walk by herself. Sometimes she gets scared because she can’t see where she is going, which is to be expected for a child that is blind. However she is gaining more confidence about her walking skills all the time.
Felicity is described by her caregivers as “more smart than others.” She can count from 1-20, she can sing songs and she can speak words and short sentences. Felicity has really good hearing and she enjoys listening to music a lot. She can also listen to television shows and can generally follow the story lines just by listening. If a caretaker tells her to come to an area of the room, she can go to where the caretaker is instructing her.
Felicity does tend to be more introverted and plays more by herself because she can’t see things and that make it hard for her to play with other children. She does have a close relationship with her caregivers though and she really enjoys interacting with them. Felicity would benefit greatly from being adopted by a family that could give her specific therapies for blind children that she is not currently receiving in China.
You can contact the China Home Finding Team at Great Wall if you would like to learn more about adopting Felicity. We hope we are able to find Felicity her Forever Family soon!
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Welcoming Naomi – A Dream Come True!
Eleven years ago, we requested information from Great Wall China Adoption to learn more about their adoption program. At that time we had no children, but we were praying we would become parents soon. Our hearts sank when we realized that you had to be 30 years old in order to adopt from China. We tucked that dream away. Life began to move quickly as life often does. Before we knew it we had a busy household with six children! Four of our children are biological and two of our children were adopted domestically at birth. We assumed adopting from China would never be part of our story.
One morning our oldest son came out of his bedroom and announced, “Mom, I had a dream that you and Dad told us you are adopting from China.” We thought his dream was precious but we knew our hands were full. We had not considered adopting from China in over a decade. Sometimes the Lord whispers in our ear and sometimes He has to yell. Our second son, not aware of his oldest brother’s dream began to pray fervently for another little sister. He prayed all the time! I thought it was sweet and wondered if down the road we would visit adoption again. I had a long list of reasons why now was a bad time. Then it happened. Those whispers became yells right into our ears. We jumped right on it. Trusting the Lord to work out the details. The word He gave us in regards to our adoption was “restore.”
When we began to research adopting from China we learned that most of the children being adopted had Special Needs. The word restore started to make sense. These little ones needed to be restored to health. Also, in China all adoptions begin with abandonment. These little ones need to be restored to a family.
We wondered who our child would be. In our past experiences we have given birth or adopted at birth so we had no clue what future issues could be present in our children. We just had faith that it would work out. In this case, we were asked to give our matching specialist a general list of special needs we would be open to. We talked and prayed about this thoroughly. We researched, spoke to other families and consulted our doctor. We had six children at home who needed our time and attention as well. We felt it best if we chose special needs that would not require frequent lengthy hospital stays or overwhelming therapy appointments each week. We also knew that a medically fragile child would not be safe in our crazy, busy house full of active children.
Please know that we recognize that life has no guarantees and any of our children could experience an illness or accident that would change the way our family operates. We would do anything to meet the needs of our children. We selected needs that we felt we could manage as a family. We have a loving, supportive extended family that steps in when we need them. They have helped us through emergencies, surgeries, and therapies in the past. They have also provided support through family transitions as we have welcomed each one of our children home.
The website nohandsbutours.com offers adoptive families a look at the day to day experiences of families who have adopted from China’s Special Needs Program. This website was an invaluable resource for us. Also, we connected with other families through social media groups. There is no better place to start than with the people who have actually experienced these special needs. There is also a documentary called “Find Me” that we found encouraging and helpful. That film follows several families through the adoption process and offers a touching look at the women who care for China’s orphans.
The matching process was very exciting. We reviewed files of several different children. First, we reviewed the files of children who were waiting on the website. This gave us experience in reading a file. It felt a little overwhelming at first. How would we know which child was ours? We prayed about each child. We asked clarifying questions of our matching specialist. We tried to be realistic about what special needs we could manage as a family. Believe me, I wish I could bring home all the children and give them a family. We waited for our daughter, believing we would just know when the time came.
When we were presented with Naomi’s file something felt different. She was found at the approximate age of 2 in a public place. Once in the orphanage they discovered that she had a heart murmur. She was in need of heart surgery. She endured that heart surgery without her parents by her side. It is hard for me to consider how scary that must have been for her. There was something about the story of this precious little girl that screamed out “restore” to me. There it was, that word again. I poured over her file and shared it with my husband. By the time he arrived home from work I was a mess. He found me weeping on the laundry room floor. I wept for Naomi’s birth mom. I wept for Naomi. I couldn’t get over this little girl. She was now 3 1/2 years old. Only a few months younger than our only daughter.
I tried not to get my hopes up just yet. I asked our matching specialist a lot of questions about her file. Next, we needed to have her file reviewed by a doctor. We contacted an international adoption doctor and we also consulted our local family doctor. All the professionals agreed that Naomi’s heart report looked great. The surgery had been a success. She also presented with a couple of other minor needs that we felt equipped to handle. We have a plan to manage those needs once she is home. We will also follow up with our pediatric cardiologist.
Once the medical review was complete, we were relieved. We wanted Naomi to be our daughter. We prayed. We talked. We prayed some more. A peace came over us and we confidently moved forward with Naomi’s adoption. We are thrilled to say that we are just weeks away from meeting our daughter! The day we meet her face to face cannot come soon enough!
Read MoreSponsored Star for July – $2,000 Grant Available!
Introducing our Sponsored Star for July, Nolan!
Nolan is an incredibly sweet 6 year old boy who is in need of a loving Forever Family. He arrived at the orphanage when he was 5 years old with burn scars on his neck, however, his caretakers say that he’s now doing quite well! They describe him as an active, energetic, talkative, and happy kiddo with great self care abilities. He has excellent language development, he can speak in complete sentences, and he enjoys asking questions. Nolan loves to spend his time listening to music, singing, playing games, and looking at picture books.
As our Sponsored Star for July, Nolan has a $2,000 grant available towards his adoption fees! If you’re interested in learning more about Nolan, visit our photo listing or contact our matching specialists today!
What is a Sponsored Star?
On the 1st of each month, Great Wall China Adoption will feature one of the kiddos from our Orphanage Partnerships as our monthly “Sponsored Star!” As our Sponsored Star, that child will be provided a $2,000 grant towards their adoption fees! Each of the kiddos selected will be a Special Focus child, meaning they have not found their Forever Family yet due to their age or the degree of their needs. Together, we can find loving homes for these amazing kids!
We encourage any families interested in learning more about our Sponsored Star of the Month to visit our China Waiting Child Photo Listing, or contact our China Matching Specialists to learn how you can be matched today! Check back on the first of each month to meet the newest featured child!
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Forever Family Friday
Hooray! We’re so delighted to announce that one of the families in our China adoption program has begun submitting their paperwork to bring this little guy home FOREVER! We are so excited for him and his new family, and we can’t wait to see them come home!
Despite the fact that he is only two years old, this little guy’s file was considered Special Focus, meaning his family was able to review his information prior to logging their dossier in. All of the kiddos that are on our photo listing are in need of loving Forever Families, and you can be matched with them right away! If your family is interested in learning more about any of the Waiting Children in our China adoption program, contact one of our China matching specialists or visit our photo listing today!
- Visit the Waiting Child Photo Listing to learn about kids in need of Forever Families!
- Contact our China Matching Specialists to learn how you can start your adoption journey!
First Father’s Day
One of our adoptive dads who was recently matched with a child through our China adoption program is preparing to celebrate his very first Father’s Day. While his daughter is still waiting in China, he’s experiencing all of the typical excitement that accompanies preparing to be a father. Below is a post that he shared with us about his feelings leading up to Father’s Day.
– Visit GWCA’s Waiting Child photo listing to learn how your family can be matched today! –
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