Happy Forever Family Day Spicy Peanut
Two years ago today, I walked into the Civil Affairs office in Changsha, China, wondering what our first encounter would be like. Would the room be filled with crying children and anxious families? Would I recognize you from your one recent picture I’d been studying? Would you smile at me? Would you be terrified of me?
I had been waiting for this day for well over three years. But it almost happened too fast. I wasn’t ready for the moment.
When we walked into the waiting area, I saw a little girl in a red coat being held by a young woman. Along with two other official looking people, they were the only ones in the room, and Daddy and I were the only couple there. The instant I saw your face, I did indeed recognize you.
I nearly panicked because I didn’t expect you to already be there- you waiting for me. I whipped out my phone like a old west gunslinger and snapped this, my first picture of you.
You seemed very curious. Eyebrows up, eyes wide open, taking in the strange new place. You even started to take my hand as if to inspect me, then promptly attempted to bolt from the room, orphanage director in tow.
You were scared, terrified. And rightly so. We were new and different, and you had no way to understand what was happening. You finally fell asleep in my arms mid-protest. And that began to bond us. You woke up still in my arms and looked right at me. You still looked nervous, but you didn’t cry at all. We took you on a new adventure, where you thoroughly enjoyed every inch of Walmart. Then we went back to the hotel where we started to get to know each other and become a family.
I was, and still am, so amazed by you. Every single day you made huge leaps and strides- learning, growing, struggling and triumphing. Within days you had learned to clap, crawl, wave, sign “thank you,” say “Dada” and recognize your new name- Zoe Xiu. Your deer-in-headlights look was slowly replaced by sweet little smiles and giggles.
Nights were hard. Filled with night terrors and unrest. Days were fun. We explored new places and enjoyed getting to know each other. Your little personality started to emerge. You were a super sweet little girl with flashes of boldness, stubbornness… spiciness. You even began to give us a “spicy face” every time we called you Spicy Peanut.
Two years later, you are still super sweet with just a dash of spicy. We have celebrated two birthdays with you and watched you absolutely beam with excitement each time. You have discovered a love for chocolate, icing and people singing to you.
You have a style all your own. You love to accessorize and have found your inner princess. From dresses with rain boots to pajamas with Tinkerbell shoes, you confidently rock every style you try out.
You are super playful and often breakdown into a fit of unstoppable giggles. We have decided that you have the best laugh in the world.
A lot of times you’re quiet, taking in the world around you. You often sit back and observe while everyone around you is busy doing. You always stop to pick flowers. You notice things we miss… a lot.
Your serving heart abounds. When you know someone needs something, you immediately spring into action! You are big sister extraordinaire, always making sure little brother has his paci, plenty of toys, and a push in his walker to get him where he needs to be. You love to get out your play dishes and set the table while I’m making dinner and pull out our chairs for us to sit. And you are always available for super Zoe snuggles when anyone needs them.
Zoe, we are so blessed to have you as our daughter and sister. You fill our house with joy and our hearts with overflowing love.
Happy Forever Family Day Spicy Peanut.
Back Up Host Family – We Need YOU!
Are you interested in hosting a child from China or Philippines, but not quite ready to take the full plunge into being a full time host family for 4 weeks? If so, consider participating as a Backup Host Family to gain valuable experiences and opportunities with host children who may need to be relocated from their primary host families. These host children may need to be moved on a rare occasion for several possible reasons, but ultimately they need a safe, encouraging environment while they are here.
Here are five great reasons to be a Backup Host Family:
1) All hosting fees for the Host Child placed with your family are already paid in full by the Primary Host Family (excluding potential travel expenses to pick up child and expenses during the child’s stay with your family)
2) All necessary paperwork and action items for you to qualify as a host family will already be accomplished, so if you enjoy your experience, signing up to be a Primary Host Family the next go around will be simple and easy
3) You can always discuss the child’s habits, likes, dislikes, and learn more about the child from the first-hand experience of the Primary Family before you bring the child into your home.
4) You will receive full file disclosure from the country (medical history, personal interviews, etc) on the Host Child staying in your home
5) If you are asked to take over as a Backup Host Family, you will have access to a Program Mentor, Program Coordinator, and Translator to support you full time during the program.
Backup Host Families are needed in cases in which the Host Child can no longer stay with the Primary Host Family. Often, these are through no fault of the child and may simply be due to an unforeseen emergency within the Primary Host Family. There will be a transparent line of communication with Backup Host Families about any issues the child may experiencing that might have cause the need for a move. You can let us know, for any reason, that you will not be able to serve as the Backup Host Family for a particular child after we contact you.
The children from both China and Philippines are accompanied by Chaperones from their orphanages or social workers from the Chinese/Filipino Governments to the United States, and the Chaperone will check in with the child during his or her stay with your family. You are always supported as a backup host family.
If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact april@childrenofallnations.com or call April at 512-323-9595 x3061.
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Oh Boy! The Joy of Boys!
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Forty percent of our adoptions from China in 2013 were little boys. We have come a long way to bring these little guys home. However most people don’t realize how many boys are actually waiting. There are over 1200 boys waiting to find their forever families. It is not uncommon for the little boys to be overlooked, it is sad to think that just because they are born a boy it is more unlikely that they will find a forever family than if they were a girl. Many of these boys have very minor needs and may be just a little bit older. It’s a common misconception that there are only girls waiting in China but that idea is far from true. Team T-Shirts Now Available
Join our TEAM and contribute to our upcoming host programs. All proceeds acquired from these t-shirts will go toward hosting grants for the Summer 2015 program. These shirts will be worn by all of our hosting kids as they arrive to meet their host families for the 2014 Holiday Program. We ask that all family members and friends that will be meeting these children at the airport purchase a shirt. The shirts are available to order AGAIN for a VERY limited time. Please place your order by November 18th. They are $20, which includes shipping. Send this link to your friends and families and make a difference in a child’s life by joining our TEAM today!
Do you know what TEAM stands for?
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Everyone
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Matters
The Best of the China Holiday Hosting Class of 2014
Best Smile: C14-04 This little guy can’t wait to learn English and become a strong swimmer. He has lots of friends and has the biggest kool-aid smile of the bunch.
Limited Time – Hosting Grants – Donate Now
Are you looking to help an orphan but not sure how? There are so many children hoping to visit America for the holidays. All these kids need is a little extra help to get here. Your donation could help bring one of the kids home forever.
Donate here and note which of the following children your donation is for in the ‘in honor of’ field.
https://www.gwca.org/general-donation-form/
Ready, Set, Go!
Hosting Yu Yu
“Hon, I know you are going to think I’m crazy, but I want to host an orphan from China this summer…” This is how I greeted my husband the day that I dared to take a peek at the photo listing of children who needed placements for the summer hosting program. After adopting my daughter as an infant (I was single at the time), I felt in my heart the pull towards adopting an older child. But after marrying and settling in to the joys and challenges of a blended family, I figured that dream was behind me. Well, what a surprise when my husband said “I don’t think you are crazy!”, and we quickly moved ahead to meet the looming deadline to be matched with the child we felt drawn to host.
While we were open from the start to the idea of adopting if things went well, we were very nervous about all the ways that things might NOT go well. Hosting seemed like the perfect way to see what it might be like to add to our family in this way, and to see if this particular child was a good fit. And he was. After weeks of nervous preparation, our lives were forever changed by the adorable 6 year old boy who greeted us at the airport with a huge smile on his face. He was small for his age, and acted much younger than 6, but he drew us in with his humor and the sheer delight that he expressed with each new thing that he tried and experienced with us. I spent about a day feeling a bit worried about his immaturity, nervous about how the summer would go, but it didn’t last! I had worried so much about communication with a boy who knew no English, but really that was not a very big deal. He surprised us by singing some songs in English that he had learned in school in China (BINGO, Twinkle Twinkle, ABC Song) . He very quickly learned some words and phrases in English, and we learned a few essentials in Mandarin. What we didn’t know got communicated through gestures and pantomime. Yu Yu fell in love with ice cream at the first, unexpectedly cold lick. Every time we went out in the car after that, he would say “Mama!” to get my attention, then pantomime holding and licking an ice cream cone, as his way of asking to go get some ice cream! (I could hardly ever say no!)
The best part of hosting was falling in love with this amazing little boy. Experiencing him learning to love hugs and being held, snuggling in close and giving kisses – all things that seemed new to him. Watching him play and bond with our girls. Seeing the utter joy on his face as he experienced not only the big fun stuff, but the everyday things like a bath, being tucked in, and eating a picnic lunch in the yard. Seeing him go from fear of the water to actually swimming! Seeing how well he compensated for his right arm disability. Was every moment fun and easy? Well, no. He did his share of testing the limits, and laughing when reprimanded. He turned out to be a sensitive boy, crying easily at small things and sometimes just shutting down. Those were the times when the lack of common language was the hardest. But as the weeks went by, I feel like we were starting to see wonderful progress with his trust of us, his bonding with us, and learning to live with the limits. Those sparks of progress gave us hope that this was a good fit, and that he was meant to be with our family.
To be honest, the hardest part of hosting is right now, afterwards. Watching him leave us at the airport was one of the hardest moments in our lives. He already felt like our son, and we were losing him. Now, to be separated so many months as we go through the adoption process, it is really hard. At times it feels cruel to both him and us. But I also know that we would NOT be adopting right now if we hadn’t hosted. I know that we wouldn’t have been brave enough to take on the unknowns of an older child without meeting him and feeling him melt into our family. What a gift he was to us. What joy we have in looking forward to the day when we will finally be reunited with him, this time forever!
Thank you to Yu Yu’s Host Family for allowing us to share their beautiful story. We can’t wait for them to bring their little Yu Yu home!
Visit www.orphanhosting.com to learn how you can be a part of our Hosting Program.
Read MoreHOLIDAY HOSTING PHOTO LISTING NOW AVAILABLE
Our Asia Holiday Hosting photo listings for China and the Philippines are now available.
These children will be coming to the U.S. the first week of December and will be staying until the first week of January.
We are looking for families that are interested in hosting to adopt as well as hosting to advocate.
Apply Today to be matched!
Visit www.orphanhosting.com to learn more.
Read MoreEarly December 2006 LID referrals are in!
Hello Great Wall Families!
We have wonderful news to share – the stork has landed at Great Wall!
On August 25 we received 2 referrals for families whose dossiers were logged in on December 12, 2006 and 1 referral for an Expedite family logged in on December 25, 2007. This referral group included 3 girls whose ages ranged from 15 months –18 months . Children in this referral group were from the Guangxi Henan and Guangdong provinces. Congratulations to these families!
Great Wall’s next logged in families are from the following LID groups:
12/4/2006
12/27/2006
12/29/2006
If you are in one of these upcoming referral groups, please contact me to discuss your paperwork status. Remember, families must have a valid home study and USCIS paperwork (I-800A) to receive a referral.
Emily Cox
emily@childrenofallnations.com
512-323-9595 x3051
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