LWB Community » Loudi

Counting Down Our Top Ten Photos of 2011: Smiley in Foster Care

chinalwb — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:33:01 +0000

Coming in at number one for 2011 is this adorable photo of little Alisha, grinning for the camera with her foster mom. Alisha is part of our Loudi foster care program, and every report describes her as social baby who is outgoing and loving.

Alisha goes shopping with her foster mom almost every morning, and she is always so happy to meet neighbors and greet them with a smile. We loved hearing that she is “especially enthusiastic” when she sees other children! We are so happy that sweet Alisha has now been chosen for adoption. While we will miss seeing her sweet face every month, we are filled with joy that her new family will get to see this beautiful grin each day.

The reality is that none of these wonderful photos could have happened without your help. From all of us at LWB… THANK YOU for believing in these precious children and for partnering with us to help bring them hope and healing.

Hoping for A Family for Julian

chinalwb — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:31:26 +0000

Julian knows joy. He loves his ball. He delights in playing with other children. He enthusiastically embraces a good picture book. He relishes a good meal. He thrills at being helpful. He overflows with happiness when praised for a job well done. Yes, Julian knows joy. But he doesn’t know the deep love of a permanent, adoptive family.

Julian, now four years old, has been on the shared list for a long time. You’ve met him on this blog several times (“Julian’s Joy,” “Julian’s High Jinks,” and “Julian: Almost Four.”) At the time his file was submitted, he didn’t even walk yet! Now he runs. When the file was prepared, he didn’t speak at all. He’s still a man of few words, but he does call those in his foster family by name.

Julian in the arms of his foster mom

When the file was sent, the orphanage had hope – that despite the fact that Julian has Down Syndrome, that he was already three years old, and that he was a boy – that someone might want to call him their own. Now, the orphanage is losing hope. If his family doesn’t find him soon, they may move him out of his foster home to make room for another child who they feel may have a better chance at a family. We want to give Julian every opportunity to find a forever family. Advocating for this child may be his only chance at the true and long-lasting joy of family.

Julian is featured on Reece’s Rainbow as “Jimmy” with a $1,000 grant. An additional $1,000 is being offered by an anonymous donor to offset the cost of Julian’s adoption. Do you know someone who has a heart for children with Down Syndrome? Or someone who wants to share the pure and simple joy of life with this little boy as their son? Please help us spread the word far and wide. It may be his last chance at a family.

Love Without Boundaries proudly advocates for adoption but is not an adoption agency. We invite you to contact adoptionassistance@lwbmail.com with questions about a child we have featured and encourage you to contact your local adoption agency for more information about China’s Waiting Child Program.

Seamus’ Smile

chinalwb — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:40:31 +0000

“Although he cannot see, he uses his heart to see the world.”

These beautiful words were written by the monitor at LWB’s Loudi foster care home where two and a half-year-old Seamus lives. Seamus was born prematurely and without eyeballs. It was later discovered that he has a significant hearing loss in one of his ears. Despite these challenges, Seamus just exudes pure joy. He is small in stature but delights whomever he encounters. Our monitor describes him as a lovely, joyful, and obedient little boy. Seamus’ file is currently available on the shared list, and we look forward to some very special family finding this very special boy and calling him their own. Now THAT is worth smiling about!

Julian: Almost Four!

chinalwb — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 11:24:03 +0000

In honor of World Down Syndrome Day coming up on March 21st, we wanted to celebrate by sharing the smiles and successes of our very own Julian. What a big boy! Julian will turn four soon, and hopefully this will be his best year of life yet…the one where he and his family become one! We have blogged on Julian in the past (“Julian’s High Jinks” and “Julian’s Joy”), and he always makes us smile. Since he is still waiting on the shared list, we want our readers see how much fun Julian gets out of life and the joy he brings to those around him. Without further ado, here are some new things we recently learned about Julian:

1. He can unwrap a candy on his own.
2. He can feed himself peanuts and sunflower seeds.
3. He eats almost EVERYTHING: dumplings (jiaozi), rice, noodles with eggs, stewed chicken, fried duck, fried fish, fried beef, fried chicken, stewed dates with chops, stewed radish with chops, fried cabbage, fried cucumbers, fried tomatoes, fried lettuce, fried cabbages, fried carrots, apples, oranges, bananas, pears, candies, cookies, sunflower seeds and peanuts…and these are just some of his favorites. (Gotta feed a growing boy!)
4. He can play independently.
5. He is a very good listener and a quick learner.
6. His MOST important victory is that he is pretty much fully potty trained! No accidents during the day. Yay Julian! We are most impressed.

This sweet boy is in our Loudi foster care program. His family is taking good care of him and teaching him so much. He has an older brother who likes to pay attention to Julian and is teaching him how to use a cell phone!

Reece’s Rainbow is offering a grant of $1,004 towards his adoption expenses (Julian is listed as “Jimmy” on their website). Julian looks like he is just waiting for the most important phone call of his life…the one telling him that he will soon be able to share his love of life with his very own family.

Julian’s High Jinks

chinalwb — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:06:53 +0000

Three-year-old Julian has a great sense of humor. He loves to explore and is delighted when he finds some mischief to get into! Julian’s favorite toy is his ball, which he loves to bounce and catch. After months and months of walking while holding onto furniture or a wall, Julian now walks independently – all the better to chase that ball of his!

Julian has Down Syndrome and understands instructions but doesn’t yet talk much. His foster dad in LWB’s Loudi foster care program reads him the paper each evening, so most likely those words will come eventually. And in the photo below, he does seem to be proofreading the foster care manager’s report! Julian has been on the shared list for some time now and even has been given a grant of $1,000 towards his adoption expenses from Reece’s Rainbow. Will you help him find his forever family? He will bring some wonderful mischief to a family of his own.

Sir Ciaran Still Awaits!

chinalwb — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:07:33 +0000

Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage. –Theodore Roosevelt

No doubt many of our readers will remember our very chivalrous Sir Ciaran, Gentleman of Loudi. In honor of this fine young man’s upcoming fifth birthday, we wanted to let everyone catch up with him and also spread the word that he still awaits his family.

In a few short weeks, Ciaran will be five years old. He is a kind-hearted boy who loves blocks and lives for helping his foster mother. He helped teach his younger foster sister to walk and is a thoughtful gentleman when she occasionally tries to steal his treasured blocks.

Ciaran lives with Down Syndrome and is man of very few words; however, actions speak louder than words! This is what his actions say to our foster care monitor, who had this to write in her report:

Ciaran is a capable little boy. He is a good helper to foster mom. He can help collect the toys after playing games. If foster mom comes home from outside, he initiatively goes to pick up the slippers for her. When foster mom needs to use a stool, he instantly goes to fetch and puts it before her. This month he begins to know how to open the door and he often helps foster parents open and close the door. He also can feed himself snacks and does well. He is quiet, helpful and independent. Most of the time, he is also obedient and friendly. Little Ciaran is a special little boy.

Just a few days before his birthday, Ciaran’s foster sister will meet her forever family. Wouldn’t it be a great birthday present to have his forever family find him too? Please help us spread the word about this special little guy. His file is available on the shared list!

John: LWB’s Featured Child of the Week

chinalwb — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:20:21 +0000

Just look at that face! Doesn’t John seem to be saying, “I’m looking for a few good sponsors. Do you know where I could find one or two?” John is a healthy four month old baby boy. He has been placed with a foster family in our Loudi Foster Care program in Hunan but still requires two sponsorships to be fully funded.

John loves being held in his foster mom’s arms and bounced gently by her. He gazes at her with a smile on his face when she speaks to him. He is an active baby who is very watchful of all that happens around him. But all that activity helps him sleep well, only getting up once to be fed in the night. When John awakens, he doesn’t cry but waits patiently sucking his fingers in his crib until his foster mom comes to get him up.

These small details of this child’s life are such an encouragement. He is so “normal.” And that is what foster care is all about – providing a loving, nurturing and “normal” family environment to a child who would otherwise experience anything but “normal.” Would you like to help support John in his wonderfully normal infancy? If so, then please visit John’s sponsor page!

Sir Ciaran, Gentleman of Loudi

chinalwb — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:13:35 +0000

Ciaran is a wonderful four-year-old little boy in our Loudi Foster Care program in Hunan. He lives with Down Syndrome, so his speech development is a bit slower, but his understanding is excellent. He is a polite little boy who is quick to run to get a stool for his foster mom when she comes in from outside. He is quick to be obedient and enjoys collecting his toys and putting them away after playtime. What a happy helper he is!

My favorite part of each report I read about Ciaran is the description of his relationship with his younger foster sister. He enjoys holding her hand to help her walk around the house, and they often babble together, looking at one another and smiling, even though no one else understands what they are saying to each other. He is also so very patient with his little friend. When she steals his toys, he lets her play with them for a while. When she throws his blocks, he kindly picks them up and puts them back in the bucket for her to throw again. Our monitor describes him as being a complete gentleman.

Ciaran has made such progress in recent months that he has received permission to attend the local kindergarten. He’s going to have his first day of school in just a few short weeks! I can’t wait to watch him blossom even further with the added stimulation. I’m sure he will prove to be just as much a gentleman to his teacher and classmates as he is in his home.

I am so excited to share that Ciaran’s file has recently been added to the shared agency list, and he is now ready for his forever family to find him. Should you be interested in learning more about him, we would be happy to help you get started!

Melissa Widenhofer is the Loudi Foster Care Co-Coordinator. She lives with her husband and three children in Maryland. Her youngest child was adopted from Hunan, China in 2005. She is honored to be able to serve the children still waiting through LWB.

Grants for Adam and Song!

chinalwb — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 03:31:43 +0000

LWB is thrilled to announce that we are offering $1500 grants towards the adoption of two wonderful little boys who are awaiting families.

Adam is a four-year old from Loudi in Hunan province who has faced a number of medical challenges in his short life. He had a heart defect which has closed on its own and clubbed feet which are correcting nicely (with close attention to his bracing and skin care by his foster family). He has had surgery on his spinal cord, and CT scans are showing decreased swelling of his brain. Such a strong little boy!

Through it all, Adam is learning to count in both Chinese and English. His gross motor skills are progressing all the time, he is walking since club foot treatment, and best of all, he has a delightful personality which shines through all the time!

Currently, Adam is the Featured Child with Families Thru International Adoption. You can read more about him through the link above. FTIA is waiving agency fees towards his adoption as well.

Now meet our second grant recipient — Song, from Nanping, Fujian province! He is a beautiful little boy who had retinoblastoma of his eyes. Some of you might remember him from the blog, Song’s Story, from last summer. When we introduced you to Song, we had an incredible outpouring of love and support for him. In just a few short days, he was sponsored for a total of $5000!

Now, 2 years old Song is smart and vocal. Since losing his sight to retinoblastoma, his other senses seem to have become increasingly sharp and through it all his personality has really come alive! Treatment has improved Song’s potential to live a long and healthy life; his most recent CT scan continues to show positive results.

Both Adam and Song have medical needs that make life for them a little extra difficult. Their needs may cast a shadow over their many capabilities and endless future possibilities. However, these strong little boys have come so far, making progress all the time. We believe these children would benefit from a full-time, permanent, loving family to help them fight their battles. To make this a reality for them, we want to help their family by offering $1500 towards their adoption expenses.

Please feel free to share the story’s of Adam and Song and the great news of their grant!

To learn more about either one of these darling boys, contact a China Waiting Child Program. If you need help or have questions you think Love Without Boundaries can answer, email adoptionassistance@lwbmail.com. We will be more than happy to help!

Meg Montgomery is an Adoption Assistance Advocate for Love Without Boundaries. She is a social worker, living and working in Boston, MA.

Blossoming Maire

chinalwb — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:18:47 +0000

Maire is, quite simply, a beautiful child. She peers back at me from the pages of each monthly report with a stare as deep as the ocean between us is wide. Maire entered our Loudi foster care program in January of 2009 at about one year of age. This transition was quite difficult for her as she was extremely shy and distant and grieved heavily at the loss of her previous caregiver. Maire had suffered a seizure as an infant but hadn’t had any repeat occurrences. However, she didn’t make attempts to move about and play and didn’t seem to want to use her hands. I worried about this beautiful girl with the profound gaze.

Yet as each month passed, I saw a slow and gentle blossoming. Maire began to attach to her foster mother. She started to play with her toys. Her hands became more useful.

She longed to be held. She took her first steps. This tender-hearted sweetheart was emerging from her shell with gentle encouragement from her foster mom.

Today, Maire still prefers to stay very close to her foster mom. But she ventures away a little more independently these days. She likes to go on strolls through her home and is increasingly willing to give a shy smile to our monitor, Grace. She holds snacks in her hands and investigates them with interest. And just this past week, when Grace said, “Maire, shall we go for a walk?” Maire looked at her with deep gaze, then confidently took hold of her hand and walked out the door into the sunshine. Yes, blossoming she is…