Maybe 2012 Will Be Their Year
I saw you meet your child today
You kissed your baby joyfully
And as you walked away with her
I played pretend you’d chosen me.
Tag Archives: shared list
Matched in 2011!
The end of any year and beginning of a new one always brings lists: lists of the best movies, most livable cities, and who is in and who is out. In this spirit, we thought it might be interesting for readers of LWB Community to see a list of the waiting children who were featured on our blog in 2011 and their current status. We’d like to start with the most wonderful list of all — the list of those children who were matched or adopted by their forever families in 2011.
Matched or Adopted:
Nicholas was adopted with his foster brother!
An Adoption Story: Taking the Plunge
LWB has many programs in Anhui province. Through the years, we have come to know a number of lovely older children from Anhui who have been waiting so long for their chance to find a family. We have featured several of them in the past few months, such as Brianna, Michelle and Wendy – all students in our Believe in Me Huainan school in Anhui.
Maryn was once a student at the same Believe in Me school in Anhui and was good friends with all of these girls. She had the good fortune to be adopted and has been home with her family for two and a half years. When her family learned that Maryn’s friends had the same chance as she did to have families of their own, they decided to share a bit of their story to encourage folks to consider these lovely Anhui girls and older children in general. They have likened their exhilarating experience to “taking the plunge.” Read more.
Seamus’ Smile
“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!
Read more.
Danny’s Latest Accomplishment
Big news in Dingxi…Danny is potty-trained! Most parents are understandably thrilled by this development. However, since Danny is still waiting for his family to choose him, we thought we’d share this news with our readers so they could cheer him on. Way to go, Danny! From that adorable little smirk on his face, Danny looks pretty pleased with himself as well.
Read more.
Colin, Growing Bigger and Better Each Day
Last August we ran a blog on Colin from our Sanmenxia foster care program. This young man is still on the shared list waiting to be adopted. We thought our readers might enjoy seeing how much Colin has grown since our last report! His foster family says that he is an excellent eater and will eat just about anything, which is easy to believe by looking at his photos and seeing how much he has grown since the summer. Colin’s missing teeth must not be slowing him down!
Read more.
Serious James
At the orphanage in Hefei lives a rather serious boy named James. James is eight years old and came onto LWB’s radar screen when he was evaluated by our medical program for a possible gastrointestinal issue. Although we were pleased that he did not require treatment at that time, we have remained interested in his progress. When we saw him on the shared list as a child eligible for adoption, we knew we had to spread the word about him. Perhaps a family of his own can bring a smile to his face!
Read more.
On My Own
When many people think of an orphanage, I think they often envision babies and toddlers. I used to be one of those people myself. On my many trips to China, however, I began meeting and falling in love with the older children who have grown up in institutions, many who never had any true chance of finding a permanent home. Their faces and stories are in my heart forever now, and sadly many of my memories of these great kids involve tears. Tears from Jenny, who broke down on her 14th birthday when she realized that she had aged out of the adoption system without being chosen. The final realization that she would never know what it meant to have a mom or dad of her own caused her to fall into a deep depression. Tears from Lily, a 17-year-old girl whom I had given my jacket after she admired it. When she refused to accept it initially, I put my hand on her shoulder and said, “But of course you have to take it because you are like family to me.” And it was at that one word, “family,” that this normally stoic young lady broke down and sobbed uncontrollably, as it is the one thing that she longed for.
Read more.
Positively Pamela
I would like to introduce you to playful Pamela, a beautiful ten-year-old girl who lives in Zhejiang Province. I first heard about her a little over three years ago when I joined a parent Yahoo group for her orphanage when I was hoping to go to China to adopt my own daughter. One of the ladies on the group had visited this orphanage when she adopted her son, and not only did she get me a few photos of my soon-to-be daughter but also told me about Pamela. She was concerned about her because Pamela has brittle bone disease (osteogenesis imperfecta). This is a disorder which leaves the child with weak bones which can break easily. Perhaps because of this condition, Pamela’s adoption paperwork had never been submitted. My friend made a donation to LWB to provide vitamins for her, which is generous and wonderful…but what Pamela really needs is a family and medical treatment.
Read more.
More Love
Eleven years ago today I stepped off a train into mainland China for the first time. I look back on that moment now and smile as I remember thinking it might be the only time I would ever be there. It was my first adoption trip, and I had a thousand thoughts running through my mind, from excitement to fear to exhaustion to anticipation.
Read more.
