Trenton special focus baby

Trenton at 4 months old

Trenton at 18 months

Trenton is an 18 month old baby boy who has hypospadias, undescended testicles, and a small ASD. He can walk very steadily and goes up and down stairs holding onto the rail. He has very good fine motor skills; for example, he'll pick up small things off the ground like thread. Trenton says papa, mama and babbles when he's in a good mood. He likes to imitate what the caregivers do and say, following them around and making them laugh. He looks at picture books and can eat out of a bowl. He's not a picky eater. Trenton understands the caregivers and follows simple instructions. He likes to play with balls and cars and to go outside. Trenton usually sleeps on his stomach while sucking his fingers.

Emma EAC special focus individual referral

Emma is an energetic 18 month old who enjoys playing late at night in her crib. She was diagnosed with nanophthalmos of both eyes and small corneal of both eyes.

She can say "mama" and can walk with the help of an adult. She can stand alone for about 10 minutes. She likes to play with musical and movable toys. She will follow a moving toy. If she hears a toy playing music, she'll crawl over. She can be stubborn some times; if she doesn't get what she wants, she will throw a tantrum. Her caregiver will comfort her by taking her outside. She'll eat any food given to her but she does not like to drink water. She likes for the caregiver to hold her, talk to her and play with her. When she's happy, she has a sweet smile.

Emma likes to play with toys that make music.

Families or Single Women meeting CCCWA requirements are eligible to adopt Emma. The dossier must be submitted to CCCWA with in 6 months of accepting referral. Please contact EAC if you are interested in learning more about Emma or other China waiting children.

Updates

Here are a few updates:
8 families in China are heading home this week including a family that doubled in size with the adoption of their twin boys.

CCCWA issued "healthy as possible" referrals through dossier LID 9/24/06. Families logged in through the traditional program have over a 6 year wait for referral.

CCCWA posted special needs referrals on Monday night. Congratulations to the families that received referral.
Conditions that we saw during the posting:
ear deformity
hearing loss
growth delay
limb differential
scoliosis

conditions that we normally see but didn't this month:
cleft lip/palate
heart

Families requesting to adopt a girl should be prepared for a 6-12 month wait for referral.
Families open to adopting a boy will have a much shorter wait, usually less than 3 months, often less than 30 days.

Meet Jacob Special Focus Individual Referral

Jacob is a 2 year old boy with post-op anal atresia who lives with a foster family. He can see an object over 10 meters away and recognizes familiar people. He is closet to his foster grandfather. He likes to play with other children. He likes to watch children's programs on TV. He likes eating sweet foods like apples and pears. He wears a diaper. He likes to ride a toy car.

Meet Alex Special Focus Individual Referral for EAC

Alex is a 3 1/2 yr old boy who has a postoperative heart condition. He likes to sing songs and dance. When going up stairs, he likes to count each step. He goes to kindergarten. He speaks well and responds clearly to questions. He can not participate in strenuous activity due to his heart condition but he does well in other activities. Alex knows the names of all his classmates and he is potty trained. Alex's favorite foods are chicken, shrimp and banana. He knows colors, can name animals and objects in pictures, and button or unbutton clothes. Alex is talkative and extroverted. He likes to play with cars and a robot.

 If you are interested in adopting Alex, please contact EAC at 800-533-0098. We hope Alex finds his forever family soon.

Updates

Tony has a forever family! Congratulations to the family that accepted Tony. They will be traveling to China late spring/early summer to bring their son home.

8 families are leaving early Wednesday 9/12/12 for China including first time parents adopting twin boys.

Congratulations to the family that has accepted Tony

Tony - EAC special focus individual referral

Tony is a 4 1/2 year old boy with post op CHD Tetralogy of Fellot. He recovered well from surgery and stopped taking medication a year after the TOF was repaired. He goes to school, asks questions and speaks sentences of 5-10 words. He is a deep sleeper and  has a good appetite. He isn't a picky eater. He is very caring; he will share his snacks with other children. He can draw 7-10 parts of a person, catch a ball thrown to him, and stand on one foot for 5 seconds. He likes to play with cars and blocks.

Here's Tony doing one of his favorite activities: kungfu

CCCWA requires the dossier to be submitted within 6 months of submission of the online application.
If you are interested in adopting Tony, please contact EAC China department 800-533-0098

CCCWA posted special needs referrals tongiht

CCCWA posted special needs referrals tonight. Families with a dossier logged in at CCCWA can be matched with a referral with a minor correctable condition.
CCCWA posts special needs referrals once a month. Special focus referrals, conditions that are more serious, are posted throughout the month.

Non special needs program update

CCCWA issued referrals of non special needs babies to families with dossiers LID (log in date) through 9/21/06. Families waiting for referral through LID will need to switch to the I800A after they have had two free extensions of the I600A.

7 families in China

Mr Zhou is currently in China. On Monday 7 children became part of their forever families. All the children are doing well, bonding with their parents.

A family's wait for referral will depend on the age, gender and medical conditions that they are open to. Families who receive a referral after LID (log in date) will travel 4-6 months after accepting referral. Families who accept a special focus referral before the home study process has started typically travel 9-12 months later. While wait times will vary, all families would agree, the wait it worth it.

 

Recipe for picky eaters

When John and Gina's children came home from China, they were really picky eaters. They loved to eat noodles but getting them to eat vegetables and meat was another story. 

John and Gina came up with this quick and easy recipe for healthy Ramen noodles. Their children usually eat about 2-3 bowls.

4 cups chicken broth-bring to a boil (can use bouillion cube to really cut cost down on recipe)

2 TBSP soya sauce

1/2 tsp onion salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1-2 eggs (just break egg into boiling water and will cook in a few minutes)

frozen vegetables (cut really fine)-add to boiling broth for about 5 min

1/2 chicken breast (cut really fine)-add to boiling broth for about 5 min

Ramen noodles only (add crushed noodles and cook for about 3 min)

Now their children eat their vegetables and protein from chicken and they LOVE IT.

Kayla has found her forever family

Congratulations to the family that has accepted referral of Kayla, EAC individual special focus referral.
Kayla's family is busy working on paperwork and looking forward to bringing her home.

Lockdown from a family's perspective

Emma, Amy and Seth

While in China, we lived by one simple rule: Whatever Emma wants, Emma gets.  She wants to eat continuously all day?  No problem; just make sure we are stocked up on diapers and wipes.  She wants to wear her coat and shoes over her footy pajamas?  Why not?  It could very well be the next big fashion trend.  She wants to be pushed in her stroller continuously and will scream at the top of her lungs if you stop?   Well, you better keep that stroller moving.  In our naiveté, that only first time parents can possess and truly master, we thought everything would change when we returned home to Michigan.  No longer would we be in survival mode, we were returning to our comfortable lifestyle with just one subtle difference: our new daughter Emma, a two going on three year old, who had only known us for two weeks and who we were bringing half-way around the world. 

 

How do we know the 2 month lockdown works?  Simple; we screwed up our first week home.  We had been home for several days and were feeling a bit stir crazy.  We decided to visit our friends at their house and catch up.  Really, what’s the harm in that?  After all, we weren’t going to stay very long.  Within moments of walking in the door, there it was…“The Look”.  We had seen “The Look” before in the days following our first introduction at the Adoption Center in Nanjing.  On the day we first met Emma in person, she looked like the saddest kid in the whole entire world; but she never shed a tear.  The next morning, she started to warm up to us, but by afternoon you could see in her eyes that she was shutting down.  Over the next few days, Emma spent more time warming up to us and less time in her shut down mode.  Now as we stood in the living room of our friends’ house, we knew exactly what we were in for that night and Emma did not disappoint.  Shortly after going to bed, Emma had a night terror.  This made us realize that our one simple rule while in China hadn’t expired upon returning home.  Not only was Emma going to continue to get what she wanted, we were also going to give her what she needed.

 

The following day, we pushed the reset button.  We implemented a schedule that not only regulated meal times but activities as well.  When Emma woke up in the morning (usually around 7:00 or 7:30) we would get her dressed and go downstairs for breakfast.  Similar to her routine in China, we started her day with a bottle of warm milk.  After breakfast, we watched Sesame Street from 9:00 until 10:00.  From 10:00 until 12:00 we read books and played games.  Lunch was 12:00 to 1:00.  Naptime: 1:00 to 3:00.  From 3:00 to 5:30 we read more books and played more games.  At 5:30 we ate dinner.  We spent time together as a family until bath time at 7:30 followed by bedtime at 8:00.  The next day, we repeated the exact same thing.  And so that became our schedule for the next two months.    

 

When I stated earlier that Emma could eat continuously, that’s no exaggeration.  We had a non-stop 15 hour flight from Hong Kong to Detroit.  Emma ate non-stop for the first 10 hours and slept for the last 5.  During the first couple weeks of our new lockdown routine, Emma always had a full cup of snacks within her reach.  If she wanted more, we refilled the cup.  Eventually, she weaned herself off the constant snacking and we established a snack time of 10:30 and 3:30.  Within a couple weeks, Emma was sleeping through the night in her own room by herself.  We noticed that her temper tantrums and periods of grieving were also improving the more we kept with our routine.  While she still possessed the most serious disposition we had ever seen in a toddler, her little personality was on the verge of exploding. 

 

Slowly we began to add extracurricular activities to our day.  Normally a two month lockdown would be pretty easy to accomplish during a Michigan winter.  However, this winter was unusually mild.  We would sneak out while neighbors were at work for a stroller ride.  We would take a car ride by the lake.  We would visit our friends again so Emma could play with another child her age.  When I returned to work, Emma went to daycare.  Her transition went better than expected.  We prepared ourselves for night terrors and food hoarding which never came.  Instead, she continued to sleep through the night.  She was beginning to eat fewer portions and actually began getting picky in her food choices.  For me, I realized the lockdown worked about a week and a half into my return to work.  I was pulling into our driveway and Seth, Emma and our dog were playing in the backyard.  Emma ran to the gate squealing, laughing and yelling “Mama!”  I remember thinking, “Wow! She really likes me...”  Emma had always given hugs and kisses, but this was somehow different and something that will always make me smile. 

 

After Emma started daycare, we instituted mini-lockdowns on the weekends.  With few exceptions, we keep our weekends as low key as possible and spend time as a family.  Emma is no longer that serious child we met in Nanjing .  She’s happy, affectionate, and an absolute sweetheart.  Do we owe it all to the two month lockdown?  We think so and Emma agrees.    

 

The 2 month lockdown can be, to put it bluntly, brutal for parents; but for the child, it may be exactly what he or she needs.

Amy, Seth and Emma

Jayden: EAC individual special focus referral

Jayden is a 3rd grader who likes to play football, play with friends or watch TV when not at school. He'll turn 10 in August. His special need is red-green color blindness. Jayden can pick up peanuts with chopsticks, tie his shoes and catch a ball. He can take a bath and get dressed without help. He helps his foster family with chores: sweep the floor, wash and fold clothes, set the diner table. Every morning he makes his bed. He learns what the teacher teaches but he is shy and doesn't ask for help if he doesn't understand the lesson so his grades could be better. Jayden is quiet in front of strangers but once he gets to know someone, he will want to be friends.

Please contact EAC at 866-586-5656 if you are interested in adopting Jayden. 

Next special needs posting

CCCWA will post special needs referrals on Monday night (6/26/12 in China).
Families interested in adopting a child with a minor correctable or corrected condition need a dossier logged in at CCCWA. Families interested in adopting an older child or a child with more serious conditions can receive a referral before the dossier is logged in provided that the dossier can be submitted to China with in 6 months of receiving referral.

Mr Zhou is currently in China with 3 families completing their special needs adoptions. Two of the families are adopting two children at the same time. All the families and their children are adjusting well.

Please contact EAC if you are interested in adopting a special needs child.

EAC China program update

Congratulations to the families that accept referrals in May and and in June. Congratulations to the families that completed adoptions in May.
3 families will be completing the adopt of 5 children in June.
CCCWA allows families to adopt two unrelated children at the same time as long as one of the children has a special focus condition. 2 of the 3 families completing adoptions this month are adopting two children at one time.

Meet Walter, a China special focus referral

Walter will turn 2 in November. He had surgery in December 2010 to repair a lumbosacral meningocele. He is living with a foster family. He is potty trained during the day. He wears a diaper at night. At the time of the medical report, he was 17 months old and could walk holding onto a rail or with one hand held. He can point to his body parts when asked. He understands the meaning of cold, tired and hungry. He eats a wide variety of foods, but his favorite food is banana. He imitates words but doesn't pronounce words clearly yet. He recognizes facial expressions. Sometimes if he does something wrong, he will smile to his foster mom and then she doesn't criticize him.  He is an outgoing little boy who is active and likes playing with other children.

9/11/06 LID families received referrals

Congratulations to the EAC families with 9/11/06 LID that received referral today. They waited about 6 years for referral from CCCWA. Babies have big chubby cheeks. Families will be traveling to China in a few months to bring their girls home.

Lizzie Special Focus Individual Referral for EAC

Lizzie an outgoing and active 10 year old whose special needs are cerebral palsy, physical delay, speech delay and possible abuse before entering the orphanage. She is doing well in school per the June 2011 report. When she was 8 years old she was in the first grade. She works hard and has greatly improved on language skills, chatting with caregivers in complete sentences. She gets along will with her friends and classmates. She is cooperative, polite, compassionate and caring. She will often share food with her classmates. Her favorite food is peaches. She has good self care: gets dressed, uses bathroom, makes the bed, and helps weaker children get dressed and make their bed. She loves getting dressed up with pretty hairpins, skirts and leather shoes. She has lots of hobbies; enjoying drawing, singing, and telling stories. She loves to play with Barbie dolls. Her teachers and caregivers believe she is a lovely, sensitive and pretty little girl. When she sees other children adopted by foreign families, she hopes that she will have a family of her own. She looks forward to having a happy life with her forever parents.

Lizzie in a pretty dress.

Lizzie playing with Barbies

If you are interested in adopting Lizzie or finding out more about adopting older children from China, please contact EAC.

Lana, Special Focus Individual Referral for EAC

Lana turns 12 at the end of July. She is post op cleft lip/palate. She entered the orphanage when she was about 5 years old. She had cleft lip and palate surgeries in 2006 and 2007, and an additional surgery in 2009.
She was malnourished when she entered the orphanage. With diet and multi-vitamins she gained strength and now has a good physical development. When she first entered the orphanage she was introverted. She didn't participate in activities or play games. With the help of the caregivers, she gradually joined in games and activities. She starting attending school in 2006. She has good grades and has won the honorable student title many times.

Lana at 9 years old

Lana's medical information is from 2009. An update is being requested. If you are interested in adopting Lana or finding out more about adopting from China, please contact EAC.

Timothy EAC special focus individual referral

Timothy is almost 2 1/2 years old. His special needs are bilateral ear deformity and deaf. At 18 months he learned how to walk. When he first learned to walk he looked like a penguin, waving back and forth taking small steps. Over time he would walk much better. He is always smiling. When caretakers don't pay attention to him, he'll slip out of the room. He'll jump on the bed. Sometimes in the morning the caretaker will find him in the bed of another child.

He left the baby group in February 2012. Now with older children, he will sit quietly and not run. Although he can not hear, he is good at imitating. He sleeps in a toddler bed. He drinks milk through a straw and will be learning to drink from a cup soon.

Timothy around 12 months

Timothy at 2 1/2 yrs old

Jerry special focus individual referral for EAC

Jerry turns 4yrs old in July. His is post op CHD, post op anal atresia and post op right hernia. According to the medical, he as normal motor and intellectual development. He's talkative, likes to read picture books and play games. He's not a picky eater. He likes playing with other children.

Craig special focus individual referral for EAC

Craig is a 2 1/2 year old boy whose special needs are cleft lip/plate and deaf. His cleft lip was repaired in March 2010.

He has a good appetite and is active and restless. He likes to play games. When he was a baby he loved music.

In December 2011 the caretakers noticed he was not reacting to music. He wouldn't look at the caretaker when she spoke and he didn't seem to respond as other children did. His hearing was tested and his ears showed no reaction.

Owen special focus individual referral for EAC

Owen will be 4 in July. His special needs are deformity of both ears and slight anemia. He has some hearing in his left ear. Test does not show any hearing in right ear. He likes to watch TV and cuddle with caretakers. He can walk well. He likes to play outside and is full of energy. Sometimes he's timid and often will play alone. He can adapt quickly to new things and the environment. He has a good appetite.

Aiden has a home

Congratulations to the family that has accepted Aiden!
Single women that meet China's requirements can adopt special focus children.
One of CCCWA's requirements is that the woman has experience with special needs children.
Examples are doctors, nurses, and teachers
If you are a single woman and are interested in learning more about China's waiting children, please contact EAC at 1-800-533-0098

Aiden EAC individual special focus referral

Aiden will turn 3 in April. His special needs are urogenital. He has hypospadia and undescended testicles. He has been in the orphanage since he was about a month old. He has normal growth and development. He speaks in sentences of 3-5 words. He's inquisitive, asking "What is this?"  He will point to eyes, ears, nose  when asked. He's an energetic, extroverted little boy who gets along well with others. He has a good appetite and loves to eat meat. He enjoys watching TV and listening to music. He likes to play with electronic toys.

Please contact EAC if you are interesting in learning more about Aiden.

Rebecca EAC Individual special focus referral

Rebecca just turned 4 in January. She has hemangioma on her head and face. Her growth and development is similar to her peers and she a good intellectual development. She is active, sings songs, dances and speaks sentences of 3-5 words. She voices her needs and understands the meaning of cold, hungry, tired. She likes to play with other children. She can feed herself and is potty trained.

She is not a picky eater. She has a good appetite and loves fruits, snacks and meat. She likes to play with dolls.

Please contact EAC if you are interesting in learning more about Rebecca.

CCCWA issued referrals for families logged through 8/31/06

CCCWA issued referrals for of babies as healthy as possible for families logged in through 8/31/06. EAC's next group has LID (log in date) of 9/11/06.
Families interested in adopting an infant girl as healthy as possible can submit their dossier, receive a log in date and wait until CCCWA issues referral. The current wait is about 6 years.

New procedure for requesting referral updates

Effective 3/1/12 CCCWA's procedure for requesting medical and photo updates on special needs children has changed.
Updates and translation will be provided for free for referrals with information over 9 months.

For referrals with medical information under 9 months, China will provide updates for the following fees:

1.  Updated medical information and translation for $40 (report includes measurements and development)

2.  3 photos of child including 1 photo of the special need area for $40

If you are interested in both a medical update and photos, the fee is $80.00

EAC is required to wire the money to China and provide a copy of the wire receipt before the request will be processed. If you have any questions regarding this new procedure, please contact EAC China Department.

Sincerely

Chris & Karla

Referrals and Travel Approval

Several families accepted referral last week and we received travel approval (TA) for some families too. 5 families will be leaving for China on 4/11/12. The families that accepted referral last week will be traveling in 4-6 months.

Here's happens during the 4-6 month wait for travel:

1. dossier is translated

2. CCCWA reviews the dossier

3. Letter of Acceptance (LOA) is issued

4. Provisional Approval is issued by NBC

5. NVC cables the provisional approval the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou

6. Article 5 is issued by the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou

7. Travel Approval is issued by CCCWA

8. Visa appointment is requested

9.  EAC receives visa appointment confirmation

10. Travel Arrangements are made

Shelli has a home!

Congratulations to the family that accepted referral of Shelli.We would also like to thank the wonderful women who have advocated so hard for Shelli. Through the Little Flower Projects, special focus children receive medical treatment and therapies while waiting for their forever families.
http://www.littleflowerprojects.blogspot.com/
Please contact EAC if you are interested in adopting a special focus child.

CCCWA will be posting special needs referrals on Monday night

CCCWA will be posting special needs referrals on Monday night. We will be looking for referrals for families whose dossiers have been logged in with CCCWA.

Family with completed homestudy and CIS approval needed for Lucky

An EAC family is advocating for a 13 year old boy named Lucky. He will age out of the system when he turns 14yrs old in August.
Lucky has tested positive for Anti-HBe and Anti HBc. He entered the orphanage at 3 1/2 yrs old. He has been living with a foster family since 2004. He goes to junior high school. He's not interested in school work but he does like PE and history. He looks after his foster brothers and sisters at home. He likes to surf the internet, play cards and chess. He also likes to play basketball with his friends.

Please contact EAC if you have a completed home study and are interested in adopting Lucky.

Brian, Special Focus Individual Referral has a home

Congratulations to the family that has accepted referral of Brian, EAC China special focus individual referral.

CCCWA will be posting special needs referrals on Monday night

CCCWA announced that they will be posting special needs referrals on Monday night. We will be looking for referrals for families with a LID (log in date). Placing agencies are allowed to lock in 1 special needs referral per family and agencies can lock in a referral 1 time only.  When the referral is locked in, it is no longer available for other agencies to view. Once the referral is locked in agencies have 72 hours to submit the application or the referral will automatically become unlocked thereby releasing the referral back to the shared site.

Referral consists of medical, lab work, development report, development check list and photos.
Depending on the special need, there may be surgical notes, test results, post-op and/or pre-op photos.

Before receiving a referral families are required to meet with an international adoption specialist to discuss special needs and treatment plans.

CCCWA released non special needs referrals through 8/21/06 LID

CCCWA has released non special needs referrals through 8/21/06 log in date (LID). EAC's next group has a LID of 9/11/06. Families waiting for CCCWA to issue referral will receive referral of an infant girl in generally good health.

Families requesting to adopt a special needs child can receive a referral with in months of receiving LID.

Please help Todd find his forever family

 Todd is an individual referral for EAC. He is a 2 1/2 yr old boy with a language and development delay. He lives with a foster family including a foster brother and foster grandmother. He can walking holding foster mom's hand and he likes to play games like hide and seek.

 

Update on Shelli

Please go to
http://littleflowerprojects.blogspot.com/2012/02/xiangs-and-bouncy-balls.html

to see Shelli at play

A Letter to Zhou

Zhou asked us to share this story with all of you...

_________________________________________________________________

Zhou,

So good to hear from you today!  Thanks for calling to check on us.  Just wanted to say again how much we appreciate everything you did for us in China.  You made our trip even more special, and I can't imagine having gone with anyone else.  Thanks for caring about these precious kids and for taking such good care of all of us in China.  It was truly the trip of a lifetime and we came home with a little priceless treasure!

Bethany is doing so well.  The International Adoption specialists she saw this week were so pleased with her progress and her bonding/attachment to Todd and I.  They thought that within 6 months, she will probably be caught up and on track with other 2 year olds.  She is so smart and has already learned so much since we've been home.  I have no doubt that she will be fine with time.  I'm sending some pictures of her for you to see.  The picture in her little pink outfit is her Chinese New Year's outfit.  We're part of a Families with Chinese Children group here and they have a CNY party every year.  We took Bethany for a little while, and she looked like a little princess.  She was the prettiest girl at the party.  :)

Hope you had a great visit in China with your family.  We would love to make it to the picnic this year, but Bethany's palette surgery is supposed to be in the April to May timeframe, so we probably won't get to come this year.  But we're going to plan on it next year, and we can't wait to see you then.  In the meantime, we'll be in touch.  Take care and thank you again!

Blessings to you!

Todd, Stacey and Bethany

Shelli Laura

We were recently contacted by two wonderful ladies that have been advocating for Shelli. We, EAC named her Laura; however, we found out today that she has been called Shelli for the last year. So she will continue to be Shelli.  She had an incredibly rough start in life. She has been receiving special care and has shown great improvement. She has touched their hearts just has she has touched ours. Please go to http://afamilyforshelli.blogspot.com/ for updated information on Shelli.

Brian, Special Focus Individual Referral

Brian is a 3 year old boy with nerve deafness in both ears. He lives with a foster family. He observes the facial expressions and motions of adults and understands what they are telling him. He has a good memory. He can't hear but he does babble. He shares toys with other children. He sometimes because impatient if adults can understand him. He'll calm down when comforted. He's outgoing and active. He builds towers of blocks and turn pages of books. He can jump and scribble with a pen. He has a good appetite and a sweet tooth.

Laura, Special Focus Individual referral

Laura is a 3 1/2 year old little girl who has some physical and mental delays. She has cross foot.

At two years old she was crawling but hadn't started walking yet. She imitated words and used words to express her needs. She likes to play games and gets along well with others.

Families accepting a special focus referral have 6 months to submit the dossier to China. CCCWA allows single women to adopt special focus children. Also families wishing to adopt two children, can adopt a special focus child and a special needs child.

Wendy, EAC Special Focus referral

Wendy is a 2 1/2 year old girl who has a heart murmur and possibly Down's Syndrome. Her medical is from when she was 1 1/2 years old. At that time she could walk, scribble with a pen, go up stairs, draw vertical lines, screw a cap, turn pages of a book, imitate talking, understand "no" and knew cold, tired and hungry.

She enjoys listening to music and playing outside. Her favorite toys are dolls. She like to imitate people and play games.

An EAC family update

A beautiful story about a beautiful little girl!

I just wanted to share some good news that we recently experienced... We adopted our daughter, Hattie, from China with EAC in Feb./March 2009. She was a part of the Special Needs program and had cleft lip/palate repaired. We knew going in that she would need additional surgeries.  She had the first of her surgeries this past Wednesday and things could not have gone better or been more orchestrated by God himself.

 A fissure had formed in the roof of her mouth along the first suture line in her palate and she needed a repair/realignment of the muscle in the soft palate. The doctor was not sure if he would be able to repair either of these because he did not know what had been done in China. Well, once he was able to get in there he found that it wasn't really a fissure that had formed, it was that her palate was never properly closed....now you're thinking this is a bad thing??  In one sense it was, she has had some leakage from her mouth to her nasal passage because of this, but the good part of it was that he had to do much less cutting and repairing because it was never closed. Then he had to realign the muscle in the soft palate that closes off your nasal passage when you swallow and makes certain areas of speech possible. His concern was that normally in foreign countries they just sew the muscle together straight, but a normally formed muscle in its resting position is in "V". In order for him to do it properly he would also need plenty of flesh and other muscle from the back of her throat. Well once he moved on to that area, and got to the muscle, he found it hadn't been sewn together at all. There wouldn't need to be as much repair. He was able to just realign the muscle. Her palate is now noticeably longer and her Dad and I already see some changes in her speech just 3 days later.

 

This was as scary a thing as I've ever experienced, but I do know that He has a wonderful and great plan for each of us. We were able to come home after just 1 night in the hospital, versus 3 that they thought we would be staying. This little girl has blessed so many people and we were even able to share our story with her recovery room nurse who is considering adoption with her husband. We were thrilled to tell her our experience with EAC and how y'all have blessed our lives with 3 great kids. (one adoption from Russia in '06, 2 siblings, one from China)

I just wanted to share this amazing story with everyone there....I feel like we never can hear too much good news!

Sincerely,

Traci, Harris & Hattie

Happy Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year

The dragon is the mightiest of the zodiac signs. Dragons are hardworking, natural born leaders.

This dragon was e-mailed to us by a family that accepted referral last week.

Best Wishes for a Happy New Year

Zhou, Chris & Karla

Please help Alison find a home

Alison is an active 8 year old girl with a speech delay. She likes to be praised by adults. At 5 years old, she was active at things she enjoyed and she would neglect activities she didn't like. At six years old she had a very good imagination but her memory wasn't as good. Now at 8 years old, she understands everything and will help the caregivers when asked.