Warm Welcomes

We arrived in Baotou yesterday unfortunately without Donna, our Occupational Therapist. She has been a trooper, though! The tornadoes causes quite the adventure for her in her travels! She just arrived here in Baotou late last night and I'm sure she's exhausted! Her luggage has yet to be found... The rest of us arrived without a hitch and received a very warm welcome from the provincial and orphanage officials with a lunch banquet in a traditional mongolian yurt. It was beautiful, with Traditional Mongolian singers serenading us towards the end of lunch. I wish I could describe the scenery here--it was quite striking with yurts surrounding a pond, sheep wondering the property, frolicking (and then ending up lunch) and a sand storm blowing in through all of the trees surrounding the yurts.

I'm sure you would rather here about the orphange....no? We didn't arrive at the orphanage until late in the afternoon. Dr. Hayes had a chance to evaluate a group of infants/toddlers in the baby room. I started with some of the older children and worked my way around to the babies. Most of the kids are quite interested in Westerners, but a little shy at first. I don't think they have had much exposure to Westerners. The orphanage staff seems quite helpful and kind hearted. I was pleased to see that the nannies were loving with the babies, giving them hugs, encouraging them to walk or crawl or creep, and celebrating their achievements with them. They are quite good with the older children as well. I asked who their favorite nannies were, and they each seemed to have one that they're very close with. The children I talked with all made very good eye contact and responded appropriately. I didn't see any signs of attachment issues in the children I saw yesterday. Hopefully today we will get more time there. More updates later...stay tuned.

Busy Bees

The office is abuzz with the preparations for our trip to Baotou coming up. Fei is leaving tomorrow! She is first going to Beijing to meet with some officials at the CCCWA and then the rest of our team will meet in Beijing on Sunday night and fly to Baotou early Monday morning to get started with the children. We're looking forward to meeting those little faces we've seen by video and look forward to sharing pictures with you as we're over there!

Welcome to Baotou!

Welcome to Baotou!!!! Below are some pictures of the orphanage we are working with in our Brighter Futures program. Our China Director is there right now taking care of business for us so we can get right to work with the kids when we arrive. She is also sending back some pictures and video and the kids look adorable! We can't post pictures of them here, but when we know which files we will get, we hope to be able to post those pictures on our password protected website.

Stay tuned for more information to come....

Brighter Futures Exciting News!

I have some very exciting news to share regarding our Brighter Futures program in Baotou, Inner Mongolia! Fei and I will be traveling to Baotou, along with a team of an International Adoption Doctor and an Occupational Therapist! We will be leaving April 23rd and returning May 1st. We're very excited to have this excellent team of professionals joining our program! We will be able to obtain much more thorough information and more accurate diagnoses on the children with the addition of these specialists. Their dedication to this cause means so much and we thank them wholeheartedly! We can't wait to report back about the children we visit! Stay tuned...

Children with Grants

Our generous donor helped me to realize that I may not have been very clear about these kids with Grants. First let me update you--Marie is no longer available. The other 4 who age out in June and July (Jessica, Perry, Foster, Lee and Hansen) are available to families who have dossiers logged in already. They have $5000 grants available to families adopting them! The other 3 children, Leroy, Foster and Heath age out towards the end of 2011. They are available to anyone willing to work like the wind to bring them home--you do not have to have started the process yet! If you don't quite meet the requirements, never fear! Just contact me anyway if you have interest in these 3 boys! Waivers may be possible! They need families and we're willing to work our rear's off if you are to bring them home--we just need families who want to make these boys part of their forever families. There are $5000 grants available to help families bring these boys home, but don't delay! There's no time for that! Let's get these boys home: marcisk@asiadopt.org

Help a Child Day!

If you're reading this, these children need YOUR help! You don't have to adopt them if that's not right for you, but help spread the word to other families! Today is your day to help a child! We have 5 children about to age out of being eligible for adoption in the next few months! Their only hope is people like you who will spread the word about them to other adoptive families....families who may already be logged in, or a ways into the process. That's the only chance these five kids at having a life that is not filled with the stigma of being an orphan, and going around in life as "unlucky." These kids all have grants associated with their adoptions! So what some family may have thought wasn't possible, is now possible! Please tell everyone you know in the adoption community about these children. We also have 3 others who age out within the year (2011) with grants, and for those it may be possible for families without dossiers logged in to pursue them. Please take a stand and help these children find their forever families and experience a life with potential and encouragement!

3 More Boys in need of families!

We have up to $5000 grants on each of these children who age out before the end of 2011!

Foster is in 4th grade and does well at school. He studies hard, is clever and fond of learning. He is outgoing and curious about new things. He has a good command of language, asks many questions and is fond of singing and dancing. He has good rhythm. He likes watching TV and playing badminton. He has a good appetite and is not picky. Could you be the forever family that Foster has been waiting for all this time? THERE IS A GRANT UP TO $5000 AVAILABLE FOR FOSTER

Heath is clever and likes to learn. He is somewhat shy, but is intelligent and gets along well with others. His language ability is good and he is receiving good marks in 4th grade. He likes math the most. He gets good comments from his teachers. He likes to eat fish, meat and fruits, but is not picky. He has a close relationship with his foster parents, but wants to be adopted into a forever family. Are you the family to help his dreams come true before December? THERE IS A GRANT UP TO $5000 AVAILABLE FOR HEATH

Leroy is active and extroverted, but is shy when he meets new people. He gets along well with his classmates and teachers. In 2007 he was in grade 3 and doing well academically. He can be naughty, such as coming home from school covered in dirt, but he is very obedient with his teachers, helping them to clean the chalkboard and empty the dustbin. He has been part of the Little Sisters program. Leroy had a family until he was four years old and needs a forever family to come forward and adopt him before December. THERE IS A GRANT UP TO $5000 AVAILABLE FOR LEROY!

Please see ASIA's waiting child section of the website for more detailed information about these children, or contact me if you are interested in viewing their files: marcisk@asiadopt.org

Brighter Futures!

ASIA is excited to share more details about our Brighter Futures program! ASIA is pairing with Baotou Social Welfare Institute in Inner Mongolia! We are very excited to have the opportunity to help this orphanage! We have received a preliminary listing of the children there that will need to be registered for adoption. There is a surprising number of really young children! The children range in age from newborns up to 13 years old and have special needs such as cleft lip and palate, heart conditions, limb differences, digestive disease, vision and/or hearing issues as well as conditions that could be more serious like cerebral palsy and down syndrome. Two ASIA staff members are planning to visit the orphanage towards the end of April to help begin the process of registering the children for adoption and doing evaluations on the children. We will also take the opportunity to take additional pictures and video, like we did for the Hope Journey Programs. We will gather as much information as we can about the children to help them find the families that were meant to be theirs.

We do not expect to receive the files of these children for several months, as their medical reports have not yet been done and they will then need to be translated and approved. ASIA families with dossiers logged in and other ASIA families will have priority for these children, and then they will become available to all other families interested. ASIA is extremely excited to partner with Baotou and we look forward to sharing more details as they unfold.

In Desperate Need of Families NOW!

These five children are all aging out in the next few months!!! There are GRANTS available for all 5 of these kids! We need families who already have their dossiers logged in, or are extremely close, to adopt these children. If you're interested, please contact Marci: marcisk@asiadopt.org

Jessica is active and extroverted. She has formed close bonds with her caretakers and is a happy girl. She is a smart girl and communicates well with others. She helps the caretakers do housework actively. She has normal physical and mental development.

Marie is a beautiful, extroverted and clever girl who is loved by everyone. She gets good marks in schools. In 2009 she was in grade 6 and went happily to school and listened to her teachers. She takes good care of herself, can run and jump freely, sweeps the floors voluntarily, makes the bed and wipes the desk. She is well behaved and popular.

Perry is shy, but gets along well with others. In 2009 he was doing well in grade 1 at school. He lives with a foster family and is able to get along with his classmates at school and finish his homework by himself. He has good language skills and can take care of himself. He has a slight limp, but is able to walk well. He has some trouble running and jumping. He likes watching TV and chatting with his foster family at home. His foster parents take him out for walks often to help his muscles.

Lee was found and sent to live in the orphanage when he was 10 years old. Despite being abandoned at an older age, they have taken such good care of him at the orphanage that he is filled with trust in his life. He is active and loves to smile. He loves to play outside and gets along with the nannies and other children very well. He is a very polite young man. He is a very bright boy, but he doesn’t like to study. He has written that he wishes to be adopted, but his time is running out!

Hansen is a bright child who likes playing basketball, bike riding, traveling, drawing and doing housework. He wants a family and understands that foreigners will speak a different language. He promises to get along with brothers and sisters and will study hard. He wants a mother and father to love him.

"Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit."
-e.e. cummings

How perfect for the world of adoption!

Welcome Back Singles!

You may have heard the hulabaloo about singles and this time it's true! CCAA has decided to allow single females to adopt Special Focus children! There are some additional requirements for singles, but this means children like Harold, Thomas, Fabian, Michael, Shawn, Henry, CJ and Kerry will have a better chance at finding a family! We at ASIA are thrilled at this development! We have long been an agency that has advocated for singles and now we can do that once again through China special needs! This gives me so much hope that more children will find families instead of sitting on the waiting child list for years. We are thrilled to welcome back singles into the China special needs program!

Parker, Fabian and Harold

Fabian and Harold both have families now! We are thrilled for them!

Do you remember Harold, Fabian and Parker? Well, we just found out that their Social Welfare Institute is willing to waive their orphanage donations so they can be adopted! If money was stopping you from pursuing one of these older boys, please contact me! They are still on the shared list, still needing families! Here are some reminders of who they are:

Harold is the sweetest little boy who is a very talented musician. He smiles often, but is shy around strangers. He loves to play badminton and music. He wants to be a police officer when he grows up to catch thieves.

Fabian is really into comic books and is a talented artist. He likes to teach younger kids to draw. He also likes to play the curcurbit flute. He is in the 5th grade and is very conscientious.

Parker is shy as well, but very kind hearted. When his foster mother is sick, he is very compassionate and offers to help take care of her. He is quiet, although he has friends in school. He is also in the 5th grade and has a good attitude about learning.

Treasure Each Day

There are some things in life that make you wake up and realize you need to treasure each day, savour each moment with your children, and if you're thinking about creating a family, or adding to yours, don't wait. You never know what the future will hold, but a child's mind is a wondrous thing! They are filled with such wonder and joy at the simplest things. There's nothing better than having an excuse to act like a kid again with your child:-)

Whenever I thought about being a parent, I always thought about Halloween because it is one of my favorite holidays, and being a parent gives me the perfect excuse to go to the pumpkin patch, carve pumpkins and do all the things that I love about Halloween! Now that I am a parent, it's not just Halloween I love, but every day I get to see my child discover new things, tell me stories in her own way or just be goofy and fun. For me, there is no greater joy than being a parent and I get to see that joy in others, too.

I'm happy to report that a family is working very hard to be able to adopt Milly! I'm also happy to report that there has been some interest in the Hope Journey II kids, even though their files are now on the shared list. I continue to share their pictures and videos with folks asking, which gives me hope. I was afraid they would get lost on that list, but they haven't! So my hope has returned. So on that hopeful note, I leave you with hope for the future. Happy Weekend!

Cheyanne (used to be Bree)

Please meet Cheyanne. Apparently this little one has been advocated for previously, but she still needs to find her family, so hopefully this will help! Cheyanne is an adorable 4 year old girl. She loves to play games with other children and has bonded with her caregiver. She can walk on her knees to get around, including up and down stairs. Cheyanne's file is a bit old, but if a family considers her, it may be possible to get updated information.

Pearl

Please meet Pearl. Her name in Chinese means "Snow White" because she had a very beautiful complexion, which was admired when she was named. She had surgery for her condition and has since learned to move freely like other children. She likes to play outside in the garden. She especially enjoys the slide and the rocking horse. She is able to throw a ball like other children and says many words and phrases. Like her name, Pearl is precious and needs a loving family of her own.

ASIA's Next Program

ASIA would like you to hear about an exciting new China program we will be offering this year.

We were honored to be invited, along with only a handful of other agencies to take part in a new program with CCAA that we are calling Bright Futures. As we understand it so far, ASIA will be assigned an orphanage to work with exclusively in order to register the children for adoption. These could be healthy children and/or special needs children of all ages. Two ASIA staff members will travel to the orphanage to meet the children, prepare the children for adoption by conducting individual evaluations, as well as teach the nannies about ways to stimulate, care for and evaluate the children. In addition, we will ensure that the children will get all of the usual medical tests and examinations done.

ASIA will personally select the children we wish to have on our individual list. We anticipate that we could have somewhere around 60 children to advocate for on our individual waiting child list! We will receive the files of the children several months after our visit, as it will take some time to have it all translated and approved by the CCAA.

Families who have dossiers already logged in with ASIA when we get the files of the children will have priority for the new children we receive.

ASIA is very excited about this new opportunity to help brighten the futures of such a large group of children by helping them become eligible for adoption. There are many questions left to be answered and as we find out more details about the program we will post the additional information.

Meet Milly

Meet Milly. CCAA has asked us to advocate for her because she will turn 14 in the fall and no longer be eligible for adoption. Milly is healthy and sweet. The Director of her orphanage regards her as his own always asks how she is doing and teaches her things. Milly is a very polite and honest young lady. When she found 50 Yuan on the ground, she immediately gave it to her teacher to try to find the person who lost it. Her teacher was so impressed that she continued to praise and encourage Milly. Milly struggles a little academically but has remained at grade level with a little extra help and encouragement. She likes studying English more than Chinese and Math. She reports that she does want to be adopted and have a family of her own. Milly needs a family to come forward for her right away! Please contact me if you would be interested in Milly. If you are already in process for another child, it may be possible to adopt Milly as well: marcisk@asiadopt.org

Meet Zia

Meet Zia--isn't she adorable? She is 3 1/2 years old and has a ready smile. She's active, outgoing, likes playing outdoors and playing with other children. She also likes to listen to music and watch cartoons. Can't you imagine sitting at home with her, listening to music and watching her shake her little hips and clap her hands? Maybe some pigtails in her future? Those pudgy cheeks get me everytime! Could you see her as part of your family? Contact me--her file is available for review currently: marcisk@asiadopt.org

Unless...

Today is the day these Hope Journey II kids' files will be returned to CCAA. I will leave up their descriptions and pictures on this blog in hope that someone will come along and want more information about these kids in the future. I hope their files will be available on the shared list or with another agency. I'm happy to provide the information we have about them to anyone who asks--families or agencies. In the words of Dr. Seuss: "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." I'm sad that these kids have not found their families yet, but hopefully they will soon. Perhaps another agency will have better luck.

Beginning tomorrow I will advocate for the kids on our individual waiting child list until our next new program like Hope Journey. Stay tuned for more information....

To Be Returned Tuesday

I get emails asking if any of the children left are being pursued by families yet. It's depressing to have to say no every time. We still have all of the children left that we did last week when I posted the list. We have a family considering Shawn, but that's about it. It looks like we will sadly have to return all of those files come Tuesday. I'm feeling very sad for these children. They each deserve loving families, and I'm sure there are families somewhere who would be pleased as punch to have these little guys as members of their families.

Here are their faces once again. Please spread the word as much as you can before Tuesday. Perhaps there is still a chance for a few of them?

Happy New Year's Eve!

Peter is a hard working child. He always looks for challenges. Carving porcelain is very skilled art. He started by carving simple Chinese characters, now he can do simple drawings. He is always the first one to master the skill. He never gives up, he does his best every time to finish each product.

Harley is a clever and cute boy. He loves to help others. He always tell people that he loves to help, and he shows the rewards he receives from helping others. In fact, whenever the nannies and teachers need help, the first person they think about is Harley. Because we know that he takes his task seriously, and he completes all the tasks to the satisfaction.

Henry is a dedicated little boy, it shows on his writing class. Henry is the oldest in his class, he is also an example for other kids. He has beautiful handwriting. The teacher always praises his handwriting. Why he has such a beautiful handwriting? His classmates know… He pays 100% attention when he writes. He is introverted, a good listener, never teases other kids, he is a friend to everyone. He likes to join social work activities. He always raises his hand to answer questions.

Our last Chance

I have been at a loss for words about these kids lately. They deserve so much more than I have been able to convey. Now it is Chinese New Year and most of China is heading home to visit their families. This is our last chance to find these children families. Orphans in China don't have families to go to, so it must be an especially difficult and sad time of year for them. Those who have endured another holiday season without the child you have dreamed of can surely understand their feelings. So many opportunities have come about this year to help families bring home older children and special needs children, yet these kids still wait. I fear that I have failed them. Pictures surely speak louder than words, so in honor of Chinese New Year, I will post the Lion Dance Video again for your viewing:

Status of Hope Journey Files

ASIA has been given permission to keep the files of the kids in the Hope Journey II program until after Chinese New Year, which means they will be returned on February 9th. That gives us a few more days for families to really consider these children before making a decision one way or another. I have received a lot of inquiries about a few of the children, which has been encouraging. Keep those inquiries coming! These kids don't have much longer. I don't want anyone to do anything they're not comfortable with, but I do want everyone to advocate for these kids! They deserve so much more than they currently have.

Jeremy

One of my treasured advocates made me realize that I had not mentioned Jeremy very much! So let's talk Jeremy:-) Jeremy's file is available! He is 5 years old and has mild special needs.

Jeremy is detailed oriented and a helpful little boy. He likes doing puzzles, playing ball and running. One time the teacher took out a few puzzles which are a bit harder for his age. Jeremy was so excited and asked if those are new puzzles. The teacher said, “yes, would you like to take the challenge?” Then he said, “I want to.” The teachers were all surprised by his confidence. So Jeremy happily took the puzzle and started working on it. Soon after, he said “I am done teacher! Come check it out!” The teacher said to him, “you did a very good job!”

Please contact me to view Jeremy's file before it is too late: marcisk@asiadopt.org

Down To The Wire

We're getting down to the wire on our time allowed with the Hope Journey II kids files. If people ask for their files at this point, I'm going to send them out to anyone interested--we will no longer just send them to one family at a time, as we don't have enough time left (for the Hope Journey II kids). If you are with another agency and wish to pursue one of these children, please contact me--we will be happy to transfer their file so they will have a family. We really don't want these kids to get lost on the shared list! They each have so much potential! It's hard to see this through pictures and minimal descriptions, but when you meet these kids face to face, and you see the light in their eyes and their desire to be part of something that's forever, like a family, you know.

For the record, here are the kids that don't yet have forever families:
Lilah
Harley
Michael
Shawn
Peter
Bo
Thomas
Henry
Jeremy
Gene
CJ
Harold
Edward
Warner
Parker
Gavin
Kerry
Fabian

Notice they are all boys except 1? There are some healthy boys in this list! There are some adorable children with repaired conditions! There are some sweethearts who truly need the love and understanding that a family would provide. If, by chance, there is a family out there who has not yet come forward and has interest in these children, please contact me now: marcisk@asiadopt.org