Fighting for HIV+ Orphans
March 30, 2015
Family Stories, HIV, Infectious
I want to see HIV+ orphans adopted into forever families. I can’t say this was always a goal of mine, but God has a way of getting us to where He wants us to be. For my wife and I that journey started in January 2011, while we were living in Asia, and friends of …Read More
“Your Daughter Has Autism”
March 28, 2015
autism, cognitive delay, Developmental System, Family Stories
My husband and I were high school sweethearts. We met young, married quickly while in college, and had plans for our life together from the start. Our plans included chasing the American dream and one child. Years went by and we were doing fine! We had our one child, a few advanced degrees, stable jobs, …Read More
burst into bloom
March 27, 2015
Carrie
The waste-land and the dry land will be glad. The desert will be full of joy and become like a rose. Many flowers will grow in it, and it will be filled with joy and singing. The greatness of Lebanon will be given to it, and the beauty of Carmel and Sharon. They will see …Read More
disruption: 3 things for parents to consider
March 26, 2015
adoption realities, disruption, guest post, LWB, March 2015 Feature - Disruption, orphanage realities
Today we finish out our month-long series on disruption with a post by Amy Eldridge of Love Without Boundaries Foundation. We are so grateful to include her voice of experience here, as she has spent years working on behalf of orphans in China and has witnessed the wake of disruption on families and children – …Read More
find my family: William
March 26, 2015
Family Found
Adorable 6.5 year old William is newly listed with Madison Adoption Associates. William is diagnosed as having hydrocephalus and spina bifida- tethered cord syndrome. He had surgery for both conditions. William is outgoing and active. He is talkative and quick to laugh. He gets along well with his friends when playing games. He is energetic …Read More
Caring for her heart
March 25, 2015
Attachment, Kelly
I rarely seem to get the significant conversations when I try to start them. But, I try anyway. I don’t try everyday; neither of us need it everyday. In fact, there have been weeks that go by with no real attempts on my part to open those doors. But, every once in a while, when …Read More
Yes.
March 24, 2015
Rebecca
We say yes. We say yes to adoption. Not because we are ready, gutsy, extra loving, secure, or financially capable. We say yes to adopting children with special needs. Not because we are strong, capable, patient, knowledgeable, or prepared. We say yes to adopting children with developmental delays. Not because we are competent, gentle, even …Read More
four families found
March 24, 2015
Family Found, fundraisers, Liberty
Advocating for Children Who Wait is an important part of what we do here on No Hands But Ours. We celebrate with great joy every time we learn that there is a Family Found for one of these children. Today we would like to share four children who were highlighted on NHBO who now have …Read More
Adopting a Child with Vision Impairment: 8 Things to Consider
March 23, 2015
Family Found, Family Stories, retinoblastoma, Sensory System, vision issues, vision loss
December 11, 2011 in Fujian was cool, damp and grey. We were waiting in a conference room at the hotel with another couple from the US. This wasn’t the first time we’d done this. We had waited in similar rooms four times prior to this; however, this time was very different. Long after, we would …Read More
Aging Out Child: Summer
March 22, 2015
Family Found
Summer will age out and no longer be available for adoption on her 14th birthday which is less than 2 months away on May 15th. She needs a family already in process who is motivated to expedite her adoption before this day. Summer has Cerebral Palsy and her gait is slightly affected. She is described …Read More
World Down Syndrome Day 2015
March 21, 2015
Desiree, Down syndrome
March 21st. The 21st day of the 3rd month of the year. A day picked specifically to celebrate those with a 3rd copy of their 21st chromosome. And this day specifically to increase awareness of the global blessing of Down syndrome! There is no firm data on how many beautiful people there are world wide …Read More
Urgent Heart Waiting Child: Tanner
March 20, 2015
Family Found
Meet Tanner! This little guy is in urgent need of a family. He has waited way too long with a serious Congenital Heart Defect. Tanner was born in June of 2005. He is now 9 years old. Tanner was found at the age of 10 months old in a park in the province where he …Read More
with open arms: adopting from disruption
March 19, 2015
disruption, March 2015 Feature - Disruption, older child adoption, PTSD
We stood shivering on a strange doorstep sixteen long hours from home. It was nerves mixed with excitement that churned inside me as we raised our hand to knock on the door. A stack of boxes and suitcases greeted us in the foyer when the door opened. We stepped inside and a little boy with …Read More
Ridiculous Faith
March 18, 2015
Family Found, Family Stories
How this all began. The story… we simply didn’t even begin to write. Dean and I went out for a date at Olive Garden. On this date I mentioned to Dean that I keep getting this strong impression about adopting an older girl. We talked. We laughed. We both agreed this would have to be …Read More
find my family: Ruth
March 18, 2015
Family Found
Sweet little Ruth is still waiting and is available for immediate placement. She just turned two in February. She smiles when someone calls her name. She is quiet and shy, a deep sleeper and loves to listen to music. Ruth can understand simple instructions and can take a few steps while sitting in her walker, …Read More
the sea in our blood
March 17, 2015
Blood Conditions, Family Stories, March 2015 Feature - Blood Conditions, thalassemia
When I was very young, I knew that I wanted to adopt a little girl from China. Stories of baby girls being abandoned because of the one-child policy made a strong impact on me. I grew up, got married to a wonderful man, and we spent 9 years having “the longest honeymoon ever,” rarely even …Read More
Jo Jo: adopting a child with undiagnosed urogenital defects
March 16, 2015
Family Stories, micropenis, undescended testicle, Urogenital System
My name is Lynn and I asked if I could share my family’s story. Our hope is that in sharing about a sensitive special need like our son has, a family out there that is thinking of adopting a child with it will be helped. We have five children. The first three are biological followed …Read More
Recovering a Childhood
March 15, 2015
Jean, older child adoption, orphanage realities
Recently our oldest adopted daughter from China celebrated her 15th birthday. She wasn’t excited about this birthday because she didn’t want to be fifteen. She liked being 14 and to her 15 felt too old. You see she feels a bit cheated… Her childhood began at the age of 8 yrs 8 month and 18 …Read More
When It Isn’t Harmonious
March 13, 2015
disruption, Katie, March 2015 Feature - Disruption
Continuing our series on disruption, today we share a story from Katie who blogs at Surviving Adoption. If you haven’t read our other posts in this series, you can find them here and here. Come with me on a journey for a few minutes. This is my personal journey full of triumph and failure, …Read More
Binding Her Wounds: Adopting a Child with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB)
March 12, 2015
epidermolysis bullosa, Family Stories, Skin Conditions, Whitney
Our journey as a family into EB adoption started with eczema. True story. Out of the three biological children we already had, two of them had big time problems with eczema. So, when one day I was scrolling down the waiting child list on our agency’s website and saw “dermatitis”, my heart leapt. Dermatitis? I …Read More
Golden Time
March 11, 2015
Amy, referral
I was texting with a friend yesterday who is a few months away from one year anniversary of her LID (log in date). She still has no referral. Their story is very different than ours because we sent the dossier on a Monday and 10 days later had our referral call. We weren’t logged in. Our entire …Read More
Kingdom to the Chaos
March 9, 2015
adoption community, Amy A., orphan ministry
Exactly one year ago, I had the privilege of hearing Beth Guckenberger speak at Created For Care. While many things she shared became engraved in my heart, one of my favorites was her illustration of bringing the Kingdom to the Chaos. When God created the world, everything was good and in perfect peace. Then, Adam …Read More
Adopting a Child with Hemophilia: What I Wish I Had Known
March 7, 2015
Blood Conditions, Family Stories, hemophilia, March 2015 Feature - Blood Conditions
In honor of Hemophilia Awareness Month, I wanted to write a post to help other adoptive parents understand what can be involved in adopting a child with hemophilia. My son, who came home from China in 2013, has severe Hemophilia A (the most common type of hemophilia), which means that his body does not make …Read More
Thoughts on Disruption: This Much I Know For Sure
March 6, 2015
disruption, guest post, March 2015 Feature - Disruption
Continuing our series, Disruption in Adoption, today we are sharing a post from Stephanie, a mom who has personally experienced the devastation of a failed adoption. We are grateful for her willingness to share her story. ……….. 18 years in the classroom as a teacher was easy compared to parenting three little ones at home …Read More
find my family: Holden
March 6, 2015
Family Found
Ready for some cuteness?!? Holden, born July 2012, is an active little boy, who loves to be cuddled. He has differences in his external ears, with mild hearing loss. However, he loves to listen to music! His file contains an abnormal CT scan from October 2012, but he has not had another since then. In …Read More
Jen’s Cliff Notes Review: TBRI DVD series part 4
March 5, 2015
Attachment, Jennifer, TBRI DVD Series, Trust Based Parenting
If you have been following this series, congratulations! We just made it through Disc 1! Hopefully the minutes that you have scanned these posts have saved you the hours it took for me to watch it! Don’t fret – I’ve got your back all you parents in the middle of it all. I know you …Read More
Gia: Adopting a Child with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB)
March 4, 2015
epidermolysis bullosa, Family Stories, Skin Conditions
When my husband and I began the adoption process, we knew we were open to adopting a child with special needs, but we didn’t have any specific need in mind. We had a very broad medical checklist, and we planned on getting our LID and having our agency match us with a child. But then …Read More
Disruption: the facts
March 3, 2015
disruption, Liberty, March 2015 Feature - Disruption
The beginning of March marks the start of a series where we will be discussing disruption and dissolution in adoption. We are treading prayerfully and lightly into this realm of the adoption world that is so often avoided. It is hard to talk about. It is complicated. And it is most definitely life altering to …Read More
find my family: Rion
March 2, 2015
Family Found
Adorable and handsome Rion recently turned 8. He is waiting for a family on the shared list and he is diagnosed as having postoperative cleft lip and palate and epilepsy. As of Dec. 2011 he has stopped the medication he was taking for his epilepsy and it sounds as if he has not had any …Read More