Gemma is an affectionate little girl who loves being cuddled and sang to! Born in September of 2013, she was diagnosed with delayed development and brittle bone disease. When she was 1 month old, her joints easily swelled when being cuddled and it usually took her a week for the painful swelling to reduce. She could babble sounds like “gugu” and would cry if she felt uncomfortable or if she had a wet diaper. When she was 3 months old, she could locate the source of sounds though sometimes had difficulty raising her head. At the age of 5 months, she could make good eye contact, recognize familiar voices, and recognize her reflection in the mirror!
She loves to giggle and play with toys using her hands and feet. According to her report, she has normal mental development and her swelling of her joints has become less of an issue as she ages. She’s perceptive and can respond to the facial expressions of others; she can also respond when asked to give up something she is holding. She can point to her mouth and nose, say “mom” in her native language, and will adorably pat her belly when she feels full!
WACAP is offering a $4,000 Promise Child Grant for qualified families! Email WACAP for more information!
I had hoped to be posting this earlier, but you’ll understand when I share the circumstances – my husband and I saw this little girl here on this post, and it was directly because of seeing her here that we started pursuing her. Then the day after we got PA, he had a heart attack, and we didn’t know if we’d be able to continue! However, after talking with WACAP and with my husband’s cardiologist, we are humbled and excited to be continuing to adopt her 🙂 THANK YOU for these advocacy posts, even when they may not seem to get much of a response. You never know whether, 2.5 months later, you’ll find out that you were instrumental in a little one and her family finding each other! Here’s our blog post publicly announcing our adoption – http://notyetwhatweshallbe.com/the-light-shines-in-the-darkness-announcing-our-next-big-adventure/
Seeing how this whole thing worked out is making me cry big happy tears. What a remarkable site. Bless you Stefanie and contributors for these miracle listings.
Brett