Find My Family: Brennan
April 28, 2018
Children Who Wait
Born in November of 2006 with mild bilateral clubfoot, Brennan is a handsome boy with a great smile. At the time Brennan’s file was prepared (September of 2016), he was in 3rd grade at a local public school. He showed a lot of growth in his studies, personality, life habits, and physical growth. He studies …Read More
Darcy Waits
April 26, 2018
Children Who Wait
Determined Darcy, born in February of 2009, is described as joyful and optimistic. Darcy was a camper at an advocacy camp run by another agency in November of 2017, where she went by Whitby. Agency reps and Darcy’s camp partner said that she was a true delight, full of personality. She was ready to go, …Read More
Three Shifts Any Church Can Make Right Now To Prioritize Adoption
April 25, 2018
a father's perspective, adoption community, Dads, other ways to care for the orphan, Randall
I know many of us are part of great churches. In an ideal world, you probably feel supported and loved all the way through the process and post-placement. If you find yourself in one of these churches, your pastor has probably talked from stage on a regular basis about the value of adoption. They know …Read More
Find My Family: Marianne
April 22, 2018
Children Who Wait
Marianne is a beautiful little girl, born in February of 2011. In September of 2016, Marianne joined the Sapling Growth Care Project funded by Beijing Chunmiao Save the Children Foundation. She is currently living with a foster family through this organization and, at the time her file was prepared, was studying in their kindergarten class …Read More
Waiting Child: Butterfly Zoe
April 20, 2018
Children Who Wait
Meet precious Zoe who is listed with Small World Adoptions! Zoe is a shy five year old little girl, her special need is listed as Epidermolysis Bullosa. Zoe is a beautiful little girl who needs a family to love her and help her get the medical care that she needs. She can speak in simple …Read More
Meeting Our Girl With Special Eyes: Part 1
April 19, 2018
attachment activities, congenital blindness, Family Stories, Gotcha Day, micropthalmia, older child adoption, Sensory System, vision issues, vision loss
Lydia is our first adopted child. She is our first girl, and we had never before parented a seven year old. We didn’t have any experience working with visually impaired or even special needs children. We never dreamed we would have a child who was blind. But our hearts changed after learning about this precious, …Read More
Waiting for You: Georgie!
April 18, 2018
Children Who Wait
Georgie (Born July 2014) is a very talkative little man! He studies carefully and can recognize and name dozens of animals, transportation tools, and musical instruments. He also knows the parts of the body and several colors. Caregivers say he is a smart boy, and a good little helper. Georgie is listed with WACAP! Georgie …Read More
Meet Francis!
April 16, 2018
Children Who Wait
Francis is a handsome little boy, born in October of 2011, who is described as all smiles and easygoing. Francis joined a foster family in June of 2014 and he has done very well under their care. He is a talkative little boy who can answer questions well. He knows how to count, sort objects …Read More
“Will Adoption Be Good For My Kids?”
April 15, 2018
complex heart defect, double outlet right ventricle, Heart System, heart transplant, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, large families, Lifelong needs, Megan V., older child adoption, siblings
As I type, I’m sitting still in a sun puddle, watching my 12 year old take Abe’s blood pressure because we are at nearly 10,000 feet elevation on a ski vacation and his heart is faltering as it is, even without the elevation change putting undue stress on his valves. And this is a monitoring …Read More
Find My Family: Dayton
April 13, 2018
Children Who Wait
Dayton is a dashing little boy, born in March of 2014, who is described by his caretakers as smart, talkative, smiley, and adorable! Dayton can stand up, sit down, and walk in his crib by holding onto the crib railings. Dayton loves playing toy cars and piling blocks up high. He can turn the pages …Read More
Meet Elinor: The Little Helper
April 12, 2018
Children Who Wait
Sweet Elinor, born in April of 2014 with Down syndrome and esotropia, enjoys caring for the younger babies by folding towels and by taking their bottles to the sink, one by one. She will also take a tissue and wipe their mouths, all on her own initiative. Elinor’s caretakers say she is cheerful, active, curious, …Read More
Just What We Needed: Parenting a Child with Hypotonia
April 11, 2018
April 2018 Feature - CNS, Central Nervous System, cerebral palsy, Family Stories, hypotonia, low muscle tone, occupational therapy, periventricular leukomalacia, physical therapy, Uncategorized
When we were matched with Hailey, she was 6 months old, and we were blessed to call her our daughter! We waited over 18 months to see this sweet girl’s face, and could not believe the day was finally here. With her referral information, we were given the results of a CT scan, which showed …Read More
Dimples for Days!
April 10, 2018
Children Who Wait
Gwen is an adorable and enthusiastic little girl, born in May of 2012. And when she smiles, she has the cutest dimples ever! Gwen gets along well with other children and plays well with them too. She shares her food and toys with her friends. She likes to play with blocks and balls and she …Read More
Say What? – Six Months Later
April 9, 2018
apraxia of speech, Brandie, early intervention, Education, hearing aids, hearing loss, sign language, speech delay, speech therapy, undiagnosed SN, velopharyngeal Insufficiency
Six months ago, I shared about our journey with Caston through his surprise diagnosis of hearing loss and severe speech delay. Six months! Half of a year. It seems like just yesterday that I sat down to write about our experience. Since then, I’ve seen so many parents with questions and concerns relating to speech …Read More
Love Over Obedience
April 7, 2018
Attachment, attachment activities, attachment challenges, cocooning, discipline, large families, parent-to-child attachment, Sharon, siblings
In case it hasn’t been said lately ~ adoption is hard, messy, ugly, and hurtful at times but so worth the fight. The fight for love. The fight for hearts. The fight for value. I had a messy situation not long ago, and I thought I’d share in hopes it might help someone in the …Read More
Saying Yes to Giving Grace
April 5, 2018
adoption community, April 2018 Feature - Giving Grace, cocooning, first year home, local adoption support, local church, Newly Home, supporting adoptive families, Whitney
I knew when we stepped into life as a family who had experienced the gift of adoption relationships with other people would be different. I knew that some people understood the “why” behind our choice and some people didn’t. I knew that some people would understand the difficulties associated with living life with our child …Read More
Waiting for You: Nelson
April 4, 2018
Children Who Wait
Nelson has a heart-breaking beginning to his story. He was found in 2011 at the age 2, along with his baby brother. There was a note with them. Nelson and his baby brother both struggled when they came into care- their hearts were broken at all they had lost. Both boys cried all the time, …Read More
The Surprise Adoption
April 2, 2018
adopting again, Family Stories, older child adoption, pre-adoption, should we adopt?, virtual twins
Me: Surprise, we are adopting again! My friend: I’m shocked! Me: So are we!!! Friend: How does this happen? The short answer is God! I want to document the longer answer so that I don’t forgot but also as a testimony to each of you about God’s goodness and His attention to detail. Just when …Read More
Our Journey to Spina Bifida
April 1, 2018
adopting again, April 2018 Feature - CNS, Central Nervous System, Family Stories, hip dysplasia, hydrocephalus, leg length discrepancy, older child adoption, reluctant husband, spina bifida
Our journey to spina bifida started with a book — Knowing God by J.I. Packer. I was reading the book for an online book/Bible study. It was a meaty book, and I struggled to get through many parts of it. But then I read these words: “Nor is it the spirit of those Christians – …Read More