Walker Found !!!

Beautiful baby boy Walker has been found. That makes me very happy. His smile just wins you over as soon as you see him. He's a little butterfly just waiting to spread his wings. I'd love to put "Found" on every single one of those lost souls by the end of 2012.

Waiting Wednesday

Waiting. So many children are still waiting for a mom and dad who may never come. Some of these little ones have already been transferred to an institution where they will lay Forgotten Forever. Sweet little Spencer born in July 2006 is one of those already transferred. His future is bleak and his life will never get better. As noted "Spencer is physically capable and active, and should be in kindergarten, not a mental institution!" Spencer has over six thousand dollars in his grant to go toward his adoption.

And yes, Lilly, has been waiting so long for her mom and dad. "This gorgeous little blondie has a significant heart defect and needs to see a cardiologist. She is doing ok for now, but definitely needs a family quickly!" She is not mobile at the moment but is just waiting for that most importand ingredient needed to make a child grow and prosper: LOVE. She has over five thousand dollars in her grant to help her family find her.

Jonas is "an active boy; walks, runs, overcomes all barriers on his way, goes up and down the stairs. Mostly he is emotionally positive, his psychic is stable. Shows no aggression. Positive to children and adults. Shows adequate response. Easy to deal with" but in a few months he will be turnin 4 and in this region he will be transferred at that tender age. Who will come for this little guy? His parents need to find him Asap. There is almost forty five hundred dollars in his grant to help his parents with the adoption. ---- JUST NOTICED ----

JONAS IS ON MY FAMILY FOUND ME PAGE ..that's fantastic news!!!

Is this Langley

if so, he's just so cute, may God bring him a family soon

Slatka Mala

Translation: sweet little one. This little girlie girl has been through so much already in her young life. She's been in the orphanage so long and has undergone surgeries all on her own and still she comes out smiling. Soon she will have her third surgery. She is a dainty little girl who loves pretty dresses and colorful bows in her beautiful hair. She is also very smart. I've read that she has learned three poems for Christmas. Her name is T .

Nazdravlje, mala.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

T

Today was the first time I saw T.

News on sweet Langley

I'm still soooo very happy for Francine. At last she has a family who will take her home and love her. It's such a blessing.

I was checking on Langley and there is news from someone who has just seen him. He is walking. He is so sweet and so deserves a family of his own. This is what it says:

" I saw him today. After days of scanning faces, I walked into Bella's groupa and SAW HIM!! He is a doll. He is so cute! He looks healthy and is walking. I had a banana for Bella (which they wouldn't let me give it to her) and he took it. He bit right through the peeling. If they would have let me, I would have given it to him. Oh sweet boy…you need a mama!!!"

WOW Francine is Found

I just checked Francine's profile and it came up in the My Family Found Me page. That is so wonderful. I am so happy for her.

Finding Francine

Such a beautiful girl Francine is but looking so sad. No doubt she's wondering where her parents are, why haven't they found her yet. The time for Francine to go to the institution is near. She is going to be six in May. What should be a celebration for her, a time for birthday cake, laughter and presents will only be a dark time of uncertainty and loneliness. Her family needs to find her ASAP.

Lilianna

We're all excited to see that Lilianna is improving and looks so well in her photos. I don't imagine that she is mobile and I feel so bad for her always being stuck in that crib when she should be up and around and learning to walk or at least sit or crawl. I so wish that this will not be her future. She deserves so much more. There must be a family out there looking for her, they just don't know yet that she is theirs. I hope God shows them their way to her soon.

Sharing Sunday: Walker

Walker is a beautiful little boy with HIV but by his wonderful smile you would never know anything was wrong. A child with such zeal for life should not be alone. Walker should be given every opportunity for a life filled with love and support from his family. But who is his family? Please visit Walker's profile. He so deserves a family who would give him all the love and assistance he deserves.

 

"Walker is a very happy and a radiant kid! He is "honey-sweet" with a healthy glow on his cheeks and beautiful huge brown eyes. He is sensitive and responsive: life-loving child with radiant smile."

Today, not so good

Just made another donation to Francine's fund but as for the social worker interview today, it was not so good. I mean I didn't expect my husband just to suddenly change his mind but I thought there might be a tiny speck of chance that he might start be with me on this but it seems not. The social worker didn't help any either. Though I know full well that both parents have to be 100% on board I thought she was pushing for domestic adoption and had nothing good to say about International adoption. She was making it really raw, the naked truth so to speak. Adoption could be harsh, long and expensive. OK I already knew that. So, I'm back at square one however I'm not ready to give up just yet.

Wishful Wednesday

No, it's not Wednesday but this Wednesday my husband and I have an appointment with an adoption practitioner for the consultation session. He has agreed to go though it still doesn't mean he's changed his mind but I'll take that. It's better than nothing and it could be a tiny sign that he has changed his mind he just doesn't know it yet.

Here is a link to Rick and Michelle's blog. They are adopting two girls from Ukraine and need some help in bringing them home. I think Rick was much like my husband Charlie who had no idea he would one day adopt.

******* GO TO - NO LONGER AN ORPHAN for an Art Givaway ******

Some art donated by none other than Jane.

Ukraine in my Coffee

I know, it's the strangest thing. I was at work this morning pouring just boiled water into my cup which already contained coffe grounds and cream and as it filled up a very clear design came up in the middle. For some reason I stared at it for a while, thinking the design reminded me of something. I just couldn't shake it. Quickly, I went to check on the internet for a map of Ukraine and lo and behold that's what it was, Ukraine in my coffee. I could hardly contain my excitement. I sent a message to my husband saying that this was a sign we had to consider.

Sharing Sunday: Cool Dude

No, he's not an orphan. This little cutie-pie is my grandson, cool little dude, Brandon. He is growing so fast, I can hardly believe it. He's past six months and about sixteen pounds. He's come a long way from the tiny thirty two weeker. He's active, playful and doing everything he should be. He is well loved, has all the toys a little guy could want, a ton of clothes and food to eat. I'm so glad he's lucky that way.

This little guy is not so lucky. He will not have toys or his own clothes and most importantly he will not have the nurturing love from his own parents who would do anything to see that he leads the best life possible. Unless he's adopted very soon his life will be miserable and lonely.


THIS IS LANGLEY


He's a cool little dude too and so cute. He was born in 2007 and has Down Syndrome. He is easy going and plays well with others. I'm sure he would make someone a wonderful son. Please, think about bringing this beautiful little boy home to your family. Don't his eyes look straight into your soul?

Praying for Francine

 

Francine needs a family ASAP. I am talking to my husband about her constantly. I would love for her be our daughter and give her a family she's never had. She would have big brothers and sisters who would dote on her. She so deserves it. I hope God answers my prayers one way or another. This waiting is excruciating. Thank you to Jane for working so hard to bring Francine's adoption fund to over five thousand. Fantastic job on that.

Dear Masha

Masha, you little sweetie, you started me on this crazy road I'm on. You've got me obssessed about something I never imagined I would ever consider in my entire lifetime. You've turned my whole family upside down, half of whom think I've gone insane. Then you go and find yourself another family. What's up with that? Was your only mission to show me the way back to the Lord? To do good on his behalf? To save an orphan from impending doom? Because of you someone else may get saved. I hope and pray it will happen.

PS. Ti ces uvijek biti u mom srcu.

November is AAM

Adoption Awareness Month. I didn't know that before, now I do and I'm trying to do my part to bring attention to it. I know it's a very small part in the grand scale of things but just the same if we all do a little something our effort will grow huge. With that I have huge news, my hubby who has RHS, anyone heard of that?? It stands for reluctant husband syndrome. If you go over to No Greater Joy Dad you can read all about it. The said hubby has told me many times over that he cannot and will not adopt at this stage of our lives. Remember we're fifty and fifty two, grown kids etc and now I've been blindsided by a desperate need to rescue a child from an orphanage. Well hubby finally told me that he would look into it. I know, he's trying to be patient with me and he's only humoring me but still there is that little part of me that sees a tiny speck of hope that perhaps he'll change his mind.

I was also lucky enough to get some more information and a new picture of Francine. She's a gentle little girl who gets around without a wheelchair. She gets along with her peers at the orphange and they enjoy playing with her. Her caregivers also say she is a very smart child but she is nearing six and her time before the institution is running out. I love this picture of her looking out onto the world, smiling, making the best of her situation. She's charming and cherubic but whose child is she? Is she yours or is she mine? I hope that God will answer that question for us very soon.

Thanks to Marianne for taking the time to answer my emails and letting me share this picture of Francine she took when leaving the orphange with her own precious daughter.

Donation

Just donated $35 to Francine's Fund to support her and Jane's giveaway project. She has done a lot to bring attention to this little girl so her parents can find her. I hope people will donate to Francine and other little angels on Reece's Rainbow.

Here's a link to JANE'S BLOG

Lilianna's Birthday

I found out yesterday was Lilianna's 2nd birthday. I wish she could've had a chocolate ice cream cake and presents for her birthday but chances of that are slim if next to none. Marissa turned 5 in August and I wanted to send her a card and a small gift but that wasn't allowed or it wasn't possible. I can imagine why but I wanted to try anyway. Hopefully all will go well and she will spend her next birthday with her wondeful family as will Lilianna.

Thinking about Francine

Looking at the pictures of Francine, she's a lovely child especially with that cute smile on her face. It breaks my heart to think of her going to an institution where nothing will become of her. Though she looks sad in her other pictures there's still that little sparkle of hope in her eyes, as mentioned by Jane. I can see it too as many can. She has that bit of hope that a family will find her and give her a life filled with promises of a better future than what she is destined to. I hope someone can get to her now.

This little one - Lilly

Yes, this little one also caught my eye maybe partly because of the boo boo on top of her head where she's banged it no doubt against the crib.  Lilly will need to be checked by a cardiologist as soon as she comes home.  She was born in February 2007 so she is going on 5 years old.  I don't remember exactly what day I became an orphan advocate but here I am donating time and money to get their voices heard.  I can't believe that the number of orphans in the world is in the millions but if we could each bring home just one orphan the world would be a better place.

Such a cutie pie

My grandson, Brandon is starting to grow into his little personality. At six months old we can already see his likes and dislikes, loves his bath, hates getting changed.  Can't wait for the first words to come out of his mouth even if that word is No as it often is.  It will be such a joy to watch him grow.

Francine is nearly 6

Just wanted to help out by posting about Francine who is nearing the institution.  Can you imagine a child as beautiful and as vibrant as this ending up in one of those institutions we've seen on youtube?  It's horrible to even think about.  I hope her family finds her ASAP.

Princess Marissa

Found Marissa in another video where she is getting therapy I think in the sensory room to develop her fine motor skills.  She was wearing a little gold princess costume and was feeding a pony, a stuffed pony that is.  She seems to be a very gentle child and thoughful at times.  I can't wait for her to find out that she has a family coming for her; a mommy and daddy she's always dreamed of.  Very soon she will be with them in her forever home.  She is loved by many including me and I so wish she could've been my daughter.


LINK: http://needafamily.opekaweb.ru/children.php?ocd=view&id=3082

Beautiful Lilianna

This little one too needs a home and many people are rooting for her.  If only her family could find her.  She needs love and care so badly.  It was sad to hear that a family was coming for her and then she got really sick and they had to stop the adoption process for her.  Now she's still waiting and still has a serious condition that needs looking after but I was told that immigration may not make it easy to bring in a child like this because it's too risky and yet this beautiful child still needs a home.  I hope she finds one soon.

Does she know

I wonder how much if anything Marissa knows about Halloween and this very fun tradition; about dressing up, about candy and about friends gathering together in colorful costumes.

My little pumpkin

It was a great day today to pay a visit to the pumpkin patch at Downy's Farm.  The place was a bee hive as people scurried to find the best looking pumpkin.  Our whole family came out as well and it was a first look at the pumpkins for my little pumpkin, Brandon.  His mom gently held him as he sat on pumpkins and surely wondered what the whole hoopla was all about.  We also came away with pumpkin pie and apple pie as well as some delicious wine from their winery.  We wondered around a bit and would've liked to try the corn maze but our little pumpkin soon tired and we had to rush off home.

my daughter Sherie with her son Brandon

Brandon with me

my little pumpkin 

Sweet Dreams

Slatko spavaj, mala moja.  Ti znas koja si.  Tamo daleko gdje nemogu doci.  Ali cu ti uletit u snove a toplo te zagrlit.

Hopes & Wishes

Had a few days off during Thanksgiving and so took my grandson to a park to see the leaves in color but not much color is going on because we've had mostly a wet season.  I did get to take some pictures and he was nice enough to oblige for a little bit anyway.  All I wish for him is to continue doing as well as he is. Never stopped thinking about Marissa though. I hope she is doing well after her surgery in August and I hope her parents can get to her asap.

Treasures

Wow, can't believe it's fall already.  Seems like we were just looking forward to spring and warm weather but from here on until May it will be winter all the way, except for yesterday.  It was unseasonably hot, beautiful.  All the kids were out playing and I was thinking of Marissa how she can't just get up and go outside and play because she's five years old and she can't walk yet but had she been with her forever family already I'm sure she would be running today.  It's just crazy she hadn't been found by her family sooner than this. 

Our little Brandon promises he will run by his first birthday.  He stands up on his little legs already and they look so strong.  In a few days he will be five months old.  He's doing great.  He charms us all with his beautiful smile and precious giggles.  He was out for the afternoon with his parents and I missed him.  I know one day he will move out all together and I will miss him like crazy.  So, I treasure every moment I spend with him.

Helping Out

I did it. I donated to the Marissa grant fund.  Anyone who can please help out too.  I just want her to get home as soon as possible.  I wish it was to my home but this time it was not meant to be.  She clearly belongs to another family though a little part of me still believes she belongs with me. 

The baby soft hands of an orphan hold tightly to each other while waiting for the day they can open and take the hands of their new mommy and daddy who will take them to their forever family.

Malena, bit ces uvijek u mom srcu.

Next in line

Yesterday, I actually told some of our friends about where my mind has been for over a month.  I told them I actually considered adopting one little orphan in EE.  They just kind of looked at me surely wondering why I would want to do this at this stage of my life when my kids had just grown.  My husband has been patient with me about this.  He's quite enjoying our grandson and I know that he would have been a great father to Marissa but I see that he thinks I will get over this but so far I haven't.  I haven't gotten over losing Marissa because I didn't react on time and I haven't gotten over how many abandoned children are in the world.  I know there are other kids who desperately need homes however it's hard to just stop loving the one who's already snuck into your heart.  So,  I can't just pick another child who might be next in line.  Here is a picture of my daughter Sherie who also thought about adopting Marissa. 

A Family for Marissa

Lovely little Marissa has a new family.  They are working hard on their paperwork and the adoption process to get to her as quickly as possible.  She is one lucky little girl.  Her family sounds wonderful and she will have three super cute brothers to look out for her and another sibling on the way.  I originally thought she should have older siblings who would dote on her and parents who would have time just for her but God had different plans and I'm sure they are the right plans.  Marissa will do just fine.

Now, here is someone who partly made me go down this path of adoption.  When I saw what a privelaged child he was going to be with so much love and so much support around him it made me think of all those children who were not so lucky.  This little baby, my first grandchild, a four and half month old boy named Brandon seemingly pointed a finger at all those kids who may never have what he has, the love of a family.  He was a thirty two weeker and spent a month in the NICU and has brought our family together like no one else has.  Brandon and his parents live in my house for now and I treasure every single moment I get to spend with him.  I watch for his smiles.  I wait to hear his giggle, to see his beautiful face in the morning.  I hope that one little orphan named Marissa will have all that and a lot more in her life very soon with her new family.

BITTERSWEET

It's a bittersweet day as the confirmation comes up on RR new commitment's page of Marissa's new family.  By their timeline I missed her by a hair.  I'm sure my beautiful little girl will have a great life with them.  I will watch their blog faithfully and pray to make sure they bring Marissa home.  I wish it had been me and my family.  I was convinced that I was her Mama but if this is the way it was meant to be then I wish the Gillettes all the best in their journey to Marissa and will support them what way I can.
 

Budi dobro moja Malena.  Necu te zaboravit.

PS. I can't seem to leave any posts today but thank you Pam and Sarah.

Family Blogs

I've been checking Reece's Rainbow to see if Marissa's family blog might come up but I can't find anything yet.  Maybe I'm missing it somehow.  Everyone adopting from EE and other countries seem to have a blog of their journey.  It's interesting to read and wonderful to see how these children prosper and grow when they get into the loving arms of their families.  They just thrive and look so happy and smiling all the time.  Thank goodness for families like these.  I guess seeing the blog would be a confirmation that Marissa was indeed adopted so not seeing it yet is making me rather anxious.

Dobro Jutro Malena

Na zdravlje.  Nadam se da si dobro spavala. Budi sretna.

I was just saying good morning Malena which means 'little one' who is Marissa of course, real name Maria nicknamed Masha so she is a little one of many names.  I am speaking in Croatian, a language she may well understand.  It's morning here in Canada but it's evening in EE where she is.  I'd love to make her Palachinke (crepes) with peach jam or sugar.  I wonder if she knows yet that she has a family or two waiting for her.

Two Mamas for Marissa

What Pam said over at Saving His Sparrows blog really stuck with me and what role Pam plays in all this I don't know yet but she definitely does.  Is it really possible that after having no Mama to call her own little Marissa was destined to have not one but two Mamas?  One in the South and one in the North.  How on earth would that work out?  I have no idea but the seed of possiblity is there.   Perhaps there is a certain something she will need from each of us and each of our families.  Thinking of this makes my heart a little bit lighter today and it leads me to wonder who her new family is, where they live.  Are we destined to become friends through Marissa or will her new Mommy resent me for talking about her little girl? Time will tell but the path has already been written and nothing we do will change it.  When they say God works in mysterious way, it is certainly true.  Maybe through this child a lesson is to be learned.

Samo za jednu malu Mariju

Laku noc, mala curica, Marija.  Dobro spavaj.  Ja cu sanjati o tebi.

Never Forget

Not sure what I'm suppose to do now or how will I forget her?

Regarding Marissa

Marissa is a little girl who caught my attention with her big blue eyes and a  beautiful smile.  She has captivated me so that I started contemplating adoption at this stage of my life. My husband and my grown children wondered what was going on with me but my older daughter understood.  At first she wanted to adopt Marissa but when that looked impossible I was willing to step up.  In the meantime looking at her picture and video she captured my heart so much so I began to think that fate had decided I was to be her mom and she my baby.  Because I'd just turned fifty and my kids are grown though still at home it was a decision I could not make overnight.  My husband and I had just been first time grandparents for three months when Marissa came along and found me discovering Reece's Rainbow.  She came through my life like a strong gust of wind making me certain that she belonged here.  My husband though was not as sure as I was.  He thought with his head while I thought with my heart.  While we talked it over and when I finally sent in a letter reqesting the first step in adopting Marissa I found out she had just been spoken for, probably soon after I saw her picture for the first time in August at which point she was still waiting for her forever family.  The information was bitter-sweet.  It was wonderful that Marissa got the family she always wanted but that family wasn't mine.  Her mom would not be me.  I will not travel to Russia and scoop my baby and bring her home where she  belonged.  Will I still look at her pictures?  Yes.  Will I ever forget her?  No.   Her blue eyes and her smile will forever stay in my heart and I wish her the best life she could possibly have.