Happy Valentine's Day!

What could be sweeter than adopting siblings?

Jenny and Jordan both have February birthdays; she is turning 8 this month and he will be 4. They can be adopted together because Jenny is over 5; in their country only children older than 5 are available for international adoption unless they have disabilities on a certain list.


(Jordan's picture is not available.)

Jenny has HIV. As far as is known, her brother is healthy.
HIV is a very manageable need--kids take twice-daily medication and have quarterly blood draws to make sure their medication levels are correct.

More about Tatiana

Tatiana is now facing transfer. She seems like a sweet girl who is doing very well... and she desperately wants a family and needs one.
I am not sure what kind of a facility she will be transferred to: an orphanage for schoolage children where she will receive an education, or a mental institution (or maybe, if she is very lucky, something in between).

Tatiana needs a family soon.

Tatiana also has older siblings who are available for adoption. I do not know much about them--they are not listed on RR and do not have special needs. Tatiana could still be adopted by herself, or with her siblings. I do not know how much additional cost there would be to adopt her siblings. I do have some photos of 3 of them which I'm going to share. I'm going to use RR-style pseudonyms because I don't want to post too much personal info about these kids. If you want more information, though, contact me in the comments and I will get it to you. To my knowledge none of her older siblings are diagnosed with any special needs. In this country FAS is always a strong possibility, though, and the fact that Tatiana has been diagnosed with this makes it seem more likely it would be a situation one or more of her siblings face as well. Their pictures are probably not high enough quality to assess them for signs of it.

The eldest sibling, "Ava," was born in 1993. She is now over 18 and no picture of her is available. In Tatiana and Ava's country, children who turn 16 are only available for adoption if they are part of a sibling group. It may be that at 18 Ava is no longer available at all. In general orphans who age out of the system in this country have nowhere to go. They are given a paltry amount of supplies and money and sent out. This likely happened when Ava was 16 after she had finished her school year. There are some ministries that help orphans who age out, but there's no way of knowing if Ava connected with one of these groups. Even if she is no longer available for adoption, there may be a way for her to emigrate if she wishes if she has siblings in the US. At 18 or 19 she still needs permanency and parents--we all do--and she will always be Tatiana's sister.

"Charles" was born in 1994. He is now 17 or 18. If he will not be available for adoption once he turns 18, his time is very short. It seems likely he is also no longer able to live in an orphanage. This picture was taken when he was 15.


Tatiana's sister "Valencia" was born in 1998, so she will turn 14 sometime this year. Her picture was taken when she was 8:



"Connor" was born in 2003, so he is most likely 8. He was 6 when this picture was taken:


I don't know if any of Tatiana's siblings are together, what age they came into care, or how well they remember each other. I don't know whether all of them are in the same region (if not, there is a significant increase in cost and difficulty). I don't know anything about Ava's status. For me--Tatiana was a child we seriously considered, and knowing she had siblings might have thrown us for a loop. She was on the older side of what we were considering, and adopting a child born before we were married--which would include all of her older siblings--was a line that my husband really doesn't want to cross. But maybe adopting a sibling group of 3, 4, or 5 sounds good to you... maybe you saw one of those older kids' pictures and knew that was your son or daughter... maybe you have compassion for the situation Ava and Charles are now in... maybe you've adopted older children before. Maybe this confirms Tatiana is your daughter rather than scaring you off. Maybe there is someone out there for whom this situation--with all its unknowns and challenges--is exactly the right situation for your family. Or maybe God is telling you that just Tatiana is your daughter, and he has other plans for her siblings. Please don't let money stand in the way--God loves orphans and will be thrilled to bless your socks off if you decide to adopt any or all of these siblings. He cares deeply about Ava, Charles, Valencia, Connor, and Tatiana--because they are his children too. If God is calling you to this, though, please start quickly, because they need a family soon.

Wednesday's child

Had to post sweet Wednesday on a Wednesday :)



Wednesday has Down Syndrome--and doesn't she look sweet?

I don't know how out of date her picture may be, but her profile says Wednesday is 9.

Imagine spending 9 years without a family.

She needs a family now. She still deserves one.
Many families who have adopted from Eastern Europe say that if you adopt a child from an institution, she or he will be a "toddler" regardless of age. Often they are much smaller than would be expected, especially if they have Down Syndrome, which can result in them being smaller even leaving aside the possibilities of neglect and malnutrition (or just inadequate nutrition). Wednesday needs and deserves a chance to blossom in a family.

An older boy who desperately needs a family

"Kyle is a sweet and very handsome boy who greatly wants a family of his own. He wanted to be adopted by my wife for sure. He bonded with her during an orphans' camp that she volunteered at this last July. It was in Yantai. I believe that he could still bond with another family. He loves basketball and airplanes. He has not been in the orphanage all his life. He was placed there three years ago after his mother's death. His father died when he was about two. His surviving family is unable to support him. He won't talk about his mother's death. Some of his family believe he may have witnessed it. He is respectful and mature. His only special need is his age. He is normal in all accounts as far as we know."

"The ONLY way that Kyle is going to be saved from a life of sheer hopelessness on the streets is if a family who is already traveling to China to adopt another child feels called to add this precious boy to their adoption. He MUST be adopted before his fourteenth birthday in February."

Kyle is in desperate need of a family, soon. He is 13. That is the sum total of his special need.

See Adeye's blog here and here.

Older boy with Down Syndrome

Michael is active, loving, affectionate, and well-adjusted.



He is almost 11, and his adoption will cost "only" $20,000. Michael lives in Latin America.

another older boy

I think the next couple posts I do probably aren't going to have a whole lot of commentary... not much emotional energy right now.

This is Patrick:


Patrick is 8. He has CP and possibly FAS. He is very high-functioning, and he wants a family and fears transfer.

Sweet girl in China

This is Tara. Doesn't she look like a sweetie? Sounds like she is adorable--expresses emotions well, developing physically, loves to dance.

Tara is nine years old. But that's not too old to need a mommy and daddy. It's not too old to need a family who will take care of her and teach her and love her all of her life. It's not too old if you're her mommy. And she needs a mommy.

Older kids need families too

Jack is 11.
He still needs and wants a family. The fact that he wants a family could make a huge difference in how he adjusts to a new family. It's not "easy" to adopt an 11-year-old, but lots of these kids grow up dreaming of families... families that will never come.

Here's what Jack asked one visitor to his orphanage:

"Do you know anyone who would like to take a boy like me. I would really like for a visitor at least, because I am all alone and I have no one."

All his life he has watched mommies and daddies come... for younger children. Crying, he asked one adoptive family:

"What do I need to do for a Mom to come? Do you know where she is? Is she looking for me?"

Are you looking to adopt an older child? This boy needs you. HIV is a very manageable need (comment if you want to know more). He IS NOT likely to die young or pass the infection to other family members.