Mandy laughs, plays, and is starting to walk. She's two months younger than my son, who at 20 months is still not steady on his feet, so it sounds like she's not all that far behind. She has a "positive prognosis regarding her mental development" but is also recorded as having a psychological delay. She does have a craniofacial difference, a difference of her hands, and a heart defect. She also has a motor delay. Her delays could be only due to the orphanage setting and her physical disabilities. It sounds like little Mandy is bright and learning. She's another that has a picture which won't tell her whole story:
Because she's laying down and refusing to look at the camera--her profile says she was in a bad mood--she looks like she has more profound disabilities than is probably the case. She looks so cute, though--so imagine her smiling and playing with toys. At only 1 1/2 she has so much time to make up for those delays, and she will probably do really great with a family.
Could
Mandy be your daughter?
Such a precious little angel! I wish I could pick her up and hold her... :)
ReplyDeleteI don't see a craniofacial difference! She is cute as a button! I wonder what options there are to help with her little fingers...
Hopefully her mommy will come for her soon! It looks to me as if Mandy would love a big hug! :)
Karen
www.foreverfamiliesfororphans.blogspot.com
I don't see it either, honestly, but it's on her profile. I know that sometimes these differences can be more obvious with different positions/camera angles too... If you remember Mason, his last RR profile pic made his face look very symmetrical, but from other angles it was clear his head was not very symmetrical, though he had a smile to make up for it. So I'm wondering if a picture of Mandy from a different angle might show more how her skull shape is different. Or, maybe it's something that was diagnosed at birth and she had more of a conehead than most other kids? I can't see misdiagnosing that, I'm guessing it's a camera angle thing.
ReplyDeleteAnother Apert syndrome baby - so beautiful! With our little boy (same syndrome) the facial difference is much more visible from the profile. With Apert syndrome the mid section of the face (from the eyes down to the mouth) is unable to grow properly, so it looks sunken. Starting to walk at her age is great news! Some Apert kids are more delayed and don't walk until 2 or 3, from what I understand, others are developmentally pretty normal. In her case, this sounds well within the range of institutional delay and she should catch right up. She is so precious and I hope she finds her family soon. I love that you are featuring some of the "bad picture" kids. You are absolutely right - I've shown my hubby some pictures of our own daughters that don't capture them at their sparkly best and said, "If this were her RR picture, no one would adopt her." It's sad but true that falling in love with a sweet face is part of the process, but you're doing a great job of helping people look past that. Loving this blog, Jessi!
ReplyDeleteOh, I hadn't thought of Apert because her face doesn't show it... and there are other kids on RR who do have it on their profile. But come to think of it, at least one from the same country as Mandy has "possible Apert Syndrome" so maybe they don't diagnose it well there.
ReplyDeleteI definitely feel a pull toward some of these kids with craniofacial differences... I have wondered if there may someday be a little boy or girl with Apert Syndrome in my future :) But probably not this time around.
Are you Jodilightful or another Jodi I don't know?
Okay, you are the Jodi I know :)
ReplyDeleteSorry