Desperate need for a family for this girl

Taking a break from the additional kids of Region 23 to talk about Karina.
From her description and appearance Karina may have Apert Syndrome, like Ivan, Kacey, Sammy, and Mandy. She is described as having craniofacial differences and differences of her hands and feet as well. She has a cleft palate and an aortic defect. You can see from the pictures that her fingers look fused.

You can also see that her hydrocephalus has not been properly treated. In this country the treatment of hydrocephalus is routine... this little girl will probably not receive treatment in her country though.

She needs to be adopted not just because she needs a family, but because she is in urgent need of medical care she will not receive in her country. Do you think she could be your daughter?

Her profile says "PLEASE someone help her, she will die alone and waiting."
She was born right around the same time as my son.

I also saw some more pictures of Ivan here.

Broken heart

My heart is broken for these children who so deserve a home and a family.

Some of them will get it.

Remember Sergey?



He has a family coming--praise God!

Doyle not only has a family coming, but they are adopting a baby as well--Fischer, a healthy 7-month-old with Down Syndrome.



They are a large adoptive family and I'm sure they will bless these boys and the boys will be a blessing to them.

Right now my heart is especially broken for 4 kids who have Apert Syndrome (which involves craniofacial differences and fused fingers and toes).

Ivan, who I posted about not too long ago, now has this medical update:
"He needs surgery very soon or he will miss the window of opportunity to correct the fusion of his skull bones before it damages his brain. The webbed fingers and toes seem to have all of the bones present by the pictures, but we would need an x-ray to be sure."



Reading this made me wish I could go and bring him home tomorrow... I just can't. Realistically it's unlikely we will be restarting the process before 2013. And I fear Ivan needs a family before that. Please pray for his family to find him soon! Even better, pray about whether you are that family.

There are three other kids with Apert Syndrome on my heart as well. I've posted about all of them before but I am doing it again.

Remember Sammy, who has always been one of my favorites?

Sammy is growing up, losing that toddler look and starting to be a big boy... which is great to see, but makes me wonder if it's that much less chance he has of finding a family. Look at that crazy hair, that sweet face.



This picture also shows his hands, which gives you an idea of how those are affected with Apert Syndrome. Doesn't he look like he would be a blessing to any family?

Then there is Mandy. Apert Syndrome is not an official diagnosis in her file, but she does sound and look like that may be what's going on.
She's young, she's a girl (girls are much more likely to be adopted), she's cute as a button, and she even sounds relatively on target developmentally... why is Mandy waiting?


Sweet Kacey has a new picture too, and a lot more info.

Her hands and feet look good, and before that she was keeping up despite her limitations. She is determined. She's due for another surgery soon, probably on her skull. And she desperately wants a mommy. From a mom who met her a few months ago:
"Every day she'd walk up to me and say, 'Mama?' It broke my heart to tell her no."
Imagine being able to tell her yes. That would make every dime, every scrap of paperwork, seem worthwhile.

There are a few other kids on RR with Apert Syndrome, but these 4 are the ones I would bring home if I could... and Tatiana.

Five children who desperately need the love of a mommy and daddy. Could you be the one to bring one of these home? Or could you help Sergey or Doyle and Fischer come home?

Please pray with me:
God, you set the lonely in families. You are a father to the fatherless. As much as it breaks our hearts that Ivan, Sammy, Mandy, Kacey, and Tatiana do not have families, you are more broken. As much as we rejoice that Doyle, Fischer, and Sergey will have mommies and daddies who love them, you are more joyful still. And you are watching over the little ones who are not yet spoken for, working out their lives for their good. You love them as much as you love us. Father, please bring them home to their families. In Jesus' name.

Some updates

Check out this beautiful new picture of Mandy, who was not showing off for the camera when I featured her previously:



I would bring this little girl home in a heartbeat... but so much stands in the way of adoption, doesn't it? Mandy deserves a family who can bring her home! She's very little and shows so much promise.

Vika, the girl with a $20,000 grant who is in an expensive place, has found a family!

Juris, who has a very significant grant, will have a family! His mommy and daddy, the Kirklands, already have over $20,000 to help bring Juris and his new brother Vilis home.

That's all easy news to write. The next isn't.

"M." is not my daughter. Her needs are not something our family can handle right now. I hope and pray there is a family for her--but it's not us.

Right now my family is not pursuing adoption. Our agency will not complete our home study for another year and a half, for reasons that I don't completely agree with. At this point it does not make sense for us to switch agencies, but by around this time next year, if we feel we are in a good position to welcome a son or daughter, we may begin the process with another agency instead. Rest assured that we are not completely giving up. Someday we plan to adopt. We are waiting because we believe God has told us to wait through a variety of circumstances that have come up. We do not believe that adoption is second-best; we believe that adoption is something God smiles on, and that a son or daughter by adoption would be a blessing to our family. Thanks for following us through this process.

I will keep updating this blog, because even if we are not adopting now, children like Mandy and Sammy and Jeremiah need homes. I don't know if I'll be going back to once-a-day or not, though. I probably didn't help Josiah or Valentin find a family--but these little boys who so needed a mommy and daddy will get them in part because of those who advocated for them, and the more advocates these kids have the better!

Updates

First, an update on our adoption process. We had our second home visit on Tuesday! After reviewing our entire lives, the social worker is still okay with us adopting. Next step: a lot more paperwork. Luckily, DH and I enjoy paperwork more than most. We still need to find the time to do it, though.

Remember sweet Vanessa?

She has a new picture!



Vanessa has had surgery to help her heart. The surgery was a success, but she may need another still. Good news for Vanessa, but the best news would be a family of her own--keep praying for Vanessa!

More good news--
Older children on Reece's Rainbow can now have money in their grant funds!

Dakota is 8 and needs a family very badly. I blogged about him before.


Dakota and other children can now receive grant funds, so if you felt led to give to him before but did not because the money would not go to him directly, now you can give. Please keep praying for Dakota!

Feel free to look back at all the kids I've posted before. They are growing and changing... and they still don't have families. Josie, Heaven, Valentin, and Teri Lyn have families; the rest are still waiting. Maybe you glanced over my quick post on Maeve. Maybe you weren't following yet when I blogged about Sammy. But save the four who were found, every child I have asked you to consider is still waiting. None of them is the child I'm hoping to adopt. The Church--and anyone else who recognizes the value of a little person others call imperfect--needs to step up and make sure these children have families.

Advocating for kids with special needs

Sometimes, when you look through a huge list of children, it's hard to personally remember each one. You see one or two who stick out to you, and the rest fade into the background of "other kids." It doesn't mean they aren't important, or that you won't be happy when someone chooses them, but you can't advocate for every one of them. That's why Reece's Rainbow has prayer warriors, orphan warriors, and others who advocate for a specific child. Kids are showing up daily on the "My Family Found Me" page. I was thrilled when Harry and Ras and Oleg were found; I was excited when Patrick was found. I was happy for Landon, Ella, and Shane too... but I didn't really remember them. And it's worth noting that Oleg was not a child I had really taken to the first time around, but one a friend had noticed... and because he was her favorite, he became one that I watched too.

So when you see one of these children that particularly touches you, show people their picture. Post them on facebook. Don't just say "They're on RR, people will see them there." Kids get lost in the crowd on huge photolistings, but if you present them one at a time, people notice them. That's why I try to do just one (or sometimes a few) at a time--on FaceBook (I'm Jessica Jane Cooper), on Twitter (I'm GlorifyHisSon), and other places I go (sometimes I'm Young Christian Woman... don't know how much longer I can use that one though ;). I try to pick different kids, but when someone says to me, "Look at this guy. He's special." I notice him. I remember him. Even if I never pass on that picture, I rejoice a little more when I see they have a family coming for them. And maybe if you pass on that picture of Vanessa, or Sammy, or Peter, even if they don't find their family, someone will go to Reece's Rainbow and fall in love with a different child. (And, yeah, I linked to a whole bunch of profiles... each link is for a different kid... you don't have to click on them.)

Yesterday someone posted on the (private) RR message boards about two little boys. One was Max:



Max will turn 2 in November. Look at the personality in this little guy! He totally needs a home. I can't believe he didn't stand out to me. But he didn't. I've probably looked at his picture before--briefly--but I didn't remember Max. But if you're reading this, you'll remember Max. And if you post Max on facebook, your facebook friends are going to remember Max. Especially if he's the only little kid from Russia you ever post to facebook. Especially if Max's mommy or daddy happens to read it. So if you browse the photo listings and see someone who stands out to you, go ahead and pass the picture on. Not everyone who goes to the HIV 0-5 waiting kids page on RR is going to fall in love with Max. He's not going to stick out to each person that goes there the same way. But Max is special! They are all special.

I also pray for every child when someone asks. So today I ask you to say a prayer for Max. Pray that he will find his family.

One of my favorite little guys on RR

This is Sammy:


I think he's one of the most precious kids on Reece's Rainbow! He's just 4 months younger than my daughter, almost 3. He has Apert Syndrome, which means he will likely need surgeries on his face as he gets older, and will need surgeries on his hands if he hasn't had them yet, and possibly his feet. This adorable little redhead needs a mommy to hold him through all of that, and a daddy to play with him while he gets better, and siblings to draw him pictures to hang in his hospital room while he recovers. Imagine having to go through all that alone....

I really hope someone else looks at Sammy and wants to be his mom!