just a couple more

here are a couple of the grounds....

the little house is where Samantha lives with her little friend Lucia.

more pictures

A very nice woman who has volunteered at the New Hope Healing Home where Samantha lives emailed us several pictures. We are so grateful to have them. Enjoy...

Care Package and More New Pictures!

Samantha got her care package we sent and she loves her Jie Jie (big sister)can't you tell!

a couple more

If I could I would take home Sam's little buddy Lucia as well. They live together and are essentially sisters. It is very sad that they will have to part.
The picture with the orange shirt was taken June 30...so very recent.

new pictures of samantha!!!!!!!

Yes thats right. We have more pictures of Samantha and are so excited. Here are a couple. We got Sam's finding add as well but it did not have any new info which was a little dissapointing especially given the price tag. But we are happy to have it and any other info we can get. These new pics are wonderful.

Make sure to check out our new blog for our 100 Good Wishes Quilts for Caitlin and Samantha. Here is the website: 100princesswishes.blogspot.com

catch, dribble and pass

Caitlin has found she can dribble the big basketball and thinks she is the newest basketball prodigy. She loved being outside practicing and thought she should go play Monday night ball with Daddy and Uncle Norm!!

Bubble Debackle

Caitlin and I like to take baths in the big tubby but todays relaxation session turned into a bubble disaster. There were so many bubbles and they were so think we couldn't get rid of them. We had to go to the other bathroom for a shower!

New Pictures of Sam

Pat helped me decide that it was okay to cut and paste the photos from New Hope Foundation's website to our blog for you all to see without following the link. So enjoy. Please do visit their website though as it will be eye opening to see what they do with 100% donations and no government money. Consider helping them please. Later today I'll pop up some pics from the 4th of July weekend (we started early).

Finding Add

We just heard from a man named Brian Stuy that he has located our Samantha's finding add. This is the add the police place in the local papers to give the birth parents one last chance to claim their child before giving her solely over to the government run orphanage. Unfortunately, it would do the parents no good to come forward as I am sure they would be tossed into jail. It is hard for me to imagine opening my local newspaper, sipping my coffee and seeing my child's face there waiting for me to claim her. But of course I can't imagine the terrible circumstances the government places on birth parents that forces them into thinking abandoning their child is their only option either.
But I digress, back to the add. We purchased the copy of the newspaper, a blown up photo of her as a baby, so pre cleft surgery, and it will come translated so we will know as much as we can about her beginnings. At least the exact location, time and what she was wearing when she was abandoned. The rest, such as who her birth parents are, is for God's knowledge alone and we will leave it that way. We hope that we can raise Samantha to appreciate both her cultures in time.
But I'm off topic again, Brian has a website where you can purchase other China related stuff and is a very useful and informative site for adoptive parents and families wishing to learn more about their child's region of birth. Here is the address: www.research-china.org

Samantha Moved!

Our little Samantha does not reside at the Jiaozuo Children's Welfare Institute afterall. She is and has been living at the Hope Healing Home in ShunYi Beijing. I suspect she was released to this large Foster Home setting because her Cleft Lip and Palate was a lot of work in multiple and very long feedings for the orphanage staff. She has been at Hope since June of 2006, so since she was six months old. They did at least one if not both of her surgeries. This is a much more appealing and healthy setting for Samantha. There is a much higher nanny to child ratio and they facilitate a family atmosphere and there is on campus medical intervention. She is attending a preschool english class each day which is also wonderful for her transition. You can view pictures of the Hope Home and Samantha by cutting and pasting this link: www.hopefosterhome.com once there, click on the babies link on the left and she is listed as Julia. You can view some of the other kiddos there as well. They vary in age and disability. You can sponsor a child for $40.00 a month. This Foster Home is run completely on donations-they accept no money from the Chinese government so they could use all our help. You can also read their History and tour their facilities on the website as well. Dr. Joyce Hill and her husband Rob began the Foster Home to follow Christ's calling, I think in the late '90s, you'll have to read it to be sure. But what an incredible couple. Their work for China's orphans is priceless. They have saved countless lives through their surgeries and home like settings including our little girls. I hope that even though Samantha will have to return to the CWI for us to pick her up, they delay it as long as possible before we get there. Would you consider sponsoring a little one?