Busy Friday

I am looking forward to a busy day tomorrow. First is Richard's "signing." He will be signing a letter of intent to run for his college. Isn't that exciting? I'm supposed to bring cookies to share and you know I'll be there with a camera, too.

In the afternoon I have Ralph's first ever IEP meeting! I hope that it is very straightforward. I know which services he qualifies for. I know what I will fight for now and what can wait for later. Anyway, I will let you know how it turns out.

After the IEP meeting I'm going to start cooking up some enchiladas! I'm making these as an adoption fundraiser. $20 per dozen. I'm still taking orders if you live in the area.

What a busy way to end a great week!


Here is Ralph at school the last day of his testing. He wasn't really interested in me or looking at the camera. He's all about school, a real serious student.

Hanging up his sweater.
Gotta make sure the door is all the way shut!

Picking out a book for circle time!

Did you know?

Did you know that our family is in the process of adopting Alec and Zhenya, two little boys with Down Syndrome from Eastern Europe? Isn't it exciting?!

Did you know that they face a dark future as prisoners of a mental institution if they are not adopted by the age of four? We are in a huge hurry.

Did you know that adoption is crazy expensive? Not out of reach, but pricey to be sure.

Did you know that we could use your help? There are lots of ways. Just ask!

Please visit our adoption blog at www.psalmsixtyeight.blogspot.com and stand with us prayerfully and financially as make this journey.

Planning a trip to Holland

For most of us parents of children with Down Syndrome, our trip to Holland was a surprise. Our trip was chosen for us. Some of us went willingly, joyfully, some of us kicking and screaming! But Holland chose us, we didn't choose Holland. (If you don't know about Holland, you should read Emily Perl Kingsley's "Welcome to Holland.")




Every now and again you might meet that rare individual who is choosing to take the trip. Some people who have never been there are baffled. Why would anyone choose this life? Others who have been there, like me for instance, are tickled that someone outside the club actually 'gets' it!


I know of many parents of children with DS and other disabilities who go on to adopt children with DS and other disabilities. But there are those rare parents...ones that have no children with special needs, but go on to adopt and commit their lives to disabled children anyway. Shelly and her husband are great examples. They have made two trips to Eastern Europe to bring home children with DS!


I've met a local family recently who is actually in the process of planning a trip to our figurative Holland! They have two young typical children already and now are preparing to adopt two children with DS. They 'get' it. They understand that adoption is a reflection of God's love for us. They understand what Christ said about 'the least of these.' They see beauty and worth in a child that the world considers defective. I'll be supporting them as I'm able. They are trusting the Lord to provide for this journey, so if you feel led to help out too...let me know and I'll put you in touch.

Oh! I've been meaning to share this...

I consider Ralph to be one of the best things that has ever happened to me and to my family. As surprised as I was that he was born with Down Syndrome, it never crossed my mind to do anything but love him and teach him and help him grow...like any other child.

This brings me to a little boy in Eastern Europe. His name is Ilya. He was given up at birth by his parents because he shares the diagnosis of Down syndrome. His parents did what they knew to do, they left him at the hospital, probably told family and friends that he had died. His birth would be considered a curse on the family and services for disabled children just don't exist there. This thinking baffles me as a mother.

I thank God for the organization Reece's Rainbow and the wonderful people who support it's mission. Take Meredith, for example. Check out her blog sometime...amazing story. Amazing family! She is hosting a chip-in fund raiser for Ilya over the next three weeks. The money raised will go straight into his adoption grant fund and will be available to his forever family to help with the cost of his adoption.

Right now, this handsome little boy's future doesn't look good. He's small, under-stimulated, under-nourished, and frankly he needs someone to put a smile on his face! Ilya was born in November of 2004 and just turned four years old. He's now just 10 months from being transferred to a mental institution.

This year, though we cannot go bring home a child ourselves, I will continue to advocate for those waiting for a family. I'll also have the chip-in widget on Ralph's page for the next three weeks...top right-hand side of the page. For much more information click HERE.

Gold nuggets to share

I've been putting off posting for a couple of days now. I DO have stuff to share...I'm not sure why I'm not exited about sharing it. I guess maybe sitting in front of the Christmas tree this time of year makes me want to treasure some things up in my heart.

Here are a few of my treasures.

It has been so cold here. Single digits early in December is out of the ordinary. But, I'm so thankful to have a furnace and hot water. I've heard from some families traveling in Ukraine right now that many places have no heat and no hot water. Winter is not even technically here yet!

That makes me think of the precious orphan children in Eastern Europe that I've been praying for. Are they suffering from the cold? On top of malnutrition and lonliness? It is enough to bring me to tears and to my knees. I feel so small and helpless. Only God can make these things right, so I go to him.

On a happier note, I feel so privileged to have introduced a new friend to Reece's Rainbow last month. She did not know that this Down Syndrome Orphan ministry even existed. Now her and her husband are planning to adopt a little girl from Eastern Europe. Wow! I'm so humbled that God would use me this way to rescue one of his little children.

I was hopeful that I could announce that we would be pursuing the adoption of a child with Down Syndrome from Eastern Europe this year. It is quite obvious to me that God is leading me down this road. The whole idea of adoption is a picture of God's love for us. A more perfect kind of love. If you really want to know how I feel about this read the Reece's Rainbow blog post on redemption here.

God has other plans for me this year it seems. While I've been pining away for a child on the other side of the world He has been creating new life in me! James and I are expecting a new baby in March. I've been treasuring this secret for awhile. We are led to believe that this baby is a girl! Rose is quite excited as she has prayed for a little sister for some time now.

This time last year Ralph was in the hospital with pneumonia and we were bidding the year 2007 good riddance! This year has come and gone like lightning. There were some scary hard times, and I've learned a lot, much like the year before. I'm looking forward to 2009 as a new challenge, another mountain to climb. Oh my...I better quit this. I really need some sleep!!!

Special Exposure Wednesday - Tale of Two Boys

Two boys. Oleg on the left. Ralph on the right. Very similar, and at the same time, very different.

Both little boys are creations of a loving God, made in His image to accomplish His purpose. Both boys have Down Syndrome. Both of these little boys have dreams and potential. Both of these little boys have captured my heart.

One little boy lives in a wealthy country with opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities, one does not. One little boy has access to quality medical care and adequate nutrition, one does not. One little boy has a loving mommy and daddy, one does not. One little boy almost 18 months old, one is nearly 4! The one is a bit small for his age, one appears to be quite tiny.

One little boy is about to be shut away in a mental institution for the rest of his life.

Will you join me in praying for Oleg and the countless children like him all over the world, children facing a dark and uncertain future? Will you consider whether God is leading you to adopt one of His children and rescue them from that dark future?

Not everyone is led to adopt, but will you consider supporting someone who is? There are many families in the process of raising money to rescue a child like Oleg. Visit http://www.reecesrainbow.com/ to find out more. Chip in for Oleg, if you can. If you cannot, do something even better, pray - and God bless you.

Let me introduce you!

Let me introduce you to Oleg! What a darling boy, don't you agree? Oleg is 3 1/2 years old and is waiting for a forever family in an orphanage in Eastern Europe. He also has Down Syndrome. For this reason, he will most likely be sent away to a mental institution by the age of 4. Then he will no longer be available for adoption. These children are viewed as outcasts with no ability to learn or be functional members of society. They languish in mental institutions, hidden away from the world in shame. We need to help find a home for him quickly!

Since I am not able to adopt a child at this time, I've chosen to sponsor Oleg's adoption grant fund. The cost of adoption ranges from $10,000 to $30,000. To help defray these costs for adoptive families, each child on the Reece's Rainbow website is eligible for sponsorship - donations from individuals, businesses, churches, and organizations - towards the cost of that child's adoption.

To kick off sponsorship of Oleg's grant fund I will be offering a beautiful, brand new, hand-crafted baby quilt. You truly can change the course of a child's life by helping adoptive families afford the costs of international adoption. For each $5 donation, your name will be entered into a drawing and one name will be randomly chosen to receive this special quilt. Use the Chip In widget above and purchase as many $5 chances as you like!

This bright, colorful baby quilt was machine pieced by my dear friend Bonnie. It was then lovingly hand quilted by my friend Jodi's mother. It measures approximately 38 X 38 inches. This precious work of art was donated by the quilters of First Mennonite Brethren Church in Wichita, KS. These ladies have a reputation for making fine quilts. This would make the perfect shower gift for either a baby boy or a baby girl.
The fabrics were pre-washed, machine pieced and then hand quilted. Can you see these perfect, tiny stitches in the picture below? Wow!
Hey all my bloggy friends! Would you mind spreading the word?

AmEx Members Project

Well, thanks to all the people who voted for Reece's Rainbow, they ended up being #24 most popular project and the #2 most talked about! However, they were not chosen as a finalist. Meredith explains:

In case you're somewhat following this one, Reece's Rainbow's "Save
an Orphan with Down syndrome" project was #24 when the voting
closed in the first round. The top 25 were posted today. AmEx called
Andrea twice to get info from her for her write-up as at one point we
were #16. Unfortunately, though she expected to have the RR project
in the top 25, it is not. There are other criteria other than just votes
that they went by, but we were surprised nonetheless. We're glad,
though, for the exposure it's been given up to this point and hopeful
that maybe a few people have heard about RR for the first time and
may continue to spread the word or even donate or adopt a child
themselves!As a preparation for the AmEx "big reveal" a page was
designed with photos of 100 waiting children with Ds from all over
the world. Click on over to see all the little doll faces!

THIS IS A TEMPORARY PAGE AND WILL ONLY BE POSTED
UNTIL THURSDAY 9/11/08.

On November 1 another similar page will be revealed at the beginning
of the "Christmas Angel Tree" which is a donation drive over the
holidays and a great way to give a gift to someone important to you.
A small donation (there is a minimum for the ornament) will have an
ornament with the photo of the child you sponsored sent to you or the
person it was done for. It's a great gift for therapists, grandmas that
don't really want ANYTHING, teachers, and even staff parties! What
an honor to have money donated toward bringing an orphan home
done in your name! Anyway, more on that later :)Here's the link for
the photo page:
http://www.reecesrainbow.org/amexmembersproject.htm

Posted by Meredith at 9/09/2008 10:13:00 PM

You can help - it is so easy!

As mom of a 16 month old son with Down Syndrome, a whole new world is being revealed to me daily. I know that, historically, babies born with Down Syndrome were regularly insitutionalized at birth in the United States. I did not realize that the world, as a whole, has not yet caught on to the incredible worth and beauty of children with DS.

In Eastern Europe in particular, babies born with DS are generally given up at birth. Probably partially due to misinformation given to them by the medical professionals. Around the age of 4 or 5 the children are placed in mental institutions and are no longer available for adoption. Physical restraint, lack of stimulation, and abuse are common. see here

It doesn't have to be this way. There is a organization, Reece's Rainbow, that is working hard to provide loving homes in the U.S. for children from Eastern Europe and other countries with DS and other disabilities. They also work to provide education and develop parent support groups in these countries to reduce the number of children who are given up.

As Christians, we are expected to help widows and orphans. And, now that you've read this far you are out of excuses! "Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act" Proverbs 24:12

So here is how you can help - Reece's Rainbow has been entered in a contest through American Express. All you have to do is go here and nominate this project. You do NOT have to be an American Express card holder. You can set up an account (just your name, email address and a password...takes 10 seconds) and then nominate the project. You will be nominating Reece's Rainbow to be the recipient of enough money to provide TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLAR grants to ONE HUNDRED waiting children with Down syndrome. That would be 100 children from all over the world coming home to forever families. Can you imagine.....100 children finding families!

Our family is still dealing with medical bills from Ralph's many hospital stays over the past year. Still, we would love to adopt a child with DS from Eastern Europe! I still feel a sense of urgency, considering the political unrest in that region. A $20,000 grant would make adoption a real possibility instead of a mere dream for our family. How many other families out there would rescue a child from an institutional life if the funds were available?

Psssst...pass this on!

Please pray...

This is Emma. You'll notice her picture and a link on the top right column of this blog. She'll be having a long awaited potentially life-saving surgery early tomorrow morning. It is also a risky surgery for a number of reasons. I pray that God will preserve her life as a testimony to the beauty of adoption and the human potential of persons with Down Syndrome.

Chip in for Raina!

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

James 1:27 (New Living Translation)

You can win a Blackberry Curve and support an orphan in Bulgaria at the same time! Many of you are not aware that orphans in Eastern Europe do not have access to proper medical care, therapies and schooling. Once they are transferred to a mental institution (even for purely physical disabilities) at age 4-5 they generally die within the first year there. It's a life and death situation. HERE is what Shelly is doing and why you should care:

I am giving away my Blackberry Curve. It is in excellent condition....I've had it less than 6 months and always carried it in it's case. It works with a T-Mobile SIM card(and I'm sure it can be unlocked for other carriers). When we changed cell phone providers, I decided to downgrade to something cheaper. I sold my husband's identical phone on ebay in less than 5 minutes for $170. I decided to give mine away instead.

So, here's the deal:On July 27th, I will pick my Xander up out of his bed, kiss his chubby little cheek.....and thank the Lord for putting him in my arms one year ago. To honor that moment one year ago, I am auctioning off my Blackberry Curve with every penny of the money raised to go into the grant fund for Raina, who is waiting in Bulgaria. Raina, like Xander, has Down Syndrome and clubbed feet. She is destined to live her life confined to a crib unless a family takes a leap of faith and adopts her into their family.

So, here's how this is going to work. There is a Chip In widget over on the side of my blog. A $5 donation made through that account will enter your name in the drawing. You can enter as many times as you want....each entry requires $5. The auction will end on July 27th and Xander will draw the winner himself. Every penny of the money in the chip-in account will go to Raina.....and someone will get my Blackberry Curve. You can keep it, resell it yourself....whatever you want to do with it. My intention is to get some money in this little girl's grant fund.

If you are reading this and you blog, PLEASE mention this on your blog. You can even put the widget on your blog too. You can get the code here. Some of you that read this get hundreds of readers a day on your blog. My prayer is to raise at least $500 for Raina's grant. That's going to take 100 entries. My husband thinks I'm crazy and I'm going to give my Blackberry away for like $20. Help me prove him wrong and raise some money for this little angel who's waiting on a mommy and daddy to call her own!!!!
Posted by Shelley at 2:15 PM