Another date to remember

Have you ever noticed that the older you get, the more kids you have, etc., there are more special occasions to celebrate and remember? For example we always celebrate our anniversary AND the day we met. The kids' birthdays are special, but I always feel sentimental on their due dates too. After having a miscarriage, April 8 will always be a day that we remember with sadness. Heck, we even celebrate the dog's birthday. With adoption, there are different moments to remember, the day we met her, the day she became ours. Her "birth" date is not so special to us, we weren't even there.

Well June 11 will always be special to me, and here is why.....A year ago today is the first day we saw this face:

And the day we received an email from Kelly, who had just returned from a humanitarian aide mission in Ukraine, saying this:

While I was there this time, I was able to visit Naum and also
another little girl from his orphanage who also has DS. She is an
angel, with blond hair and big blue eyes and very fair skin. At
first she was not too responsive - she mostly lays still in her crib
during her days, but once I picked her up and started to kiss,
tickle and stroke her little head, she smiled such a sweet smile and
really responded, reaching out for more and more. She loved the
attention and tenderness..... She really needs more stimulation and in a family

she would just blossom. She blossomed in one minute in my arms. What a 

sweet child.

The most amazing thing was the relationship she has with Naum, who
has taken on the role of her brother with no one showing him to do
so. The special needs kids also go outside each day with all the
children, though the mostly stay in the shade in their big giant
playpen together. This little girl lays in the playpen along with
some other children who are not mobile, and Naum lays right next to
her. While he could easily do the same for any other child, it is
ONLY this girl he lays by, strokes her cheek, holds and strokes her
hands and kisses them. He kisses her face. He 'talks' to her and
obviously feels that this little girl is HIS! Again, although he is
social with many other children, he does this only with her - she is
very special to him obviously.

If any of you are thinking of adoption of a DS child, please please
please consider her. When her Naum leaves, I don't know what will
happen to her - she loves his tenderness. She will soon age out and
have to be moved to the institution in that area. When I asked (with
my usual American optimism) if the conditions in that institution
are improving, as they are in the baby orphanage, the staff
replied, "We don't know. All the kids we've sent there have died.
Maybe the older ones steal food from the younger and weaker ones, we
don't know. Or maybe it is because they were sick children when we
sent them, but we kept each of them for four years none of them died
here. Only there." It was enough to make me want to be sick, hearing
this. May GOD BLESS EACH OF YOU who are adopting or considering
adopting one of these children. You are giving them the one thing no
one else will - a chance to live, to be loved. This little girl has
such potential, she is so beautiful. We just pray that God will send
her a family before it is too late.

Now can't you see why we loved her so much?