Happy New Year!

We hope everyone had a nice Christmas. While we missed Greg's dad greatly this Christmas, we were thankful for our nephew, Nathan, who always provides much needed comic relief for all of us.


We wish everyone a wonderful 2007 filled with good health, much happiness, and many blessings!

Cheers,
Greg and Laura

Hearts' Desire

We just wanted to say a big CONGRATULATIONS to our friends Joel and Misty on their recent decision to adopt! We are so happy for them and know they are going to be awesome parents. You can follow them throughout their journey at: http://desireofourheart.blogspot.com.

Here is a poem we came across recently (and love) that we would like to dedicate to them...

Not flesh of my flesh, Nor bone of my bone,
But still miraculously my own.
Never forget for a single minute,
You didn't grow under my heart - but in it.
--- Fleur Conkling Heylinger

Brought to you by the number 3...

Another month of waiting under our belt - we've been logged in 3 months now. Just yesterday we found out the CCAA had it's annual meeting last week and apparently will be implementing some new guidelines in 2007. Our agency told us that we shouldn't be effected since we're already logged in. One not-so-great piece of information that we heard through the grapevine is that referral times won't be shortening any time soon, in fact we've heard they are going to continue to hang around the 14-16 month timeframe. Needless to say, we are pretty disappointed by this bit of news. AAI is sending a detailed letter to their clients with all the new guidelines, so we'll know more when we receive it...but as mentioned we should be "grandfathered in". Now, if only we could make the referral times speed up...

Half the Sky

Half the Sky is a foundation that works to help children in orphanages in China. It was created in 1998 by adoptive parents of orphaned Chinese children. Half the Sky's mission is to enrich the lives and enhance the prospects for the babies and children in China who still wait to be adopted, and for those who will spend their childhoods in orphanages. They establish early childhood education, personalized learning for older children, and infant nurture programs to provide the children stimulation, individual attention, and an active learning environment. They have four specific programs that they put into the orphanages - The Baby Sisters Infant Nurture Program, The Little Sisters Preschool Program, The Big Sisters Program, and The Family Village Program.

Their website, www.halfthesky.org , is loaded with information on each of the programs as well as where and how many orphanages they are working in, etc. They also have items for sale, volunteer opportunities in China, and many different ways you can donate to help further their work.

Below is a picture we found on their website showing one of the nurture care centers (playrooms). As you can see, it's a stark contrast to the pictures in our last post.

This is such a wonderful organization, hope you get a chance to check them out. Have a good weekend...

A Closer Look - Orphanages in China

While it's hard to find too many statistics on Chinese orphanages, we've been able to compile some information for you.

We read an article by Dr. Jane Liedtke - CEO/Founder of Our Chinese Daughters Foundation - in which she states there are approximately 1,000 orphanages in China. We have also read that, of these, only 250 are permitted to adopt internationally. There is speculation that the CCAA is working to get more orphanages up to standards, eligible for international adoption.

Life in an orphanage in a developing country can be quite harsh, and while some orphanages do a better job than others, overall, orphanages in China are adequate places staffed by caring people. Guess you could say that they do the best they can with what they are given. More and more children are now being placed in foster homes by the orphanages, giving each child more attention and care in a family environment.

Here are a few pictures of some orphanages. As you can see, the conditions can vary widely. For example, some might have cribs with bedding... while others just have boards.

Below is some rare footage from inside one of the orphanages in China. This video was taken by a parent while visiting the orphanage his daughter came from, an opportunity not granted to many who are adopting in China.

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

We have heard positive things about changes being made to facilities and a lot of those changes are made possible through the donations and contributions made by parents adopting children.

Hopefully this has given you a clearer picture of what the orphanages are like in China.