In Loving Memory - Baby Ran

June 24, 2010 - July 29, 2010

Baby Ran (James Maria) was born with a number of life threatening birth defects. When it became clear that surgery to save his life would not be possible, we accepted him for hospice care. He only lived 5 weeks, but in that short time has touched many lives. He will be missed by all who loved and cared for him.

In Loving Memory - Baby Wang

December 10, 2009 - July 21, 2010

Baby Wang died Wednesday from complications of chicken pox. She had made incredible progress since she arrived (see photos of that here ) and we were all shocked that she passed away so suddenly and unxpectedly. The medications she was taking for her condition were immunosuppressive and so she had no resistance to fight this common illnes. She was treasured during her time with us and will be missed by all who loved and cared for her.

Summer Fun

Here are a few photos of the LIFEWORKS teen volunteers with China Little Flower kids.

Adorable

This adorable set of premature twin girls recently arrived in one of our homes. Well, one day they might be adorable, but right now they are incredibly tiny and very fragile. Baby Ke is slightly bigger, at just over 2 1/2 lbs. Baby Ai is a little smaller, at just under 2 1/2 lbs. Although smaller, Baby Ai seems to be the stronger one and she is doing remarkably well. Ke has really been struggling and her condition is much worse. There were a few days when we thought she wouldn't make it, but she's improved a little so we still have hope.

Most words in Chinese are made up of two syllables, and do you know what you get when you put their names together? The word "ke ai" means "adorable". Please pray that they grow up strong and healthy... and adorable.

Another Graduate...

Our sweet baby Bo has finally graduated to a foster family. We searched long and hard to find a family that was prepared to meet his special care requirements. Many foster parents were fearful of taking on a child with such daunting medical problems. But we were blessed to have a family come forward and ASK if they could care for this child! This family was previously fostering another special needs infant, and he was just adopted internationally. The foster parents' home and hearts were empty... not anymore!

Sweet Baby Na

Baby Na arrived just two weeks ago in critical condition. Weighing only 4 lbs, she was suffering from lung immaturity and a severe respiratory infection. We weren't sure if she would survive, but she is doing very well now. She is off oxygen, feeding well and gaining weight quickly. Let's hope she continues to thrive!

Four More Graduates

These four little ones have grown strong and healthy enough to join foster families.

Reading to a child

A few days ago, Megan brought a Children’s Bible to the baby home. I decided that I was going to read it out loud to Baby Hong. She is unable to get out of her crib so she normally doesn’t get a lot of attention. Books open you up to whole new worlds and I want to allow Baby Hong to explore different worlds. I also believe that someone holding her hand and hearing a voice will let her know that she is loved very much. The first time I read to Baby Hong, Kuan did not like that she was getting all of my attention and wanted to sit on my lap while I read. I didn’t mind but he wanted to keep flipping the pages before I was done. Finally, I had to sit him on the ground and tell him that he must wait his turn. I really enjoy reading to Baby Hong. I remember how much I loved listening to my mom read and I hope it brings her as much joy.

By Kelly

Happy Birthday, Kuan & Shu!

Kuan and Shu celebrated their birthdays by having a party at the baby care home on Children's Day.

By Megan

The Domino Effect

We met one of our guests in an outreach group because one of our lead volunteers suggested that we could all do more, perhaps even going to an outreach group. Our guest was interested in visiting and was so impressed after their visit to the baby care facility that he brought back thirty-two other people to come visit us and donate. It wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the small suggestion of that lead volunteer. Additionally, with the willingness to act on the words of that lead volunteer. All that will change the world may have started with our one small act of kindness. But it requires us to act even beyond our comfort zones. So let’s all try to do a little more even if we feel a little stretched beyond what we are comfortable with.

By Louis

Making Friends...

Here's a photo of some of our volunteers with the workers on the bullet train. They were transporting several babies in need of specialized care to our medical home in Beijing. The staff who work on the train are always interested in and very supportive of our work.

Not a fan

Today, we decided to give Baby An his first taste of baby food instead of formula. When I sat him in the chair and gave him his first spoon of applesauce, he didn't seem to mind the change. After the third and fourth spoon, he decided that he did not like baby food at all. He started to cry and it took awhile to get him to calm down. It looks like we are going to have to wait awhile before we can try again.

By Kelly

Simply Connect

I remember a quote from a book that my aunt used to like, "simply connect." It's stuck with me over time. It was what I felt when I looked into Ran's eyes that day, 'connection.' It was like the feeling you get when you kiss the one you love and the opposite of being in a crowd and feeling totally alone. I saw in her eyes so much emotion and so many trapped thoughts that longed so much to be expressed.

She did not want this. If she had a choice she might have chosen differently. Like us, I think her first choice wasn't to be lying there in bed coughing from pneumonia and having difficulty moving her limbs because of cerebral palsy.

I also saw in her brown eyes loneliness, longing and questions. Staring into her eyes though I felt like it was me in the bed and her staring down at me. It was a strange kind of empathy that I was experiencing. I then blinked to sever the connection and felt so glad that it wasn't me in the bed and then regret for thinking like this. However, because I had the freedom of moving and caring, I felt like I must then offer myself to her in this way. Her difficulty prompted this response in me. Seeing her difficulty in this new light I saw that her difficulty could bring out the good in others if they were open to it.

Knowing then what to do, I picked her up and showed her around. She was curious and studied things around her. I was grateful to have shared this connection with her. I realized too that this connection carried with it a responsibility to let others know about her and to take care of her in any way possible.

So now, I'm hoping her message reaches you and you in turn can do something for her. As for myself, I won't forget Ran there in that bed and her gratefulness out of it.

By Louis