A Toy for Kuan

While I was home over Christmas, my grandma and I did a lot of shopping and ended up with tons of cute baby clothes. Most of the holiday I spent showing pictures and telling everyone about the children I work with. Just recently my grandma sent me a box and it included something that my grandpa thought that the two of us should have bought. Kuan wanted a toy train. I took the toy over that day and Kuan was extremely excited about his toy Thomas because he loves watching movies about Thomas. Kuan wasn't the only little one to enjoy playing with Thomas, Mei played while Kuan wasn't watching.

By Megan

Children Are Precious

Each individual child is worth far more than we can imagine. From their bright eyes to their soft hair, sweet smiles and even their red face when they *ahem.* How can we not appreciate them? Well unfortunately there are those out there than don't. When they are more concerned about their own well-being or what is on their plate. They might even heap it on their child's plate, when their child is still too young to make sense of all that goes on in their lives. The children may be small, but their worries are no less. Also, they have a great big impact in our lives! Children bridge the gaps in generation; they make men, fathers and women, mothers. No more singular, but plural!

My own daughter brings tears of joy to my eyes, when I see her stare at me with those intent dark-gray eyes. I want to sing, and unfortunately for my wife, I have. If it wasn't for this child, who has changed and made everything real and meaningful for me, I would be just another guy. Thanks to this child, I'm now the guy that she looks up to, the guy that changes her dirty diapers, the guy that gets her to sleep when mommy is exhausted, the guy that tells her he will protect and keep her safe from that great big scary world. I'm the guy that tells her it's not such a great big scary world after all. The guy that lets her know that who she is is the most beautiful and that's all she ever has to be. So thank you for being my most precious child and making me that guy.

I can only hope that each child can have the opportunity to light our world up the way it needs to be lit up. Lastly, I would like to say, "Children you are so precious and it means so much that you could come visit us here on this great big planet, if only for a little while, and share with us all that you have to offer."

By Louis

Special Guests

On Thursday, March 4th we were visited by BISS (Beijing International School of Singapore). Each week a group of about five or six elementary students comes and tours our baby home with one or two of their teachers. This week the children enjoyed learning more about each of the babies. Sometimes a student has been so interested in a baby that they return to school and research more about a specific baby's condition.

At the moment the students at BISS are raising money in order to purchase a saw, so we can use it when casting clubbed feet. In the past, the students have held movie nights and collected diapers, formula, and clothing for the entrance fee.

By Megan

The Beautiful World

It snowed awhile back. One of the volunteers told me, "Look at the trees! They are so beautiful." I didn't realize it until she told me. That reminds me of an old chinese proverb that goes like this, "It's not that the world is lacking in beauty, it's that the world is lacking in eyes to see that beauty." It was pretty, actually it was so pretty! We just stood in the snow, lifted up our heads and watched the snow falling down. Doing so made us know how amazing the snow flakes were, how amazing the world was.

It's not just the snowflakes, I'm sure that there are more things such as caring, love, and sharing... The world is right there, it is waiting for you to find out its beauty.

By Coco

Potty training 101

He usually screams when he's taken into the bathroom to sit on the big person toilet. However, today we had a break through. He allowed me to take him into the bathroom where he succeeded in using the potty. He wasn't to happy when other people came in to talk to him, but was all smiles when he was able to leave the bathroom. He's a smart little boy, who loves when you tell him he did a good job. Hopefully he keeps up the good work and before we know it he'll be out of those diapers.

By Megan

Will To Live

She's a miracle girl. When they got her, the doctor doubted she would live past one month. She cried all the time. She cried a lot! She always needed the staff to be with her and rock her to sleep. She needed them too much in my opinion. We called her "the high maintenance baby." She was very demanding. I found her so annoying at first and didn't really care for her emotionally. I felt that we had so many babies that we can't always focus on you! She was very attached to some of the staff! Like really attached!

I was finally won over by her during a trip to recieve a certain surgery. They gave her a small surgery and then when I saw her she just laid there. She was unconcious for what seemed like forever after the surgery, it was like she was dead, because of the medicine to make her sleep. I was crying because I thought, "What if she dies?" The way she was laying there was peaceful but, I was afraid of this kind of peace. I didn't want this peace to bring her away from me because I had just fallen in love with her and we had just started our new relationship. She finally woke up, her eyes fluttered like broken butterflies. I felt like she was so strong to have made it through this surgery! I was so proud of her!

Later, the doctor said there was no way for her to receive a special surgery in China. I was totally defeated when I heard this news. I begged him please, is there anything that you can do? He said, "I'm sorry." She had a very special heart, in need of a special surgery. The doctor said, "It's a miracle that she has lived this long."

We tried hard to look for some hospital outside of China that could take care of her special heart. We knew that if we could find the right hospital that she would fight for survival and live. Not too long after, we heard that there was a family in America that wanted to adopt her despite knowing the problem with her heart and that she might die. They still wanted her. This was like miracle number two for her. They adopted her and brought her to America. The American dctor said that she needed three surgeries in total. Not long after adoption she received her first surgery. She was strong as usual.

I'm sure she'll get through the next two surgeries as strong as ever. Now, she is like a little angel. She is so beautiful. She is growing each day, bigger and stronger. She gives her family so much love. She loves to hug her family and tell them how much she loves them.

By Theresa

Easter Eggs

The foster care kids enjoy dying Easter eggs.

By Megan