This is Z! He is 11. He was adopted from Cambodia at the age of 4 months old. He has traumatic brain injury. He has some learning issues and is developmentally delayed. He is also fantastic with little ones, especially babies! He is one of the best caregivers I have ever seen. He is also very creative and a fantastic artist. He is constantly creating works of art using different medias.
This is M! She is also 11 (she is Zachary's twin) and adopted from Cambodia at 4 months old. M has childhood psoradic arthritis but she does not let her slow her down. She is an amazing athlete and a great friend to all. She receives great grades and is well known throughout the school for her good attitude. She is also the most unselfish, honest and spiritual person I know. She works hard at everything she does and is a huge help around the house.
This is A! She is 8 and is my "homemade" daughter. She has macrocephally which results in her having very poor balance and coordination but a brilliant intellect. She is a genius. She has skipped a grade and is still the top of her class. She is in the gifted program at school. She is a beautiful musician and can play music by ear. She is also very outgoing and never afraid to try anything new. I wish I could steal some of her amazing confidence.
This is E! We adopted him from Haiti at 3 years old and he is now 9 years old. He had been horrifically abuse and neglected. He had also lived in 3 orphanages before we brought him home. The result was that he has some severe developmental delays and attachment issues. Today though he is fully bonded to his family and has caught right up. He does awesome in school despite having ADHD and is a great help to those around him. He is fun and silly. He is also an incredible athlete and is amazing at any sport he tries. We are excited to see if he picks the NFL or the NBA someday ;).
This is N! She is 7 and is E's biological sister. She was adopted from Haiti at 20 months. She was near death when we brought her home. She was physically the size of a 6 month old, but developmentally a newborn due to severe neglect, starvation and abuse. N also has some brain injuries that result in ADHD but she is brilliant at school. N has skipped a grade, is still doing A+ work and we are applying for her to enter the gifted program next year. N is our talented performer. She loves to dance, sing and act. She has been in several performances and her dramatic antics keep us all entertained.
This is C! She is 7 and was originally adopted from Haiti by another family but upon learning that she had severe cerebral palsy, they decided they were not fit to be her parents. We adopted C domestically at the age of 2 years old. In addition to CP, C is also deaf. Despite her body not working right, her mind is very bright. She recently skipped a grade as well in a normal academic class and loves to learn. She is my sweetheart. She is always happy, patient and loving to all. She brings the spirit of love and joy with her every where she goes. She uses ASL to communicate so we have learned a 2nd language! C is an impressive horseback rider and has even been in shows and special needs rodeos.
This is T! He is 5 and was adopted from Ethiopia at 2 years old. He was originally diagnosed as being deaf but then we discovered his ears were just full of scar tissue from chronic untreated ear infections. Once his ears were drilled out, he could hear! T continues to have speech delays due to not hearing his first 3 years of life, but that does not mean he does not have a lot to say! T is our very vocal and opinionated child. He has learned to be heard! He is doing wonderfully in Kindergarten and loves to play with his friends and siblings. He is very affectionate and has a great passion for life.
This is J! He is 4 years old and was adopted a year ago from Las Vegas. He was horrifically abused, neglected and starved in his first home. When we brought him home, he was 3 but was only wearing 12-18 month size clothing and looked like a concentration camp victim. He was developmentally only 4 months old. But with food and lots of love, he has thrived. He is now 18 moths old developmentally, wearing 3T clothes and is making huge strides every day. J was a micropremie and has hydrocephalus and a shunt. He also has minor CP. Despite these challenges he is the happiest child we have ever met. He has only cried a handful of times and loves all of his family with many kisses and hugs. He is the delight of everyone in our home. He just started talking and it is the most adorable thing on earth.
We also have 6 sweet angel babies waiting for us on the other side that are a part of our family. I suffered 4 miscarriages, C's twin sister died at only 2 weeks old while still in Haiti and we fostered a baby from Liberia while she received medical treatment here in the US that did not survive her surgery. They are sealed to our family and we look forward to being reunited one day!
