This little girl was loved,
Even if she never felt those caressing arms of a parent around her tiny body.
Even if no one sang her to sleep.
Even if she spent most of her days in bed.
Even if no one ever celebrated her birthday with her. Marking off each passing year that she lived in horrible conditions.
Yes, Stacy was loved by so many in our on-line community. I heard the cries through the internet. I could hear the desperation and sorrow as my friend told me the news about the little girl she one day wanted to adopt and welcome into the fold of her family. Stacy. Not long ago, we all rejoiced when we heard she had a family coming for her. A family! She was loved even if she did not know it. My heart goes out to her family. The family who had been plowing through mountains of paperwork, spending copious amounts of money, and exposing their heart so that they could rescue Stacy. Their daughter.
Yet, in the end, Stacey died alone in that crib. I wonder if she knew how many loved her.
Let us not forget.
Let us not stop advocating for these children.
Do you see this beautiful little girl with strawberry-blond hair and soulful eyes? This is Tabitha. My daughter-of-the-heart Tabby. I have written about her several times before. I cried when Andrew and I were not able to adopt her. I cried when it seemed that no one was coming for her. Then I cried tears of happiness and rejoiced when at long last, she had a forever family. Now, her dream of living with a loving family outside of an orphanage is shattered.
Tabitha lives in Russia.
Children with special needs are unwanted and considered "defective" in Eastern Europe. This includes the country of Russia. Parents of children with Down syndrome, HIV, Cerebral Palsy or other "abnormalities" are encouraged to place their children in orphanages. To abandon them. Eventually, these children age out and are sentenced to spend their days in mental institutions where basic needs are minimally met. As you can imagine, not many Russian citizens are rushing to adopt these forgotten children. However, families from the U.S. and Canada are providing these children with loving homes. Now, that may all come to a grinding halt due to the new anti-U.S. adoption bill that was signed in Russia.
These are just some of the orphan children with special needs in one region of Russia who need families.
My heart is so heavy right now and I am worried about these precious children. My heart aches for all of the families who are in the process of adopting children from Russia. I wish that I could show you how so many children have thrived since being home with their families.
Blogs of families who have walked the adoption road (not all are from Russia):
Lately, I have been joking about Ellie's recent weight gain, thus happily reinstating the "Chunky Chicken" nickname that she earned when she was a wee, chubby baby with rolls.
My little girl has never needed to worry about food. She always knows that she will get to eat and mostly likely will have a few choices of what to eat. She never had boiling hot, watered-down gruel shoved down her throat via a bottle with the nipple cut off. She never had spilling out of her mouth, soiling her clothing because she couldn't swallow fast enough or because she was not receiving reflux medications.
Ellie is 3 years-old and weighs 28 lbs.
Many children in Eastern Europe, residing in orphanages or institutions are severely malnourished and underweight. Many children who are adopted from these regions are brought home weighing half of what Ellie weighs. Some of these children are so malnourished that they are immediately admitted to the hospital as soon as their plane touches U.S. soil.
Throughout this blog, I have shared adorable photographs of the Princess Ellie demonstrating her rocking climbing skills and playing with her blocks, baby doll, stuffed puppy, books, or plastic utensils. She has been given ample opportunities to explore her environment all while knowing that her mommy is near by to shower her with love and praise. Myself and various therapists have worked with Ellie to help her develop her gross and fine motor skills. Thus enabling her to navigate her world.
How can a child learn to sit up, crawl or even walk if he is left in a crib or tethered to a chair? How can she learn to feed herself, turn the pages or a book, or even build a block tower if she does not have access to toys?
Many children with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, Apert's syndrome, or other "defects" are deemed unworthy of life and are placed in institutions throughout Eastern Europe. Their parents are advised that this is "what's best for them". Yes, it does sound a bit like us 30 years ago. Sadly, these orphanages and institutions are not healthy environments. Their may be overcrowding. The staff uncaring or overworked. Supplies are scarce. Diapers may be reused. As in the disposable kind. The children are often left for hours on end in their cribs. They do not have much human interaction. No love. No one to read to them. No one to hold them. No one to cheer them.
These children are not forgotten. Not by me and not by many of my dear friends.
Jane, my fellow UK blogging buddy, is very adamant that my hair will be a glorious color of the rainbow by Christmas. Our goal of $3,000 for Bobby is nearly halfway met. In fact, Jane was just in Kalinovka--the remote institution where our Bobby lives. The location where the Happy Child Fund is constructing the 2nd House That Love Built. FORGET ME NOT!
The Forget Me Not has its own Blogger Platform now. Jane has spearheaded it and would like the word to get out as she is having a rather difficult time gaining followers and thus spreading awareness about these children. Please head on over to the Forget Me Nots and click that little "share" button. http://flightplatform.blogspot.com
Even if it is not possible to donate (believe me funds are tight!) or you are loathe to see me with an unnatural hair color, share share share. Perhaps one person will see Bobby and KNOW that he is her/his son. Perhaps another person, perhaps with a rather large checkbook, would be moved. Or, even if you have just $1.00. If every follower on this blog were to donate $1.00, our Bobby's fund would grow by nearly $200. Jane has huge giveaway going on right now over of the Forget Me Not so be sure to check it out.
Maggie. Darling Maggie is a little girl who is just one month younger than my Ellie. That's right, she just turned 3 years-old and has spent 3 years without a family. She has cerebral palsy and desperately needs a home. Early intervention and love would help little Maggie thrive. This little girl has been so heavy on Christie's heart. So very heavy that doesn't know what to do to help her. Christie has been selling Scentsy product like there is no tomorrow with a pledge to donate all of her earnings to Maggie's fun. If you want more information on her Scentsy sale, please contact me.
Finally, I cannot end this post without showing you my Tabitha and Elden.
ANNOUNCING: Tabitha has a family!!!!! I do not know any details yet, but it just recently happened. Her photographed has been moved to the My Family Found Me Page!!!!!!
Let's shout it from the rooftops! There is one less orphan in the world today.
Many of you may remember the Shpak family as I often blogged about their adoption journey as well as the various fundraisers they were hosting to help bring home their daughter Ruby (Shannon). Well, yesterday, our dear sweet Ruby walked out the doors of the orphanage in Eastern Europe with her forever father and soon will be on a plane to meet the rest of her family. I feel as though this has been the longest pregnancy ever, but the Ruby was well worth the wait!
Ruby (Shannon)
Congratulations to the Shpak family on their new family edition!
You can continue to read about there journey on their family blog.
Additionally, my dear friend Deanna and her husband Rob have just boarded a plane to head over to E.E. to meet their new daughter Harper (Charity). For months they have been raising funds and filling out a mountain's worth of paperwork. Please keep the Sader family in your thoughts and prayers for a safe travel and a smooth adoption.
Harper (Charity)
My darling Tabitha is still without a forever family to call her own. She is still spending her days in an orphanage and I hope that her family will find her soon. Here are some new pictures of our sweet little Tabby.
It is Forget Me Not Friday. Even if my blog does not pop up with a post every single Friday, please know that I do not forget. I never forget my darling daughter-of-my-heart Tabitha, our sweet Elden, our dear Bobby, little Kacey who is always asking for her mama, and so many others who have been featured on The Chronicles. I will never forget.
Earlier this week, I read a post from a fellow blogger that rocked me to my core. Another little child was removed from the adoption ministry. Removed not because a family was coming for her, but rather because she passed away. . . alone . . . at age 11.
I could never express my thoughts, my feelings, or my despair as well as Shelley over at Only1Mom. Please, I beg of you, to read her post and know why myself and so many others spend so much time on our knees praying, time at the computer blogging, and time opening our checkbooks for children that we may never meet.
Lynette is not the only. . . we have lost Warner, Landon, and Dante who had been featured on my Forget Me Not Friday posts. These sweet little angels lost along with many others. In Loving Memory. Dance with the angels dear children and play with fearless abandon for you are now free from pain, free from the constraints of a crib, and free to feel so much love.
Forget-Me-Not Friday is a blog host sponsored by Jane at Flight Platform Living with the goal of bringing about awareness of orphans with special needs in Eastern Europe.
Still waiting to see me with purple hair? Have no fear. We are slowly raising the funds and there is still a chance to donate to Bobby's fund and to the Orphanage 50 addition. Once we reach our goal, I shall be whipping out the Manic Panic hair dye.
I am certain that many of you believe that the title of this post is related to the fact that I have discovered a few strands of white hair. You would not be entirely mistaken. This week, I did indeed find a THIRD strand of fully white hair on top of my 31 year-old head. Oh why do these snowy hairs insist on cropping up around my face for all (and by that I mean me) to see rather than hidden in the back depths of my auburn noggin?
Do you see those white hairs? Nope, you shouldn't for I plucked those bad boys out immediately upon discovery!
I apologize. I am done bemoaning my aging head. Moving on. I am dying my hair for a completely different purpose. What, honey? I didn't inform you that I was dying my lovely, bouncy locks of sheer sexiness?
After great thought. . . all of 30 seconds, I have opted to dye this precious head of hair purple.
Yes. Purple.
For all of my high school and college buddies who thought I had grown up and moved passed my days of Manic Panic, I am being completely mature about this.
I am not, and I repeat not, having a mid-life crisis. A little over a week ago, received what Jane has referred to as "The Cheekiest Email Ever from the Flight Platform" and it was enjoyably cheeky. From all of my interactions with my blogging lovey Jane, this one was rather cheeky and rather enticing. Which means I jumped into her request with both feet as fast a humanly possible. At the risk of becoming Billy No-Mates, Jane pleaded with us to help her. To help her raise money and raise awareness. . . by stealing readers. Okay, that is not completely true. Jane always has grand plans when it comes to fundraising. Plans that involving drastic weight loss (she is doing the 50lb thing right now which equals I do not know how many stones) and then there was the chili being dumped on her head. Fundraising has been rather difficult. Hence the need to expand readership and add a little enticement.
Jane had the great privilege not too long ago to witness sweet Francine's Adoption as well as visit Orphanage 50. As many of you already know, there are several orphanages in Eastern Europe filled with unwanted children. Children with disabilities because their parents were told by society that their kids are better off hidden away. Not all orphanages are horrible. In fact, those at Orphanage 50 have caring providers who want the best for their wards before they are sentenced to a horrible life in a mental institution at the age of 5 years.
Jane (2nd from right) with Albert Pavlov and staff from Happy Child Foundation
Photo: Flight Platform Living
Orphanages in general operate on limited funds with limited staff and with too many children. In the case of Orphanage 50, there is a dire need for space. Too many orphans and not enough room. Imagine, a new building for little children to thrive in while they wait for their forever families. Jane has met the people involved--Albert Pavlov of the Happy Child Foundation. She knows that their hearts are in the right place--for the children. Jane has pledged to raise money for her Bobby and for the construction of a building for Orphanage 50. For information on Orphanage 50 aka the Chernigov Facility at Kalinovka, please visit here. The Happy Child Foundation has constructed a building previously for this orphanage. To learn more about the Happy Child Foundation, visit here.
This building was constructed by the Happy Child Foundation in Kalinovka
Photo: Flight Platform Living
I know that you are wondering what the color purple has to do with Jane, Bobby, and Orphanage 50.
The Second House That Love Built
While a great deal of money has been raised, Jane has lost money on the fundraisers she has conducted. Jane has reached out to several bloggers with the hopes of raising awareness among new people and perhaps, if possible raise a buck or two for Bobby and the orphanage. To sweeten the pot and to hopefully get this current fundraiser off the ground, when $3,000 is raised, we will all dye our hair an outrageous color. . . and Jane will be posting pictures of us in all of our awesome rainbow glory.
Future site for The Second House That Love Built; Orphanage 50
Photo: Flight Platform Living
Ah ha! So you all thought I was just going to randomly dye my hair on a whim did you? Not until the $3,000 are raised! You can help make this happen by spreading the word and donating if possible. I know that I have asked you all for so much over the past few years and I know that money is tight. Believe me, my purse strings feel the pull too. Please know that I am forever grateful to all of you who have donated and reposted my pleas for help. So many children are now home with their families because of your amazing generosity. Some of the orphans are now on the My-Family-Found-Me page at Reece's Rainbow. I firmly believe that nothing is impossible. Please, I am asking for awareness. For you to spread the word. Or if you happen to have some spare change laying around in the back seat of your car or couch cushions that you would like to donate to the cause, Jane & I would be forever grateful. All of us together can make a difference for Bobby and for those children who are living in Orphanage 50.
Photo: Flight Platform Living
Now I know that all of you will be insanely jealous of my purple hair, but do not despair. Email me at the chroniclesofelliebelliebear@yahoo.com if you too would like to show your support and participate. When we reach the lucky $3,000, dye your hair any color of the rainbow (or all the colors) and send me your pic. I will have dear Jane post it on her celebratory blog post. Plus, whenever someone comments on your glorious hair, you can spread awareness by telling them the reason behind your dye-job!
Come on! Join in the fun! Even Ellie "dyed" parts of her hair pink using cupcake icing.
For all of you readers who use Photobucket, can you help me out? They upgraded to something and since then, I have trouble getting my watermarks to show up. I go to "edit" and then add the text "Ellie Bellie Bear" or "Anna.Theurer". I save it and it appears on the photo. However, when I paste the URL to Blogger, it does not appear on the photo (as you can see above). What am I doing wrong?
Forget-Me-Not Friday is a blog host sponsored by Jane at Flight Platform Living with the goal of bringing about awareness of orphans with special needs in Eastern Europe. To learn more about why this is such a cause close to my heart, please click here. Have tissues handy.
First off, do you remember Shawna and Lindsay? I met these beautiful, beautiful girls in person over the weekend. Their forever mama is a member of our local Ds group and when we had our musical kids' gathering, she brought her son and two, lovely little girls. Shawn and Lindsay have been home for a few months and they are thriving. Living proof that a forever family is balm to the soul.
(Shawna & Lindsay now Naomi and Hannah)
Secondly, do you remember our dear Shannon? Honestly, I feel like the Sphak family has endured the longest pregnancy ever. Less than 2 weeks ago, little Shannon's forever father met her for the very first time (Mama had to stay home with the kids) in Bulgaria. The smile on Shannon's face as she hugged her papa is breathtaking.
Shannon
While Shawna, Lindsay, and Shannon have families, there are so many other children who do not. So many other children who have been discarded and sentenced to live in mental institutions all because they are "defective", "unworthy", "broken". All because they have Down syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Crouzon's syndrome, HIV, or some other disability. Each and every single one of these children deserve love, a home, a family, and medical care. Each and every single one of these children are worthy, valuable, and important. The children shown below all need families. Please, help me spread awareness and maybe their family will find them.
UPDATE: Since writing this post, Tamara (who is shown below) is now listed on the My Family Found Me page at Reece's Rainbow!!!!!!!
Meet the lovely Megan. Megan is an active, social little girl with Down syndrome and she desperately needs a home. She has already been transferred to a mental institution and I hear that it is not a good one. Although, is any mental institution really a good fit for a little girl with Ds?
The wonderful news is that her adoption is nearly fully funded. $23965.50
So please, carefully consider if Megan is your child and if she is not, please spread the word. This little lovie should not be spending her days in an institution.
Forget-Me-Not Friday is a blog hop sponsored by Jane at Flight Platform Living with the goal of bringing about awareness of orphans with special needs in Eastern Europe. To learn more about why this is such a cause close to my heart, please click here.
My friend, S, has such a tender heart for the orphans on Reece's Rainbow. It was S who brought sweet Elden and then little Malcom to my attention. These boys weigh so heavily on her (and my) heart. S recently sent me an email about an observation of hers. . . you see, there are several boys listed on RR around the age of 5 with huge grants. Grants around or above the $10,000 mark. By now, we know that some of the children with larger grants are more likely to be adopted because, frankly, adoption costs a small ransom. Adoption is expensive. Adoption is not for the weak of heart. Yet, the path to adoption can be smoothed by rescuing a child with a large grant.
These boys are all 5 or 6 years-old. Mental Institution age. These boys all have large grants. These boys, however, do not have families coming to rescue them.
The purpose of this post is to spread the word that these boys are on borrowed time and still need families.
Sara (who is adopting Martin), from Foxberry Farm Almanac wrote a beautiful blog post about these sweet boys hoping to bring about awareness and hopefully to find them families. Please, spread the word!
This precious beauty has near $24,000 in her grant!
Forget-Me-Not Friday is a blog host sponsored by Jane at Flight Platform Living with the goal of bringing about awareness of orphans with special needs in Eastern Europe. To learn more about why this is such a cause close to my heart, please click here.
