onder
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Beginning to walk
Yes, my girl had her first fitting today. It fit beautifully. I really wasn't sure how she would react. She's been so excited about walking that I really didn't expect her to be afraid of her prosthetic, but she was at first. I've tried to show her prosthetics on the Internet, but I knew she really didn't get it. Today when she started crying it dawned on me that she was disappointed. I think she was expecting her prosthetic to be just like her other leg. It's hard to explain this to a three year old. It wasn't completely finished either. It didn't have the covering that looks more like a leg. It fit really well though. She eventually warmed up to it. She loved being able to stand. Izzy was encouraging her. It was very sweet. She liked being able to see Izzy eye to eye. I could tell that was a big deal to her. She smiled so big. She took a couple steps from me to Rob and it was really hard for her. She had no idea what to do with it. It was just very foreign to her. She gets around so well without it. She really will have to learn to walk. I didn't think about it this way. I envisioned her putting the prosthetic on and taking off. That's her spirit. That's how she approaches most things. She just goes for it. This was scary though for her and I hadn't prepared for that. When she got used to it a little she started asking me if we could paint the toenails. So sweet. And you can. How cool is that. You can paint it and take it off and paint them again just like your real toes. I started doing "this little piggy with her. She was loving it. She has 10 toes. She was very excited about that. We start physical therapy Monday. We're doing that inpatient at Children's Hospital so that she can have physical therapy twice a day.
So, check out my girlies first prosthetic leg. Rob took some pictures with his phone, so sorry about the quality. Please keep us in your prayers. A week in the hospital. Ughhh!!! And pray that my sweet girl gets the hang of this pretty quickly : )
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Foster Care Adoption
Quick Facts
On any given day, more than 500,000 children are in the U.S. foster care system.
127,000 children in the U.S. are waiting to be adopted - just waiting for the right family to find them.
More children in foster care wait for adoption each year than are adopted.
In 2006, 79,000 children had parental rights terminated by the courts, yet:
Only 51,000 were adopted from the foster care system;
A child waiting to be adopted has been in foster care an average of 39 months;
A child in foster care can wait five years or more to be adopted.
The average age of the child waiting to be adopted from foster care is eight years old. Many are older, in sibling groups, are minority children and/or have special needs.
Each year, 20% of children (26,517 in 2006) exit foster care at age 18 without an adoptive family – of those,
2% earn a bachelor’s degree or higher;
51% are unemployed;
25% have been homeless at some point;
30% receive public assistance;
Many end up in prison and many have children of their own who also end up in foster care.
In a recent survey of public opinion, 45% of those surveyed believed children were in foster care because of juvenile delinquency when the reality is that these kids have been abused, neglected or abandoned.
Kelly Rosati
Senior Director, Sanctity of Human Life
Focus on the Family
Foster Care Adoption Information by State
On any given day, more than 500,000 children are in the U.S. foster care system.
127,000 children in the U.S. are waiting to be adopted - just waiting for the right family to find them.
More children in foster care wait for adoption each year than are adopted.
In 2006, 79,000 children had parental rights terminated by the courts, yet:
Only 51,000 were adopted from the foster care system;
A child waiting to be adopted has been in foster care an average of 39 months;
A child in foster care can wait five years or more to be adopted.
The average age of the child waiting to be adopted from foster care is eight years old. Many are older, in sibling groups, are minority children and/or have special needs.
Each year, 20% of children (26,517 in 2006) exit foster care at age 18 without an adoptive family – of those,
2% earn a bachelor’s degree or higher;
51% are unemployed;
25% have been homeless at some point;
30% receive public assistance;
Many end up in prison and many have children of their own who also end up in foster care.
In a recent survey of public opinion, 45% of those surveyed believed children were in foster care because of juvenile delinquency when the reality is that these kids have been abused, neglected or abandoned.
Kelly Rosati
Senior Director, Sanctity of Human Life
Focus on the Family
Foster Care Adoption Information by State
Orphan Sunday is November 7th
The Cry of the Orphan
To help raise awareness and spur action on behalf of the millions of orphans waiting around the world and in the U.S., Focus on the Family, Hope for Orphans (a ministry of FamilyLife), and Show Hope have created a free 60-minute video program called Answer the Cry, an inspirational video program exploring how YOU are God's plan for the orphan.
Hosted by best-selling author and founding pastor of Cornerstone Church Francis Chan and featuring GRAMMY-winning recording artists Steven Curtis Chapman and Mark Shultz, this program addresses ways that every Christian can have an impact on the life of an orphan.
Watch the preview HERE
In addition, Answer the Cry features:
•Musical performances by Grammy-winning Christian-music star Steven Curtis Chapman, Mark Schultz and Lisa Chan
•Interviews with Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman, Paul Pennington, adoptive dad and executive director of Hope for Orphans (a ministry of FamilyLife), and his wife Robin, and Kelly Rosati, adoptive mom and vice president of Community Outreach at Focus on the Family, and her husband John
•Examples of ordinary people who are taking action to address the orphan crisis
Answer the Cry is available FREE to churches and groups now, in conjunction with Orphan Sunday (Nov. 7).
You can show this video at your church, home, youth group, Bible study, community gathering, or wherever you want it shown! All it takes is one person like you to ask your church, community, or family to share this experience with you, and you'd be surprised at the doors that can open! To watch this video, you can:
•Request a free DVD for use at your local event. To request a DVD, please email orphansunday@christianalliancefororphans.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , including details of your event, your name and mailing address. (SHIPPING UPDATE ON ANSWER THE CRY DVDs: If you ordered your free copy of the Answer the Cry DVD on or before Friday, October 29th, it was shipped on Saturday, October 30th).
•Pick up the DVD free from any Family Christian Stores (supplies are limited and availability won't be until early November). Click here to find a store in your area to contact for details on availability.
•Stream the video online for your Orphan Sunday or awareness event. This video will be available for streaming online until November 14th! Click here to watch now! Answer the Cry streaming provided as a courtesy of our friends at Flannel.
•Request it on TV! Contact the Christian TV station you watch and ask them to carry this 60 minute special!
Then its time to get involved in caring for orphans! Click here to learn how you can get involved
To help raise awareness and spur action on behalf of the millions of orphans waiting around the world and in the U.S., Focus on the Family, Hope for Orphans (a ministry of FamilyLife), and Show Hope have created a free 60-minute video program called Answer the Cry, an inspirational video program exploring how YOU are God's plan for the orphan.
Hosted by best-selling author and founding pastor of Cornerstone Church Francis Chan and featuring GRAMMY-winning recording artists Steven Curtis Chapman and Mark Shultz, this program addresses ways that every Christian can have an impact on the life of an orphan.
Watch the preview HERE
In addition, Answer the Cry features:
•Musical performances by Grammy-winning Christian-music star Steven Curtis Chapman, Mark Schultz and Lisa Chan
•Interviews with Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman, Paul Pennington, adoptive dad and executive director of Hope for Orphans (a ministry of FamilyLife), and his wife Robin, and Kelly Rosati, adoptive mom and vice president of Community Outreach at Focus on the Family, and her husband John
•Examples of ordinary people who are taking action to address the orphan crisis
Answer the Cry is available FREE to churches and groups now, in conjunction with Orphan Sunday (Nov. 7).
You can show this video at your church, home, youth group, Bible study, community gathering, or wherever you want it shown! All it takes is one person like you to ask your church, community, or family to share this experience with you, and you'd be surprised at the doors that can open! To watch this video, you can:
•Request a free DVD for use at your local event. To request a DVD, please email orphansunday@christianalliancefororphans.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , including details of your event, your name and mailing address. (SHIPPING UPDATE ON ANSWER THE CRY DVDs: If you ordered your free copy of the Answer the Cry DVD on or before Friday, October 29th, it was shipped on Saturday, October 30th).
•Pick up the DVD free from any Family Christian Stores (supplies are limited and availability won't be until early November). Click here to find a store in your area to contact for details on availability.
•Stream the video online for your Orphan Sunday or awareness event. This video will be available for streaming online until November 14th! Click here to watch now! Answer the Cry streaming provided as a courtesy of our friends at Flannel.
•Request it on TV! Contact the Christian TV station you watch and ask them to carry this 60 minute special!
Then its time to get involved in caring for orphans! Click here to learn how you can get involved
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