Xinxiang First Hugs

 June 30, 2015

When we entered the room this morning and settled in with the babies, I noticed a child I had not seen before. He was very fair and quite sweet looking. Why would I not remember him?  I asked QiRui. It was LiTong. The family brought him back. They decided not to adopt him. Why? He is gorgeous and sweet. He seemed smart and delightful. What could they possibly have discovered in 24 hours to make them change their minds? So sad. So much sadness here  at times. We hope he finds a forever family soon.

We first saw baby Jade in the rehab room yesterday. Today Claire, Jack, Matt and Isabelle spent quite some time figuring out a name for her. They wanted it to be something special because they thought she was like a princess. With her sweet flowing dress and big smiles, she is a pretty special girl. They decided on Jade and all agreed it suited her. She is big, healthy looking girl who enjoys lots of attention, songs and brightly colored toys.

Jonas met us at the door when we arrived yesterday. He has been in First Hugs since February of 2012. He has some visual impairment but it does not seem to slow him down. We were sad when we read in his most recent report that he had a hard time after two of his closest friends were adopted earlier this year. He now tends to stick with his nanny, the report says.He likes to help her. He also goes to the speech room for speech therapy. We have been keen to have his adoption paper work prepared but were told today that it will not be possible as he is a trafficked child. Because he is trafficked he cannot be internationally adopted but can be adopted domestically after two years. Sadly, no one will want to adopt him here in China because he is not “perfect”. Jonas continues to win the heart of all who meet him. Matt, Jack, Isabelle and Claire all love playing with him., He especially loves it when the boys throw him up in the air!

Essy is a sweet little girl who has been matched with a family. In fact, we heard just today that they will be here for her in less than two weeks! Essy has impaired vision but we know she can see some things. She loves a little ball that Krista brought that lights up when you bang it. She also loves to be held and have her back and legs rubbed. She is a petite little girl. We cannot wait to see her blossom with her family!

Today I named another baby. She is a beautiful eight month old little girl who can light up a room with a smile. I named her Effie after a strong, amazing woman I know. Effie appears to have some weakness in her legs and goes to rehab daily. She rolls over from back to front but not from front to back yet. She loves to be held and will fall asleep in your arms. She is a real beauty.

You might remember I mentioned a hydrotherapy room.  And if you have been following us for a while you might have seen this before. I thought I would show you the side view of two kids in the hydrotherapy tub! They look like they enjoy it.

Headed to the Orphanage

Monday, June 29, 2105

We headed to the orphanage first thing in the morning, eager to see “our” babies. We were greeted at the door by QiRui, our room manager, holding Jonas by one hand and Adam by the other. We had found out just two days before we left that Adam has a family. We were so excited and QiRui was just delighted with the news!

We headed into the playroom where we were greeted immediately by Kevin with big smiles. Before we got settled in, the orphanage director asked QiRui to take us on a tour of the building to see the older kids. As much as we wanted to spend time with our kids, we headed off.

We saw the rehab rooms and met some of our kids there. One little baby, David,is  already 11 months old but is only the size of a newborn. There was also another little girl, we call her Jade, in the next room for therapy. We saw the room where the kids get hydrotherapy, a room for physiotherapy and a speech therapy room.

We then visited some of the older kids in their classrooms. One class of children were doing math and a younger class was doing puzzles and coloring. They were all very sweet. Some of those kids are on the shared list and are available for adoption.

We were then able to return to our room and check out our kids. We dove right in and started playing with the children and catching up with QiRui on the condition of some of our kids. One little boy, several months old, seemed to be having a hard time breathing. His chest was rattling and you could see his chest struggling to get air. Cathy happens to be a former EMT, among other things (in the real world, she is an accountant ) so she got a stethoscope and listened. She could hear upper lung sounds but no sounds in his lower lungs. We asked that he be taken to the hospital. He had been getting treatment at the orphanage but we were worried he might have pneumonia. He was taken to the hospital that afternoon.

Another little boy in our program, who we named Jack, has had a great struggle with hydrocephalus. He has been in and out of  the hospital, has had several shunts but he still is in pain. We are seeking to get him transferred to Shanghai for further treatment. All children deserve the absolute best care and for complicated and challenging cases, that can mean going outside the city or even the province.

Back at First Hugs, we reveled in the children who were well cared for. Kevin, who this time last year refused any solid food at almost three years of age, now feeds himself solid food! He is  talking and communicating well and has grown so much in the last year. Kevin often wants a toy another child has. He fully expects, as one of the older kids, to be able to grab it from most kids. However he has learned the art of negotiation and brings a toy, offering it in exchange for the toy he wants. He will be a shrewd businessman some day! Kevin is on the shared list.

Our little Malachi has also grown so much. He was just four months old when we were here last spring.. Now at 19 months old, he is walking and playing well. He is a very quiet and shy boy. It was so sweet when he finally wanted to play cooperatively. He enjoys building blocks, playing in the ball pit and stacking toys. Malachi has been matched with a family.

Adam is 26 months old and as I mentioned earlier, we just found out he has been matched with a family. He is a dynamic guy. He likes to play pretend and loved the stacking toy as well. He is constantly on the move and has a smile for everyone. He loves to go from walks and explore rocks. He also likes the slide.

We have some very tiny new babies in our program. One is called Liam. He has a club foot and hand and arm differences. There is no given diagnosis except limb differences. Liam is four months old and loves to snuggle.

About 20 minutes before we arrived this morning, a young baby in our room was adopted domestically. He is almost 11 months old. We were so excited for him but sad to have missed the occasion. It would have been so cool to see. He had been described in reports as “ with white skin and loving to smile, LiTong has been described as the spokesperson of our orphanage. Everyone likes him.” We wish him and his new family well.

Farewell Friday

Our last day with the kids was a mix of feelings. In just a few short days we had fallen in love with these kids- and it was such a rewarding experience to see our babies from last year- Christopher ( now Jet), Amelia ( formerly Lucy), Frankie, Charlie, Ethan, Lucy, Bella and Quin - grown so much. Bella had weighed just a few pounds and we shared with the ayis how to wear her in the sling and take lots of time to feed her. Now she is a growing albeit tiny child with the most amazing eyes. She has had successful heart surgery and is enjoying exploring her world.

Christopher, Amelia, Frankie, Charlie and Quin all have been matched with families. And we hope that will be true for Ethan soon too. The boys have all had surgeries and are doing so well. It is hard to believe those bitty boys from last year have grown so. Our Amy's file is being finished and sent off in the next week. We hope to have happy news about her lucky family soon too.

And we were delighted to hear that two of our children had been adopted by local families the week before we arrived. And that meant we had two new arrivals. We will share more about them in the next month.

Our last day entailed more playing and feeding kids. For us seeing what is going on moment to moment in the First Hugs room is very telling. Our program has come so far in a few years. Just two years ago, it was a 12 hour a day program in a room with no door and the bundled kids went back to the main orphanage at night. You can see pictures of what that looked like on our website main page; photos taken by the Smith Family (Gigi's Light Photography) when they adopted their daughter from XinXiang.

We reviewed some of our concerns with our head ayi, and later at a dinner with the orphanage director we reiterated those issues. We are happy to say there were few. We would like to see more scheduled reading and music time. We are going to "promote" one ayi- an amazing, loving woman who has been with us for four years and truly loves the kids- to assistant manager of our room. We want our room manager/head ayi to have two days a week off!! And we want to be sure our older toddlers get the preschool experience Krista shared with the nannies.

It has been our privilege to visit the children and see them grow. Fun on the playground, dancing and laughing, seeing them play under the cribs- it has all be an amazing insight into their daily lives. We want for all of them to be in forever families. But in the meantime, we are so pleased they do not languish in cribs, staring at their hands, bottles propped but instead are held, played with, loved and treasured.

If you would like to support the work of First Hugs, you can make a donation at www.dianjiangkids.org. Any amount is appreciated. You can sponsor a specific child and receive quarterly reports or just make a general donation. All money goes to pay the salaries of the ayis in the First Hugs Room. An automatically recurring donation of any amount is a convenient way to donate any amount monthly- $10, $20...

Thanks for following our journey.

Moya and Krista

Wondrous Wednesday

Our days get more full as the week goes on. We are getting to know our precious
kids better and better. I do not exaggerate when I tell you they are loved by
their ayis and by Krista and I, and I am sure by many of our supporters! Let me tell you about one moment in my day. We were sitting with kids and ayis
and playing with kids. One little boy - Kevin- who happens to have Spina Bifida
and Developmental Delays (he is not currently available for adoption) was
crying. He is one of the older kids in the room. When he gets upset, he either
screeches or cries loudly. I wonder if he gets overlooked in favor of younger,
cuter children.

Our First Hugs program manager, QiRui, gathered him up in her arms, speaking to
him softly and rocking him. She saw me watching. She said " He gets upset and
some people think he is a bad boy. But he just needs what all the babies need.
He needs love and understanding." This from someone who speaks English as a
second language.

I was floored. My eyes welled up. I told her how important this was and how glad
I was she understands. This is why we are here; why First Hugs exists. These
kids all need to be recognized as precious beings who need love. And QiRui gets
it. She really does. ( I excused myself and got up to wipe my eyes.) One precious boy -Ethan- in our program is listed as LID only available for
adoption through CCAI- he is a funny boy who loves to dance and laugh. A true
jewel!!

As we went to eat lunch, we met a couple from Spain who adopted their son from
XinXiang on Monday. We shared information with them, took them to see our room
and had a great time communicating in our common language - French. The
orphanage director and her assistant were confused by the English, Spanish and
French that was flying around!

One final highlight of our day: Krista trained two nannies in how to work with
several of our older kids using Montessori methods. Jill Walker from
Fredericton, New Brunswick got the program together for Krista. After a tutorial
by Krista, we brought our Thomas to our own "preschool" room and QiRui worked
with him. More details this weekend but I will tell you she is a natural. He was
very afraid when brought into a new room. She got a chair, sat close to him and
Thomas started playing. He became involved and then jumped right in. It was a
truly joyful occasion! What a smart boy, just hungering to have his curiosity
fed.

Enjoy some of our pictures!

Thomas on the left and Ethan on the right. Both boys are waiting for their forever families. They are both agency specific Thomas is with GWCA and Ethan is LID only with CCAI.

Toy Tuesday

Monday evening Krista and I unpacked our two overly-packed bags each filled with donations. We organized and repacked and brought most of the donations in to the orphanage today. Krista started her day working with QiRui, our Gracie's Room manager, sorting all the clothes. The ayis were delighted to pick out pretty new outfits for their charges. And the old was replaced with new and the winter clothes were put away in storage.

Then we broke out the new toys. Again, thank you so much to our generous donors who fulfilled items on our wish list. It was our honor to deliver those toys into hands eager to learn and experience.

At our delicious lunch, prepared by the orphanage cook, Krsita and I sat with QiRio and Fei Fei and discussed how we see First Hugs growing and changing. They were very agreeable to our needs and we look forward to continuing our relationship with the orphanage and continuing to see things improve.

Tomorrow we will tell you about a new dimension to our prgram and even have pictures to show it off. We are so pumped about this. Special thanks to Jill Walker of the Montessori School in Fredericton, New Brunswck for her great assistance. ( that was a big hint!).

One highlight of our time in the First Hugs Room is feeding the kids. They get hot cereal in the morning and mid afternoon, huge bowls of rice mixed with meat and vegetables and broth ( congee). Smells yummy! And you should see these kids eat their food. Our Thomas, ever the character, yells out cheerfully when he sees the ayi who always delivers the food. "Ayi! Ayi! AYiiiii!". Yup, he knows how important she is.

More on Wednesday!!

A Stunning Monday

This morning was our best Monday morning in a while. We packed up and loaded our 
bags onto a cart and brought them two hotels over to the Crowne Plaza where we 
met the CCAI families and CCAI founders Josh and Lily Zhong as well as Xia 
Zhong, the head of Chinese Children's Charities. We joined them on a bus to 
Civil Afairs and in a room filled with crying ( moms, dads, kids) and screaming 
( kids!) we saw 12 families grow. What a privilege that was.

We met our XinXiang friends there as they had brought a baby to meet his own 
family ( from Spain). We headed on the highway to XinXiang and stopped once in 
town to have lunch. Then we checked into our hotel, dropped off our luggage and 
were off to the orphanage. 

What a joy to walk into our First Hugs Room. So many familiar faces having grown 
so, and new beautiful faces too. Many kiddies were still napping so we got to 
play with just a few and slowly, others woke up and joined us. 

WE then helped feed the kiddoes and headed out to the playground to play with 
four of the two year olds ( and almost two year olds). What a fun time we all 
had. I could hardly stop smiling. Two of these kids have families they have been 
matched with and all I could think is what fun their families will have with 
them!!

We then went back in and Krista and I took two of the kids out for a walk in 
strollers. One, a three year old we call Thomas, is listed with GWCA and so 
loved the walk. The other was a little girl whose family is anxiously awaiting 
meeting her in the summer. An older lady from the senior citizen's home part of 
the SWI, joined us in our walk. We would love to get a partnership going where 
the seniors spend time with the kids!

Bottles for the younger kids and then more play time. JUst as were getting ready 
to leave, our Thomas dumped all the toys out of the toy box and climbed in. He 
is such a bright and funny boy. 

Tomorrow we will spend the whole day with the kids and bring some of the 
donations. Stay tuned for more cuteness tomorrow.

BTW, if you followed along last year and remember our sweet Bella, then just a 
few pounds - who I( Moya) spent tons of time feeding and wearing in a sling, the 
picture of me is with her! Isn't she gorgeous??

Ethan

Lucy and Ethan

Krista with a Ethan and Lucy

Thomas and Lucy out for a stroll

Thomas

Moya and Bella

It's that time of year again! Tomorrow Krista Dolan, Director of our Gracie's Room/ First Hugs program, and I (Moya Smith, executive director of Dianjiang Kids International) head off to China.

We are each loaded down with two large suitcases full of donations. Thanks to all who sent us items, bought things from our Amazon Wish list and even hand made items. We will be posting pictures of these items in First Hugs. We will also be sharing some neat activities and programing we have planned.

We will also be squeezing some cute baby cheeks like this:

And playing with some sweetness like this:

And dancing with treasures like this:

And feasting our eyes on:

We will be giving them all lots of love, teaching new things to staff and making sure the children are doing well. We will be sharing supplies with others in the orphanage who have so little.

If you want to know more about what we do, watch this short video at : http://www.dianjiangkids.org/#!video/cmdf

And follow along on our journey and fell free to comment below. We love to know you are out there when we are so far away from home!