Update on our sweet Sophie

Our beautiful Sophie has been in Shanghai since the end of October to receive specialized medical care. She endured a long surgery to have her right eye removed and now is living in a baby home in Shanghai awaiting further medical treatment before she can return to us at First Hugs.

Sophie's sweet spirit and adorable little voice are very missed at First Hugs. Her nanny recently was in Shanghai and was able to arrange a visit with Sophie and give her some love.

The poor baby was a little confused at first, but quickly warmed up to the love and affection of her nanny, and the yummy cake they brought her. Please keep Sophie in your prayers.

Want to help sponsor Sophie or any of our other little ones? Visit our sponsorship page here!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of our First Hugs friends and supporters.

In 2016 we had seven of our sweet babies and toddlers join their families through adoption and we have two more little ones in the process of being adopted who will be meeting their new families soon. Our greatest desire for all of our First Hugs little ones is for them to get out of the orphanage, be adopted, and become members of loving families. While we are able to provide love and care for these little ones while they are with us, children belong with parents and in families, not in orphanages, and nothing can replace the influence of family and home in the life of a child.

Two our our babies temporarily left First Hugs in 2016 and are currently receiving special medical care at other facilities, but will be back with us at First Hugs in the coming months. With miss our sweet Sophie and baby YF!

Our most precious Lilah Lu passed away in 2016, after touching hearts all over the world. Lilah Lu was receiving excellent care for a complicated heart condition through Morning Star Foundation and we were all hoping and praying her story would end differently, but her tiny body stopped fighting and she left this earth in April. She was loved by all who followed her story.

We are waiting for the files of several of our babies to be prepared so that they can be available for adoption, but TWO of our sweet ones are file-ready and waiting to be chosen by families right now.

First let me introduce you to the beautiful and amazing "Kendall". Kendall was born in April 2014 and is so precious! She has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and has low muscular tension in her lower limbs. She also has delayed development and a Dandy Walker malformation is a possibility. Kendall  has been living at the orphanage since she was a newborn.  She has made a great deal of progress and is now walking! She receives therapy regularly and looking at books is one of her favorite things to do. As you can see, she is quite smiley!!

Beautiful and happy Audrey is also waiting for a forever family. Audrey was born in August of 2014 and she has Down Syndrome. She is happy and loving baby who is doing very well and is adored by her nannies. Clearly she could not be any cuter!

If you are interested in learning more about adopting either Kendall or Audrey, please email kfdolan@gmail.com

If you would like to see all of our sweet babies and learn more about sponsoring one, please visit our First Hugs website by clicking here.

Happy 2017 to all of our supporters!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!

The amazing staff at First Hugs has used their own time, money, talents, and dedication to decorate and celebrate Christmas with our sweet babies!  Here are some pictures of the decorations and festivities. Stay tuned for a post of the kids enjoying their Christmas gifts soon.

C.Y. is having so much fun!!!

Could he be any cuter? Or Merrier?

Kendall and her ayi look so sweet and festive. Kendall is ready and waiting for her forever family!

Beautiful Aubrey is also ready and waiting for a family. What a perfect Christmas gift that would be!

Smile! It's Christmas!

Jammies, antlers, and a ball. It doesn't get much cuter than that.

Our staff has so much love for these babies!

Decorations made and provided by First Hugs ayis and staff

Aubrey is a cute little Santa baby

Sweet Taylor Shae looks warm and snuggly with her ayi.

 First Hugs is supported by donors and helps meet the needs of children who are orphaned and have medical and developmental challenges as well as the challenge of not having a family. Any size donation helps support these children with better nutrition and medical care as well as specially trained, and loving nannies, which makes all the different to institutionalized children.

Our current fundraising is desperately low and with new funds and current regular donors we only have enough to get to March. Please help support our holiday fundraiser so these babies can continue to receive the love and care they so need and deserve.

https://www.classy.org/…/first-hugs-annual-fundrais…/c107728

These Boots Were Made For Walking

The love of some things is universal, and kids everywhere seem to love to try on and play around in the shoes of others. Our cute X.T. is no exception! Look how cute he is.

Everyone is getting ready for Christmas at First Hugs. Our amazing QiRui has purchased a Christmas tree and new toys for the children out of her own money. Stay tuned for pics of Christmas at First Hugs!

You can help us celebrate Christmas and the rest of the year but supporting our Annual Fundraiser. We have a long way to go to reach our goal and every donation big or small helps and is much appreciated.

Please visit and share our fundraiser by clicking here. 

Bald is Beautiful!

It is that time of year when illness often spreads quickly through orphanages. A recent illness left almost all of our babies quite sick a few weeks ago. In China, antibiotics are administered through IV's in their little heads, so now our babies are all sporting shaved heads!

Hospital stays are no fun, but everyone is feeling better and all of the babies are back at First Hugs. Some of our wonderful supporters donated some warm and fuzzy winter hats just in time to keep their sweet heads warm this winter while waiting for their hair to grow back.

Until their hair grows back though, we think they are very adorable bald.

It is so nice to see everyone looking happy and healthy again!

You can help keep our babies happy, healthy, loved and cared for by supporting our Annual Holiday Fundraiser. Please visit and share!

https://www.classy.org/campaign/first-hugs-annual-fundraiser/c107728

First Hugs Annual Holiday Fundraiser!

The holiday season is upon us and the First Hugs Annual Fundraiser is under way!

Life in an orphanage usually means that children do not get what they need to thrive, physically or emotionally. We are trying to change that by providing love and nurturing, good nutrition, and medical care to orphaned babies and toddlers,  many of which have special needs.

Our sweet little ones at XuChang are thriving in the First Hugs program, but we need your help to be able to continue to provide the love and care that they need. In our fundrasier you can help provide nutritious fruits and vegetables for our babies for a month, support our medical fund,  pay the salary for one of our incredible nannies for a month, or even sponsor one of these precious babies for a year.

Please support our fundraiser and help change the quality of life for children without the love and security of home and family this holiday season.

Please click here to visit and share our First Hugs Annual Fundraiser

Thursday at XuChang

We drove up to the orphanage and were surprised to be greeted by a new large statue of Kung
Fu panda. No one seems to be able to explain why. We just enjoyed it !!

 

Leslie spent much of the day reviewing therapies with the ayis. We have been so pleased with
how receptive all of the staff has been. It is so refreshing to look across the room and see the
ayis implementing what they have been taught.

  

 We were privileged to be able to give care packages to three of our First Hugs kids from their
forever families.  QiRui took a few sweet yams we did not eat at lunch yesterday with a plan to use them for the children. She mixed up the pureed vegetable with yoghurt. The children all loved it. And we are so thrilled with the nutrition. Look how colorful it is !!

The nannies will need a place to be able to work one on one with the children on fine motor
skills and sensory. They will work with buckets of rice or beans, scoops, spoons and plastic toys.
The small plastic gate we put up will help keep curious babies out til it is their turn !!

After we left the orphanage we were invited to a special dinner with the Director of Civil affairs,
the orphanage director and two other directors from XuChang orphanage. We had a lovely meal
and were able thank the director for the opportunity to work at XuChang. We have been so
impressed with the orphanage's openness to work with us!!