Recent update on Jack!!!

I got an update this week, here it is:

"He is one cute boy with a huge personality not only that but he is extremely smart."

 "Jack is right on target if not ahead neurologically for his age.  He is extremely verbal and can make some very advanced jokes. Like I said he is extremely smart and has a good Chinese vocab (and he says chocolate in English).

Jack cannot walk (he is actually not paralized from the waist; he can move his hips) but is really comfortable in a wheelchair. He can move himself and crawls around the house using his arms like an army crawl.  He has also learned how to scoot himself by lifting himself up on to his hands and then moving his hips backwards.  So he is very mobile."

All is well....

Here is a huge miracle: Starfish got a donation to the building fund which is enough to cover the flooring, 2 dishwashers and an industrial dryer!!!! The landlord has given them extra time until december 12 to move out and Amanda is hoping she can get the flooring in before that.... wich means they can move into their new home directly!!!! YIPPEEEEEEEE!!!

The latest news is that the first moving trucks are moving furniture!!!!

Now I'm hoping for another miracle; a forever family for Jack!

The landlord is kicking them out!!!!!!

The fosterhome has been renting three apartments in Xian. They are VERY busy trying to get their new housing ready to move in....but there's bad news!
Amanda the Lange, founder and director and fostermom of Starfish fosterhome is on Facebook. And this week she posted these messages!

First I read this:
"So the big upheaval this week: The one landlord kicked us out of the apartment before I was ready to move, since the house is not ready. We had to divide the babies between the other two apartments and then we put all the furniture in the volunteer apartment which is looking like a bomb hit it. This was done with lots of help on November 30th."

And this morning this:
"For the second time in 6 days we are getting kicked out of our apartment. We have no where to go. I cannot put 45 kids in one three bedroom apartment. The house is not ready to move into. Two babies are leaving the hospital and need to get back to Xian. Challenging to my trouble shooting skills. You cannot EVER say that I lead a boring life!"

I'm just lost for words............... how can they do this?

A new home

As you all probably know, Jack was our daughter's fosterbrother at Starfish Fosterhome in China. They litterally saved my girl's life! How can you ever repay something like that? I always have the feeling that I have to do something to help them.
So, I started helping out with their website and we are sending boxes of babyclothes regularly... but they need a bit more this time.
Starfish is moving to a new home. The residents of the apartment building were not that happy with the fosterhome occupying three apartments and housing 50 children! Amanda de Lange, the founder of Starfish has found a new facility but it needs a LOT of work:

There are some volunteers and hired Chinese men working there now and they really want to move in before Christmas...... it looks like it will not be finished by then though. And this means they will have to move the babies to an unfinished building. This breaks my heart, I just can't stop thinking about it. If I could, I would be in China right now to help, but that's not possible at this moment. The only thing I can do is let as many people as possible know about this and about the effort to raise money. What an awesome christmas gift it would be for those babies to move in to a decent home!

So please go to  http://www.crowdrise.com/starfishnewhome/fundraiser/starfish-china and donate! Every dollar is welcome! Skip Starbucks today and donate a dollar to Starfish. I hope we get a lot of people donating one dollar.... we can make a difference together!

Halloween pics! So funny!!

What are you doing?

Hey! What's this on my head?

 

I don't want this!

Why did you put this on my head?

  

Glad that's gone!



Much better!



Now it's time to have some fun!!!

Maybe throw this strange ball?

Just kidding!!!   Hahahahahahaha!

Nothing.....

Nothing new, no BIG news...... How I would love to be a fly on the wall at WACAP and hear if there's anyone looking at Jack's file....

I know he will spend his third birthday with the people that he loves dearly, singing his favourite song "Happy birthday" over and over again. He needs a forever family though; to spend his future birthdays with him. 



Jack has a grant!!!!!

Please check out the WACAP website. Jack is on there with a
$4200 Promise Child Grant!!

I just have to say that made my day!!!!

Why?

" I hope you don't mind my asking, but I can tell how much you love this little guy and am wondering why you are not adding him to your family?"

I got some e-mails asking me this question, it seems that they are curious as to why my own family is not bringing Jack home.  I probably should have answered that in my original post about Jack. 

Why are we not bringing him home?  We are the ones who have met him and spent time with him. So why is he not ours?

First, Holland has some very strict adoption rules. One of them is that adoptive parents get absolutely NO access to the shared list.... Agencies match a child with parents. It is not permitted to pre-identify your child and request to be matched.

Second, I believe a couple adopting should both REALLY, REALLY want it for 100%. And with us that's not the case. Trust me, if it were up to me I would be in China tomorrow to ad another son to my family.... but it's just not possible...

So no, we cannot bring Jack home. But I just had to do something to help. He has been on the China "shared list" for over a year now... I'm sure the words "spina bifida" are scaring families away.  Jack needs a voice....and a grant.

I know that he can never be my own child, but I also know that I can not turn my back on him and walk away.  I felt sure that I absolutely had to do something to help Jack's forever family find him.

There are times when we are there to be their Mommy and Daddy.  And then there are times when we are there to just be their voice.

Another adorable story about Jack

Julie, another adoptive mom with a daughter from Starfish shared this story with me and I just had to put this on Jack's blog:

"Amanda told me that after Lia (Sophia) was brought to us, Jack saved his food each day for her for several days, making sure she wouldn't be hungry when she came back. This makes me cry every time I think about it. He is such a sweet little soul. I really want his family to find him soon..".

If you want to know more about the ChipIn to Jack's Adoption Fund please read my previous post.

I changed the button to a  button and hope this one will take everyone to a page in English.

Jack

November 2008 we visited Starfish Fosterhome in Xi'an. We had just met our daughter a few days before and she was so very happy to be back home... Hugging her nanny and all of her friends there! The fosterhome's appartment was filled with children; babies being fed and sleeping, toddlers running around or watching television. One little boy was lying on the couch though; he was unable to move his body. I decided to pick him up and walk around with him. Jack loved looking out the window and showed me the most gorgeous smile. Amanda, the founder of Starfish told me he was born with Spina bifida and hydrocephalus. He had surgery at two months but his legs were paralyzed.

We went home with our beautiful daughter, but Jack was stil on my mind. I started advocating for him on an international forum. Thinking his forever family should find him soon.... but nothing happened... Jack is still in China. He is fortunate because he is at Starfish. He is loved so very much!! But... he needs a forever family...

I have an update from this summer: "Jack is two and a half years old and has such a sparkling personality. He really is the life of the party. He loves people and will let any one hold him. He is smart and his Chinese is coming along so well. He asks for anything he wants to eat and his favorite is M&M's but he also loves Cheerios. He was born with Spina bifida and at birth his legs were already paralyzed. He had surgery at about two months for the SB and later got a Shunt for his hydrocephalus. He was recently given a wheel chair and at the end of day one he was already navigating it around the house."

And another story:

"Jack was one of Lia's best friends at Starfish. Jack is an (almost) 3 yr old little boy who was born with Spina Bifida, and is paralyzed from the waist down - but Jack does not let that stop him from being an amazing, generous, sweet little soul. He gets around wonderfully in a little wheelchair that was donated to Starfish specifically for him. When Lia left Starfish to be brought to us, Jack continued to save part of his food for her, in case she might come back hungry...THAT is the kind of kid Jack is. Every day I pray for the children at Starfish, but I especially pray for Jack. I so want this sweet boy's family to find him. He has been on the China "shared list" for over a year now... I'm sure the words "spina bifida" are scaring families away, but if they could see Jack and get to know him, see how well he gets around and what an amazing kid he is, I know families would be fighting over who gets to make him their son! Jack has seen many of his friends come and go from Starfish, yet he always remains. Now he is one of the oldest kids there. Do YOU know someone who could be Jack's forever family?"

And today I thought "What if his family has found him already, but they just dont have the funds to adopt? Maybe if a lot of people chip in for Jack we can help his forever family to bring him home."

Finances should not be a consideration for the family who adopts Jack, and it doesn't matter to me what country they live in, the only requirement is that they will love him unconditionally......... And their only concern should be getting the paperwork done and going to bring him home. The financial burden needs to be lifted. What an incredible incentive it would be for a loving family considering bringing him home to know that finances are something they do not have to worry about.

I have added a Chip-In on this blog. Every single dollar raised will go directly into Jack’s grant fund. Please consider making a donation.
Please do whatever you can to help us spread the word. Tell Jack’s story to everyone you know. Post him on your Facebooks, Twitters, and your blog.

Thank you. There truly are no words to express how much I appreciate your help with this mission. Thank you for helping sweet Jack come home.

Here's some links I found the last couple of months; with pictures of "sparkling" Jack:
http://waitingchildreninchina.blogspot.com/2010/08/3-year-old-boy-foster-home-shared-list.html
http://oneprincessandaprince.blogspot.com/2010/07/mission-monday-jack-needs-family.htmlot.com/2010/07/mission-monday-jack-needs-family.html
http://chinesestarfish.blogspot.com/2010/07/jacks-gift.html
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/photo.php?pid=4059257&id=644087423
http://gettandostellemarine.blogspot.com/2010/03/jack.html
http://cornbreadandchopsticks.blogspot.com/2010/09/this-weeks-wonderful-waiting-kids_08.html
http://www.thestarfishfosterhome.org/babiesdetail.aspx?id=11