She’s Dashlyn Now! [Down syndrome, international adoption, Reece’s Rainbow]

Remember how we have been waiting for Jack’s new little sister to come home?  Well she’s not home yet, but very soon!  Miss Julie and Mr. Allan got to go over to where she lives and meet her, and the people there said she is all theirs now!  So her real name is Dashlyn now!  Isn’t that exciting?!? 

Isn’t she just the prettiest little poonchin!?!

She’s gonna be my new BFF, and I can’t wait until she can come play at my house.  Mommy says she is gonna be part of my Christmas present this year, and I think that is the best present ever!  I’m gonna show her how to do her hair pretty with bows and how to say funny things and how to wear the cutest little outfits and how to walk like a big girl.  I know about that stuff, you know.  We’re going to have SO much fun! 

Go over to her blog and see lots more pictures and read the stories about her playtimes with her new mommy and daddy.

31 for 21: Want an iPod touch?

I don’t have one, but I’ve got a friend or two who would NOT be without theirs.

Stephanie is offering up an iPod touch in efforts to raise funds for this little beauty to find a home.  Her name is Tori, she is in Eastern Europe, having already been transferred to the dreaded mental institution when she turned four, and she has a diagnosis of cerebral palsy.

Stephanie just returned from rescuing her two precious boys from this country, she saw the conditions that so many sweet children live in.  She has a heart to help them find homes, and she’s putting her money where her mouth is and putting up the iPod touch for incentive for others to join the effort.

It’s great. I will help her spread the word. Absolutely.

But really, it’s a little sad to me that we need to offer fancy prizes for people to donate five or ten bucks.  It’s still sad to me that people can’t just hear that this child will in all probability die in the institution where she lives with others of varying degrees of mental and physical disabilities and WANT to help bring her to a loving home.

Such is reality.  I don’t have any desire for an iPod touch, not really into any of the “i”gadgets at all.  But I am into kids who should not have to live in cement rooms without interaction from anyone who can love on them.

Many of us bloggers are doing this 31 for 21 thing…a great time to find blog content for posts.  So I ask… can you AT LEAST share Tori’s story and hopefully donate a bit to her account as well.  We want to help a family find her, help a family afford the adoption process, and help that family bring her home soon?

Braska: Dashlyn’s sale day! [Down syndrome, adoption]

Tomorrow is a big day at our house.  Miss Julie and Mr. Allan are going to get Jack’s new little sister and my new friend Dashlyn very soon, I hope.  So we’re having a big sale in our yard tomorrow to help them have enough money to go get her.  Mommy told all about it over here.  If you live around where we live in St. Louis, you should come!!! I’d like to get to see lots of people I know!

21.3.10: Meet the precious Zoe

In honor of World Down Syndrome Day on March 21, Reece’s Rainbow has a special project this month to help sponsor children for adoption. 

I have chosen little Zoe as my special girl, to spread the news and put her cute little face out there, hoping that someone might want to scoop her up and bring her home. 
Her birthday is just 6 days before Braska’s.   She has just 8 months left in her “baby house” before she will be sent to a mental institution.  Rarely do small children live more than a year in that environment.  I just can’t bear to consider my Braska going to a place where no one would interact with her and she would be left to fend for herself, IF she’s not restrained to her bed.

How I wish I could go and get her, along with several other little ones, or at the very least find families to give them homes.  Yet all that is open for me right now is to tell everyone about the need, and pray that people will open their hearts for little Zoe.  She’s healthy!  She’s walking and eating and active and will blend so well with a new family!

From the Reece’s Rainbow site:
Beautiful blonde hair and a glowing personality. She is healthy, with no heart condition. She is fully functional...walking, active, many words, able to eat and dress with minimal assistance, and an orphanage favorite.

She is facing the institution, please consider adopting Zoe!

More photos available, please inquire.

We have many children waiting in this same orphanage who can be adopted together. Children in this orphanage are not held much past the age of 4, so we need a family quickly.

I’m asking 3 things of you all, every reader…
1. Prayerfully consider if Zoe might be waiting for YOU specifically.  Do you have a place in your family for her?  You may not feel you have much to offer, but is a family not better than an institution for a 4-year-old??

2. Can you give just $21 to Zoe’s fund?  If you are unable to adopt her yourself, can you share this minimal amount with the family who WILL come for her?  There are so many families who desperately want to adopt but simply do not have the finances to do so.  Can you help THEM if you’re not in a position to bring her to your home? You’ll see a Chip-In box in the right margin under Zoe’s button. Donations are tax deductible.

3. Will you post Zoe’s button on your blog or Facebook page, asking others these same questions?  The code for the button is below and in the right margin.

<a href="http://justrk.blogspot.com/2010/03/21310-meet-precious-zoe.html/"><img src="http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x198/wish4rk/zoebutton-sm.png" /></a><br/><a href="http://justrk.blogspot.com/2010/03/21310-meet-precious-zoe.html">Grab This Button</a><br/>

Exciting news (almost) in our family

Jack’s going to have a little sister!!! Woo hoo!  Julie and Allan have committed to and started the process of adopting little Dasha from Eastern Europe through Reece’s Rainbow!  Her name will be Dashlyn Belle, which I think is SO neat.  This has been on Julie’s heart for some time, and it is now so very neat to see them finally able to move forward!

Grab This Button
<a href="http://smithadoptionfun.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x198/wish4rk/dashlynbutton1-tiny.jpg" /></a><br/><a href="http://smithadoptionfun.blogspot.com/">Grab This Button</a><br/>

Be sure to visit their adoption blog here (put it in your reader, Reader users), grab the button above to add to your blog or your Facebook page, and spread the word that another little one has a Mommy and Daddy on their way to get her soon!  Of course, if you’d like to donate to the costs of bringing her home, they’d more than appreciate that as well.

I’m kind of living my adoption dreams vicariously through my friends, and this family is practically family to us, so I’m really happy for them and can’t wait to get to see this little doll smile and play with my girls as they all gang up on Jack.  She’ll be Braska’s new best girlfriend. Can’t wait!

Congrats Julie and the rest of the fam…and many prayers for a smooth process!

Braska: Jack’s gettin’ a sister!!!

Guess what Mommy told me???  Jack’s gonna get a new sister!  She’s already born, so she’s not in Miss Julie’s tummy, but she lives far away, so they have to go get her and bring her home. 

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We are really happy about this because I’m gonna get a new friend to see ALL the time, just like when I get to see Jack ALL the time!  We’re going to have SO much fun!  Me and KiKi and Dashlyn are gonna do all kinds of fun things together, and we’ll let Jack play with us too, of course.  But think of how cute us three girls are gonna be in all our pink!  Miss Julie likes pink, so we are going to make sure Dashlyn has lots of it, don’t you worry.  Me and KiKi have plenty to share.  Mommy even helped make Dashlyn’s blog pink, so you can go see it if you want.

Mommy says it will be a while before she gets to come to visit our house because they have to do a lot of work and go a long way to get her, but I hope she comes soon!

Lovely Lera

(Taken from Bethany’s blog.)

She is an orphan living in a baby home in St. Petersburg, Russia. The exact same city from which (Bethany’s daughter) Nika came.

Lera needs a family ... like, yesterday. She had a family committed to adopt her, but that fell through and now she needs another family.

But time is not on her side. At age four, orphans are typically transferred out of baby homes. Lera is 4 1/2 years old ... and by the grace of God, she is still at the baby home.

She has an $8,605 grant in her name through Reece's Rainbow. This is a HUGE start for any adoptive family. She also has another $2,000 that was raised for her by the first family that planned to adopt her -- they want to give that money to her new family.

Could you be her family?

Lera has Down syndrome. She is reported to be very high functioning and by the looks of her dolly, she is engaged in pretend play. She is reported to have a heart murmur, but no other health concerns.

So ... what do you say? Could you be her family?

For more information, please email Andrea at Reece's Rainbow. Please?!

Lily’s Auction

Michelle and Brian at The Zoromski Chronicles are in the process of adopting Lily, from Eastern Europe, who they found via Reece’s Rainbow.  Their little Ruby is one of my favorite little blog princesses, along with brother Braden and sister Karly, and I was so excited to see that the were taking this big step to bring another princess home to add to their family.

They are hosting a blog auction at Lily’s blog, and there’s some good stuff there!  They’re going to even get the things to the winners by Christmas.  So go take a peek and see if there’s not something you could bid on and get a great deal and help a very cool family bring a precious girl home quickly!

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