One Year

It has been one year since I brought Selina home from Ghana. In some respects, it seems like she has been here and has been a part of the family forever but at the same time, I can remember meeting her and bringing her home like it was yesterday.

She has come so far this year...
Medically: she spent most of the first nine months battling respiratory infections and allergies. We tried several medicines with no lasting relief. In January, she started having increased difficulty with her breathing and what they thought were asthma symptoms. Finally in March we took her to the emergency room in desperation and she ended up having her tonsils and adenoids removed. Since then we have been able to stop the five medicines she was on. She is a different child. Just recently we are starting to see more congestion but thankfully it is nothing like we dealt with before.

Developmentally: Selina qualified for speech, developmental and physical therapy when she first arrived home. At the age of 24 months she was more like a 16-19 month old in all areas tested. She immediately made gains and was dismissed from PT. She has continued her developmental and speech therapy to address her cognitive and language delays.
We are happy to report that she was just tested again to see if she would continue to need services. The gains she has made in language and her cognitive abilities now put her in the average range and she no longer qualifies in these areas. She did end up qualifying for a little assistance with her articulation but that was very borderline and we don't anticipate she will qualify for long.

Socially: Selina has been in a day care situation that we consider to be a "school" for her. I toured many centers and chose a wonderful school for her. The school has a small class size (12 kids and two teacher). The approach they take with the kids is to let them play, get dirty, use their imaginations and have fun.
Selina started off a shy and quiet child- she did not say much and just followed along. She then started learning and imitating the other children. We called her "Echo" as she would do what they did and say what they said. Thankfully she has been with the same kids and teachers all year and the kids are well behaved and served as excellent role models. Well, hold on to your hat because that shy and quiet child has blossomed. She is now a social butterfly! She is a talker and will lead and initiate play with the other students. She will be assertive and is not afraid to let anyone know that she won't be pushed around. The funny thing is that she does it in a sweet and endearing way.
TR and I credit so much of her gains to this environment. She has been loved and nurtured by her teachers. I had her speech and developmental therapist do her therapy at school so that her teachers could see what they were working on and carry it over into their interactions with her. I have degrees in speech and special ed and so it just made more sense to have therapy at school. This has worked beautifully as they were happy to learn how to help her catch up developmentally. Her peers have been wonderful role models that have taught he so much. She has had this safe place to learn and explore and she has taken full opportunity of it!
This confidence she has carries over into everyday life in that she does much better in social situations when we go out. We still have to be careful and watch her so she doesn't get overwhelmed but we find that she is doing better all the time.


Attachment: Selina loves her family. I think in the area of attachment, she is doing very well. She loves us all and prefers us over others. She gravitates to certain people but not to every one. She is more of a momma's girl when she is tired but whenever dad comes through the door she runs to him like she hasn't seen him in a year. She loves her brother and sister. It is cute because if she wakes up in the middle of the night or before everyone else, she will go and find someone to crawl into bed with. At first it used to be me only but now, everyone in the house is fair game. One night I couldn't find her at all and then finally discovered her on the floor next to Cater's bed! Don't know what happened on that one!
Another night I went to go to bed and was checking on the kids and I found Selina must have gotten up and went to Kman's bed but didn't make it quite into his bed before falling asleep again.


Sometimes we will let her lay down with a sibling to fall asleep if it is a weekend night and she is extra tired and we know she will pass out quickly.

Size: Selina has gained over 10 pounds has grown four inches and three shoe sizes since bringing her home. She used to be about the same size as her classmates but she now is taller than all of them! She stands tall and straight with great posture which makes her seem all that much taller! I have not had her measured recently and compared to her peers percentagewise but am interested to see what percentages she is in when she goes back as I expect they have jumped up tremendously!

Today I am a little emotional. I am so thankful as I celebrate the year we have had and how far Selina has come. She has added so much to our family and has blessed our lives so much, I wish more families would consider adoption and get to experience the joy and love that an adopted child can bring to your lives. I wish more orphans would have the opportunity to be a part of a family and to be loved and be able to give love. It is amazing how God can bring together a family and how it really does not matter if a child has come from you- you love them just the same and their siblings accept them just the same. I love how we celebrate Cater and the how she came from my tummy and is a part of me and how we celebrate Selina who God placed with us from thousands of miles away- she has come to be with our family- in our home. We are all so blessed.

Thank you God for our little girl! Happy one year Selina....

Looking For The Needle In the Haystack...

I am a comoderator of a yahoo group, AdoptingfromGhana with Ginny, a fellow adoptive mom. AFG is a group of people that come together to learn about the process to adopt from Ghana and is a fabulous place where we can share our adoption journeys, ask questions and support each other. I LOVE our group and how kind the people in the group are. I am a member of many yahoo groups and ours is my favorite by far. I feel I have many friends in AFG, and have spoken to or communicated with many people in our group and have enjoyed getting to know these awesome people.

Ginny and I were approached by an adoption agency asking us to help get the word out about a sweet baby girl that desperately needs a home. The email I have been asked to share, reads as follows.

We have a special needs baby girl in Ghana that needs an adoptive family. This child has a chronic immune system disorder, low vision, and was premature. She is currently developmentally delayed. Her long-term outcome is not known, although she has made huge strides since she came into loving care 5 months ago.

The family who adopts this baby girl will need to be prepared for a longer than usual (and possibly more complicated) adoption process in Ghana. The baby's history makes her case unique from most international adoptions in Ghana. The agency may be able to gain approval for a family who would normally fall outside the lines of family eligibility (older than 50, more than 6 children, etc.).

The agency that is working with Social Welfare to place this child for adoption is seeking a family who is already homestudy approved, in process, or can become approved quickly. If you might be that family, please respond to the moderators privately and they will give you the agency's contact information.


A little more detailed information was shared with Ginny and I about this little girl and I have to tell you that it immediately brought tears to my eyes because this little girl reminded me of my Selina.

As most of you know, Selina came into care at our adoption center in pretty bad shape. She was 18 mos but could not walk at all, in fact it was suggested she may have cerebal palsy. Additionally she had not one word, was considered by doctors to have a central nervous system disorder and so on and so forth. Her medicals were kind of scary.... BUT

There are some children out there that are meant to live. Children that made it to this point by no less than a miracle and are survivors. Many other children in the same situation as these girls would have died but my Selina lived and this little girl lives.

Sometimes love, a family and good medical attention can make all the difference in the world- especially to a child who has already beaten so many odds. Selina is a testament to that. Today she thrives and has overcome every obstacle in her way and is left at this time with only a very mild articulation disorder.

While this sweet baby girl has different medical diagnosis and concerns than Selina, I recognized the same beautiful spirit in her story as I did when I first heard about Selina.

I am sharing information about this baby girl in case her mother or father is reading this now. If you meet the criteria listed above and want to find out more information about this little girl, email me at arizonadavidson at yahoodotcom and I will put you in touch with the agency looking for a home for this little angel.

If you want to find out more but are nervous, it is alright to ask. Wanting to hear more information about her is not commiting to being her parent, it is opening your heart to the possibility.

With Selina, I saw a picture of her when she first came into care. I knew when I looked in her eyes that she was special, she was strong and she was a survivor. I did not know at first she was to be our daughter but she was always in my heart and on my mind. As it worked out she was meant to be a part of our family and we have been blessed by her.

For some children waiting to be adopted, there is a line. A line of parents waiting to parent that very desirable child. Maybe the child is a helthy infant, a beautiful toddler or a strong and smart older child.

For other children waiting to be adopted, there is a haystack and in that haystack is a needle. The one family who sees or hears about that child and wants to know more. That family may know that child is theirs right away or maybe they have to pray over the possibility. So they ask questions, read articles, talk to doctors and specialists and as they learn more and pray more, they start to feel comfortable and get excited about the possibility of adopting that child. They start to recognize the potential that child has and see the beauty of her imperfections until they want more than anything to love that child...

Are you that needle in her haystack or do you know who her parent may be?


Please feel free to share all or part of this post with others...

(PS- If you have read this post more than 10 times, you need to ask...)

More, more and more blogs...

I updated my lists of Ghana blogs as I found I am checking in on many that were not on my sidebar. I think I have about 35 of them now. If you are newer to Ghana adoption and reading blogs, check out some of these to see what other families are up to!

For those who digitally scrapbook, I always am updating my Digi Scrappin list of sites I go to for awesome digital scrapping freebies so check them out also!

Have a fabulous week...

Aunt Julie's Wedding

Aunt Julie got married a few weeks ago. Kman and Cater were in the wedding as a flower girl and usher. It was a fabulous time and we all just love our new "Uncle Scott".
Here are a few pics...


Congratulations Julie and Scott!

Happy Birthday Kwame...

Today is our little guy's sixth birthday.
It has been a hard few weeks as we thought we would be farther along in the process by now. I was hoping we would have gone to court this week as it would have meant that if we were approved we would have found out on his birthday but our lawyer apparently decided not to go to court this week. Last week we didn't go because he decided not to take a case to court until the homestudy is at least three months old. Thankfully our homestudy is now three months old so that new reason won't apply to us next week.
We really want to meet Kwame and are anxious to bring him home. We get little updates of families saying what a wonderful boy he is and how excited he is to have a family.
My hope is that someone at his adoption center realizes it is his birthday and gives him a little extra attention today. A few other moms are going to meet and bring home their children in the next week or so which means we can send along a little note or something for Kwame and can hopefully get a few pictures!

Happy Birthday Kwame!!

PS- I will be posting more in the coming weeks as today is my last official day of work for the summer! WOO HOO!

World AIDS Orphans Day

Today, May 7, is World AIDS Orphans Day. World AIDS Orphans Day is a grassroots campaign to draw attention to and advocate on behalf of the millions of children orphaned by AIDS.

Erin posted the following information about AIDS and orphans on her blog. She is also the Adoption Coordinator for HIV+ children for Adoption Advocates International (our adoption agency). You can see her original post here which includes many links to the organizations and such mentioned...

Here are some of the staggering facts. Please read them... please really stop and think a minute about these statistics.

* There are over 15 million children orphaned by AIDS living around the world
RIGHT NOW. 15 million is the equivalent to the number of all of the people
living in New York, Paris, and Bangkok combined. That is an awful lot of
children.
* Well over 12 million AIDS orphans live in Sub-Saharan Africa, alone.
* Experts believe that millions more orphans remain unaccounted for in India,
China and Russia.
* At least 10 million more children will be orphans by AIDS by 2010.

Do you know how many TOTAL global confirmed cases of the swine flu there have been? As of today (May 6), there have been 1,516 cases. Do you know how many people, world wide, have died of the swine flu as of today?? 31. And look at all the hype... all the action... all the caring.

Do you know how many people around the world DIED of HIV/AIDS in 2007? An estimated TWO MILLION people. That is over 5,400 people a day, dieing of HIV/AIDS. It has been estimated that now, in 2009, 6,500 people will die every day from AIDS, and an estimated 6,000 of those people will leave behind children when they die.

So today, another 6,000 children will be added to the already 15 million children world wide who have been orphaned by the HIV/AIDS crisis.

The result of being orphaned by AIDS is heart-breaking for these children. From the World AIDS Orphans Day website:

* In addition to the trauma of losing a parent, orphans are often subject to
discrimination and are less likely to receive healthcare, education and other
needed services.
* In HIV affected households lacking community support, food consumption can
drop by 40% putting children at risk to hunger, malnutrition and stunting.
* Impoverished and often without support to educate and protect them, orphans
and vulnerable children face increased risk of HIV infection. (And there are
already an estimated 2 million children currently living with HIV).
* Orphans are often easy prey to many forms of exploitation: forced labor,
prostitution and child soldiering.

In the United States, if a child loses a parent to accident or illness, it is considered a terrible tragedy. Such stories are covered by the media, communities mourn and show their support, etc. In Sub-Saharan Africa, parents dieing is a normal part of life. It is still a terrible tragedy for those children, but it happens so often that no one else really pays any attention.

And do you know what makes this really, truly horrible? Do you know what makes my gut twist and my heart ache? HIV IS COMPLETELY TREATABLE.

If a person contracts HIV in the United States or another country where there is treatment readily available, they have an excellent long term prognosis. Most HIV+ people receiving treatment now have close to normal life expectancies and can live in good overall health. With treatment, HIV+ children can be healthy and happy. They can go to school, grow up, go to college, have (healthy!) children, and live long enough to raise them and beyond. Without treatment, an estimated 50% of HIV+ children will die before the hit their second birthday. My Solomon was almost one of those 50%.

HIV does not have to be a death sentence, and yet for thousands of people every day, it is, because the world doesn't care enough to really do something about it.

Can you imagine for one minute if some terrible disease struck the United States (or whatever country you live in) and was killing thousands and orphaning thousands every day? Can you imagine if another country had treatment that could lead to good health and a long life, but it just was too expensive or too difficult or too much trouble to get that medicine to us? We wouldn't stand for it.

So why do we stand for it now?

I can't wrap my head around what 15 million orphans looks like. I can barely wrap my head around the 100 or so HIV+ orphans that I am trying to find adoptive families for. The numbers are staggering, and so is the need for action. Children are the future of our world, and I shudder to think about what this world will be like with so many millions of children growing up without the love and security of a family... and way too often growing up without adequate food, education and medical care. Where does that leave all of us?

Rich Stearns, President of World Vision, US said,

"I believe that this could very well be looked back on as the sin of our generation. I look at my parents and ask, where were they during the civil rights movement? I look at my grandparents and ask, what were they doing when the holocaust in Europe was occurring with regard to the Jews, and why didn't they speak up? And when we think of our great, great, great-grandparents, we think how could they have sat by and allowed slavery to exist? And I believe that our children and their children, 40 or 50 years from now, are going to ask me, what did you do while 40 million children became orphans in Africa?"

I know that it feels like the problem is way too big for us to really do anything to make a difference, but I know with all my heart that touching the life of just one, just ONE, child can truly make a difference. And if everyone touched the life of just one child, we could reach them all.

Here are some ways that you can help touch the life of an AIDS orphan this World AIDS Orphans Day.

- Get educated. One of the biggest roadblocks in getting people to care and take action is the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. This is not a disease that only strikes those who "deserve it" (yes, that is really how some people think!). This is a disease that strikes men, women and children... it strikes heterosexuals and homosexuals, it strikes people of all races and social classes and it strikes people in all countries. HIV/AIDS is a HUMAN problem.

Fear is another big roadblock. HIV can not be transmitted in any casual way, and people that are HIV+ are not a threat to those around them. HIV can only be transmitted through sexual contact, birth, breastfeeding and blood to blood contact (such as sharing needles).

I have written a ton about HIV/AIDS, and you can find those posts here. Once you are educated, join my Tell Two Campaign and share the truth about HIV/AIDS with others.

Two excellent books to read about the HIV/AIDS crisis and the orphan crisis are There is No Me Without You and 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa.

- Sponsor an AIDS orphan. There are many wonderful organizations out there that allow you to sponsor a child for a very low cost per month. Doing so makes a great difference in the life of that child, and getting to know the child you sponsor through pictures, updates, letters, etc. will have a great impact on your life as well. I promise. Two wonderful organizations that I work with are AHOPE for Children (which supports AHOPE Ethiopia, a home and community support program for HIV+ children in Ethiopia) and Hardthaven, a home for AIDS orphans in Ghana. I know that financially times are hard for many right now, but we live better than most people in the world and would have to sacrifice very very little to sponsor (and truly help) an orphaned child.

- Consider adopting. Adoption is only an option for a tiny percentage of the 15 million AIDS orphans around the world and it is certainly not the solution to the AIDS crisis or the orphan crisis, but for the tiny percentage of children who do get adopted, it changes their world and their future dramatically (and for the adoptive parents, it is equally amazing). There are agencies and programs placing healthy and special needs orphans from all over the world with new families. If your heart may be open to adopting an HIV+ child, I have about 100 amazing children of all ages waiting for a second chance at love, family and life.

You can read here why I believe in adoption, and you can read here why I feel so passionately about adoption for HIV+ children.

- Support From HIV to Home, an organization that helps provide care for HIV+ orphans and supports and helps parents adopting HIV+ children. They have a wonderful program to help raise money for parents adopting HIV+ children called Kids Walking Kids Home.

- Support Project HOPEFUL, whose mission is to "encourage, educate and enable parents adopting children with HIV/AIDS".

- Visit the World AIDS Orphans website for other ways to touch your heart, get educated and get involved.

Please feel free to share this post anywhere you see fit. Thanks for reading.

Why isn't Kwame's sweet face on this blog yet???

So many people have been asking about the adoption and when we will bring Kwame home. This is where we are at...

It has been a kind of crazy few weeks in the Ghana adoption world. Basically, there have been some concerns at some orphanages in Ghana. While checking into this, all new adoption applications in the region Kwame is from were halted for a week or so. This has delayed our paperwork getting turned in for court. Additionally, we caused a delay by waiting for our tax return to pay some of the adoption fees.

These things together have made our adoption go slower than it would have otherwise. In fact, the families that got their referrals the same day as us have left for Ghana this week to meet their children.. this of course makes me sad for Kwame who will not be seeing his parents for a while yet...

So we are still waiting to go to court. This is kind of a bummer as it will take longer than I hoped to get Kwame home. I hoped to be able to get him home in time to start school in August (we start around Aug. 10 here) but it would take every thing working beautifully and going in our favor for that to happen at this point.

There was some good news that did come out of regarding paperwork today. It may be possible for me to file my I600 here. If this is the case, I will not need to travel to Ghana to file this packet of paperwork. This might save us some time and money. For those of you that think I am talking in a different language in this paragraph... basically there is a packet that we turn in so that we can bring Kwame into the country. That packet can be turned in here in AZ, processed and sent to Ghana or we can file it in Ghana. In the past, our agency required we file it in Ghana as the timeline is more predictable and usually much quicker than filing it here.

As much as I would love to go to Ghana again, paying for two adoptions in two years in this economy has been really tough for us. I think if we only need to go once, that either TR and Kman or just TR would go to Ghana to bring Kwame home. We will see.

With all that said, things can change tomorrow and the rules could be totally different. Either way, I am flexible (okay, I really just "say" I am flexible to myself hoping it will be true!) No, really, I am hanging in there...I am just so excited to be adopting Kwame and we want him home already!!

With the slight halt of new cases they had though, it just makes me want to get through court. I will feel much better once that is done. Our agency asks that we don't post pictures of our children until we pass court and then I can post all the pictures I want of our son's handsome face all over this blog!!!! AND YOU KNOW I WILL- (I have over 50 of them my blogging peeps!! :-)