Friday, May 31, 2013

Talley's Dance

Did you hear? This morning (China time) at 6am a liver became available for Talley - a miracle! She went into surgery at 11am and was stable in ICU by about 8:30pm. The doctors were pleased with the surgery and considered the transplant successful. The next 48 hours will be very critical, however, so please keep her in your thoughts right now!

Back to the dancing...

If you could give Talley's dance a name, what would it be?


We're thinking about "Fishy Dance" or maybe "The Wiggle." What popped into your head first when you saw the clip?
Thursday, May 30, 2013

NDSouth: Arrival & Today: Leila


Leila arrived at New Day South in October 2012. She was scared, sad, and had a broken heart physically and emotionally. She was left at 5 months of age, probably in hope in that someone would find her and be able to help. She was weak and small, but we had high hopes for this little lady and anticipated that once again love would make a difference in the life of another child.


Leila had her much needed heart surgery in early November 2012. Her surgery was successful and she was soon released and came home to us. However as the weeks went on, she did not get better. She soon developed pneumonia which is common among children with heart conditions. We admitted her into the hospital on December 26, 2012, expecting her to be in the hospital for a few weeks to get well and would soon come home.


Unfortunately, the opposite happened. Leila did not get better, but yet became worse. She was soon in very serious condition and the doctor's were doing everything that they could for her. As the weeks and the months went on, Leila remained in the hospital. She was becoming weaker with each passing day and her little body wasn't able to fight the infection. 


We kept anticipating that she would get better but after a while, the future looked dim. The doctor's were out of options and her future looked hopeless. As hard as this was to hear, we knew that hope was never fully gone and we kept believing for a miracle for Leila's life. Finally on March 14, 2013, we received a glimmer of hope, "she was doing better." Hope was not lost!


Exceeding anything anyone thought was possible, Leila was released after being in the hospital for over 3 months and came home on April 7, 2013. You can read more about Leila's Amazing Story here.

Love once again makes a difference. And not only our love, but the love of people from all over the world. Thank you, on behalf of Leila and all of our New Day South kids, for taking part in the miracle of love.

This is the last and final post for our May Miracle of Love blog series. Thank you so much for joining us. If you missed the last few posts, read all about Sammy, Marshall, Matthew, and Hayden.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: Strawberry Lover


Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Tom and the Twins

Somehow Tom got the memo that the twins were in for check-ups, and being the smart dog that he is, he knew that they would be getting a piece of candy afterwards for being good. Because the twins are always good.


He went straight for Mary's candy, but she thought that he wanted to play with her!


She reached out her hand and tried to pet his nose.


Notice Abby's facial expression below?


"Mama, he tried to take my candy!" Mary whined. But that didn't keep her from trying to make friends.


Mary and Abby are not afraid of animals!


...and Tom thanks them for that with lots of kisses.


The Forever Home: Gearing Up For Summer


With summer like weather already upon us, dad brought home this little pool the other day. Naturally, we had to blow it up right away and be sure it held air.  Zoe and Camilla had a great time "trying it out" without water.  This week the weather has cooled off a bit, wouldn't you know!  But hopefully in a few days they'll be able to try it out with some actual water in it!  They'll love it, I'm sure!!
Monday, May 27, 2013

Sarah Lyn's Transformation

Babies grow up so quickly...


Orphans respond to love so drastically...


Sarah Lyn is a textbook case for what love and a family will do in a child's life. Just look at her.


She's growing big and tall, learning how to walk and talk... her hair is growing out and she's becoming more beautiful every day.


Sarah Lyn was born with a pigment disorder, and it would be so easy for her to feel different and un-beautiful. Through the love of her foster family, however, Sarah Lyn is told every day just how lovely she is. And she believes it. 


She's got a personality too!





Am I Really Adorable?












Um, yes, Anna Rose... yes you are.
Sunday, May 26, 2013

Maya's Big News

It is with great JOY that we'd like to announce that Maya, the little one who was literally dying in our arms just a year ago... 


...has taken her first steps!


Wait? That's not the news that you were hoping for? You're still excited for her, right?

Good.

Because we have some even better news for you.

Maya...


is....


CANCER FREE!


Oh Maya, how our hearts sing for you. Now there will be no more chemo. Your hair will keep growing in thick. You will grow strong, and healthy, and whole. No longer will you be labelled with the dreaded "c" word, no longer will you have to worry about getting sick because the chemotherapy is making your body weak.

You can grow big and tall. You can have your ENT surgeries (sorry, sweet one... but you'll be happy when they're over, trust us!) and then, one day soon.... you can have a family forever.

There's a lump in our throats, a closing up because the JOY is too deep and too tangible. It's overwhelming and it's so, so good.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Doubled

Little Benjamin was a teeny, tiny thing when he arrived. He fit perfectly in the crook of one's arm and his little body curled up just like a baby's is supposed to do.


He was only 2kg when he arrived into our care and was admitted into the hospital for emergency surgery. Some weight was gained post-op, but little Ben was still tiny when he came home!


It took a few months, but just recently Benjamin has officially doubled in weight! He's now 4kg, which is over 8lb! He's gotten especially good about opening his eyes wide, too.


...and the personality that we knew was hiding in this tiny body is emerging. Could he be any goofier? 


Last week Benjamin was admitted into the hospital with pneumonia. He wasn't doing well for a few days and had to be cared for in PICU, but is now in the regular ward and scheduled to be released from the hospital on Monday! We're so happy for his improvement, as we know that recovery is tough for one so tiny who has been through so much already.

Even though Benjamin was born premature with a life-threatening congenital defect, he has met one of his first milestones: doubling in weight by 4 months old. And the possibility of him tripling this weight by the time he's a year old... that just blows our mind.
Friday, May 24, 2013

And Now She's Ready

Julia Grace arrived just before Christmas and we had to scramble to put together some goodies for her to open on the big day. Being just a little baby, she didn't mind at all and ended up taking a nap during most of the festivities. Born with two ENT defects, we knew that Julia Grace had a few challenges ahead of her. ENT surgeries may be relatively simple fixes (compared to things like hearts and GI defects) but they are no fun for babies!


Not two months after she arrived, Julia Grace was able to have her first surgery. She came through like a champ, re-found her smile quickly and began teaching herself how to sing.


This Monday Julia Grace was admitted into the hospital for her second ENT surgery. She had recovered well from her first surgery and was ready for number two. Hooray? Poor little one. Thankfully, Julia Grace's nanny was able to be with her in the two-day wait for surgery. Wednesday, around noon, Julia Grace went into surgery and the operation took about an hour and a half.



Julia Grace recovered so quickly that she was able to be released from the hospital today! She came home around noon and took a nice long nap. We don't blame her, she just had surgery two days ago.


Julia Grace has been matched with an adoptive family. She's had her two surgeries. Now all she needs is for her family to come and get her!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

NDSouth: Arrival & Today: Hayden


Like so many of of our children, we met Hayden while he was living in an orphanage. Our children's lives don't begin with us, but often due to such limited information of their pasts, it appears like they do. Hayden was left at about 2 years of age and was then brought to the orphanage which is where he remained until we brought him to New Day South in January 2013.


When Hayden arrived he had a broken heart. He had been through so much in his 2 1/2 years of life with more pain and heartache than we will ever be able to imagine. He was withdrawn, shy, quiet, and scared. Hayden refused to eat solid food because most likely at over 2 years of age, he never had it before. And the idea of it terrified him.


Hayden had been through so many changes in his young life and we knew that it would take time for us to earn his trust and love.

Each day Hayden would become more and more relaxed in our care. He started trusting us slowly and once in a while we would catch a look of joy on his face. Pretty soon that look turned into a smile until finally he started laughing. As the weeks and months went on, we saw Hayden change before our eyes. No longer was he withdrawn and quiet, but was laughing and interacting with the staff and other children.


Hayden has come such a long way in the 4 months he has been with us. He has made leaps and bounds in his progress and continues to surprise us in how quickly he is catching up. This little guy continues to amaze us and is already a different boy today than he was just a few months ago.


This is why we do what we do. To see this look of joy on a child's face. A joy that every child deserves to have. Hope. Hayden's future is bright and full of hope. All because of the miracle of love.