And then there was Rachel

Please allow me to introduce the latest member of our family....Rachel, other wise known as number 14. I went to the big O yesterday afternoon get her and she is a real beauty.

I know I know....I am a little crazy but as I told a friend last night, I became crazy when nothing else seemed to work. So in the middle of getting the heart operations organized I have added another baby. That is not even the last of it, yesterday I saw another two cleft palette babies that need some help in the worst way. I was planning to go and get them when I come back from HangZhou but after sleeping on it I think I need to go soon because they will not survive that long. The decision is not entirely mine. I need to talk to Kay, who is going to overseeing the foster home while I am gone and it will be up to her if she wants to take on this huge responsibility. It is a lot of hard work, especially since the cleft babies need extra care and it will not be as easy as Sean.

Anyway to come back to Rachel. Mrs Ma who lives on the 22nd floor has been coming to volunteer here for a long time and the older children all love her very much. She was in here two weeks ago and told us about Rachel. She had been at the hospital and a woman asked one of the cleaners to hold her baby so that she could go to the bathroom. She never came back. Mrs Ma wanted me to find her and help her. Rachel has heart problems. I am not sure how sever, but we will have to wait for an echo to be done in order to be sure. You can tell that she has been well taken care of. She weighs as much as Sean and they are almost the same age (2 months). They also have the same cute little mouths. She has beautiful skin and her hair is very soft. When big Laura saw her she asked me if we could name her Rachel after her daughter Rachel. So she had an English name within minutes of holding her. She has a really bad hacking cough which hurts but I have already started her on medication.

So as you can see it is just another day in the saga of running a foster home. I have to say that I was rather amazed at the nonchalance with which I went to get Rachel. After doing this for a year, I have learned and gained confidence. That is such a valuable tool which allows me to not be afraid to take on these challenges. I know that we collectively can make a difference.The volunteers that come, together with the donations that are made and the people who work here. The Chinese often tell me the babies are lucky but that is not the truth. I am the blessed one and what a huge blessing it is.

Love and laughter,
Amanda