You might already know that I started Facebook this week. What an interesting experience that has been! I have learned so much about people, their lives and what they do on a daily basis. Anyway long story short, Charlotte Temple is on of my new found friends and she came up with this idea, something they had used before. This is what she wrote. I thought I would pass it on to you. Obviously it is for American only due to the geography.
Dear Amanda,
As you all know, the children left behind and waiting are my passion. I wanted to do my part to help this great foster home in China. Please visit their website to see their work: http://www.thestarfishfosterhome.org/index.aspx Like most work done from the heart, they run on faith and donations. I hope you'll support them by purchasing a magazine or donating at their site.
Thanks so much for helping, Charlotte :)
You can help by inviting your friends and family to shop at our online magazine store. They can choose from over 650 magazine subscriptions at up to 85% savings, and our group will get 40% of each purchase amount! And magazines are a great gift idea! Click here to participate! And you can get great prizes too! When you invite 12 people and sell one magazine subscription, you get a FREE movie ticket! Plus, for a limited time, there are 3 iPhones and one 42 inch flat screen TV to be given away to top sellers! Are you a top seller? Participate now!
For more information, please contact me directly or call the Technical Support Line toll-free at 1-866-825-2921.
Sincerely,Charlotte Temple
Starfish Foster Home
Invite Friends & Family Now >>
P.S. You can also buy or renew your own magazine subscriptions online at savings of up to 85% off newsstand prices! Simply click here to visit our group's online magazine store.
Life, Love and Laughter,
Amanda
Starfish Foster Home
Xian, China
www.thestarfishfosterhome.org
http://chinesestarfish.blogspot.com
chinese.starfishthrower@gmail.com
Cell: 86.1348.812.4847
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
A New Friend for Starfish
Generous Mac
Mac's Friends who LOVE Starfish too
Special cake for a special boy
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Honoring Precious Faith
Mac's Birthday for a Good Cause
There are times that I am overwhelmed by the children's example of how things should be done. The boys who do their eagle scout projects to benefit Starfish. I had one child clean out his piggy back and send me US$12. I have not brought myself to use it because it seems so wrong. It is still on the back of the door with the card. It is a daily reminder to me to the power of one to make a difference.
Anyway here is another example of how it can be done. Mac had his 7th birthday party and instead of presents, asked for donations for Faith, our baby with the port wine stain on her face. Here is the note I got from Mac's mom.
Life, Love and Laughter,
Amanda
Starfish Foster Home
Anyway here is another example of how it can be done. Mac had his 7th birthday party and instead of presents, asked for donations for Faith, our baby with the port wine stain on her face. Here is the note I got from Mac's mom.
Life, Love and Laughter,
Amanda
Starfish Foster Home
Elementary Kids Raise Money
Dear friends:
Thank you so much for coming to Mac’s birthday party and celebrating him turning 7 years old. All of you are so special to Mac and all of you have been a wonderful friend to him. Thank you so much for your kind cards and especially your generous
donations. Mac was jumping up and down with excitement as he opened each gift and the total grew bigger and bigger.
We are now sending this money (ALL $227.13!) to the Starfish Foster home especially for Faith. Thank you again. Your friendship is the greatest gift to Mac!
Thank you so much for coming to Mac’s birthday party and celebrating him turning 7 years old. All of you are so special to Mac and all of you have been a wonderful friend to him. Thank you so much for your kind cards and especially your generous
donations. Mac was jumping up and down with excitement as he opened each gift and the total grew bigger and bigger.
We are now sending this money (ALL $227.13!) to the Starfish Foster home especially for Faith. Thank you again. Your friendship is the greatest gift to Mac!
Acts 20:35 "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
Deuteronomy 10:18 "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing."
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Sophia, Our Resident Buddha Belly
When we went to the big O a few weeks a go, we found baby Sophia. She was the baby whose Chinese and English name means Wisdom.
I have always had a really hard time with the cleft lip and palate (CLP) babies. Sophia has turned out to be so much different. To sum it all up she has been sleeping since she got here. If you look at the pictures, you can see she slept straight through the CNY photo session. Not only that, but she has been eating very well and without much fuss. Trying to feed the cleft babies is usually such an ordeal. As you can tell from her pictures she is way past the preemie stage, her jaundice is gone and she has been packing on the poundage. She started out at 2.1 kg ( 41/2 pounds) and she currently weighs a whopping 5.5kg (12 pounds). Her double chin rivals mine. On top of that she is only 9 weeks old. We are all very impressed with her skills for picking up weight. I think there is going to be a lot to work with when her lips gets repaired.
My secret weapon for all babies and in particular the CLP babies, is still Woodward's Gripe Water and I have heard recently that you can buy it again on www.amazon.com after a long absence. It is back on the Starfish Wish List again too. I cannot imagine all the gas, colic, teething and eating problems we would have in this foster home, if it was not for this magic water/oil (they use linseed oil). I am sorry to say that I have not found a good substitute for Woodward's. Harley's Gripe Water from Australia will do too, but only as a second option and that there is not any American gripe water even comes close to what Woodward's can do. I give it to the babies about 10 minutes before having a bottle, burp good and then feed them. I found there are two ways to burp that work really well. My favorite is to flip them over and then put their head around your elbow with the top of the palm of your hand just below their ribcage and then pat their backs. The second way which works better when they are a little older is to hold their knees closer to their chest and bounce them slightly. Even a combination of the two will work. It would be one of my first gifts to any new mom, a life saver should she need it.
As you might have noticed on the CNY pictures, Sophia and our new baby Joseph both have mold in their mouth. This gives CLP babies a fake palate and that will help with eating more. Secondly, it will realign their gums and straighten their teeth some for when the surgery is done, so everything will be in place and lastly, it will help when they start to make sounds and hopefully avoid any speech impediments which are so common with cleft babies. They will wear this for 3 to five months depending on what happens. We have to clean the mold with every feed and change the tape and elastics every day.
Life, Love and Laughter,
Amanda
Starfish Foster Home
Xian, China
www.thestarfishfosterhome.org
http://chinesestarfish.blogspot.com
chinese.starfishthrower@gmail.com
Cell: 86.1348.812.4847
I have always had a really hard time with the cleft lip and palate (CLP) babies. Sophia has turned out to be so much different. To sum it all up she has been sleeping since she got here. If you look at the pictures, you can see she slept straight through the CNY photo session. Not only that, but she has been eating very well and without much fuss. Trying to feed the cleft babies is usually such an ordeal. As you can tell from her pictures she is way past the preemie stage, her jaundice is gone and she has been packing on the poundage. She started out at 2.1 kg ( 41/2 pounds) and she currently weighs a whopping 5.5kg (12 pounds). Her double chin rivals mine. On top of that she is only 9 weeks old. We are all very impressed with her skills for picking up weight. I think there is going to be a lot to work with when her lips gets repaired.
My secret weapon for all babies and in particular the CLP babies, is still Woodward's Gripe Water and I have heard recently that you can buy it again on www.amazon.com after a long absence. It is back on the Starfish Wish List again too. I cannot imagine all the gas, colic, teething and eating problems we would have in this foster home, if it was not for this magic water/oil (they use linseed oil). I am sorry to say that I have not found a good substitute for Woodward's. Harley's Gripe Water from Australia will do too, but only as a second option and that there is not any American gripe water even comes close to what Woodward's can do. I give it to the babies about 10 minutes before having a bottle, burp good and then feed them. I found there are two ways to burp that work really well. My favorite is to flip them over and then put their head around your elbow with the top of the palm of your hand just below their ribcage and then pat their backs. The second way which works better when they are a little older is to hold their knees closer to their chest and bounce them slightly. Even a combination of the two will work. It would be one of my first gifts to any new mom, a life saver should she need it.
As you might have noticed on the CNY pictures, Sophia and our new baby Joseph both have mold in their mouth. This gives CLP babies a fake palate and that will help with eating more. Secondly, it will realign their gums and straighten their teeth some for when the surgery is done, so everything will be in place and lastly, it will help when they start to make sounds and hopefully avoid any speech impediments which are so common with cleft babies. They will wear this for 3 to five months depending on what happens. We have to clean the mold with every feed and change the tape and elastics every day.
Life, Love and Laughter,
Amanda
Starfish Foster Home
Xian, China
www.thestarfishfosterhome.org
http://chinesestarfish.blogspot.com
chinese.starfishthrower@gmail.com
Cell: 86.1348.812.4847
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Happy Chinese Niu Year!
That was not a spelling error up there. Niu is how you say ox in Chinese. (It sounds like new).
Gong Xi Fa Cai
From all of us at Starfish.
I went and did some research and I wanted to share it with you. I amused me greatly because I was born in the year of the metal ox. Many of the characteristics describe me very well, however forget about being calm all the time. Yeah on the intelligence one, but spot on about being told what to do as anyone who knows me can tell you.
In the Chinese calendar, depending on which year you're born in, you will naturally hold some of the characteristics and qualities accorded to the particular animal of that year. For example, any child born in the Ox Year is said to be an quiet infant, perfectly content provided they receive regular affection and food. There are also a complementing five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) with each new year. The elements further individualise various aspects of the individuals born in that year. This year of the Ox is based on the Earth Element.
Characteristics of a person born in the Ox Year :
a natural leader, being quite dependable and possessing an innate ability to achieve great tasks
are dependable, calm, and modest
unswervingly patient and tireless in their work
need peace and quiet to work through their ideas
has a very logical mind and is extremely systematic in whatever they do, even without imagination
are kind, caring souls, logical, positive, filled with common sense and with their feet firmly planted on the ground
are highly intelligent individuals who don't take kindly to being told what to do
they have many friends, who appreciate the fact that the Ox people are wary of new trends
Why are the 12 Zodiac Animals important?
Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha summoned all the animals on Earth to meet him on Chinese New Year. However, only thirteen animals came. The animals were the Rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and the pig. In honour of their attendance, the Buddha decided to name a year after each of them. However, a dispute soon arose as to which order the animals would be named. In his wisdom, the Buddha arranged a race whereby the outcome would decide the order.
All the animals lined up on the bank of a river and were given the task of getting to the opposite shore. Their order in the calendar would be set by the order in which the animals managed to reach the other side. The cat wondered how he would get across if he was afraid of water. At the same time, the ox wondered how he would cross with his poor eyesight. The calculating rat suggested that he and the cat jump onto the ox's back and guide him across. The ox was steady and hard-working so that he did not notice the commotion on his back. In the meantime, the rat sneaked up behind the unsuspecting cat and shoved him into the water. Just as the ox came ashore, the rat jumped off and finished the race first. The lazy pig came to the far shore in twelfth place. As a result, the rat was named as the first year while, the ox got the second year, and so on, up to the pig. The cat finished too late to win any place in the calendar, and vowed to be the enemy of the rat forever more.
Life, Love and Laughter,
Amanda
Starfish Foster Home
Xian China
www.thestarfishfosterhome.org
http://chinesestarfish.blogspot.com
chinese.starfishthrower@gmail.com
Cell: 86.1348.812.4847
Gong Xi Fa Cai
From all of us at Starfish.
I went and did some research and I wanted to share it with you. I amused me greatly because I was born in the year of the metal ox. Many of the characteristics describe me very well, however forget about being calm all the time. Yeah on the intelligence one, but spot on about being told what to do as anyone who knows me can tell you.
In the Chinese calendar, depending on which year you're born in, you will naturally hold some of the characteristics and qualities accorded to the particular animal of that year. For example, any child born in the Ox Year is said to be an quiet infant, perfectly content provided they receive regular affection and food. There are also a complementing five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) with each new year. The elements further individualise various aspects of the individuals born in that year. This year of the Ox is based on the Earth Element.
Characteristics of a person born in the Ox Year :
a natural leader, being quite dependable and possessing an innate ability to achieve great tasks
are dependable, calm, and modest
unswervingly patient and tireless in their work
need peace and quiet to work through their ideas
has a very logical mind and is extremely systematic in whatever they do, even without imagination
are kind, caring souls, logical, positive, filled with common sense and with their feet firmly planted on the ground
are highly intelligent individuals who don't take kindly to being told what to do
they have many friends, who appreciate the fact that the Ox people are wary of new trends
Why are the 12 Zodiac Animals important?
Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha summoned all the animals on Earth to meet him on Chinese New Year. However, only thirteen animals came. The animals were the Rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and the pig. In honour of their attendance, the Buddha decided to name a year after each of them. However, a dispute soon arose as to which order the animals would be named. In his wisdom, the Buddha arranged a race whereby the outcome would decide the order.
All the animals lined up on the bank of a river and were given the task of getting to the opposite shore. Their order in the calendar would be set by the order in which the animals managed to reach the other side. The cat wondered how he would get across if he was afraid of water. At the same time, the ox wondered how he would cross with his poor eyesight. The calculating rat suggested that he and the cat jump onto the ox's back and guide him across. The ox was steady and hard-working so that he did not notice the commotion on his back. In the meantime, the rat sneaked up behind the unsuspecting cat and shoved him into the water. Just as the ox came ashore, the rat jumped off and finished the race first. The lazy pig came to the far shore in twelfth place. As a result, the rat was named as the first year while, the ox got the second year, and so on, up to the pig. The cat finished too late to win any place in the calendar, and vowed to be the enemy of the rat forever more.
Life, Love and Laughter,
Amanda
Starfish Foster Home
Xian China
www.thestarfishfosterhome.org
http://chinesestarfish.blogspot.com
chinese.starfishthrower@gmail.com
Cell: 86.1348.812.4847
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Saturday, January 24, 2009
Norma, Who Needs Toys?
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Well, Patrick and Cindy are in Hong Kong right now getting ready to fly back to the US soon. They did their stint in the famous White Swan hotel. I had to smile at the pictures because they are just the quintessential first time parents, still measuring time in days. Like I have said before, it is one of the blessings of this job to see families being made. I cannot tell you how much I enjoy that.I guess I never got it before, but you really don't need to buy toys for toddlers -- they get the biggest kick out of playing with a Vick's Vapor Rub Box and your cell phone. In less than a week and a half, Norma is already putting the phone to her ear and saying "Whey." (Chinese phone greeting meaning "hello." ). She loves her Daddy and you will see in the pictures that they have found the hospitality suite in our hotels.Yesterday our adoption was made official on the US side of things -- In Guangzhou we went to the American Consulate and there was this swearing in "ceremony" of sorts. We took a train today to Hong Kong. Pat was chuckling at the amount of luggage we have -- we never traveled with so much stuff! Be careful who you make fun of -- for the past 20 years Pat has called my brother and sister-in-law the "Wong Family" because of the luggage they bring when they come to visit... just one of the many bites of crow to come.The baby continues to lull us into this false sense of security -- she slept most of the way to Hong Kong and is sawing major logs as we speak tonight...today she officially called for her "da da." Pat has devised all kinds of games with her -- the pillow dropping game, the swing game, the climbing game, the elevator opening game, the escalator riding game... he is very clever and its amazing how she has blossomed after 10 days...xo, Cin
Life, Love and Laughter,
Amanda
Starfish Foster Home
Xian, China
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Two Adoptions in Three Days
It has been really busy around Starfish. I just have few minutes to write.
We had two children adopted in three days. Rebecca who will be moving to Louisville, Kentucky and then Erica who became Norma Xi'an is going to be living with her family in New Jersey. So that makes it adoption number 17 and 18.
I am afraid I do not have any pictures of Rebecca's new family but you can have a look at her blog at http://hunterhappenings.blogspot.com/ for some updates on their travels.
Here is a picture that Norma's mom took. The emotion of becoming parents for the first time at 47 is amazing and this picture of Patrick and Norma to me is so poignant. He told me that adopting Norma is the hardest thing he has ever done. It is one of my all time favorites shots.
We had two children adopted in three days. Rebecca who will be moving to Louisville, Kentucky and then Erica who became Norma Xi'an is going to be living with her family in New Jersey. So that makes it adoption number 17 and 18.
I am afraid I do not have any pictures of Rebecca's new family but you can have a look at her blog at http://hunterhappenings.blogspot.com/ for some updates on their travels.
Here is a picture that Norma's mom took. The emotion of becoming parents for the first time at 47 is amazing and this picture of Patrick and Norma to me is so poignant. He told me that adopting Norma is the hardest thing he has ever done. It is one of my all time favorites shots.
Life, Love and Laughter,
Amanda
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Update on Ana
An update from Ana's mom
Hope you had a good holiday---ours was nice and relaxing. We got together with Mary and Brooke Bonnema (a family that had come to volunteer at Starfish) over New Year's Eve and Ana instantly connected with Brooke, who ended up carrying her around a waterpark for 2 1/2 days. Ana didn't want anyone but her---it was very neat. I've attached a photo---the other Chinese girls are from Sophie's group and the big girls are older siblings.
Also, Ana had a doctor's appointment this morning in preparation for her dental surgery next week at our Children's Hospital. I mentioned the vaccination issue and it looks like Ana's titer levels were checked when we had bloodwork done last year. Everything is consistent with Ana's vaccination booklet that you gave us. So---thought you'd like to know that all is OK with her.
Ana is talking like crazy now---her favorite phrases are "Sophie did it", "Don't bug me, Sophie", "Ginkle, Ginkle, Little Star", "No, Mine", and "Gingle Bells, Gingle Bells". Very cute!!
The girls got walkie talkies for Christmas and they are having a blast with them.
Ana also LOVES Barbies---likes to take all their clothes off and carry them around naked. I am surprised at what a girlie girl she has turned out to be! Everything (cups, plates, clothes, towels, toothbrushes, undies, etc.) has to be PINK, PINK, PINK!! She puts on fru fru pink dress up outfits over her clothes as soon as she walks in the door. Here's a funny thing---she had on a red and black outfit for a party at my cousins on Christmas Eve. All the little kids were given matching pajamas and when I was changing Ana's clothes to put the pjs on for a photo, I found that she had added a pink tutu under her black skirt before we left home. She does little things like that all the time---she has a very cute and funny personality.
We really loved the Christmas photos of the Starfishes on your website!
All our best, JenniferWe really loved the Christmas photos of the Starfishes on your website!
Life, Love and Laughter,
Amanda
Starfish Foster Home
Xian China
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