Will (Nathaniel) Update, One Year Later

William (Nathaniel) was Starfish's adoption number 13 in July 2007. Here is a letter from mom Mary Carol. It is great to see our little man doing so well. He had a really rough start and we battled for a long time to get him to pick up weight. As soon as he hit that magical 4 kg mark he started doing so much better and by the time he had his cleft lip surgery he grew so much. I just love seeing how much love the kids receive and how well they are doing. I watch from afar and watch as their potential blossoms into skills we had no idea he had. I also appreciate the time families put into allowing children to explore their talents. Thanks for sharing Mary Carol, Will has a lot of fans who still follow Starfish. We are so glad that he came to stay for us and that we had a chance to take care of him while he waited for his very own family.
I’ve been reading about all the great things happening at Starfish! You are such an amazing person, taking care of so many babies! I especially love reading about the cleft babies. Besides feeding, the temporary palates will help so much with speech!
I know an update on Will is long overdue, but you will be happy to hear how great he is doing! He had his palate surgery in March and has recovered very well. He is talking so much. We are still surprised everyday over his intelligence. I know I’m bragging, but WOW is this kid smart. And when it comes to his physical abilities, I’ve been told he is going to do something very, very special. People are always asking me if they can record him playing basketball or take his picture. I wanted to put him on a 3 yr old basketball team and was told he already knows more than the kids on the 4 and 5 yr old teams. Will is already swimming underwater, playing basketball and soccer, and is the star of his gymnastics class. He also goes to school now once a weak. In the Fall he will start Preschool four days a week, which will include working with a speech pathologist. He had to take a test to get in and although he was behind in his speech, he scored in the 4 ½ yr. old range on the remainder of the test.
I also wanted to tell you that Will is finally on the growth charts. He is in the 3 rd percentile for height and weight. Can you believe he grew 4 inches in only 10 months. His feet also grew 2 ½ shoe sizes.
Will is always the center of everyone’s attention and we still thank God and Star Fish everyday for blessing us with our sweet, loving, beautiful son! I hope you enjoy the photos below.
He had an MRI in April to check his thyroid and everything looked great! He has been enjoying the kids being home from school. He loved the zoo and children’s museum so much that we bought memberships to both places and take him there often. We’re taking him to the South Carolina this next month where he’ll get to swim in the ocean for the first time.
Take care and keep up all the wonderful work you do!!!!
Love~
Mary Carol

Life, Love and Laughter,
Amanda