September 1, 2004

Caring for and serving families in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama,  Mississippi,
Florida, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana 

My daughter is an amazing child -- absolutely beautiful.  She turned 29 months old last Friday, the day I left Vladivostok.  She weighs 18.25 pounds and will be in 12 and 18 month size clothes for now.  There were a lot of bright moments during our six visits.  When I arrived for our third visit, she was with her group in the upstairs playroom.  She saw me enter the door and immediately ran/waddled over to me and "asked" to be picked up.  She can eat a strawberry NutriGrain cereal bar faster than you would believe.  She quickly learned that she would get one from me at the beginning of every visit and insists on both hands and every finger being cleaned with a wipe between bites.  She is a little girl in every way.  The director of the baby home gave me a photograph of her at nine months of age (when she was placed there) -- what a gift!  I could go on and on.  Can you tell I am totally in love with this child?

Thanks for all you have done to get us to this point.

First NEPAL Child Adopted in the Southeast!!

We finally got him!!

We're just having a blast being parents! I'll admit now, it was worth the wait, even if it was hard and long! 

We finally met our daughter...she is 15 months old.  Her Russian name is Diana, and we officially petitioned the court to legally adopt her and rename her Hannah Diane Floyd.  She of course is very beautiful!!  She has straight blonde hair and big blue eyes.  She currently weighs 16 pounds and stands 25 inches tall (she is very tiny)!!  She crawls, pulls herself up, and walks while holding your hand.  She also believes her daddy is very silly (I think she will be a daddy's girl)!!!  As you can imagine she is the most beautiful little girl we have ever seen.  We have waited for this moment for what seems like an eternity, but I never dreamed one little girl could bring us such joy.  We have truly been blessed!
 

Chloe is adjustment well.  She enjoys playing with Natalie and Christopher and has even come to accept the family dog.  We can't imagine a more perfect child for our family.  She is outgoing and enjoys a crowd.  I will keep in touch as we learn more about our newest addition.

Her adjustment so far has really been a breeze.  I think she felt the instant love we had for her.  We all kissed her and loved on her from the start and I believe it helped.  Having Robbie there for her to see that we had a child and love children was also a blessing.  It is a trip he will never forget and cherish always.I can't wait to do it again.  How long does China require to wait before we turn in another dossier? 

Our journey to China was a long one. Not the airplane ride, though that seemed endless, but the whole process from start to finish for us as a family. We are a blended family with 6 bio children from our previous marriages. These children's ages range from 15-21, that means three in college and three
teenagers. Whew! Why would we want to add another mouth to feed, another child to add to the family payroll? So many people have asked us that- aren't we tired? Sure, some days we are tired, but family and parenting are what keeps us alive. We thrive on our children and their very different personalities and characters. But we knew our family wasn't complete yet.

Two years ago we started researching Children's Hope International as a possible agency to go through to adopt our daughter. Frankly, I didn't feel the need to look much further as the staff and programs they offered seemed to fit our needs.

 
The next year we submitted our application and were accepted as a potential adoptive family. We knew positively we wanted a daughter, but from China, or Russia? Our hearts kept calling us to China.  After plugging away at what seemed like endless paper chasing, we were closing in on completing the
required paperwork for the home study. I started researching special needs and spent more than enough time on the computer joining several related adoption groups. Something kept tugging at my heartstrings to look into the special needs of these children on waiting lists. Could we handle a "special need" daughter? I surfed the web and "chatted" online with other moms of waiting children. My husband Rick was suddenly on board to consider a minor or correctable need of one of these children.
 In January 2004, I knew that CHI would have a new group of waiting children listed. I was glued to my
computer that day it finally came up. I clicked on several faces, but kept coming back to one child whose eyes seemed to be calling to me. It was a girl, born in 2002 with a cleft lip and palate. Her lip was repaired, and she was gorgeous. I nervously called Brenda Barker to inquire about her. She called Tina in St. Louis for me and called back to say, "She's yours!!". What? I had a daughter???? I was so excited-but realized my husband was unaware of my "acceptance" of this child! I e-mailed him her picture and asked  what he thought of her. He said, "she's wonderful!" and we called our entire family that night. Our hearts were full of anticipation, hope, and wonder. Never once did we question our decision.

Months later, on July 9, 2004, we left for Kunming, China in the Yunnan Province to get our daughter. Kate was brought to us at the Civil Affairs office three hours after our plane landed. I was a nervous wreck, but once we saw Kate, we knew she was our daughter. That long wait was over.
Kate has attached to both of us as her new mama and baba despite having been in a foster family in China. She must have been very loved for she gives and receives affection quickly. She is very generous, full of sparkle, and truly a bright child. She loves to imitate all of us, and has learned pretty fast how to communicate her needs. There is always someone around to pick her up, feed her, play with her, and watch in awe as she conquers her new world.

It is without a doubt that this child was meant to be ours, and we are humbled that God chose us to be her parents. We also give much appreciation to the staff at Children's Hope both in Brentwood and St. Louis. We are forever grateful for their full attention to our family for helping us to be granted the referral of Katherine Jiao Merritt McAfee, known as Kate, into our lives.

Hope you're having a good summer.  We're doing fine.  The kiddos have really been enjoying the Y, pool, and local parks.  Now that everyone's a little bit older it is easier to get out and about.

We are having a great time and Kira has been sleeping through the night for 4 nights now.  She slept 12 hours last night. Kira is an absolute sweetheart and Noah loves her.  I am attaching a photo of her getting her teeth brushed while Noah is hanging out with us.  We are so blessed to have the family we do.  Thank you and everyone else at CHI for making this possible!

Master Hartley Hogan entered the great United States (or as my mom would say – the good ole USA) two years ago today.  Time has absolutely flown by – and I can say without reservation that we would not know what to do without him.  He has grown into a wonderful little American boy – and he is as Southern as they come!!!!!  Anyway, we wanted to share our joy with all of you!  We are very thankful to have him.  He has now been with us longer than he was in Russia!!!  That is pretty cool.  Now I have to get my act together to finalize the paperwork for number 2.  Thanks to all for being a part of our lives!!!!!!!

“Give Me New Life”, our program that funds the medical treatment of orphans in China, had a tremendous year in 2003.  Altogether, the Foundation donated over $170,000 to sponsor a total of 104 surgeries for children from 24 different orphanages.  Earlier this year, the CHI Foundation was asked to sponsor the surgeries of fifty-five orphans in China with non-repaired clefts palates.  As the mother of a child with a cleft, my heart is aching for these children, especially the children who are approaching their teens.  Many of the children in the orphanage do not have anyone to pay for their surgeries…and these are not just for cosmetic reasons!  Many of the children are not able to get enough nutrition, trying to suck as hard as they can and not getting nourishment because it comes out of the roof of their mouth as quickly as they get it in.  This is a true reality for children with un-repaired cleft palates and cleft lips. 

We are asking for your help.  The cost of one surgery is $375 per child, and any donations will be greatly appreciated, whether it is a small amount or enough to cover an entire surgery.  If any of you would like to get your extended families, hospitals, medical practices, churches, girl scouts, or other groups together to have a large group to sponsor a child for surgery…that would be wonderful!  Corporate donations are welcome as well!  If you feel lead to donate, please make a check payable to CHI Foundation and send your check to our Tennessee office, or feel free to donate on-line at  www.CHIFoundation.org (be sure to list cleft lip/palate surgeries for the designation).

(The CHI Foundation is a 501 ( C ) (3) nonprofit organization.  You will receive a receipt for your tax purposes.)

CHI’s third annual Walk for Hope takes place in Brentwood, Tennessee on October 2, 2004. Last year at our Walk for Hope, we raised over $6000, which helped supply medical surgeries for children in orphanages around the world.  Every year, we hear about orphans in many places who need special medical care – care that is typically out of the ordinary ability of the orphanages to provide. CHI Foundation helps many of these children to receive medicine and medical care including surgeries such as those to correct cleft lips and palates, severe heart disease and orthopedic needs.  

Proceeds from this year’s Walk will help continue providing the special medical care for children who remain in the orphanages.  Because of the donations walkers and their sponsors make during Walk for Hope 2004, we will be able to provide surgical care and other more routine care for hundreds of children. Children from Asia to Russia to the Middle East will benefit. These children will then know hope.   

This year’s walk includes children’s games, a silent auction, free lunch provided by Chick-fil-a and other fun activities. Early registration needs to be completed by September 17, 2004. Click here to print out a registration form. For more details contact caroline@childrenshopeint.org or at 615-309-8109. 

Born in Our Hearts: Stories of Adoption

A heartwarming collection of true stories that weave a rich tapestry of the adoption experience from many different perspectives: birthmothers, adoptive parents and grandparents, and adopted children and adults. These inspiring stories reveal the challenges and joys of the lifelong adoption journey.  

Due to the popularity of the program and increased referral time, we have put a temporary hold on new applications. As a means of providing the best possible service to our current families, managing the work load of our liaisons and support staff, and avoiding extensive delays for future families, we have decided to focus on those who are presently enrolled, rather than on expanding the program further. As more families complete their adoptions, we will resume accepting applications.  A waiting list will be provided for families that are sincerely interested in the Nepal Program.
 

Please join us for free information meetings:

For more information, please go to http://www.childrenshope.com/southeast/index.htm

 September 2, Knoxville, TN

Pellissippi State Technical Community College

Lamar Alexander Building, Room 206

6:30-8:30 PM 

September 14, Brentwood, TN

Children’s Hope Office, 7003 Chadwick Dr, Suite 350

6:30-8:30 PM 

September 25, Louisville, KY

Family Life’s “If You Were Mine” Conference

All Day Conference, Registration Fee 

September 26, Louisville, KY

Bon Air Public Library, 2816 Del Rio Place

2-4 PM 

September 10        Parent Education Class                6:30 PM                                         Woodmont HIlls

September 11        Dossier Class                               8:30 AM                                          Woodmont Hills

                                 Travel Class                                 10:00 -12:00 Noon                          Woodmont Hills

                   Vanderbilt Int. Adoption Clinic Classes    9-11 AM                                         Vanderbilt Children’s

September 17       Older Child Adoption Class          6-9 PM                                           Woodmont Hills

September 20       Home Study Group                       6:30-8:30 PM                                  Children’s Hope

September 24       Moon Festival                                6:00 PM                                          Dyer Observatory

Fall is almost here….can you believe it?  What a great time to start an adoption!!  Please let us know if we can do anything to help get you started on your “journey of love!”

We don't want to burden you with a lot of information, but we do want to help you if you are looking for a way to adopt. If not, please let us know and we will regretfully remove your name from our newsletter.   E-mail me at my address below with any question you have.  I would love to hear from you. 

Brenda

Southeastern U.S.
 Brenda Barker, Director
 7003 Chadwick Dr. Suite 350
 Brentwood, TN  37027
 615-309-8109   Fax: 615-309-8483

 Brenda@ChildrensHope.com
 Also serving the following states: TN, KY, GA, AL, AR, MS, FL, TX and LA