We have BIG news!

We are in process of adopting a little girl! She is 6 and is adorable. She is currently placed in our family as we complete the final steps of her adoption. We felt she was a perfect addition to our family as she is autistic, has vision problems, and non-verbal (read why below)! 

 As part of our adoption process, we have started a crowdfunding campaign.We have set a goal of 8,100 to help ease the financial burden that often overwhelms adoptive parents.

About our family! We are a family of 8. I often get funny looks when I tell people we have 6 kids! Yes! We have six lovely children!! 

 Our kids (I'll try not to type very much and just give the basic scoop so our newest gets the focus)

1) Our first child, who is currently our middle child, is the boy who made us parents! He was adopted at 6 months and turned 10 recently. He is autistic and the progress he has made is astonishing. When I look back on his life I'm thrilled and proud of him. He has came SO far! He used to be a sensory seeker who would climb everything, break everything, and to sum it up and make it a shorter read... he was out of control. The world was a crazy, scary place to him and it took him a long time to calm down, find focus, and enjoy different things in life. He's still a sensory seeker of course, but he is now very aware, grounded, happy, and the kindest child who will accept a hug every now and then! 

2) Next came a biological son who is currently 7. He enjoys his sibling and collecting bugs! 

3) Then we adopted our daughter when she was 12 years old!  Our daughter, now 16, is completely blind. Her eyes never formed at birth so her condition is known as anopthalmia (without eye, or in her case eyes). She can do anything she wants to do she just does it differently than those of us with vision. We taught her to roller skate, rock climb, she swims (has gold medals), can cook, reads, can do things on the computer, etc. 

4) Our son was adopted at 14. He is currently 18! He is a senior in High School and hopes to be a cop! 

5) Next came another biological son who is currently 1 year old. He is sweet and happy! 

6) Last but not least is our newest daughter who is 6! 

 Our children are the joys of our lives. I can't imagine life without them. 

About our little girl! She is autistic, non-verbal, and has vision problems. When we heard about her we felt like she was a perfect fit for our family! We've been told she her intelligence level is: medium intelligence. She is still in diapers and has trouble focusing. When she first came home we would give her something and she would just drop it/let it fall through her hands and keep walking not noticing what was in her hands or that anything changed. She would walk into and fall over things. "Simple things" such as putting any clothing type item on was not an option. She would not sit at a table and eat, but would grab food, shove it in her mouth and run around wildly. She has came SO far. 

Her progress: We're beyond proud of her. She seems to have started recognizing words! She has been with us 3 months and now has a morning routine. With prompting she can get up, go to the bathroom, take her pj pants off, take her pull-up off, throw the diaper away in the trash can, go potty on the toilet, put a pull-up on (with some re-direction with front and back), put her pants/skirt/shorts on, socks on, (she needs help taking off her shirt)put on a fresh shirt, flush the toilet, turn water on, get soap on her hands, scrub her hands, wash her hands, turn water off, dry her hands, pick up her clothes, turn the light off, open the door to the room where the washing machine is, place clothes in washer, close the door, go to the table, put on her bib, wait for breakfast, and can hold a spoon and sit at the table while eating. After eating she cleans her spot (with help), carries her dishes to the sink, throws her trash away, and pushes in her chair. We're still working on various tasks like getting a lunch box in her backpack, eating like a lady, chewing her food and not just swallowing (she's came a long way), covering her mouth with a cough/sneeze, not farting/burping every time she's at the table, etc. With washing her hands we practiced a lot. I figure motor memory has to help. She's got it now. She used to be very rough and would attack her hands while washing them. She is now she's much gentler and focuses on the task instead of playing in the sink!! After eating she can be prompted to get her shoes (she often puts them on the wrong feet still), put them on, I brush her teeth, do her hair, and then she helps put on her backpack for school. 

After school she comes home and we go get her brothers. When we get home she puts her backpack down, unzips it, gets me her folder, we put her lunch box away (she carries it I help in where she put's it), goes to the bathroom (does the routine similar to above with prompting) and then get's a snack! Her biggest accomplishment lately was noticing our family (before she'd go anywhere with anyone and we had to really watch her) and she carried a plate and then a cup to the trash across a gym full of people and distractions. She has to be with us at all times and we have to constantly monitor her for safety but she's a joy. She's full of love. We have started teaching her signs and she's has learned a few of them (more, thank you, please, table, finished). As of 9/18 I heard her say "Good girl, good girl". She says some words every now and then (she's said, "more", "mom & dad", "tea"). I hope in time she'll speak freely. If not, that's okay, we just want her to bloon and develop to her potential.  It's exciting to hear her repeat back things that we speak to her!  Even if it's VERY intermittent! 

We are beyond excited and love having her in our lives. What I love the most is to see her growth because I know it means more for her future and for her life! I love her sweet hugs every day! She's a joy. Yes it's hard but I know the things you put the most work into, you're the proudest of. We put hard work, love and time into our kids and I can't wait to see the places they go, the things they do, and who they become! Thank YOU for your support of our family, and of her. She's amazing and as you can see we feel she's very well worth investing in! 

We hope that by inviting you into this process, you will see yourself as part of the community we hope to build around our child as he/she grows up.