June 30, 2015
amputation, burns, contracture deformity, Family Stories, June 2015 Feature - Orthopedic, Orthopedic, prosthetics
0 Comments
That would probably not have been our reaction if you would have told us seven years ago that we would have multiple pairs of prosthetic legs in our house. In early 2009, we were researching China’s special needs adoptions after adopting twice through the non-special needs program. Some of the special needs just looked too …Read More
June 26, 2015
amniotic band syndrome, Family Stories, June 2015 Feature - Orthopedic, limb difference, Orthopedic
0 Comments
God’s plans are always best… even when we fight them. After years of dealing with infertility and finally placing our desire for children into the hands of our Father, He revealed that His plan A for us was adoption. When my husband and I first started our adoption process, we told our agency that we …Read More
June 20, 2015
arthrogryposis, Family Stories, June 2015 Feature - Orthopedic, Orthopedic
2 Comments
I’ll never forget the first time I saw Olivia. I worked night shift then and would often stare at sweet faces when it was slow. There were so many. I often would get overwhelmed and quickly close the page because I couldn’t look at so many big brown, solemn eyes, without a feeling of loss. A couple of …Read More
June 15, 2015
amniotic band syndrome, Family Stories, June 2015 Feature - Orthopedic, missing fingers/toes, Orthopedic
3 Comments
My daughter is working on cursive writing. She deftly picks up her pencil with her right hand, and carefully sets it between the fingers on the left. Pressing hard, she makes one swirl after another, using her pencil to sing the song of her love for me. She writes stories, she pens love letters, she …Read More
June 9, 2015
adopting as a single mom, Family Stories, June 2015 Feature - Orthopedic, Orthopedic, osteogenesis imperfecta, working mom
1 Comments
God has a sense of humor. Have you experienced it? He knows how to push and stretch us. I am learning not to say “never” because that is just about when He says, “Here you go! This is my plan!” I am blessed to be the mom of an amazing little girl from China (you …Read More
June 3, 2015
achondroplasia, dwarfism, June 2015 Feature - Orthopedic, Orthopedic
6 Comments
June is here, along with a new special need spotlight. Last month we featured posts on Vascular System special needs. This month we are focusing on the Orthopedic System. ……. We often get asked what adopting a child with dwarfism entails. First and foremost – you have to know China did not think children …Read More
May 31, 2015
body scars, burns, contracture deformity, Family Stories, scoliosis, Skin Conditions
2 Comments
This is our family story or what the daily life of living with burns is like. I want to make sure you all know that each story is unique and the daily life for another child with burns and their family could be much different. There are many things to consider with burns; location on …Read More
January 30, 2015
amniotic band syndrome, Family Stories, older child adoption
1 Comments
Excitement, curiosity and fear of the unknown filled the eight year old boy’s mind as he entered the cold, stale room. His eyes landed on some smiling faces that looked vaguely familiar. Yes, these were the same faces that had smiled at him from the pages of the photo album he carried in his backpack, …Read More
January 26, 2015
Family Stories, limb difference, missing hand/foot, Orthopedic
3 Comments
When I was fourteen I taught Sunday School for a year. One of the kids in my class of four year olds had a short left arm. The first day of class I found myself thinking “that poor little guy was born with only one arm.” It took next to no time at all for …Read More
November 24, 2014
Amy, kyphosis, scoliosis, tethered cord, Tetralogy of Fallot
7 Comments
I knew to be prepared for undiagnosed needs when we set out to adopt. We prepared for the reality that a heart condition would be worse than we originally anticipated it would be. While we went through the list of needs that we would consider or not consider we had to imagine that what we would believe would …Read More
October 20, 2014
Family Stories, guest post, osteogenesis imperfecta
7 Comments
As people grow up, get married, and launch into a life together, there’s a funny series of conversations that often encircles these rights of passage. Even as a teenager, I remember the chatter. “How many kids do you think you’ll have?” And after weddings, I’ve heard, “When do you think you’ll starting trying?” Right after …Read More
June 7, 2014
Amy, esophageal stenosis, scoliosis, Tetralogy of Fallot, tracheo-malacia, tracheoesophagel fistula, VACTERL
6 Comments
Sometimes I forget that we have a child who is a “heart baby”, a lifelong cardiac patient, a survivor. I see her scars everyday. Scars from a surgery I wasn’t present for, scars from one I was; and, I have come to love what they represent. They are a daily reminder of healing, a unique …Read More
May 7, 2014
Amy, esophageal stenosis, scoliosis, Tetralogy of Fallot, tracheo-malacia, tracheoesophagel fistula, VACTERL
4 Comments
A year ago today we had spent only one day with our daughter. After arriving in China, we spent 3 days in Beijing, visited the place she called Home for almost a year and met the women she called “mama”. Then we traveled to XinJiang, her province, tried to sleep on Gotcha Day Eve, and …Read More
April 7, 2014
Amy, esophageal stenosis, scoliosis, Tetralogy of Fallot, tracheo-malacia, tracheoesophagel fistula, VACTERL
0 Comments
I vividly remember reading our referral paperwork. I remember first reading the descriptions of her developmental milestones and evaluated her development through mom and teacher goggles… “she follows objects… she is tracking… she is grasping things… she is babbling and forming simple sounds… she turns her head when there is a noise… she can hear …Read More
April 2, 2014
Advocacy, Family Stories, Orthopedic, osteogenesis imperfecta
2 Comments
This summer traveling in China with Superkids I met a girl with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI). This was remarkable in itself because I have only met maybe 20 children with this special need in my 25+ years as a physical therapist. I have a special place in my heart for ever child with this special need. …Read More
March 7, 2014
Amy, esophageal stenosis, scoliosis, Tetralogy of Fallot, tracheo-malacia, tracheoesophagel fistula, VACTERL
4 Comments
Don’t you love those acronyms? I have come to really appreciate the time they save, the space they save, and that I can safely dodge oodles of mispronunciation. For example, until 2012 those letter sequences meant nothing to me. If someone would have told me years ago how much I would come to know about …Read More
February 7, 2014
Amy, Attachment, scoliosis, Tetralogy of Fallot
8 Comments
Welcome to Amy, mom to Grace adopted from China 8 months ago, and our newest contributor at No Hands But Ours. Amy blogs at Stops Along the Journey. Special needs. We hear those words so often in so many places; schools, adoption agencies, the work place, fast food restaurants, and facebook. Adoptive parents who choose …Read More
January 31, 2014
adopting as a single mom, osteogenesis imperfecta, special focus, working mom
0 Comments
Guest post by Jennifer, who brought home her daughter from China as a single mom, and blogs at Journey to Olivia. For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of being a wife and a mom. I remember as a little girl planning what my wedding would look like and making lists (refined …Read More
January 22, 2014
clubfoot, Family Stories, Orthopedic
0 Comments
It was a day in October of 2012 that I will never forget. We had been in the process to adopt a special needs child from China, and we got the call that changed our lives for the better! We were told about a little boy with club foot. Two things about this call were …Read More
January 14, 2014
amniotic band syndrome, Family Found, limb difference, Orthopedic, symbrachydactyly
4 Comments
Today we are advocating for the special need of Limb difference. Limb differences are a very common special need found in waiting children. A Limb difference is any change from what we would consider a typical limb. Anything from missing a finger, to missing the whole arm is considered a limb difference. Limb differences also …Read More
December 18, 2013
achondroplasia, dwarfism, Family Stories, Orthopedic
2 Comments
After adding 2 beautiful girls from China and 2 incredible boys from Ethiopia to our already full and active family of three biological kiddos. We thought for sure we were done adding to our family. We felt God leading us to care for the orphans in other ways – advocating for waiting children, meeting with …Read More
April 9, 2013
clubfoot, developmental delays, Education, IEP, Nancy, public school
1 Comments
Dear IEP team members, As the mama to the little girl that we just spent over an hour talking about, I want to say more than our 60-minute time slot allowed. IEP meetings are hard. {That may be the understatement of the year.} They suck. For a parent, sometimes it feels like IEP meetings are a laundry list of how …Read More
December 13, 2012
Laine, microtia, radial club hand
4 Comments
Our first four adopted children from China have all had completely different special needs: radial club hands, cl/cp, bi-lateral microtia, and CHD. Our 5th adoption was our 5 year old Keith, who has radial club hands like our 7 year old daughter from China. When we saw his picture and his hands, we were amazed …Read More
October 14, 2012
cerebral palsy, Family Stories, hearing loss, limb difference, moyamoya, neurofibromatosis, Sensory System
4 Comments
Our story starts in 2004, when I had a complicated pregnancy with my first child, Gianna, and was advised not to ever get pregnant again. This was actually fine with me because I’d always been drawn toward adoption. We adopted our second child in 2007, another daughter we named Camille, from Kazakhstan. After strong suspicions …Read More
October 5, 2012
Family Stories, limb difference, missing fingers/toes, Orthopedic, radial club hand
0 Comments
About eight years ago we began to consider adoption. We started by investigating foster care adoption in 2004, it didn’t work out. Fast forward to 2010—– we met a family with a precious three year old little girl from China. That afternoon we both said, it is time. We didn’t think we qualified for China, …Read More
September 6, 2012
Family Stories, growth hormone deficiency, lysinuric protein intolerace, missing fingers/toes, reactive attachment disorder
2 Comments
By Kathy, mom to Rachel from China with a SN of missing fingers Eight years ago we adopted a little girl from China with a hand difference. We had lost our firstborn son to Trisomy 13 shortly after his birth in 1999. He had many visible anomalies, such as extra fingers and a cleft lip …Read More
August 25, 2012
clubfoot, developmental delays, Nancy
7 Comments
When I was two years old… …my mom left. When Tess and Jude were 12 months old, they were taken from the only home they knew. When Mimi was 23 months old, she was taken from the only mama she knew. So how do we process not being chosen? I don’t remember any of those …Read More
July 13, 2012
cl/cp, heart defect, Laine, radial club hand
3 Comments
I love my bed, don’t you love your bed? Think about it for a minute. When you’ve been out of town for awhile, don’t you just look forward to your OWN BED? There’s just nothing else like it. And oh, that first night back in your bed after you’ve been away on a trip? You …Read More
June 25, 2012
clubfoot, developmental delays, Nancy
2 Comments
It was 9 am, and I was still in my jammies. Everything seemed stable, everyone fed, playing nicely, so I stole a moment to get dressed and splash my face with water… or at least I tried to. Mid-pulling up my pants I heard the shrieking. Tess’s shriek is unmistakable. It’s a guttural wounding, and …Read More
June 13, 2012
cl/cp, heart defect, Laine, radial club hand
5 Comments
I remember 5 years ago on May 26th, 2007. I was at my niece’s graduation camping experience with my entire family. We were having the time of our lives. Biking, hiking, roasting marshmallows, swimming, talking, sharing…it was a wonderful day! Except for that deep void I felt in my heart. That sadness that made me …Read More
May 25, 2012
clubfoot, developmental delays, early intervention, Education, feeding/swallowing therapy, Nancy, occupational therapy, speech therapy
5 Comments
Our girly qualified for Early Intervention services. Our sweet lovely amazing daughter is delayed. I don’t want it to be that way. But it is. And it’s no surprise either. We went into international adoption with our eyes wide open, preparing for the worst and praying for the best. Her delays were completely expected. There’s …Read More
February 3, 2012
clubfoot, developmental delays, Nancy
0 Comments
I am excited to share that we have another new blogging mama who is joining our team at No Hands But Ours. Nancy blogs at Ordinary Miracles and the Crazy 9… and since she says it so much better than I do, here is bit more about her and her growing family! My name is …Read More
December 2, 2010
limb difference, missing fingers/toes, polydactyly, symbrachydactyly
0 Comments
by Joy, mother to Katherine and Rachel from China with SNs of limb differences I am the mother of two daughters from China, both of whom were born with limb differences – specifically hand differences. As far as special needs go, my daughters’ diagnoses are no big deal and really don’t affect our lives much. …Read More
September 24, 2010
limb difference, missing hand/foot, prosthetics
0 Comments
by Anne and Mike, mom and dad to Lilah from China with a SN of limb difference Lilah is our second adopted child from China. Her brother Luke was adopted in February 2007 and the word to best describe his adoption was probably shocking. We were under the impression that his disabilities were minimal, and …Read More
March 25, 2010
clubfoot, Stefanie
4 Comments
Our daughter Vivienne was born with bilateral clubfoot. Her feet were successfully casted, using the Ponseti Method, while she was still in China. But she has a condition that is a relatively common sequela of clubfoot, known as foot drop. She is missing the muscles on the top of her foot that help her to …Read More
March 15, 2010
limb difference, missing arm/leg, prosthetics
0 Comments
by Tamera, mom to Braxton from China with an SN of limb difference Yesterday we awoke before the crack of dawn. This was a big day indeed. Braxton and I were headed to Shriners Hospital to receive his first prosthetic leg. It was merely 5:00am when we headed out and yet Braxton was wide eyed …Read More
February 25, 2010
leg length discrepancy, limb difference, missing arm/leg
0 Comments
by Karin, mom to Chloe from China with a SN of a limb difference Years ago, God very clearly led us to start down the adoption road for a little girl in China with a special need that was not considered ‘adoptable’. At the time, CCAA had never allowed a child with this SN to …Read More
October 30, 2009
arthrogryposis, cl/cp, Craniofacial, Family Stories, Linny, Orthopedic, Sensory System
7 Comments
I had poured through a “billion” special needs kids faces, all of them drawing an “ooohh” or an “awwww”….but then I saw his face….and I gasped. (It seems that whenever I gasp I know God is up to something big.) Really. I remember staring at him and studying the expression on his sweet little face, …Read More
October 11, 2009
amniotic band syndrome, Family Stories, limb difference, missing fingers/toes, Orthopedic
0 Comments
by Amy, mom to Hope from China with Amniotic Band Syndrome (ABS) When we set out to adopt after having four biological children – we were looking to adopt a girl that was younger than our youngest son, who was 20 months at the time. Since we were already the parents of 4 young children …Read More
March 31, 2009
arthrogryposis, clubfoot, Family Stories, misdiagnosed SN, Orthopedic
0 Comments
by Mandi, mom to Mylee from China with a SN or arthrogryposis, originally diagnosed by China as clubfoot Adoption has always been a dream of mine, specifically China. I don’t have a specific moment or story of when I decided I wanted to adopt, nor did I know how or when I would adopt, I …Read More
March 21, 2009
Central Nervous System, cerebral atrophy, Family Stories, kyphosis, Orthopedic, scoliosis
0 Comments
by Amy, mother to Moriah from China with scoliosis, kyphosis, and cerebral atrophy Our three bio children were 9, 5, and 3 when we began our adoption journey in February, 2006. We submitted an application for a NSN girl under twelve months of age. As time went on the wait increased, we discussed submitting a …Read More
March 8, 2009
Family Stories, limb difference, missing arm/leg, Orthopedic
0 Comments
by Tamera, mom to Bethany from China with a limb difference Preparing for Special Needs Adoption Adopting several children from China has been filled a joy-filled, faith-building, abundant adventure. We have four biological children and feel as though we are experienced parents. However, sometimes even experienced parents can find that they are not adequately prepared …Read More
February 23, 2009
arthrogryposis, Family Stories, Orthopedic
0 Comments
by Amy, mother to Linzhi from China with arthrogryposis We felt the calling to adopt from China in the spring of 2006. We happily filled out our applications, picked our agency, social worker, gathered all our paperwork for our dossier, etc… We were thrilled to get a our DTC and LID in a timely manner …Read More
February 19, 2009
amniotic band syndrome, clubfoot, Family Stories, Lifeline, limb difference, missing fingers/toes
0 Comments
By Anne, mom to Lizzie from China with clubfoot and a limb difference We had talked about adoption for many years and had actually started the process for a non special needs, infant girl from Korea when we found out we were pregnant with our fourth child (first girl). We were thrilled about our first …Read More
February 16, 2009
cl/cp, Family Stories, radial club hand
2 Comments
by Laine, mom to Kimmie from China with radial club hands and Quan from China with cleft lip and palate Kimmie and Quan…two toddler adoptions at the same time! If that title doesn’t get your attention, nothing will! We were blessed beyond measure to adopt two special needs children at one time. Our story is …Read More
February 1, 2009
clubfoot, Family Stories
1 Comments
By Heather and Ryan, parents to Emma from China with unrepaired club foot Faith, hope, fear, trust, uncertainty, joy, wonder, astonishment, patience, love, laughter…these words describe just some of the emotions we felt throughout our journey to our precious Emma. My husband and I always knew we wanted children. We planned and waited for what …Read More
December 9, 2008
CCAI, clubfoot, Family Stories, undescended testicle
0 Comments
By Anne and Mike, parents of Luke from China with unrepaired clubfoot The Story of Luke Our trip to get Luke was one of the most significant 2 weeks of our lives. It is really true that you never know what you can do unless you are thrown into a situation. We are just your …Read More
December 8, 2008
amniotic band syndrome, Family Stories, limb difference, missing arm/leg
0 Comments
By Sherri, mother of Mia from China with a limb difference The story of Mia When we decided to do a second adoption, we chose to do a special needs adoption. The only thing we knew for sure was that we were going to name her Mia. We didn’t have any certain special need in …Read More
November 30, 2008
brachial plexus palsy, Family Stories
0 Comments
By Lisa, mom to Mia from China with Brachial Plexus Palsy Our story about adopting Mia started out with our decision to adopt a second child; we had friends who had adopted SN kids and they were realistic but encouraging. I am a nurse practitioner and felt that because of my 30 years of experience, …Read More
October 20, 2008
Family Stories, limb difference, missing arm/leg, Orthopedic
0 Comments
by Tamera, mom to Bethany from China with a limb difference God’s Grace As we have pursued adoption in China, God has taught us many lessons about His grace. One of those lessons happened in rural China in August of 2007. We were bringing home our second daughter from China. By God’s grace we had …Read More
