Red Couch Photo

Twelve families will be coming home this week with their new children!  Congratulations to the families and we wish them safe travels home. (To view the photo, go to our blog at ftiachina.blogspot.com)

Breakfast with Santa

Program Updates

We received 2 PA’s and 2 TA’s this week for China Waiting Children families.

We have 12 families currently in China and doing well.  Travel started out rather rocky for some of these families due to snow delays in the US.  Air travel is always subject to delays, but especially now during the winter months when weather can create delays and missed connections.   When planning travel, we always make sure there is at least a one day buffer so that such delays don’t upset a family’s adoption itinerary.

Other Information

Last Saturday, our Evansville office hosted the 2^nd annual Breakfast with Santa and invited all our local families to come join us.  I’m posting photos of some of the children as they met with Santa and his elves.  (To see the photos, please go directly to the blog at:  http://ftiachina.blogspot.com   Thanks to all the families that came out to see us!

Continuing on with our 10 part series of sharing the Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know:

The concept for week 9 is to Provide lots of structure and nurturing.  Define roles in parent responses.  For example – “My job as your mother is to……. and your job is to……..” Children from difficult places need calm, secure rules (both formal and informal), role definitions, their unacceptable behavior to be stopped, an invitation for your child to experience things he/she finds challenging. Nurturing will include lots of rocking, holding, snuggling, healthy touches, positive eye contact, perhaps co-sleeping with young children, and using an article of clothing as a transition object.  65% of all interaction is social/emotional!

If you have any questions about the concepts presented or would like to talk in more detail please contact cscheller@ftia.org.   As a reminder, we will be hosting a webinar on January 6^th, 2011 entitled Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know.  Registration information to come.

It's already December!

Program Updates

We currently have 12 families in China that have just met their newest children.  We hope they are making many pleasant memories.

Since our last post we received 5 PA’s and 2 LOA’s for China Waiting Children families.  Three of those PA’s were for children on our Special Focus list. 

No word yet on when the next group of non-special needs referrals will come out.

Important Program Changes

The CCAA recently came out with new information on their ruling for families interested in adopting 2 children in the same year.  For families that have already completed an adoption in the past year, they may now identify a Special Focus child and if they submit their Letter of Intent for that child within a year of their last adoption, they will be able to use a copy of their old dossier for this adoption!  The family will need to update their home study, update their CIS approval and submit a new Petition Letter, but will not have to update any of their other dossier documents. 

The Adoption Simplification Act became law on November 30.  This allows families that are Hague and are adopting a child 10 years old or younger to now sign a waiver for the child’s immunizations in China.  This comes as great news for children that could have been facing receiving numerous vaccinations at their medical exam in China.  The waiver form (DS-1981) must be signed and notarized and submitted at the time of their consulate appointment.  The current form will be revised in the future to indicate that it does apply to Hague cases, but will be accepted until that time.  It can be found at http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/80002.pdf

Continuing on with our 10 part series of sharing the Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know:

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, I’ve combined two weeks of this series below:

I really like the concept for week 7.  Celebrate for who the child is and what he/she does. Try to create 20 celebrations for each criticism.  Celebrate the child for what he/she does right.  Some days that may mean you will need to really look for those things and even celebrate the small stuff.  The celebrations might include high fives, knuckle bumps, hugs, or affirming touches that matures affection, adult to child.  You may even make a celebration day that includes going to get ice cream because “You are such an amazing kid.”

The concept for week #8 is the understanding that for children from difficult places, we need to see resistance, aggression, attention needing behaviors, and compulsive actions and attitudes as stress or fear states – NOT MISBEHAVIORS. The understanding is larger than the expectations.  Children need lots of empathy and compassion about fears.  We need to acknowledge and accept fears, don’t dismiss them.  Help your child take small steps at facing their fears over time.  Children from difficult places need parent acceptance of feelings in the face of what makes them fearful…often masked as hurt (withdrawal), anger (aggression) or anxiety (compulsive) behaviors.

If you have any questions about the concepts presented or would like to talk in more detail please contact cscheller@ftia.org.   As a reminder, we will be hosting a webinar entitled Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know at the end of this series (January 2010).

Happy Thanksgiving!

Program Updates

This week we received one Travel Approval for a China Waiting Child.  This family will be joining the group that is leaving on December 1^st.

A new list of shared files of waiting children will be posted by CCAA on Tuesday, November 23^rd.  No word yet on the next group of the non-special needs China referrals.

The International Adoption Simplification Act passed House approval on Monday.  This law will now go into effect when the President signs it, or if not signed, will be effective 10 days after it lands on his desk.  This law will allow all Hague families to sign an immunization waiver promising that they will have their newly adopted child immunized in the U.S. and eliminate the need for children to have all of their immunizations done before leaving China.  This is great news for the older adoptive children who often have to receive several immunizations at the time of their medical exam in Guangzhou.

Journey of Hope and Special Focus Update

Our first Journey of Hope child is coming home the week before Christmas!   We wish her and her family safe travels and an easy adjustment period.

Other Information

FTIA offices will be closed November 24-26 for the Thanksgiving holiday.

There will also be no blog postings next week. 

Here’s a great offer on one of my favorite adoption books:  http://www.emkpress.com/adoptparent15sw.html  I often find articles from this book to send to families regarding a variety of situations.

Continuing on with our 10 part series of sharing the Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know:

On week #6 - we focus on Developing rituals that organize meaning for the child:

1.      Greet your child into the day.  For example, when waking your child in the morning you might say “I can’t wait to see your beautiful brown eyes open!”

2.      Spend time in their world of play.  As mentioned in previous weeks, it is important to spend at least 30 minutes each day playing with your child.

3.      Create calming, soothing rituals that relax them into sleep. Depending on your child’s age, this might mean reading a book, giving a lotion massage, talking about the day’s events, snuggling while listening to music.  Whatever the routine, it should be consistent and calming.

This concept is giving attention to the child on the parent’s terms…greeting the child into the day, narrowing the child’s world to what they can handle, developing rituals of experience that help the child anticipate parents, and learn to perceive themselves through parent perceptions.

If you have any questions about the concepts presented or would like to talk in more detail please contact cscheller@ftia.org.   As a reminder, we will be hosting a webinar entitled Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know at the end of this series (December 2010).

During this time, I am reminding of how thankful I am to have been blessed by adoption.  I hope everyone enjoys a great Thanksgiving holiday!

 Betty

Approvals This Week

Program Updates

This week we received 3 PA’s (pre-approvals) and 1 LOA (letter of acceptance) for China Waiting Children families. 

We have also finalized travel plans for 11 families (8 with the regular program and 3 with CWC program) that will be leaving on December 1^st to meet their new children.

Journey of Hope and Special Focus Update

Drew and Tina from Journey of Hope, as well as Landon and Liam from Special Focus are on hold and will hopefully have Letters of Intent submitted for them soon.

Other Information

The CCAA orphanage donation has been set at 35,000 RMB for some time now.  With the US currency exchange rate worsening, we are finding this now translates to $5,345 in US dollars (up from $5,224).

Continuing on with our 10 part series of sharing the Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know:

#5:   The concept for week five is to allow your child to experience consequences. This means consequences not punishments….consequences that are congruent with the child’s actions.  Help your child face the results of the actions (cause and effect thinking), all the while maintaining a loving acceptance of the child.  Come along side of your child with perspective and use it as a teachable moment.  For example, if your child forgets his home work at school, you might retrieve it the first time and explain what might have happened if the home work wasn’t retrieved.  This gives the child a chance to think about the consequences.  If the child forgets the homework a second time, perhaps you don’t retrieve the homework from school and have her/him face the consequences for the action. “Cause and effect” thinking is a great concept to teach children at an early age – as it is something we use all day, every day.

If you have any questions about the concepts presented or would like to talk in more detail please contact cscheller@ftia.org.   As a reminder, we will be hosting a webinar entitled Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know at the end of this series (December 2010).

Happy National Adoption Month!

Program Updates

We received 3 more TA’s, this time for China Waiting Children families, so they will be joining the 8 other families leaving on December 1^st!  What a great holiday these families will have!

We also received 2 LOA’s this week.

New referrals went out through the regular China program for families with LID’s through May 23, 2006.  Since our next LID group is May 26, 2006, we did not receive referrals this time.

Special Focus Update

Two girls from our Special Focus program have families that have committed to them.  Congratulations to “Amy” and “Lexi” and their new families!

Other Information

November is National Adoption Month!  Here’s one of my favorite quotes:

From Radical by David Platt :
"...orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names.
They are easier to ignore before you see their faces.
It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them
in your arms.
But once you do, everything changes."

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) has launched a new resource page for adoption health issues on their website.  You can find this at: http://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/adoption

Continuing on with our 10 part series of sharing the Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know:

#4:   It is important to Keep perspective beyond the child’s difficult moments -  Perceiving the mind of the child within and beyond the child’s behavior.  Only give a 30 to 60 second lecture (we generally lose their attention after that)…..addressing unacceptable behavior, stopping it, and providing acceptance beyond correction.  This sounds so simple, but can be very difficult to follow through with.  It may take some practice. 

Sometimes, it is best for Mom or Dad to take time and think before addressing unacceptable behavior.  It can also be better for your child.  If your child is very upset, she/he may be unable to comprehend what you are saying.  It is actually more effective to wait until your child is calm to discuss the behavior.

If you have any questions about the concepts presented or would like to talk in more detail please contact cscheller@ftia.org.   As a reminder, we will be hosting a webinar entitled Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know at the end of this series (December 2010).

Red Couch Photo

Here's Emma Grace on the red couch!  She seems happy to be coming home with her new family tomorrow!  (To view the photo, go to our blog at ftiachina.blogspot.com)