*Let me start by saying Nikki is her advocacy name that was given to her by the agency for others to be able to identify her. This is not her Chinese name - nor is it what I will be naming her. Since I am only 90% decided on a name I am waiting to share and for now will refer to her as Nikki.
"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 are not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do everything changes." - David Platt
The above quote is very real to me. In the near future I have some other orphans I would actually like to introduce you to as well. They were part of the journey of me finding my daughter and many of them are still waiting to find their forever family. Please be open to what God might ask you to do.. Do you have room for a child in your home - ask me I would love to share about some of the others! But for now here is what I wrote about Nikki on Facebook with blue lettering additions to it...
"She is 5 years old and has CP (Spastic Cerebral Palsy).
She is the sweetest little thing. She is shy at first but still smiles. Her smile is contagious. She is ALWAYS happy! I miss seeing her smiling face (in fact the last two nights I woke up thinking about her).
She wears braces on both of legs. The right leg is shorter than the left one. (On her medical review the doctor wondered how different they really are or if it is just tight muscles in her hip) However this does not stop her. She can walk and run (though running is slower then others her age). She climbed up a ladder/steps in the play place. She can go and will, She will enjoy it and laugh while doing it. She did have a little trouble climbing over wall to get out of the ball pit but would reach her arms up and say mama till you picked her up then give you the biggest hug.
She fed herself at lunch (it wasn't a spoon but nannies say she used one fine) we had KFC so chicken nuggets, fries and hot milk it was. She could grip the fries and dip in Ketchup. Once again she did better with her left hand, but when forced could also use her right hand. She lifted the cup with both hands to drink.
I did not hear her talk much except mama, or to ask for water. Her nanny said she does talk but can be hard to understand as the CP seems have effected some of her speech. However the nanny said she can follow instructions fine and understands what you are saying. The nanny said her intelligence does not seem to be effected (though she is behind in some areas). She can stack blocks and do a shape sorter. She could hold a pencil but had trouble using it. She however loved painting and did great with that.
She was wearing diapers while with us but again the nanny said she can go, however the way the brace goes on she cannot take it off herself and it velcros around her pants. We had her all afternoon and she was never wet. (Her file also says she is dry all night and goes first thing in the morning)
On the last afternoon with her I had a headache (I believe from exhaustion and the thought of saying goodbye to the children 2nd city saying goodbye). She was more than content to sit in my lap and snuggle and look through books. She would just look into my eyes and smile. She did enjoy the cake we had for the kids and fed herself just fine."
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| This is the very first picture I saw of her and fell in love with before even going on the trip. |
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| Meeting her for the very first time! |
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| Who doesn't love nerf guns? |
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| Coloring on very first day (The red star on crown I colored) |
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| Waiting for food at KFC. |
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| Sad to be leaving to go back to orphanage after fun day with advocates. |
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| Fun filled day! (My sister loves this picture of her) |
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| Stacking blocks! |
BEAUTIFUL!!!
Saying "Goodbye for now" I can't wait to look in those brown eyes again!
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