How do you take a lot of babies for a walk? (and a new blog site!!!)

With a lot of pushers of course!

Warmer weather is on it's way - but as you can see by the layers on our kids, it's hasn't quite arrived in our part of the world. It's still fun to get outside, enjoy the scenery and take a turn on the swings. There is plenty to do, but we certainly don't need sunscreen yet!

With the new season on it's way, we are also about to have a new look for the blog. We will be moving to a fresh  redesigned site - please come with us, and continue to follow the stories of our precious butterfly babies. The new blog has been put together by our bike riding friend, Neil Clarke, and  it's just beautiful. Thank you so much Neil - you have a fabulously varied skill set, and we are so thankful that you share your expertise with us. We will be posting there from now on - so we hope to see you!!

The new address will be  http://news.butterflych.org 

The boys are on the move.

Look at Finlay - up on his feet, and becoming more stable every day. He's gaining confidence  - it's taking time, but he is getting there. With confidence will come strength, and soon we will have another walker in the Home.

And Jesse - wow! He is making amazing progress. He has his own unique style on the walking trolley, but it works for him. He's getting the idea, and he's getting braver by the minute.

SWe are so proud of both our " nearly walkers". These little guys are inspirational. They haven't had anything easy in life, but they have honoured us with their trust, and worked hard to achieve their goals. There have been moments when each of these boys would have prefered to sat still in their own safe little corner, but now they are putting fear aside to explore and learn. I wonder if we grown-ups are half as brave in our own lives?  They might be just little boys, but they have giant sized attitudes.

Jesse's favourite things.

Packages don't often arrive in brown paper, tied up with string anymore, but we still think they are Jesse's favourite things. Lately he has been the very happy recipient of two beautiful packages - one from the United Kingdom, and one from Australia. He certainly looks pleased to find that he has mail.

Melanie in Australia made Jesse this wonderful quilt. Its elephant themed, and very sturdy - perfect for play on the floor. It has fun textures, and even has his name carefully sewn onto it. And for Jesse, having his own familiar quilt beneath him will help build the confidence he needs to try new things. Actually, it looks like it could be working already - he has been up to some pretty funny tricks as he tries it out. Not too bad for a little boy who used to sit in one place, too afraid to take a chance on moving.

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Jesse's cute outfit was also new this week - from a parcel sent by Cas from the UK. He looks great in it too - he is such a handsome little boy.

 We are so thankful to Melanie, Cas and everyone who shows love to our children by sending parcels, donating, sharing their stories and sponsoring their cots. We can't say often enough - your love makes a difference. These children know they are special, and it shows in their smiles and their sparkling eyes. What's more, people around us are moved by the kindness shown to our children. Each gift, each donation, every minute of time given - all these things shout out to the world that these children matter. Together we are changing children's lives, and changing hearts too!

Novel use for a hedgehog.

We love this cute picture of Annie with her hedgehog. The toy is perfect for supporting her head in a comfy position. Annie does have a neck brace which she also uses, but she seems to prefer the hedgehog. He is super soft, so we guess he is just more comfortable than the neck brace. Jesse and Thomas like the feel of this hedgehog too. He is called WeiWei - Chinese for hedgehog - and was a gift from one of our sponsors. So thank you very much! It just goes to show - you can never be sure how we will use your gift at Butterfly Home. Thank goodness it's not a prickly hedgehog!

 

Happy Birthday Jesse

It's Jesse's birthday, and so it's time for another party. Of course, there has to be a beautiful cake, lots of singing, and lots of excitement. Jesse uses his fingertips to check out his cake.

It's Jesse's day, and doesn't he look the star of the show. He's sitting up very straight and tall while everyone sings Happy Birthday and wishes him well. He is such a precious child - it is our great hope that a family will recognize his beautiful soul and adopt him. Imagine...Jesse could be celebrating his next birthday as somebody's son. Wouldn't that be amazing!

And now - let the cake eating begin!!! If you love cream and sugar, these cakes are pretty wonderful. And they have fruit on top, so they are even a little bit healthy! Well.... perhaps if you only ate the fruit. But hey, birthdays are not the time to start a health kick.

Happy Birthday Jesse. May your life be full of blessings.

More Christmas mayhem

We know there have been plenty of Christmas pictures here already, but there are a few more which are too cute not to share. It was really such a fun celebration, and of course our supporters were a big part of it. We certainly know that without everyone out there, there would be no celebration, no gifts, and no Butterfly Home. So, thank you everyone!

Every boy needs a football, right? Kicking is actually a pretty tricky skill for a one year old to master. You have to be able to balance on one foot while you kick with the other one. Young Paul is such a well coordinated child that we think he will get the hang of it quite quickly.

 This is a lovely picture of Jesse starting to find out about his new toy. He is using his hands to carefully explore. There was a time when Jesse was so anxious about touching new things - look how far he has come! We love this boy so much, and we really hope that a family will claim him as their son. They will be so blessed: he is a wonderful little boy.

 Sarah is watching carefully to see what is inside her gift. Photographing her from above shows her lovely eyelashes - so pretty.

William enjoying a Christmas cuddle. His eyes are wide as he takes in all the excitement.

Funny little Sarah likes to sit inside boxes - and there were plenty of boxes available for her after Christmas presents were unwrapped. Though this one proved to be a little small for comfort!  And doesn't she look grown up in her little jean leggings?

Santa came to visit.

Alan played Santa, much to the children's delight. Most of them knew it was someone familiar of course, though a few were a bit thrown by his shiny red suit. It's actually much better for our children to have a Santa they know,and who doesn't wear a fake beard. They've all had trauma in their lives, and we don't want to frighten them on Christmas day. Here's a selection of our "Santa shots" for you to enjoy.

Dear little Angel is looking so sweetly up at the camera. Shape sorting games are great toys for encouraging problem solving skills and spacial awareness. We are sure Angel will have this mastered in no time.

Tiny Benjamin has a lovely soft toy which is just about bigger than he is. We hope it will bring him a lot of comfort and help him to feel secure.

 Hannah and Santa are posing by the Christmas tree. Children (and adults!) in China will almost always pose for pictures with two fingers held up like this.

Patience seems to enjoy snuggling up to that soft furry trim on Santa's coat.

 Beautiful Little Swallow is keeping her hands on her gift - we love toys which provide sensory stimulation and mental challenges for the children. Stacking from largest to smallest is actually an early  basic mathematical skill. We can also use toys like this to teach colours in both Chinese and English. And it's all good fun - which is so important for little ones!

Paul has a good grip on his markers. We will look forward to some beautiful one-year-old masterpieces for the Butterfly Home fridge! 

 Jesse's toy has lots of texture and makes noises- just perfect for a boy learning to investigate the world using sound and touch.

Sarah is concentrating hard on the unwrapping process. She is waiting to see what is under all that bubble-wrap.

Stay tuned - there are still more Christmas pictures to come!

A Merry Christmas at Butterfly Home

We hope all our supporters had a very special Christmas. We certainly had fun here. Our precious children enjoyed gifts from all over the world - beautiful thoughtful gifts, wrapped and sent with love. It was beyond wonderful for the children, and their faces were just the way children's faces should be at Christmastime - full of excitement and  joy, with a little awe as well.

It was also a great demonstration to our neighbours - a tangible way for them to see that these children are worthy. Our kids are orphans, and they have illnesses or disability. In some people's eyes, that makes them undeserving and unimportant. It sounds crazy, but an outpouring of love from all over the world can help change those preconceptions. And as the preconceptions tumble down, hearts are opened to our completely gorgeous and lovable children.

 And now - on to some Christmas pictures!!

Here are all the gang, with Santa Al. Alan had his Santa suit especially made. I wonder how many Santa suits for Englishman that tailor had ever made? We think it must have been a fun job for him. Of course, Al didn't need to have a fake Santa beard, because he looks the part already. And he has a huge heart and a great "Ho Ho Ho" - making him perfect for the role.

Here is the scene of happy chaos, with everybody opening their gifts. Think of your average family lounge room on Christmas day, with quite a few extra people! Love Little Swallow sitting there in the foreground, serenely wielding a hammer. She's ready for anything.

Here are Sarah and Angel looking intently at their new toys. Angel is on the lap of her beloved Daphne - these two have such a sweet relationship. Daphne is our cook and she loves all of the children very much, but she does have a special place in her heart for Miss Angel. And Angel knows it too!

Jesse's ayis are carefully helping him to explore his gifts. Can you see how he places his hand gently on the lap of the person he is playing with? That way he always knows that they are still beside him. He is such a lovely little boy. We are so hopeful that he will have a family soon - wouldn't that just be the best Christmas gift ever?

We are so thankful to everyone who showered love on the children in this way. Words can't really express what a blessing it was. Our children had a fabulous Christmas!

We have lots of Santa pictures to follow. Check back - we will get them up soon.

Even Butterflies like junk food.

Of course, we don't give our Butterfly babies junk food every day ...only healthy, nutritious food for our little ones.  BUT  every kid needs a treat now and then. So, when the weather was perfect for strolling, Alan, Lana and Ayi took Hannah, Angel and Jesse out for a lunch date to KFC. Here they are, just setting out from the SWI.

 The children look as if they don't realize what yummy delights are in store for them!

Angel soon worked it out. She decided that popcorn chicken was just delicious. The popcorn chicken is very spicy here by the way. There is much more "kick" in the flavour. KFC also make great iced coffee for the grownups. (Just a tip in case you visit and need a coffee fix.)

Hannah looks like she is waiting for something.

OK - perhaps she is really here for the ice-cream.

Angel realizes that ice-cream gets in faster if you enlist a grown-up to operate the spoon.

Little faces covered in ice-cream are just so cute!

Jesse enjoyed his ice-cream too.

And a few quick photo opportunities on the way home.

 It's so important for the children to get out and about in their community. Learning about new places and having fun treats is all part of childhood, and we don't want our kids to miss out on these experiences. It's also great for the community to engage with our kids. They get to see these precious little faces, and enjoy the sound of our sweet children's laughter. And who knows - those little interactions might just be changing hearts!

Gentle Jesse

Jesse's cot is called Gentleness, and it seems to be very appropriate. It has taken a very gentle approach and a lot of love to help Jesse find his confidence. You see, Jesse came to us after having lost his sight. His world was plunged into darkness and everything was changing for him. He was thought to have tumours in his eyes, but this proved not to be the case. However his eye disease, whilst not threatening his life, has destroyed his sight forever. You can understand why Jesse was afraid and unwilling to trust.

Gradually, gradually, Jesse has come out of his shell. He really enjoys human contact, and especially touch and talking. These are the types of interactions which mean a lot to him now - he cannot see the people around him, so he needs to hear and feel them. He is not longer afraid of the other children, and he even seems happier to interact with visitors. If you spend time with him, he will search you out with his hands, and then keep his hand on your lap. That way he always knows where you are. Jesse's fear has delayed his development, but now he is starting to make progress again - learning to babble and building up some strength in his arms and legs. He is using his hands much more  to explore the world he lives in. It takes courage to reach out into darkness, so Jesse needs a lot of encouragement.

We love this gentle little boy. He has so much potential, and we see it shining from him more and more as his fear is chipped away. Jesse now needs a home where his wonderful potential can be realized: a place which is loving and kind, and where they are well equipped for teaching blind children. Bethel Home for the Blind is able to take on new children only with sponsorship - there are so many who need their help. We hope that some-one will step forward to sponsor little Jesse to go there. We feel sure it is the best place for him, and this little guy deserves the very best.

If you feel able to help Jesse, please contact us: info@butterflych.org

Happy Birthday Hannah

 
Hannah - the birthday girl!

The amazing beetle cake.

Thomas

 
Ysmael

Jesse

Patience

 

 

 

 

 

Jonathon