Finlay Update

We have had a few people asking about Finlay - the baby boy who came to us for palliative care because of his inoperable heart condition.

Well - after two operations, a whole lot of TLC, and a heap of support from all over the world, this little boy has a different life ahead of him. His blue lips are in the past, and he is gradually starting to realize that he can actually do things now. That sounds strange - but for all of Finlay's life, he has learnt not to try too hard. His little body has quite clearly shown him that it's better to sit quietly and concentrate on breathing. Reaching out or exerting himself has been so uncomfortable for him that he has learnt not to do it.

So now we are teaching Finlay that his limitations have been removed. He is tentatively beginning to stretch his boundaries - and finding out that this is fun! It's amazing to watch him learning to live a healthy life. We are making sure we find just the right balance between challenge and re-assurance for him - we need to encourage him to extend himself, but we want him to always feel safe. What a privilege to walk alongside the beautiful boy as he rediscovers the world and his own abilities! And thank you so much to all who helped support him and make this possible.

Right where she belongs!

Today sweet Angel is right where she belongs - in her mother's arms.

Early in the morning, we played Angel's favorite CDs to calm the atmosphere a little. Some babies were already at their physio appointments, and this made for a slightly quieter environment. It was a good thing to have a calming morning after yesterday's excitement. When it was time, Angel said goodbye to her little buddies at the Butterfly Home. They will always be part of her story, and we have made sure she has lots of pictures to take with her so that she never forgets these special relationships.

Daphne carried her down the corridor. I think the picture conveys better than words how hard this part of the day was.

But then came the joyful moments we have all been anticipating since she was matched with this beautiful family. Angel was well prepared, and she handled everything amazingly. Her family were so excited to finally be meeting the little girl they had loved since they first saw her precious face.

There were goodbye hugs for Jane, Angel's ayi, who accompanied her. Such a special, emotional, wonderful day. Angel - we are so proud of you. You will be deeply missed here, but we are incredibly happy to see you in your mothers arms. Know that where-ever you are - you will always have a cheer squad right here at Butterfly Home!

How do you farewell an Angel?

Why, with a party of course!!!!

It's time to farewell our precious Angel. Tomorrow  she will be meeting her wonderful family from the US. Together they will be spending a week or so in this province completing paperwork, and then heading to the Guangzhou for another week, before flying home to begin their new life together. Angel will have parents, siblings, aunts, uncles and grandparents. She will have her own home, where she will know she is safe and loved forever. She will truly belong, and for that we are so, so happy.

But for today - it is our turn to show Angel just how much we love her too. She came here as a tiny baby - looking a lot like the saggy baggy elephant. Her skin was too big for her tiny body, and it hung from her in folds. How wonderful it was to watch her cheeks fill out and her little legs get positively chubby. Angel has grown and thrived, and we have all fallen head over heels for her big personality.

Before the party could begin, we had to wait for the guest of honour to wake up.

A change of clothes, and Angel was ready for the party. 

 The celebration started with a heartfelt blessing read by Lyn. Cake, biscuits and yummy fruit were served, to the delight of all the children.

 Everyone got a bit emotional watching the picture show. There were photos of Angel's first days with us, her birthday party and lots of lovely shots of her with her friends and ayis. There is no doubt that this little girl has been well loved.

Later Daphne gave Angel a special gift of a jade dragon bracelet, symbolizing protection and love. Daphne has always had a very special place in her heart for Angel. She is very happy to see her treasured little one adopted into a wonderful family, but of course her heart is breaking at this goodbye. Adoption is such a complicated fabric, woven of both love and loss - but  such beauty comes from the weaving when it is done tenderly and carefully.

 Finally Angel's bag is packed, ready for the morning. She has her own special blankets, some clothes and some of her familiar belongings. There is also her lifebook, the story of her life so far. Amongst its pages are 'love letters" from the people she has met along the way. Even the reporter from the CCTV news was captivated by Angel, and wrote her a letter for her lifebook.

Tomorrow morning, Angel's new life begins. We will miss you, sweet girl, but how happy we are to see you going to your family. What an incredible story you have already . We are thankful to have been a part of it, and we look forward to hearing about the next chapters. 

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!

 

New nurses.

We are over-the-moon excited that our two new nurses have just had approval granted for their visas. That means that all the right paperwork is in place, and the time has come for them to pack their bags and begin an incredible adventure. We are really looking forward to welcoming these young women to the Butterfly Home team. Both nurses are from the Philippines, and this will be their first time in China. They each have experience nursing in their home country, and they speak great English.

 Having permanent qualified nurses on staff will be incredibly valuable. Our children will benefit from their expertise and our staff will benefit from their teaching.  We will be working together to establish good nursing standards as a firm foundation for employing and training local nurses in the future. Having consistent nursing personnel in the Home will also allow Lyn to step into the office more often, giving her more time for management and future planning.  So important in a growing organization.

We are thankful to South Coast Christian College in Australia - this school has generously sponsored our nurses. www.sccc.vic.edu.au
Thank you SCCC - without you, we would not be making this exciting announcement at this time. We are deeply grateful for your support.

Please keep Irish and Danice in your thoughts as they prepare to say goodbye to their families, and make the journey to join us. It is our hope that they will adjust quickly to their new environment, and find the work both exciting and rewarding. We are excited to share both the challenges and the joys of this work with them, and we hope they will be enriched by their time here.

A different type of Butterfly House

We are so thankful for the support we receive from our neighbours. It comes in all different forms - donations of milk powder and nappies, letters of encouragement, financial support, and sweet volunteers giving their time and hearts. We love being part of a community effort - each set of arms tenderly supporting our kids is supported in turn by a whole loving "family" - both local and across the world. It's something really special.
 And we have to say - sometimes the support we receive comes in surprising and beautiful ways. Just recently, Lyn was honoured to open the Butterfly House at the botanical gardens. That's not another Butterfly Home ( though of course, that will be coming) - that's a Butterfly House - full of butterflies, not babies.

You can guess what the accessory of the day had to be. This is Lyn, and Hannah's ayi, Rose, both sporting beautiful butterfly nose decorations! They will be the big thing next season, just you wait and see.

Hannah came along too, and she posed in front of all the spectacular decorations. To be honest, Hannah was a little overwhelmed by all the pomp and ceremony. In this country, they know how to make an occasion really special. It's incredibly impressive, but for a little child, it can  all be larger than life. But Hannah's ayi was right there with her, and we were proud of the way she coped with such a stimulating environment.

 Of course, there were speeches.

And a symbolic release of butterflies. That was lots of fun. It was also meaningful for us - there is always a moment of release with each of our children. For some it is the incredibly joyful moment they go home with an adoptive family, for others the heartbreak of seeing them leave this world. But for every child, it is our job to make that journey beautiful and to love them every minute we have with them.

Great food is part of any celebration here, and this day was no exception. It's about this time that Hannah became really glad she had come along!

And the Butterfly House made a very generous donation to our Butterfly Home. In addition, they have pledged a donation of 1 Yuan for every ticket sold. So please, if you come here, go visit the Butterfly House at the Botanic Gardens. It's a beautiful place to visit, and they are kind and generous friends to us.

Television link

We have been featured on Chinese CNTV. Go have a look!

http://news.cntv.cn/china/20120119/124004.shtml

You can see Lyn speaking, and some of our sweet ayis sharing their hearts. Even if you don't understand Chinese, you can't miss the emotion they are feeling. And of course, you can see the children being very cute, even with their faces blurred.