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.

Music time

Our kids love music. Perhaps it helps that our ayis love to sing - you can often hear an ayi softly singing her little one to sleep, or cheerfully singing a happy tune with a child at play. Music is always in the background here, but at certain times of the day, it definitely takes the foreground!
These are music times: when the ayis gather all the children together in the play room for a group session. The kids really seem to enjoy these crazy sing-a-longs. Sometimes the ayis lead, and other times they use recorded music. The children each respond in their own way - some clap along, some use toys to contribute to the volume, others sing or dance. The more active kids are usually a blur when music time is happening. These picture are from before Christmas, but they show the joy of music time so beautifully.

Hannah dancing with her whole heart!

Angels hands are just a blur as she claps along.

Some of our children have quite marked physical challenges, so it's hard to see that they are responding at all. But if you look closely, you can see that their little bodies are leaning forward to catch the sounds, or rocking gently to the rhythm. Music is great therapy for these kids - the melodies and rhythms often reach them more powerfully than language can.

This is Patience, having her own private music time. What a look of complete engagement! She is listening so intently. Her aural skills are developing, and who knew therapy could be such fun!

Hannah's got wheels.

Here is Hannah getting ready to open one of her gifts. You can see the anticipation she is feeling.

 

 Now that it's open, she looks a little bemussed. Perhaps she is not sure what it is? Or perhaps she is just distracted by everything else going on this morning.

Now she is figuring it out. Love her look of total concentration as she masters this new skill. Knowing Hannah, she will be zipping up the passageway like a champion in no time at all.

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!

Hannah's angel.

Our Butterfly Home Christmas tree has been decorated and we think it looks very special. While it's not the biggest tree you could imagine, it is decorated with love, and that makes all the difference. We are especially proud of our angel tree topper, made by one of our own little angels, Hannah.

Here's another picture, with the flash this time, so you can see Hannah's beautiful work. She was really proud to see her creation right at the very top of the tree.

It's  getting exciting around here - only 12 days until Christmas!

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!

Pink is for girls - right?

I know we have been celebrating Finlay's pink lips and fingertips .... but some of our other boys are pretty in pink too. It's a cute cultural difference that pink is not necessarily a girls colour here. Nor is purple. So be warned - if you come for a visit, don't ever assume that a baby all dressed in pink or purple is a little girl. Our ayis lovingly pick out clothing for "their" babies - making sure they fit well, and look cute and cosy.  But colour has nothing to do with the selection process, as you can see!

Here is handsome Jonathon, before he moved to foster care. He is looking dashing in candy pink.

 

And here is Paul in sweet pastel stripes. You might notice that he is eating his snack with relish - this is typical Paul! He loves his snacks!

This one shows little William, enjoying a tender moment with his ayi. On this day, he was wearing a soft fleecy pink romper, and looking very cosy in it.

  And this is such a cute shot of William with Paul, Hannah, Swallow and Angel. It especially makes me smile to see Paul's wonderful purple vest.

So next time you see a referral picture of a baby boy in pink or purple - it's probably not because there weren't any other colours available. Babies wear any colour at all here, and they always look cute!

Fun with sweaters.

We have been gifted with some beautiful hand made sweaters to keep our precious Butterflies warm and cosy. Now that the air is really starting to get a cold winter edge, it's time to pull all those sweaters out of storage and sort out them out for the children. Miss Hannah came along to give assistance.

She is being very sweet and helpful, but there is a little glint in her eyes that shows she has come up with an idea for some fun.

This is definitely a cheeky look - she has something on her mind for sure!

So Hannah has decided to wear four sweaters herself, and to give her dolly a nice outfit with a hat and a warm sweater.

 It's so good to see Hannah enjoying being silly. All our kids have medical needs and of course, it's very important that they get the treatment they need. But sometimes laughter and the freedom to be silly is just as important as medicine.

And thank you so much to all those who have lovingly knitted for our little ones!

Big Sister Hannah

Hannah is one of the older kids in the Home. She was two years old when she arrived, and had only recently been abandoned. As you can imagine, she was shattered. It's taken some time for her to gradually feel safe and show her personality. Now we are seeing a bright little girl who has a naturally caring heart. It's the sweetest thing to watch her loving her Butterfly brothers and sisters. She enjoys her role as the big sister of the Home, and is very tender with the younger ones. 
Here she is giving Annie some fun in the pusher. Annie is definitely enjoying herself, and Hannah is pretty happy too.

 And if you have traveled here, you will have seen these wonderful brooms. Hannah loves to be a big girl and help out - take a look at the pile of leaves she has carefully gathered. What a great kid!

Autumn days

The weather in our city is a little ....... extreme. In summertime every day is hot, hot, hot. Not only hot, it's terribly humid. You have to drinks lots, because you sweat lots. I know - it's not very polite, but it's a fact of life if you live in this city.

Then in wintertime, suddenly it's freezing. You find yourself rummaging around for all that really unattractive thermal underwear which you NEVER imagined you would need again. Your breath comes out as a frosty cloud, and that's even before you go outside.

So springtime and autumn are welcome relief from the two extremes. And right now, we are enjoying the pulse of a more outdoorsy routine. Lots of walks in the pushers, lots of swinging, lots of relaxed autumn days. I think you can tell from the pictures that the babies enjoy it too.