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About Grace
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Chinese Name
Guo Xiao Yu
Born
March 30, 2007
Province
Qinghai |
"And now here is my secret, a very
simple secret, it is only with the heart that one can see
rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye."
~Antoine de Saint-Exupery
We began our adoption journey in January of 2008 and like many
adoptive couples we requested a healthy girl or healthy twin
girls as young as possible. We were comfortable with minor
special needs, but honestly at the time we didn't give it much
thought. Shortly after our request we were approved for twin
girls AYAP and began our paperchase. We spent the next year
collecting documents, filling out paperwork and of course
waiting. We were both at peace with our decision and trusted God
to provide the necessary resources and encouragement along the
way. Some time in March of 2009 I felt a much different pull
from God. It was then that He began shaping my heart for the
orphans in China with special needs. I instantly knew that our
adoption would not result in us being parents to twin girls and
that we would never find Grace in the healthy child program. I
can actually remember feeling as if I couldn't breathe. I knew
Grace had been born and I knew that she had special needs. I
knew she was somewhere in China just waiting to be found. I knew
that I wanted her no matter what her special needs were. From
the very beginning of our marriage in 1997, Jeremy and I made a
decision to trust God no matter what. We agreed that there would
be times when we would be faced with challenges we felt were too
big to conquer, but knew God would always see us through to the
end. After more than a year of endless paperwork we stepped out
in faith and entered the waiting child program. It was a very
stressful time spent wondering when God would reveal our
daughter to us. On April 8, 2009 our lives were forever changed.
This was the day we found our daughter! There she was literally
reaching out to us just begging to be scooped up! We knew she
was meant to be a part of our family, she had purpose and was
just as deserving as any child. We didn't see a little girl with
special needs-we only saw our daughter. Grace is a true
reflection of God's perfect love and power. We are overjoyed to
be welcoming her into our family forever!
Name Translation
Guo is her last name. It means "the wall outside the
periphery of a city in ancient China."
XiaoYu is her first name. Xiao means "small; little;
young; minor; for a short time." Yu means "feather."
When combined her name means "small and exquisite feather."
 Here's
what we know about Grace
On May 1, 2007 Guo XiaoYu was abandoned at the gate of 2-201
apartment No. 2 building in the household house of the crane
equipment factory on Huzhu Road in Xining City. The police
officials could not find her relatives and sent her to The
Children's Welfare Institute of Xining City the same day.
Her physical condition on admission: 19 inches in height, 8
pounds in weight, 37 centimeters in head size, 35.5 in chest
size, 11.5 centimeters in arm size, 9 centimeters in the left
foot length, 8 centimeters in the right foot length and 36
centimeters in sitting height. Diagnosis on admission:
imperforate anus, rectovulval fistula, dislocation of the right
hip joint, polydactyly of both hands (extra fingers) and right
talipes equinovarus.
Imperforate anus is a congenital birth defect in which the
opening to the anus is either missing or blocked. It occurs
during the fifth to seventh week of fetal development affecting
1 in 5,000 babies. Surgical reconstruction of the anus is needed
for proper growth and development. The outcome is usually good
however some children with imperforate anus may never develop
proper bowel function.
Talipes equinovarus, also known as clubfoot is a common
congenital birth defect affecting about 150,000 newborns each
year. When a child is born with clubfoot, the foot is turned
upward and inward. If left uncorrected the child would learn to
walk on the side or top of the foot. Treatment may require
moving the foot into the correct position with regular casting.
Gentle stretching and recasting occurs often to improve the
position of the foot. Once the foot is in the desired position,
a brace is worn for an extended period of time. The goal of
treating clubfoot is to achieve a foot that looks and functions
as much like a normal foot as possible.
Polydactyly, also known as extra digits is having more than the
normal number of digits. Surgery is required to remove the extra
digits. Often children benefit from working with a
physiotherapist regularly after surgery to help with movement
and function.
In May of 2007, Grace was sent to Beijing where she received
surgery for her imporforate anus and began treatment for her
clubfoot. She was then fostered in The Blue Sky Healing Home to
recover and receive regular castings for her clubfoot. In
October of 2008, Grace traveled to Nanchang where she recieved
surgery to remove her extra fingers. The surgery was successful
and Grace returned to her healing home in Beijing. The Blue Sky
Healing Home is a small, private medical foster home in Beijing,
China. They are a team made up of volunteers with a common goal
to help orphans from all over China recieve the medical care and
treatments needed.
Grace at 14 months old:
*has a ready smile
*crawls
*stands with support
*imitates sounds/words
*points to body parts when asked
*fond of listening to music
*fond of playing games
*can say "good-bye"
*outgoing, active and bold
Grace at 24 months old:
*loves toy cars and balls
*attends a Montessori School
*is learning to speak English
*outgoing and active
*has a great sense of humor
*loves to eat yogurt, fruit, chocolate cake and strawberry
icecream
*bold and vivacious
*enjoys music class, dancing and singing
*repeats everything
*works hard to complete a puzzle |
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Updated
measurements as of September 15, 2009
Weight: 32 pounds
Height: 35 inches
Chest: 53.2 centimeters
Head: 49 centimeters
Left foot: 14.5 centimeters
Right foot: 13.5 centimeters
Teeth: 30
Health status: healthy
Grace is currently waiting for us at The Xining Children's
Welfare Institute in Qinghai, China. She spent two amazing years
at The Blue Sky Healing Home where she received unconditional
love, support and acceptance. Grace was allowed to learn and
experience the goodness of life around her while living in a
safe and stable environment. We are truly grateful for each
person that has loved and cared for our daughter when we
couldn't. Since the beginning of this journey God has slowly
softened our hearts and opened our eyes to the orphans that
wait. We know that bringing Grace home will not end the orphan
crisis in the world, but it's a start! Grace is worth every
challenge, tear and sleepless night. We would do it all over
again just to be where we are right now. We will travel to China
in December to bring Grace home. Thank you God for holding her
when we couldn't.
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"God doesn't call the equipped, he
equips those who answer the call."
~Mother Teresa |
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myadoptionwebsite.com
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