Showing posts with label adoption. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adoption. Show all posts

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Mother's Choice Wee Care

While the kids were napping, we took some pictures of the facility and the staff. I'm not sure why Disney is the theme, but it might have something to do with donations. It's a cute little place. Welcome to our virtual tour. (that's me in the pink, you know, Chinese girl, about 5'4" not too slim, not too wide..., narrow eyes, black hair with caramel highlights)

This is our view of the Mid-levels above Central District. 

Automatic hand sanitizers are all over the facility, and we use them often. 

These are some of the staff at Wee Care. They've served as shift leaders for the other full time volunteers (us) and are the trainers for the new staff and volunteers. Left to right: Lee, Pui (think Poy), and Carman (with an a). These women work with the kids the most often and display incredible amounts of grace and patience with the kids. 
They think it's hilarious that we're trying to learn some Cantonese phrases. The other day, I told Josh, "Sik Fan!" "Eat Lunch!" and Pui thought it was so funny that she told another co-worker later that day. 




Carman is trying to teach me Cantonese. She is also the small group leader when we sing songs, read stories, and glue papers onto other papers (I'm sure there's some cool Kindergarten teacher term for this). She taught us the Gong Xi song for new years, because she had a little red packet that she had the kids pass around. 

We have our own laundry facility to wash the kids' clothes, bedding, outer garments, towels, wash cloths, and everything else. 

The "catering" comes from this kitchen. Thomas is a talented cook who has produced some tasty stir fries. He has two burners, onto which only one wok fits, an extra large rice cooker (about twice the size as the one we use in school), and about the same amount of work-top space as I have in my galley-style kitchen. He cooks for about 25 staff each time. Lunch and dinner. 

This is the announcement board for volunteers. Sylvia is looking at a recent email from some "forever families" with their kids, who had been at Wee Care. It is great that some of the families have written and shown the staff where the kids are and how they're doing. It is somewhat bittersweet, because the staff miss the children, but of course, they're in a much better situation now. 

We have several refrigerators all over for the various foods that the staff prepare for the kids and for the staff food. The foods are kept separate for food safety reasons. 

Prepared baby food is stored in this reach-in. The foods are prepared the same day as they are consumed, and leftovers are discarded. Foods are heated either in a immersion heater or in the microwave until boiling or nearly boiling -- a bit more than necessary but definitely safe! 

Kids have customized medicine and therapy packets. They do some oromotor therapy before they eat. Some of them have little rubber tubes they chew on, some have whistles or flutes they blow into, and some have little spongy brushes that are used to stimulate the tongue and teach them to swallow or move the tongue around the mouth. 

Signs for proper preparation, sanitation, or storage are posted all over. These signs are in the baby food preparation kitchenette. 

The baby food preparation kitchenette. Only certain staff prepare the food, so portion control and preparation are carefully monitored. 

Our refrigerators. 

The volunteer check-in station. You pick up an apron and sign. There is a sign discussing health -- if the volunteer does not feel well or has a sick family member, the staff asks that he/she goes home. 

Pui with a cleaning staff lady. These ladies are indispensible. They empty the laundry, the trash, the nappy bin. They also mop, wipe, sweep, and fix things after our kids have gone through. And not a word of complaint!

Each volunteer has a velcro tag that he or she wears to identify her/himself. 



Our nappy changing station is thoroughly equipped. 

We separate our rubbish into nappies and general rubbish. Nappies with BO in them are placed in mini plastic bags and then disposed. The large bin is for dirty clothing and towels. The bin on the right is for soiled clothing, etc. 

Our nappy selection. S-XL. We also have trainers. 

Shower accoutrements 

The kids' clothes are hung on their name-tags, which are attached to this bar. 



Certain kids are placed into these high chairs so we can feed them. The older ones sit at a short table with short chairs. We feed the younger ones in the high chairs and then the older ones at the table. 

The play room

We try to teach the kids sign language (ASL)



IEP materials (below)




IEP boxes are assigned to the children. We have a checklist which we go through for each kid. 

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Why Adoption?

My mom chose to adopt because she had a medical condition called endometriosis. This condition prevented her from becoming pregnant. 

 I asked my OB physician's assistant to give me some information about endometriosis. Here's what she said.


"Stats show about 15% of the population has infertility, hence about 85% of couples conceive within one year of trying. 
Causes of infertility range but the main subgroups are male factor (30-40%), ovulation disorders ( up to 30%), anatomical issues like fibroid tumors, blocked tubes, misshapen uterus, etc (up to 20%), endometriosis (up to 20%), and a small group of "unexplained" infertility.  

Endometriosis is a condition where the cells that line the inside cavity of the uterus are found outside the uterus, often in the pelvis surrounding the ovaries, fallopian tubes & uterus.  Endometriosis can lead to bands of adhesions, implants of endometriosis, it can distort the open end of the fallopian tube near the ovary.  Endometriosis  is confirmed via surgery (usually laparoscopy).  There are stages I-IV relating to the severity. 

Most women with endometriosis have very debilitating menses, painful intercourse, blood-filled cysts on their ovaries (endometriomas).    Sometimes they have irregular bleeding or heavy flow, but most often pain.  It can be challenging to diagnose short of exploratory surgery.  It can run in families, if the mother has it, there is about a 10-20% chance the daughter will have it.

There are theories about the cause of endometriosis, anything from cells that were "misplaced" during in-utero development to retrograde menses to inflammatory or autoimmune kind of things.  No consensus to date."  

I am grateful to be adopted.  I am so blessed to have the parents I have and to have lived the life I've been given. Our lives and our family have been greatly impacted by the blessings of adoption, and I cannot imagine life another way. I'm glad that when my parents found that they could not have biological children that they decided to include other children in their families.

My parents described my adoption as intended by God. That I was always supposed to be in their family - always supposed to be a King - but that God wanted it done in a different way. When I was a child, I thought that meant that I could easily have been born to them, but now I know that I was never destined to have brown hair or blue eyes. I realize now how miraculous it was that they chose to adopt, and that my birth mother chose to carry me to full term.

Adoption is a wonderful way to build a family if you are not able to have your own or if you'd like to give a child a chance at a new life. I am a big advocate for it!

Medical links:
Medline Plus
Adoption

Thursday, October 21, 2010

We're going to Hong Kong for sure!

 
We just bought our tickets!
We leave Jan 24 and return March 14. Woohoo!

We're so grateful for the outpouring of support we've received. We're getting really excited to see our friends and to meet new friends.
Last night, Josh and I presented our trip to the Global Presence ministry at Quest Church, our home church. Here's the presentation. (Note that the header was a combination of Chinese and English, and when it's presented as a screen capture, it scrambles the image a little. Sorry about that!)
Hong Kong
Pregnancy Crises
Mother's Choice
Mother's Choice's Mission
Services
About Joshua and Kimberly
Our Tasks as Volunteer Staff
Our Expected Schedule
Financial Report
Specific Concerns and Prayer Requests
Thank you to each of you who have supported us financially, spiritually, and emotionally. We would not have the courage or even the call on our lives had it not been for our relationships with each of you. 
We are so excited for this upcoming trip, and we're looking forward to sharing each step with you.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Send us to Hong Kong


We are so very excited to share with you an amazing opportunity that God has opened up for us—the chance to go on a mission trip to serve the Mother’s Choice crisis care center in Hong Kong. This trip will allow both of us to use our education and skills in order to have a tremendous impact on those in need.  For Kimberly, this return to her roots will let her give back to many children coming from the same circumstances into which she was born.
Mother’s Choice was founded in 1987 to serve the desperate needs of unwed teen mothers who found themselves in the difficult situation of an unexpected pregnancy. At that time, teen mothers had been traveling to China from Hong Kong to get illegal and dangerous abortions. Today, Mother’s Choice provides temporary homes for those teen moms while they finish their pregnancies and for babies who await adoption. It provides foster families that help to care for up to 300 babies and has locations both in Hong Kong and main land China.
Kimberly’s parents, Mike and Paulette, credit the advocacy of the founding individuals of Mother’s Choice in supporting their efforts to adopt. As they were working as missionaries with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) locally, doors were opened with the government to begin the process of allowing international families to adopt “unwanted” babies. Kimberly was among the first babies to be adopted, and her life has been blessed and enriched by the love and grace she has experienced.
We have committed to volunteer at Mother’s Choice for 6 weeks starting January 2011. As we are both health care professionals, our responsibilities will include caring for physical and emotional needs, assisting with outings, and teaching classes. The staff has asked each of us to teach staff training classes in mental health and nutrition. We will be working primarily with young infants and children who are awaiting adoption. Because of Josh’s work experience, we will also be assisting special-needs kids.
Although this is a brief letter, we trust that you know our hearts and can hear our desires to be a part of something larger than ourselves. We would like to ask you to partner with us in serving Mother’s Choice in two specific ways: first, we ask for your prayers and any advice you could send our way. We value community and know that we cannot do this alone. Second, we ask for financial assistance as we take this step. Our combined need totals about $5,500. This will help us cover our travel and lodging costs. If you would like to join us in this mission project, please send us a check, made to Kimberly or Joshua Schaub. We hope to purchase tickets by September 20th, and we hope to be fully funded by October 24th.
Kimberly will continually update their blog, http://www.jkschaub.blogspot.com, throughout the adventure. Thank you so much for your love, financial support, and prayers for our mission.

*Please contact Kimberly directly to get our mailing address*