Blue Room Part 2

Well, folks, I'm back in Texas, but not done with writing about China!  I've written dozens of other blog posts in my head, but I was too busy experiencing everything to make time to write about it.  So, if you'll forgive me, I'll do a bunch of retroactive posts about people, experiences, and lessons I want to remember.  Here is the rest of the blue room: 

This sweet girl has more names than we know what to do with! :)  You can call her Kay Louise or Rose or (her Chinese name) An Zi Lou.  She is about 8 months old, and one of the few children in the few children in the orphanage who does not appear to be full Han Chinese.  Others have guessed she is perhaps of Indian descent. They thought Kay Louise has brain swelling and mental disabilities, but she does not.  She is developmentally normal and perfectly healthy.  Kay Louise simply loves to be held and rocked and cuddled, and (when she's not teething!) is a very low maintenance baby.  

I LOVE this tender picture of Leo (thanks, Anna)!!  Leo turned 1 about a month ago.  Leo was born with microtia, a congenital disorder in which his outer ears are underdeveloped.  You can see how Leo's left ear is quite small and malformed, and his right ear is even smaller with only a tiny opening.  We know Leo can hear-- he responds to his name, etc.-- but we are not sure how well and he will need hearing tests and possible surgery in the future.  Leo may very well be the best behaved child at Starfish.  He is pleasant, patient, and content to entertain himself, though we try to give him plenty of attention.  (Isn't it unfair how the worst behaved kids often get the most attention from adults?)  Leo is truly a gem of an individual.

This is Megan, and-- it's so exciting!-- her new family may very well be with her to celebrate her third birthday in less than a month!  Megan has cerebral palsy, and, thus, limited control over her muscles.  It takes two people to lift her out of the high chair because her legs tense up and won't bend.  She cannot walk, though if you put her in a baby walker, she scoots herself around jerkily using the sides of her feet.  If you sit Megan down on your leg, steady her feet on the floor, and wrap an arm around her back for support, she will practice standing up and sitting down over and over and over.  She is a determined girl, and I'm confident that with physical therapy she will be quite normally functional.  Megan can hold a crayon in her left hand and loves to color and play with Playdough.  She is very communicative and knows what she wants: she shakes her head for no and breaks into one of those delightful grins for yes.  Megan's nanny described her well "She cares about people and she wants other people to care about her."  Even if I am all the way across the room and call her name, she just turns and grins and grins.  

Meet Mila, the most precocious 3-and-a-half year old you might ever meet.  She was born with spina bifida, and the only way you'd be able to tell is if you saw the scar on her lower back where a growth was removed.  Mila is a smart, somewhat mischievous child who walks with quite a little I-own-the-place swagger. :)  She can speak Mandarin very well, and sings "Twinkle, twinkle little star" in English.  Mila likes pretending games, singing, dancing, doing crafts, and playing "Hong deng, lu deng" (Red light, green light).  She is the only person that Chloe will take orders from, and they are the best little buddies.  Mila is really quite delightful.

Here we have Ryan.  Ryan is two-and-a-half years old and was born with a cleft lip and palate.  Ryan is quite independent and meticulously focused when he's found something to keep him occupied.  One of his favorite activities is riding tricycles around and around and around the tiled hallways; then when he wants to move the trikes back to the courtyard, he unceremoniously throws them down the steps!  Ryan doesn't usually sit still for very long, but when he does, I just love to hold his pudgy little hands and tickle him until he giggles. :)

Don't you love Taylor's little grin!  Taylor is 11 months old, and the athlete of the little girls.  She has tons of energy and loves running in the walkers, kicking and bouncing, and rolling around on the floor.  I imagine it will be quite an adventure when she learns to crawl and walk.  Judging by her concentration and energy, I imagine she will be quite a focused, hardworking adult someday.