Update on our family and Love without Boundaries

It's been so long since I've posted. Please forgive me for being so out of touch!!!!

Check out how well Grady is doing:

This picture is of him in the parent/ tot swim class. His lip looks so good (thanks Dr. Morton!) that people comment on how it doesn't look like he had surgery so recently and he looks so good. I didn't use to have much faith in plastic surgeons (I thought they were all about boob jobs), but I'm so happy with the great job that Dr. Morton did (and will do in the fall again). Plastic surgeons do really good work!!

And here is a picture of the boys at the Fourth of July:

Notice the tee shirts they made with Ryan at our friend Lana's house. She is so creative! We had a lovely Fourth of July at Georgetown again this year. It is so nice to do small town things for the fourth of July. There was a parade (with fire department and all), activities in the downtown, hanging out and playing games at James' parents house there, and watching fireworks from their porch. Thanks so much for letting us crash your family event yet again!!!

We are so happy to have Grady in our family. Here are some things we're currently trying to figure out.....

1. Incorporating Grady's birth culture and language more in our family. I recently went to an open house at the Joyous Chinese Cultural Center (Chinese language and dance school located at our adoption agency). We're thinking about that for the future. We also went to an open house for a K-8 Charter school located here in Aurora called Global Village Academy which has a bilingual Mandarin/ English program as well as an IB program. I know, I know... Jonah isn't going to kindergarten until 2010.... but what can I say?! We're trying to be prepared!! That school seems exciting, too. We also went to the Dragon Boat festival which they have the last weekend in July in Denver every year.

2. Figuring out how to proceed with Grady's current needs. We still don't know the extent of Grady's hearing and implications for the future. He is scheduled for an ABR (Auditory Brainstem Response test) on his birthday (8/13). Basically, he will be hooked up to electrodes and the test will find out how much he is hearing without requiring any response from him (hard in young children). We will see where to go from there. We will find out if he needs further hearing tests, hearing aids, etc. He is currently receiving physical therapy once a week and everyone is so happy with his progress!!! Today he was independently pushing around a push toy (even with an ear infection!) He is also going to speech once weekly. He has just starting using the "m" sound! They are anxious for the results of the hearing tests as well.

3. Caring about other orphans. There was a missionary at our church this Sunday who works with orphans in Myanmar. We would love to do something in another country with orphans for a year or two if it works out.... maybe when the boys are in middle school??

But this is the other main point of my post: We can all do a little something to keep kids from being orphaned in the first place!!! Many rural families put their kids in orphanages because they can't care for their needs. Some of the kids I played with in an orphanage in Morelia, Mexico were there because they were getting fed there. Many kids in China are put in orphanages because their families cannot afford their medical care. We'll never know if that was the case with Grady's biological family, but it is something I wonder about. I wish that we could tell his biological family about the care and love that he is receiving now and let him get to know them as well. However, this is not something that I can do.

However, something we can all do is contribute $1 for the new Love without Boundaries Unity fund. I know that many of you have heard about my admiration for Love without Boundaries. Before we went to China for Grady, I sent many notes on Facebook to help Love without Boundaries get a "cause" award from Facebook....which they won. They help orphans in China with their medical, nutrition, foster care, and education needs.

Now, they are raising money to provide needed surgeries for rural kids in China to be able to stay with their families!! Remaining UNITED with their biological families is what's best for kids! Please support this new fund.....

And there is a contest that we can all benefit from as well. :) One lucky person will win a beautiful coffee table book, some earrings, a Love without Boundaries tee shirt, and a gas gift card to 7-11!! All you have to do to enter this contest is send an email to info@lwbmail.com and say “I support helping rural children in need.” That will get you one entry. Putting this contest on your blog will get you five entries and making a You Tube Video will get you 50 entries. So, yes, I want those entries, and that is one reason for this blog post. However, I truly believe in Love without Boundaries and their mission to help orphaned Chinese children. They are my very favorite charity. And this contest got all of you another Grady update!

So, please donate to this very worthy cause and tell others as well. Here is the link for more information if you desire: Love Without Boundaries

To send your $1 to keep a child with his family, please send it here: LWB, 306 S. Bryant, Ste. C-145, Edmond, OK 73034

I'll let you know what comes of the hearing test!