Blue Sky's Director, Lian, pays a visit !

On 23 and 24 Sep, Lian popped in at Blue Sky to visit the kids and do some "cheerleading" work.

As it was the mid-autumn season, Lian brought - all the way from Singapore - snow-skin mooncakes that Tania had bought for the staff. Unfortunately the mooncakes did not survive the long journey and flights: they had fused into a multi-coloured glob upon reaching Blue Sky.  The appreciative staff gobbled them up nevertheless!

Another beneficiary of Lian's trip was Minyuan, whose birthday was around the corner.  His presents included a Power Ranger mask-and-figurine set (courtesy of Tania), a jumpsuit and a sweater!

24 Sep also marked the inaugural meeting between the newly formed Board of Directors (with Tania participating from Singapore via Facetime) and Maria.  On the long agenda were matters concerning the treatment and care of the children, and organisational matters such as setting of financial year and choice of audit firms.

Lian's visit ended with a Korean dinner at Ai Jiang Shan restaurant. He was joined by Maria, Celine and Dolly.  His attempts to see his female comrades in a Shojiu-induced high was totally futile...

September at Blue Sky

Link to Picasa Web Album

QianYin and Ziwen's departure

During the months of June and July, Blue Sky bade a tearful farewell to two of our older children that have been at Blue Sky for a few years.

Qian Yin has been in Blue Sky's care for the past 4 years.  She was born with spinal muscular atrophy and is wheel chair bound.  She has been undergoing physical therapy and can now walk a few steps with assistance.

Ziwen was with us for about 1.5 years.  He underwent 2 surgeries while in our care, and was an active and happy child.  He is pictured on the left with MinYuan, reading a letter from his adoptive parents.

We wish both QianYin and Ziwen the best with their new families!

On the right - Xiao Pei (house manager of Blossom House) & the older kids.

Thank you FuXia's mom, for your kind words...

Happiness.  It's all we ever want for these kids, and back in the day, FuXia and TianYou were 2 kids that we thought were far from having their own families.   But look at them today. Reading Anna's posts, and keeping track of what the boys are up to in life, is a wonderful reminder for us to always have hope that our Blue Sky kids will all eventually get picked by families. 

It's the wait that is the hardest for all of us, especially the older children.  Just yesterday, Maria and Celine told our current oldest boy at Blue Sky, that he had a family coming for him soon.  He is unimaginably happy.  Then they had to break the news to MinYuan, who is 6 yrs old, and has not yet been matched with a family.  After they told him, he hung his head down, and just cried. 
...
For those of us who know this little boy, he has such a brilliant mind, and is very aware of his situation. Which perhaps, makes it all the more heartbreaking.  He gets lots of love at Blue Sky, but it's just not the same, and he knows it. 

treasure in a field: cycling: I've written on more than one occasion that there is so much to say of our sons that is good or strong in them because of love poured out u...

FuXia taking his first steps !

Many of you know FuXia from the 5.5 years he spent at Blue Sky, before joining his adoptive family in the summer of 2010.  We are so proud and happy to share this video that his parents took of him walking his first steps after corrective surgery and therapy over the last year.  

The Caudills are such an amazing family and we are so thankful that they have given FuXia and TianYou (whom you can see slapping his daddy's behind in the video) such a wonderful loving life to thrive in.  

Outing to Chaoyang Park

20th April 2012 - After a long winter, what better way to welcome Spring than to have a picnic at Chao Yang Park. The weather was not in our favor though; it was a cold and foggy morning but it certainly did not dampen our spirits. Blue Sky was abuzz with excitement early in the morning and the children waited in anticipation for the outing that they had been waiting for quite some time. 

We flew kites, admired cherry blossoms, went on joy rides and enjoyed our picnic amidst the beautiful blossoms. It was indeed a refreshing Spring outing. The joy on the children's faces explained it all and we could not ask for more. 

View our pictures on facebook here

Happiness amidst some sadness....

What a week it's been for us at Blue Sky....
 Sadness....
Starting with the not so good news.... we did not win our battle with an orphanage to have Xiao Bin remain in Blue Sky's care until his next cranial-facial surgery.  Xiao Bin, who turns 4 years old this October,  had major cranial and hand repair surgery in Singapore in 2010, and has been progressing so beautifully with physical therapy for his hands, general development, and even attended kindergarten.  His orphanage required him to return, despite our pleadings and doctor's letters that he will thrive better in our home, and still needs constant monitoring for his condition.  The event has reminded us that the children are still wards of the State Orphanage, and are not ours.  Though, we feel they are.  So it breaks our hearts to lose them so easily.  We will try to keep monitoring him while he is in their care, and hopefully the staff will be responsive to our requests for information.  His adoption paperwork is apparently processed and he is "available", so we can only hope that he will be chosen soon by a family.  Below are pictures taken the day before Xiao Bin left last week.  He is pictured with Xin Le.

Happiness....
Double whammy for one little guy.... First, we are so happy to announce that Xin Le has been matched with a family for adoption !  He will hopefully join them once all the paperwork is in order. This is amazing news for a little boy that came to Blue Sky in March 2010 at 8 months old, for clubbed feet repair.  We discovered after a few months at Blue Sky, that he wasn't responding to sounds, and tests confirmed that he was deaf.  It was suggested that he could be a candidate for a cochlear implant, but it was just too expensive for Blue Sky to afford.  Miraculously, a group of local volunteers decided to specifically raised funds for XinLe and in January this year, he had the hearing device installed.  He has been going for therapy after the surgery, and sounds are slowly being introduced to him.  The success rate of the surgery was less than 20%...
Second, this video shot on 4th April says it all.... and you cannot imagine how it felt for some of us to see this....

If the video doesn't work, see it here:  http://youtu.be/cYek7UMChO8

Blue Sky Alumni updates !

WenJie (our famous "sumo wrestler" on our website) - was our 5th baby at Blue Sky arriving at age 8 months old (in 2004), and leaving Blue Sky at almost 4 years old.

"Here is a recent shot of our Wen, who, at a B-day party, is wearing a faux moustache! He is now 8 years old, and has so many friends. He is enjoying reading & knitting, & is a little soccer star." Wen's mom. 

Libbie (Dang Xiao) - "Tania and the Loving Staff of Blue Sky,
Let me start by saying that Libbie (Dang Xiao, adopted July 5, 2010) is a true gift to us, thanks to the loving care she received from you.
As you probably remember, Libbie could not walk as her knees were dislocated. Also her feet were clubbed. Since bringing her home in July 2010, she has had  5 surgeries and is WALKING! She (and we), couldn't be happier.
I have attached some photos of us and Libbie."

Dec2011 Pictures

Our blog is back in action !

Deepest apologies to our blog readers for not having updated the blog since 2010!  Rest assured that Blue Sky is still busy in operation! Since 2010 (and Xiao Bin's successful surgery in Singapore), we've had several new babies come through our doors, and several lovelies leaving us to their adoptive families abroad.  There's never a dull moment at Blue Sky, and we are also very blessed to have a wonderful team of volunteers to support our local staff. 

Xin Le  Dec 2012

Latest news since our last 2011 Year End newsletter is that Xin Le underwent a successful surgery to install a cochlear implant device for his deafness.  His surgery was sponsored by Ms Shi Wei Yu and her friends at a cost of more than 200000 RMB.  We are so thankful to them for their efforts to fundraise for him through a concert held in December 2011.  Xin Le is now undergoing therapy to get used to the new device and to slowly see if it help him to hear. 

Snack time !  Dec 2012

So bear with us, as over the next few weeks, we shall be actively blogging and updating you on all things Blue Sky !  We will keep our facebook posts for the more important announcements and updates, as we know that frequent posts can be annoying for many.

Thanks everyone for all your support through the years.  We are coming up to our 8th anniversary soon !  Stay tuned !