Shock..

     Those who are reading this need to pray.  This week a little boy who had been adopted from Russia in September was placed on an airplane by himself and sent back to Russia.  The child showed up in Russia with a note saying that his adoptive mother no longer wanted him.  The little boy's name is Artem and the furor over this act has major implications.  You can read the story here.

All the families who are hoping to adopt from Russia are now on pins and needles terrified that the Russian government will close down all American adoptions.  Many of the Reece's Rainbow families are in process to adopt special needs orphans in Russia and I know that the panic in their hearts must be unbearable right now.  Please pray.  Though Aaron is not in Russia, we are still on edge because his country can just as easily decide to no longer trust that the orphans being adopted will be cared for in loving families.  All it takes is a stroke of a pen.  Please pray. 

     We are well aware that Aaron's not going to walk into our house and display angelic qualities.  He is five years old and has spent his lifetime in an institutional environment.  The child from Russia exhibited behaviors that shocked the adoptive mother.  We are not naive enough to think that we will be spared those same behaviors.  We were given a list of some of those behaviors.  To remind ourselves what we are getting into, we have read and re-read it over and over.  Here it is for your reading pleasure:

• severe malnutrition
• rickets
• other vitamin deficiencies
• lack of mobility or loss of mobility
• self injury behaviors
• possibly other diseases such as Hepatitis
• LOTS of 'stimming'- rocking, scratching, spitting, teeth grinding, hitting, punching, 'droning', dislocating 'clicking' joints, banging head, chewing/sucking on tongue
• possible heart defects which are past the point of repair due to further damage to lungs
• Lack of 'connection' with people and surroundings
• little or no eye contact
• non-verbal, grunts and groans
• Bursts of screams for good and bad emotions
• inappropriate response to pain (laughing often)
• considerable difficulty expressing or processing emotions
• additional developmental delay
• lack of exposure to anything
• inability to eat solid foods
• often on bottle even at advanced ages
• fear of food
• may not have developed an appropriate sense of hunger vs. fullness
• (failure to thrive or gorging)
• oral fixations- licking everything, putting everything into mouth
• enlarged tonsils from lack of treatment
• ear canals and drums packed with fluid/secretions - often needing professional sedated clearing
• possible hearing loss from untreated infections
• unaware of how to 'play'
• throws everything
• doesn't know what to do with toys
• vision issues from lack of stimulation during development
• sensitivity to sound
• may be frightened by loud sounds or seek everything that makes noise (or both!)
• institutional autism

Despite this list - we forge forward.  We want Aaron.    No matter what, he's ours. 

PLEASE PRAY THAT AARON'S COUNTRY AND RUSSIA CONTINUE TO ALLOW ADOPTIONS!!  PLEASE PRAY!