Alexis

Sorry, I've been busy.
So, you're probably wondering "Well, I know who that handsome boy and dark haired girl are in the above picture, but who is the blond?"
Well, let me introduce you to Alexis! From her Reece's Rainbow Page:
"Girl, Born March 2000

What a sweet girl! Alexis is already 11 years old and confined to a wheelchair. She was born with arthrogryposis, and all of her limbs are affected. She is described as friendly and social, and she really wants a family of her own. She is blessed to be in an institution where she is loved and has access to outside aid organization help. MORE PHOTOS AVAILABLE, MARRIED COUPLES ONLY.

From her medical records: F 70; Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita Q 74.3; tetraparesis; Mild mental delay F 70

More photos and videos available.

From an adoptive family who visited with her in January 2012: "We have GOT to help Alexis get a family- she was there (I talked to her) she's so sweet and funny and played so nicely with the other kids, even the younger ones. But she watched us with …sad eyes- she was so longing for a family of her own, you could see it all over her face.

This would make a great place to adopt from- it is an amazing orphanage IMO. The kids were playing, toys were out and being used (we sat with about 12 Barbies on a couch lol) and the kids are so happy. Hubby and I both said- out of all the kids we met,/saw, we saw no noticeable attachment issues, even though they're all older kids. We saw several that are listed. If you want me to write a little blurb update, I will. We were really impressed with the level of care the staff had too. They were very nice and very glad to see our daughter getting a family.

I watched her today at lunch (we were invited in to feed our daughter). She is of short stature- probably no taller than the average 8 yr old, and I'm not sure if this is due to the arthrogryposis or not, because she shares some features that I have seen in dwarfism as well (proportion, etc). But, her hands and feet are affected, however, she fed herself and even drank from her cup unassisted. She is very talented with adapting her physical structure to the task at hand and seems quite able to do so easily. She even rolls her own wheelchair down the hall some, but loves playing with the nanny to push her and let her go fast. She's very easygoing and quick to laugh and I really think she'd thrive having a family of her own."

INTERESTED FAMILIES MUST BE HOME STUDY APPROVED prior to a commitment for Alexis. Married couples only, larger families and older parents ok, travel required.
$100.00 is available towards the cost of my adoption!"
There is so much from Renee about Alexis...:
"But I would take any of the older kids listed by RR for Orphanage #39 into my home without reservation. Tyler. Alexis. Erin. Patti. Marcus. Pryce. Bernadette. Mabel. Carter. Why? Because I see them. I see the way they act, the way they respond even under pressure, their kindness, their respectfulness. Their actions, demonstrated when there are no adult staff members around to influence them, reflect the code of ethics of this orphanage.
"I stumbled into the main room- and couldn’t cry, not with 6 little girls grinning massive smiles at me. Alexis grinned and bumped towards me in her wheelchair a bit, Lindsey hollered out a huge hello, Tara grinned and waved and the others all turned to speak, a muddled chorus of Russian telling me all about their days and adventures.
"Patti doesn’t want candy.
Alexis doesn’t want jewelry.
Erin doesn’t want a rose.
Tyler doesn’t want a valentine card.
Carter doesn’t want a stuffed bear.
Marcus doesn’t want someone wishing him a happy day.
Pryce doesn’t care if you wear red.
Bernadette doesn’t care if you wear pink.
Mabel doesn’t care if you wear red and pink together.
"But Patti doesn’t have a Mama and Daddy. Neither does Alexis, or Tyler, or Bernadette, or Marcus, or Carter, or Erin, or Pryce, or Mabel. Day after day goes by, the minutes ticking away unstoppable, and no one has claimed them.
"I can see Alexis, laughing in a Christmas picture, with her siblings around a tree, the shimmering Christmas lights reflected in her eyes filled with joy.
I can see Tyler, confidently acting in the school play, glancing out into the audience to see the proud faces of his family, laughing as he earns a standing ovation.
"And Alexis- oh my goodness. Girlie is so much fun- she was singing something that reminded me of a Veggie Tales song (it might have been just in Russian idk) at the top of her lungs rolling down the hallway in a wheelchair version of bumper cars. I got to laughing and almost choked. And she wiggled her eyebrows at me when she saw me laughing. She propels herself everywhere, even though her hands are turned backwards. Her right leg swings to and fro, so she apparently has some movement in her right knee, but her left knee is always positioned the same in a bent position. Her elbows don't exactly move much, but she's so quick at rolling those wheels of her chair that you can't see exactly what's moving- her whole arms or just the lower half. And when the teacher came to get her for her next class, she was hanging out with some friends and she begged "please please" in Russian, laughingly as she was rolled away. Zero bad attitude even though she clearly wanted to stay put. It's interesting, I pray that God lets me see as much as I can of these kids, so I can carry the word back home to you guys, and today, we had plenty of time to observe. I hadn't heard Alexis do much talking in great quantity before today, but I was thrilled to see that she has excellent enunciation and clearly communicates well. She is very social as well, with her peers and those slightly older. I have seen her with the younger ones many times, but this was the first time I saw her with the much older ones too.
"Alexis wanted to play so badly- but her hands prevented her from doing much. She can write with her mouth, but the angle that her hands are turned in keep her from having much use of them. She can curl her fingers, I noticed that today. I can't wait to see her get adopted and see the CHOP doctor that treats the other kids with arthrogryposis! She is going to absolutely thrive.
Our facilitator shared a little story about Alexis today. Yesterday, the "13th", we saw Alexis and another girl in the hallway, jokingly playing tug-o-war with a piece of paper. Our facilitator went and talked to her, and the other girl told our facilitator that anytime Alexis wants to get someone's attention, she "shines"- loud, boisterous, joking, teasing, playing. The facilitator asked Alexis, and she laughed and said "yes yes, it's me, it's me". Turns out she was trying to get OUR attention. Why? Because she wanted us to notice her.
She wanted, needed, to feel appreciated and loved."
I think I would post her entire blog if I could. Read her blog: But By Grace
If you go to Alexis' Page, you will see she has a button: "I have A Guardian Angel". Tyler does too. You want to know who their Guardian Angels are?
ME.
But I can't do it alone! Help me with raising money for them, and finding their families!
Tyler is 12 and a half. Alexis is about to turn 12. They can be adopted with each other, or separate. The page above is the requirements to adopt Tyler and/ or Alexis, nicely written by Renee.
Let me know if you have questions!