Shoe designed for people with special needs!

This is a great article on a new shoe designed by Nike for those who have difficulty putting on regular shoes. Could be really helpful to a lot of people!





http://www.kptv.com/story/29582869/nike-creates-shoe-specifically-designed-for-people-with-disabilities?autostart=true

Steps

Mr Sweetness and Light took his very first steps with two legs! He got to try it out for about 15 to 20 minutes. This first leg is a rough one so changes can be made to suit his uniqueness.  More work will be done on it since it couldn't be adjusted any further for him. Our prosthetist said to expect more adjustments as he learns to walk because his gait and stance will change over time. At his next appointment, the leg will get fine-tuned even more and then he will meet with the physical therapist who will help learn to use it.





I cannot begin to describe the joy I felt watching his first few steps. Since I didn't have any of my children as infants, this is the first 'first step' experience I've had with any of my kids. I wasn't sure whether to make a fuss--after all he is 15 years old and boys that age don't really want that kind of fussing since they're 'grown up now!'

Firsts...

When I began the journey to adopt my children there were many things I never imagined: Telling nine year old Miracle Man to come down from 25 feet up a fir tree the day before major surgery; Explaining to 14 year old Mr. Sweetness and Light why he shouldn't climb on top of our roof at 10 p.m. to look at the stars (never mind how he got himself up there in the first place!); Learning about hair--how MM didn't like it--never mind that he was using the clippers to shave the dreaded stuff off the tops of his arms; Spending 1 1/2 hours curling Miss Sunshine's hair for photo day.

The past year has been full of all sorts of firsts: Mr. Sweetness and Light played sports for the first time: baseball, soccer, swimming. His first P.E. class. First trip to the beach. First time going to church. Miracle Man graduated from middle school and started high school. (And boy have I gotten short! Every time I turn around I'm getting shorter!) He drummed up his first job--on his own, might I add. I can't believe what a man he has started to become! He's showing initiative, working hard, growing into himself. Miss Sunshine sang in choir and joined track team. She's set her sails and looks toward the stars.

Last month,  we attended a clinic for challenged athletes. SL learned how he could swim. Learning how he can as opposed to how he can not. That mindset became so important during his adoption. It is a good life lesson. Figure out how you can do something rather than looking for all the ways and reasons you can't. Over my life I have watched so many people do the latter rather than the former.

Tomorrow SL will get fitted with a rough prosthetic leg and begin the journey toward walking on two legs--something he could only dream of 18 months ago. The road ahead won't necessarily be easy. He will have to use muscles in ways he has never done before. Just the motion of walking will be so alien for him. There will be socks and liners and medications none of us has experience with yet. Eventually, there will be an operation--but the folks at our hospital want to get him on the road to walking before that occurs because it will give him a positive mindset when things are hard and not working just right. He will get to know what it is to walk before any other changes get made. What freedom he will experience by not having to have a crutch to lug around all the time! He dreams of new firsts now:  riding a bicycle, driving, running in track. I've cautioned him that this first leg is a walking leg, not a running leg. "Why can't I have a running let?! I don't want a walking leg! I want to run! I hate walking legs!" How does one answer that? I did give an answer. It feels so much like holding him back--something I never want to do. We have to apply for a running leg. Prosthetics aren't cheap. A first prosthetic runs about $9,000 and subsequent ones could go up to $50,000. I will figure out how we can get him his running leg.

New Page!

Hi everyone! Just wanted to give you a heads up about the newest page here. There can be a lot of hidden costs after you get home with your child as well as the need to find resources you weren't expecting. The newest page is called adaptive resources and will be a work in progress covering all that stuff you'll need after you're home with your bundle of joy! Check back often to see what's new!

National Step Forward for Orphans Day

May 16, 2015 will be the third annual National Step Forward for Orphans Day. Both Ends Burning will be hosting activities in at least 20 cities across the nation on that day including showings of their award-winning movie Stuck. Links to their website are on the Positively Paying Forward page. I will be hosting a viewing of Stuck in the Portland Metro area earlier in the month--time and location to be determined at the moment.

Just one more

Beautifully written article about proceeding to bring home just one more child. Loved ones and friends who haven't been there mayn't realize the discernment families go through in making that decision and the whys behind it. We are in discernment right for not one, but two more. At the same time. I tempted God. Funny how that goes!


http://www.nohandsbutours.com/2015/02/19/adoption-hard-start-harder-stop/#comment-15324

Beautiful Hong Kong!

We slurped up our breakfast and checked and double checked that everything had gotten packed and nothing left behind. We felt rather sad to leave the Louidon. It was so special there. If we get the opportunity to visit Guangzhou again we will certainly stay there.






Some of our last sights in Guangzhou included Ikea--who knew?!

And folks exercising in one of the parks. I really liked how much people did in the parks in China. It seemed like the parks were in constant use and for activities we wouldn't do in the U.S. --like the folks practicing their dance moves and a choir practice.







We took an early morning train in hopes of visiting more places in Hong Kong after arrival there.

Our guide got us into the correct queue for the train and away we went. I'm not sure whether the train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong was a bullet train--I kind of think it was but it sure didn't seem like it went all that fast (not that shooting pictures out the window wasn't challenging because it was and I did take a lot of them just to make sure I got something memorable and useful from the trip.

These beautiful art works were in a magazine in the seat pocket on the train. All I could think was, "wow!" Wish I knew where they were exhibited, might have been nice to have seen them in person.







As we left Guangzhou, high rise buildings gave way to smaller buildings, houses, apartments. Dwellings ranged from ultra nice and obvious luxury to humble, tarp and plywood affairs braced against the elements.












I would love to have BBQ at this place...could I afford it though?! I'm thinking, not. What a gorgeous building though. I wonder what it is besides serving BBQ?

Maybe some koi from this fish farm would be a better idea.












Ponds, streams and gardens punctuated the landscape. Green foliage everywhere. During the trip, ladies made their way along the corridors with carts of food. We didn't eat any, having brought along our own snacks.

Hong Kong

We arrived in Hong Kong early in the afternoon.







We ate lunch in the train station where we were cautioned not to feed the birds.










Finding a taxi to take us to our apartment proved a bit more challenging than expected as did navigating the MTR station in Hung Hom. We got turned around a little bit but eventually emerged in the right place and got a driver to take us where we needed to go.

It felt so good to get to the Bridge Apartments out in Tsuen Wan that we almost didn't want to leave our unit. Indeed, we did stay overlong there and ended up not seeing as much as I'd wanted us to on our first day there. This is a night shot of the lobby.

View from our room looking toward Tsuen Wan.

The Bay Bridge with harbor traffic. Around the left of the bridge the harbor runs past Lantau Island to the sea. We have a new bridge at home called the Tumwater which reminds me of the bridges in China every time I see it.

We forged on and took the apartment shuttle to a shopping mall where we connected with a bus that took us to the Hung Hom MTR station where we could connect with a train into Kowloon. The shuttle/bus stop is the small structure in the lower right portion of the picture. Once in Kowloon, things were pretty easy to navigate.






We hit upon going to see the lazar light show which lights the buildings and sky three times a week. For the best viewing you'll want to go to the Walk of Fame. When you get off the MTR, and go up to street level, you will likely see this street sign with a large hotel behind it and the building also. Know that you are close to where you want to be!

Had we arrived in the area earlier in the day, we found there was an art museum we could have toured. Mr. Sweetness and Light loves art so that would have been really good for him to see. The art museum is the building beyond the one with all of the colorful lights.

We walked along the Walk of Fame past the clock tower and the Star Ferry terminal. From what I understand, a lot of people get married in front of the clock tower, hence the wedding cake topper! People were getting their pictures taken in front of it and I had to wait to snap this shot until they all finished.

What do you suppose we found after passing the Star Ferry terminal? McDonald's! All right, we eat at Micky D's. Interesting affair. You could order upstairs on the street and take your food into the restaurant downstairs or to go. You could also order downstairs in the largest McDonald's restaurant I think I have ever been in. It had a large lounge type area with comfy chairs and a large table, another area with lots of tables in front of the counter, another beyond that and another beyond that one. Must get incredibly busy. We learned that the offerings aren't the same and also learned to check out the individual restaurant deals, which again, weren't the same as at home. Silly me, don't know why I would have thought that!





Good thing we arrived early for the lazer light show! It got very crowded! What a show too! My pictures just don't do it justice!

Afterward, we wound our way back to the MTR and whizzed back to Hung Hom to catch the bus back to the shopping mall where we would catch the last shuttle back to the apartment. It was a very, very long walk through the mall and we had to get help from some of the locals to find the shuttle stop. Thanks to them, we got where we needed to go. The walk back to the apartment would have been even longer!


Next day, we awoke early to head into town. I wanted to see the Lantau Buddha and ride the cog rail up to the Peak again. It was not to be. Not this trip. Sigh. We retraced our steps from the night before to Kowloon and the underground McDonald's. We ate a hurried breakfast then sprinted over to the Star Ferry.
The Star Ferry was founded by a Hong Kong resident of Indian origin. Depending on the source of information, it variously gets its name from the founder's Zorastrian religion which has a star as one of its symbols, the names of the boats which all had 'star' in their names, or the inspiration of Alfred  Lord Tennyson's poem "Crossing the Bar." Whatever the true origin of the name, most agree that the Star Ferry routes are among the attractions not to be missed!





As we raced to catch the MTR to Lantau Island, we passed this Apple store--can you see the crowds of people?! I think Apple had just released a new iPhone model and everyone was trying to get their hands on one!









Why had we done this? To see the most Chinese venue in all creation......drum roll, please.....

Hong Kong Disney

Yeah, I know some might disapprove. But kids. Way cheaper than California or Florida--so if your children are old enough and you're on the fence about it, do it!  And there was no California Adventure park torture for mom-who-can't-turn-around-twice-without-nausea me. The HK Disney also is much smaller and at least on the day that we went, much less crowded. 

Only a couple of the rides had longish lines---the longest one being the Autotopia. Mr. Sweetness and Light rode the Grizzly Gulch roller coaster five times in a row! Talk about a glowing face!That alone made it all worth while. He had never ridden a roller coaster. 

We didn't spend a lot of time looking at trinkets there, although it would have been nice to have gotten something. The souvenirs weren't inexpensive nor was the food. We limited ourselves to having Mickey Mouse-shaped waffles. I think they were something like $5USD each!








As the night wound down, we found ourselves staying to watch the fireworks shot from the top of the princess's castle.










Too soon, we had to make the return trip to our lodgings. We wished so very much that we could have stayed there longer.

Farewell Nanjing, hello Guangzhou!

Before leaving Nanjing, we visited the Confucius Temple on the banks of the Qinhuai River. The temple consists mainly of an archway and building--nothing in the building, we were told; However, I later learned there were things of interest.

Four gates lead up to the temple from various directions.











The area now sports blocks of tiny shops in all directions. Some people have felt that the offerings here were not the best. I found they were much better than what I saw in Guangzhou.  I wish we could have spent more time shopping in this area and exploring more.

The area in front of the temple draws people to enjoy the river and to cruise in small yellow-topped boats. I would like to have taken a river cruise in one of these.

Guangzhou

Guangzhou has a very different feel about it than Nanjing. While it is still pretty polluted here and forests of buildings stretch for as far as the eye can see, traffic doesn't seem so hurried and so bad. The streets appear to be set up differently and everything is green. Not only that, but there appear to be more park spaces and more trees. That may be an illusion, given the winter conditions further north. Many of the buildings have decorative lights on them and several have full-length television signs advertising this and that.

Our apartment here is in a luxury hotel--marble everywhere except in the brocade display running floor to ceiling in our two-floor unit. Satin-draped full-length windows over-look a bustling shopping area. Even at midnight it is busy! 

Today it was very crowded--Saturday plus lots of sales. I was able to purchase a couple short-sleeved shirts to wear. It was in the 70s so I really needed something lighter. Of course, the folks living here are all bundled up in winter jackets because they're cold. They have no idea :)

Tomorrow, we're being taken to the Chen Family Museum and I think Shamian Island which is supposed to be just lovely.

Chen Family Ancestral Hall

We did indeed go to the Chen Family Ancestral Hall/Museum. Such detailed carvings! You could spend days there and still not see every carving.

Beautiful grounds with bonsai trees and sculptures. The family rooms have been turned into exhibition halls. One featured silk weavings so intricate they looked like photos. Another had vases. Yet another had paintings.

Some had artists with their works for sale. One very intriguing artist painted with his hands. This would be finger-painting taken to its highest level. You'd never guess they were painted with anything other than a brush. Another artist exhibited a wind instrument made from a gourd. It made the most beautiful sounds. I was very tempted to buy one but felt that Y380 ($65) was a bit steep for something that might not get a lot of use.

Another art form I really appreciated was olive carving. What they call an olive is a very hard nut about 2-2 1/2" long. Such intricate and beautiful carving! I wish I could show you! We weren't allowed to take photos in that area but I do have photos of some on exhibit that to show you. The ones above and at right were for sale.

Citizenship!

Tuesday we go to the US Consulate where Mr. Sweetness and Light will become a US citizen--although he will still be traveling under his Chinese passport and have to get a visa to come home with us!






Vending machine downstairs from the doctor's office. All grown up and serving liquor to area business people who might need to give a last minute gift, get a pick-me-up, or have something for a late-breaking appointment!

















Here we are at the US Consulate. Mr. Sweetness and Light has just gotten his US citizenship!
Following the consular appointment, we traveled to Shamian Island for a break.

Shamian Island

A lot of people will refer to Shamian Island simply as "The Island." It once housed the US Consulate and adoptive families have been staying there for years. It is a peaceful oasis and a great place to bond with young children in safety. Car traffic is limited and the island is mostly park. Older children craving more activity and their parents might want a small dose of time there just to unwind. The firecracker hanging hung outside the restaurant where we ate lunch.

I absolutely adore dim sum. The little tomatoes on the outside plates had delicate little flowers tucked inside. The middle dish sports one of my favorites--I don't know the name but they are rice noodles stuffed with shrimp in a soy sauce base. They test your skill at using chopsticks because the noodles will break or just slip out from your grasp and you have to start all over again!

Locals engage in many activities. Some play a game with what looks like a shuttle cock for badmitton with a flat piece on the end. Play would remind folks in the US of hackey sack. The boys played with this for months after homecoming--until they left it on the ground and our dog chewed it up. It's going to be an expensive trip to get another one :)












Others practiced music and dance. Young couples have their wedding photos taken there--in fact, there was a couple having their pictures done during our visit. 

Shamian boasts many beautiful and whimsical bronze sculptures relating to the island's history.

Shopping and Street Scenes

Our hotel is 35 stories tall, seven of which belong to a mall.One floor had all restaurants. Another floor had banquet facilities.






There's also a shopping district that starts at the mall entrance. On Saturday and Sunday the streets are packed with people a la black Friday on steroids. Shop after shop sells clothing, purses, or jewelry. I took this photo about 11 p.m. The van parked below is a police vehicle...there wasn't any trouble, it is just stationed there.









I'm trying to remember the name of this restaurant. I think it was Uncle something or other. We really liked it and I remember that it was featured in one of the travel books I read prior to leaving.

This dish was so beautiful! And delicious! I have no idea what it was. Mr. Sweetness and Light ordered for me.















Some of the signs in China really amused me. The juxtaposition of the Pizza Hut logo with that of the Playboy store outside in the mall struck me as particularly odd.

Especially when one turned to look at the interior of the restaurant and saw this sign.

Beijing Road--Historical Road

The road also has historical significance as it has been part of a shopping district for thousands of years. Sorry the entire plaque isn't in the photo.






Parts of the old road have been excavated and encased in glass for preservation as well as viewing by the throngs of people. At left is one of the cases with the original road inside.










This is part of a miniature of what historians believe the area looked like. The little buildings have incredible details. Almost missed seeing this as I thought it was another piece of the roadway. Glad I looked inside!

There's another mall which we can see from our window: the Metro Mall. I went in there to explore the offerings for sale. I didn't find anything I wanted to buy.














What I did find was a very pleasant surprise! In the basement: the excavation of the old city Watergate and an exhibit about it. Free! It was so cool! My apologies to the powers that be--
you are not supposed to take pictures down there which I didn't see until after I had snapped about four frames and I did stop after reading the sign.

Some scenes from around Guangzhou

Tupperware store on 2nd floor of Louidon

After shopping, on the way back up to the room, what do you think I found? A Tupperware store! I exchanged business cards with the consultant on duty. They have a lot of products we've never had in the States and others in colors far different from those we carry. I picked up a brochure and took pictures too. I may buy some items before returning home. They had chopsticks, a meat cleaver, metal thermoses, small polycarbonate bowls in a rainbow of colors, large storage containers with attached handles, among others. Their midgets sell in a set of four for $2.00.

This Fererro and Almond Roca chocolate display in the grocery store downstairs from our apartment stretched floor to ceiling. I really had to manoeuver to get most of the tower in the frame. The chocolates will be Chinese New Year gifts. I am amazed at the size of it. Must have taken days to build.

Oh, another find: Amway is very very big here. Signs all over the airport!

Guangzhou Zoo 

The zoo has a lot of what would be 1950s or 1960s style exhibits if one were in the US. A few of the exhibits have undergone or were undergoing renovation. The animals generally appeared to be well-cared for and everything was neat and clean.





The panda you see here apparently was pregnant at the time we visited and had babies several months later. The kids were thrilled to see live pandas in China. This was one of the newer exhibits but the glass enclosing the living space made it hard to see the pandas while inside due to glare.

In the middle of the zoo was a really nice, large pond with lots of birds enjoying themselves. Black swans, ducks of different sorts...and pigeons.











The herd of red-flanked dikurs were so cute! This guy is full grown at maybe two feet tall. The really unique thing about these little guys is that they are the only carnivorous antelope species in the world.

This guy may have appeared a bit lonely but often bull elephants can be found solo in the wild. 

People were allowed to feed the giraffes--very popular!
















 Thursday, we travel to Hong Kong by train.