Baby Girl O

I don't make it a regular habit to post about waiting children on my blog, but sometimes I really feel there is a need. Who knows...maybe there is someone out there that will happen across this post, and discover their daughter?

This is Baby Girl "O." She waits in Ghana. She waits for her family to discover her. She was abandoned in an orphanage earlier this year. When I met her I don't even think they had given her a name yet. I've given her "O" because that's the letter her orphanage starts with. It's a sad reality that some of the babies who are abandoned at this orphanage don't live. But Baby girl? She's a survivor.

I got to cuddle with little "O" during my visit to Ghana in June. She felt like a tiny 1-2 month old newborn to me--looked every bit the part as well. Somehow, the orphanage estimated her to be 7 months old. Honestly, 7 weeks seemed more accurate, but what do I know? At the time I met O she was squishy and warm and wiggly, like most young babies. She cooed, and her spit bubbled up in the cutest way possible. =-) Her hands were in fists, but she has a lifetime to learn how to open them. Her head seemed small to me, but she has a lifetime to overcome that as well. Her heart (her spirit, her soul) seemed completely normal--ready to give all the love she has.

Little O is developmentally delayed. There is no diagnosis. She may not even be taken for a medical until someone steps up and says, "Yes, I will make this child my daughter." When she does get a medical, a doctor who has never seen her before will look her over for a few minutes and then note any "irregularities" in her health. They may say "microcephaly" or "developmentally delayed" or "crossed eyes." We don't know.

Here's what we do know. Baby O needs a family! She NEEDS a family. She has people who can give her food, and change her diaper, and bath her each day. She does not have a single person who gives her the love that only a mommy and daddy can give. Nobody wakes up in the middle of the night just to feel her chest rising and falling. Nobody is trying to learn about her unique personality--to distinguish her "I am hungry" cry from her "I am in pain" cry.

It's not usual for such a young child to be available for adoption in Ghana. But because of Baby O's perceived special needs, she is eligible for international adoption. The staff at her orphanage aren't really sure if any American family would find "value" in Baby O. They aren't sure any family would ever love her enough to sacrifice the time and money required to adopt her. I know in my heart this isn't true. However, I also know in my heart that we must cast the net WIDE so that her adoptive parents can find her.

If we found a family that could move forward with paperwork and fees very quickly, Baby O could be legally adopted within the month! Within the month! That is so very quick for an international adoption. But if Baby O's family can't move forward that fast, that's okay. We just need to find them. Baby O's fees will be reduced (although there are still fees involved). Because of her special needs, families who don't fit within the normal Ghana requirements can apply to adopt her. Large families are fine!

If you aren't her family, can you do me a favor? Can you help me find them? Maybe you can re-post on your blog, or on facebook? Maybe you can send an email to your friends and family (who can send an email to theirs). Her family is out there. Together, we can find them.

Thanks,

Anita