Blessed

We are an incredibly blessed family...and more so because we have Aubrey in our midst each day...she has taught us more about ourselves in these last two years than we had learned in our 30 previous years...she has made our hearts grow and our love stretch in incredible ways.  She is our Aubrey and we love her so.

So many children with Down syndrome are never born...I don't know if it is the fear of the of the unknown or the known amount of extra work that that little extra chromosome takes...I don't know...and I don't get it...but it is so sad.

In some parts of the world these kiddos ARE born, but the society they are born into doesn't support them or their families and so these children are sent to orphanages...even if they are loved tremendously.

Olga is one of those children who was lucky enough to be born...but unlucky enough to be in Eastern Europe where she has been left to be an orphan.  Once these children turn 5 they are sent to an institution where the conditions are horrible and many do not live long.  Olga is almost 5.

Reese's Rainbow is an International Down Syndrome Orphan Ministry.  They strive to find homes for  children like Olga.  They set up grant funds to help families adopt these children.  They have touched our lives...because of Aubrey...we might never have known about them if we didn't have Aubrey.  This past year, we have been donating to Jacob's grant fund.  We are proud to announce that he has found his forever family!  And now it is Olga's turn to find her family.  There is no lack of people wanting to adopt, but lack of money.  An international adoption can cost over $25,000.  In this past year, we have read and watched several families adopt internationally from Reese's Rainbow, and it has been such a beautiful journey to watch and be a part of.

Our friend Lily's mom Patti has become a WARRIOR for Olga, because she is almost 5.  She has been blogging about Olga and pleading for donations into her grant fund so that she can find her forever family.  She first wrote about it here:
http://babynumber10.blogspot.com/2010/12/most-important-post-i-have-ever-written.html

We encourage you, in this season of giving, to consider Olga.  Every little bit counts and is helpful.  She is every bit as special as our Aubrey and we hope that she can find a forever family soon.  Donating is fast and easy.  To donate to her fund, go to the bottom of Patti's post for more information.