A little about Ben!!

Okay, I've been keeping all the details of our little boy close to us until we were DTC.  Now that we are at day 25 of the wait for LOA, allow us to tell you a little more about our son...

For starters, the picture above is of his orphanage. 

We've decided to keep his Chinese name but nickname him Ben.  ;)  He will also inherit his daddy's middle name as his!!  :)

He lives in Shenzhen, China where he was found when he was approx. 2 years old.  We don't know why he was abandoned.  The fact that he was at least 2 makes us believe that he had a family that loved him and wanted him.  After all, Chinese families are always very happy to have a son!  We believe that as he grew, the symptoms of his thalassemia became more obvious.  His condition is fairly common in China, but that doesn't mean it is easy for the average Chinese family to get treatment.  He needs monthly blood transfusions.  In China, from everything I've read, parents are required to pay up front for medical treatments.  This probably means that his family loved him and did what they could to manage his medical condition, but before they knew it they had a very sick little boy on their hands that they could not provide for.  They left him to be found, knowing that he would get what he needs in the orphanage...  They sacrificed to give him a chance at life!  This struck me the second I looked at his file.  How hard it must have been for this family... My heart broke for him and for them.

Then I saw the picture on his referral paperwork.  This was a much younger child than the recent pictures on the agency's website!!  How long had he been waiting to be "chosen"???  I looked through the paperwork and was shocked to find the answer.  More than 2 years!!!!  For over 2 years this little boy has been available for adoption after his family's sacrifice and no one had picked him!  I knew in my heart that his waiting was over. We were not going to let this little boy sit in China without the full medical treatment he needs and a family he deserves a minute longer than we had to!  I was going to pick up and take care of him the way his China mama would have wanted.  Maybe he was just waiting for us. ;)

So that's the first story of our Ben, the little boy that has shaken up this Momma's heart and world quite a bit!!!  In the best of ways!! Can't wait to hear his little voice and see those smiles!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Fannie, Matt, & Katie