Gladney Blog

Natalie is a curious little 4 year old girl who is described as smiley and affectionate. She wanted to see everything we had with us when we met her in Taiwan last month. She would crawl from one item to the next exploring.

Hayley and John felt led to adopt siblings, under the age of twelve, from foster care.  They weren’t swayed in their efforts, even after experiencing some challenges.  While attending an event to meet children who were available for adoption, Hayley and John noticed a tall teenage girl with bright green hair approach a boy who sat all alone on the playground.  

Kellet is a little 8 year old boy whom we met for the first time in person when we were in Taiwan earlier this month. He is described as energetic but a little shy with strangers. We saw that with him, then we also saw the energetic and silly side once he warmed up. Meeting him was truly delightful.

Oh my! What a little sweetheart! Jessica is a darling 18 month old baby girl we met while we were in Taiwan earlier this month. She is described as calm and quiet. That is, until she wants to be held, then she will use her voice and cry to let you know what she wants. She is easy to soothe when she is upset. She just likes to be cuddled. And if that isn’t adorable I don’t know what is.

Sweet, sweet Jianna! We all enjoyed our time with her so much. She is just precious. She is 9 years old. She has global delays and is tiny for her age, so she seems younger than 9.

This past week has been made up of forms, forms, and more forms. Don't get me wrong, I love paperwork and filing, it is what I am good at. Even so, finding the right forms to request a child abuse clearance in not easy when the state alters requirements every six months without notice. As a result of a sudden change, I uncovered a policy issue that can only be described as bad.

Samuel is a little almost 6 year old boy who was our block-stacking champion! He built a tower 16 blocks high. Every puzzle or matching challenge we gave him he did quickly and meticulously. And when we asked if it was hard or easy for him he said, “Easy!” Every time.

What is sweeter than sisters? We met Nila {8} and Nikki {7} together then spent time with each separately when we were in Taiwan earlier this month. They are both sweet girls. Nikki, though younger is the leader of the two when they are together. Nila is more quiet and shy while Nikki is more talkative and active. The girls live in separate foster homes but do spend time together and get along well.

Jordan is an 8 year old boy who is described as obedient and soft-spoken. He enjoys board games, drawing, and playing outside. He was pretty shy and quiet and had a bit of a nervous blinking habit which disappeared once he was more comfortable.

We went rolling into Cathwel on our first morning in Taiwan last week, all excitement with just a few nerves mixed in. It had been 4 years! Would we still remember what we needed to do? How long would it take us to hit our stride? Then 2 little ones came in. They were both around 3-4 years old. Both absolutely adorable. I saw Nancy pull out a screening sheet and start getting the matching toys out. I knew we were back for real and we were going to be just fine.