Music and Icecream!

Our week started out fabulous with a fun and full day in the city for just us girls - Ting, Sarah, the twins, and I. We had a driver pick us up early Sunday morning and drive us into Beijing for our Sunday morning fellowship. Afterwards, we told the driver to look for only one place - McDonald's! I think we made him panic, as he couldn't quite put his finger on the location of the nearest one, but I knew if we drove enough we'd eventually pass a pair of those glorious arches!

The first order of business was to teach them how to dunk (their fries and nuggets into icecream, of course). What a bunch of weird kids - while asking for their orders, I asked which flavor of sundaes they wanted. They all insisted they didn't want their ice cream until they were finished with their meal. So I was the only one who returned to the table with a hot fudge sundae. After watching me with disapproving looks, I urged them to try "just one fry". Rachelle then said, "Can I be honest with you? It's not bad." Ha! I gotcha!

So back up to the counter I marched to order three additional sundaes. Glad I can be making a positive impact in their lives.







After lunch, we headed back in the direction of Salona, the very Vegas-ish mall I had visited a few weeks back. We unloaded the twins' wheelchairs and prepared to shop 'til we dropped. It was fun to have the warmth of the indoor mall with wide-open corridors for the girls to wheel down at full speed. We found a Barbie store which was a big hit. There was a big interactive Lego exhibit, but none of the girls seemed to get as excited over it as I did. And we even found an in-line skating store that had a test track where kids could try out their skates! So cool!

After wearing ourselves out, we headed for the mall's Starbucks. Ting thinks Starbucks is the place to be, which apparently was true that afternoon with all the trendy Europeans that were present. I, on the other hand, just wanted to enjoy their comfy chairs and relax a while. After getting everyone their various Starbucks drinks of choice, I walked next door to Coldstone Creamery! Yes, I had just had a McDonald's sundae a few hours earlier, but when in China, you take every opportunity for good food that you can! As I waited in line to get my small cup of cake batter and cream cheese ice cream, I was excited to see a 'buy one, get one free' sign, but then faced immediate disappointment when realizing it only applied if you ordered their red bean or seasame seed ice cream. That jolted me out of the western illusion I had been in and quickly reminded me that I was indeed still in China.







After refueling, we set out for the venue where the Delirious concert would be held that evening. In China there seems to be no such thing as 'handicapped accessible.' After finding a parking spot, we had to maneuver two wheelchairs over uneven terrain, then up a set of stairs into the building. Once inside, we were informed that the concert would be taking place at a club on the fourth floor. We were directed to an elevator where we waited and punched buttons to no avail, then were kindly informed it was out of service. So, Ting and I hoisted the twins up into our arms and climbed, and climbed, and climbed. Sarah followed with one of the wheelchairs, and then after dropping off my girl I descended to retrieve the other one. We were excited to reach the top and discover that there were only about five other people in line ahead of us. Now knowing that it'd be in a club setting, I was worried about finding a spot where the twins would be able to have a good view of the stage. As show time approached and more people gathered in line behind us, security came out and notified everyone that they'd be moving the line back down the stairs and begin the ticket-taking process down there. What? There was no way I was carrying the girls and their chairs down and back up again! Thankfully, we explained our situation and they let us stay...and now we were the first ones in line! As soon as the doors opened, we pushed the twins with all our might and parked them right in the front and center! Woohoo!

The show was really fun and I'm glad the girls were able to enjoy it from so close. Rebekah and Rachelle definitely got a lot of attention from the stage. The Delirious guys explained that their list of songs had been whittled down to a select few that they would be 'allowed' to play, being what their lyrics are like and what country they were in, so their encore ended up being a repeat of everything they had already sung. Nobody complained though - it was powerful to look around at so many foreigners Praising in a far away land! The lead singer kept repeating, "I can't believe we're in China", and I felt the same way. (I also took a lot of great video at the show, but my Windows Movie Maker won't open and it's making me sad. Hopefully I'll find a way to share video with you soon.)













Yesterday after class, Ting and I set out on some errands. Our first stop was a computer market - five stories of electronics and office supplies. Most of the interior lights were off when we walked in, and the employees were busy covering every surface with cardboard and packing tape. Apparently we had walked in just as they're all taking off for the Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year. All these big businesses will be closed for the next four weeks! We then headed onward toward WalMart. The driver told us it was busy that day, but we had no idea! If you think WalMart is crazy around Christmas time in The States, you should see WalMart in China on the eve of Chinese New Year! There was a mob scene around a gigantic bin of clementine oranges and each aisle took minutes to navigate down. One thing the Chinese love is loud-speakers - they have one for everything. So you might be standing in front of a young woman with a headset microphone on, announcing a sale on yogurt, and five feet down from her is another one shouting about the Milo. When we finally made it to the checkout lanes, all I could do was laugh. Crowds are nothing new to me, but this was beyond belief! So much fun!

Here are some more photos from our X-ray hospital visit last week. These were taken on a camera belonging to one of the Wheaton volunteers and they were kind enough to share them with me after they returned home.


Sophie & I



Geno being so brave!

And this is a nice shot of a puppet show us girls presented to everyone dining at the Muslim street market...



This week we said goodbye to our volunteer couple from New Mexico and said hello to a new one from Maryland. Melissa has been with us this week, helping in the foster home, and it's been fun to get to know her in the evenings. This morning, I'm having a lazy Saturday in my room. Later today, Keith and Cheryl will return from their vacation in Thailand. It'll be good to have them back, and we're hoping they'll bring us another Burger King dinner from the airport!

Catching up.

On Saturday, we celebrated Ting's 17th Birthday! Keith made ribs, Ting made baked potatos, and Cheryl provided homemade bread and chocolate cake with chocolate frosting!



As usual, Lydia held the spotlight most of the night with her two year old antics.



Poor Sophie is always left wondering how she can escape Lydia's over-affection... and wondering where her slice of cake is!



It was a pleasure having the three high school girls from Chicago here with us for a week. They brought along many craft projects for the kids and dove right into life at the foster home. They even sacrificially spent hours outside in the cold, pushing wheelchairs around the block - the kids' crave the outdoors and anyone who's willing to take them! For me, it was just refreshing to have some new faces in the house and new friends to get to know. We had a fun time on Sunday in the city. After our morning gathering, we ate lunch at a popular ex-pat spot - BittaPita. Mmmm! They all zonked out on the drive home.





On Monday evening, to celebrate the girls' last night with us, we decided to take them out and introduce them to 'street food'. Our area of town has a muslim market, so that's where we headed. The bread and lamb was delicious, the chicken head... not so much. After we ate, they let us in the back room to see how it's all made. Thanks for all your hard work, girls - can't wait to see you again!

















This week, we needed to take Geno in for some X-rays so we can begin a course of treatment for his O.I. We figured we'd take Sophie in for some while we were at it. When Sophie first came to our house in November, it was suspected that she had a form of dwarfism. It definitely appears like she's a little person, with her big head and little body. But as we've observed her and her delayed development for her age, it's become clear that something else is going on with her. Sophie's seemed to begin recognizing me lately, so when it came time for the X-ray run, Keith and Cheryl asked if I'd be the one to take them, along with Aaron as translater. I was thrilled and honored that they'd entrust me with the job! So we bundled up and off I went on my first foreign hospital visit.





They let us right into the X-ray room, but I felt like they tried to shoo me out. A huge crowd gathered outside in the hallway to see the foreign lady. I was carrying Sophie in her carseat, and they each wanted to try to peek at what I had. I held Geno's coat in my arms and stood in the doorway, stretching onto my tiptoes to try and watch as they layed him down on the exam table. Then I slowly inched my way back into the room, playing dumb, and they didn't push me out again. Oh, and apparently you don't need to wear lead vests while being x-rayed in China. Geno was so brave and did such a good job! Thankfully, I happened to have a sucker in my purse to show him how proud I was! And then I shamelessly made Aaron take our photo! :)





Sophie's turn was next and she didn't make a peep! What great kiddos! Back at the house, we all stared in amazement at Sophie's x-rays. She has no hips, knees, ankles, elbows, wrists or collar bones. She can reach and hold things, so she must be doing it all with her muscle. No wonder she's like a floppy rag doll in your arms! We'll be sending their x-rays back to the States to be examined and hopefully the ball will get rolling really quickly.

On Tuesday, Keith and Cheryl took off for a vacation to Thailand. I try not to think about them laying on the warm beach while I'm putting on my scarf each morning. So, until the 24th, it's just me and the chicadees holding down the fort. We're still plugging away at the school books. Shhh, don't tell anyone, but I told them that if they worked hard this week, we'd have a late start on Friday morning. Their teacher enjoyed sleeping in a bit later, too. :) It seems like we easily get off on different tangents during the school day, which leads to some sort of funny story or idea. I'm often saying, 'Okay, time to get back to work.' So the other day, one of the girls decorated a poster for the wall that says 'get to work', so now I can just point to my sign instead of saying it over and over. Well, that lead Rachelle to believe she needed a sign of her own, and this is what she came up with...



They make me laugh so much!

This week we have a couple from New Mexico volunteering with us. They've been teaching English in inner-Mongolia since August, and are here during their Chinese New Year break. Yesterday, the man needed to visit a bank, so we called a driver and all took a field trip. Dad, I can't wait to show you this bank! The Chinese are really good at building things, but horrible at maintaining them! After the bank, we ran by WalMart to pick up a few things. FYI, it may be called WalMart, but it's not like any WalMart you've ever seen. I seem to be addicted to yogurt here, so I seriously needed to stock up. And fantastic news - the TV dish here picks up a station from the Philipines that carries American Idol, so I told the girls we needed to pick out party snacks for our Idol party! Pushing the twins' wheelchairs through WalMart once again amazed me. I can't get over how grown adults think it's okay to stare so openly and obnoxiously at them. They're super cute and little, but people don't stare at them with a smile on their face, but rather a look like you'd give a zoo animal. I know it bugs the girls, but they handle it well. It's just me that's still adjusting to all things 'new'.

The curtain man paid us a visit! He peddled up on his bike and cart and soon my sunroom wall was transformed!







Keith took me into the city and introduced me to an Irish woman who runs a shop. She's set it up similar to a GoodWill store, and told me I could pick whatever I wanted to help make my room a home. I picked out a nice nightstand, a lamp and digital clock (although I'm still having to count on my fingers to figure out what time it is when the clock says 19:30), and a little coffee table to hold my TV. And then, the other day Keith pulled this beauty out from the attic for me! Tada!



The gift of heat. I no longer have ice on the inside of my window, folks. Hallelujah!

Since I've been here, I've had the bakery apartment all to myself. If you don't remember, they spent the fall transforming the upstairs of the bakery into an apartment for me. There's a kitchenette, bathroom, three bedrooms, and a dining room that I've since turned into our school room. Well, now I have roommates! Three of the older foster girls have moved over from the foster home into the apartment with me! Catherine (20) and Amy (18) are sharing one room, and April (25) has claimed the other. Now I have to learn how to say 'keep your hands off my yogurt' in Chinese. Kidding!

Today after class, Sarah asked if she could sweep and mop the room for me. Of course! With the twins being in wheelchairs, and two of my new apartment-mates being in chairs, there's a lot of traffic from people who have to leave their chairs downstairs and crawl around on their hands and knees while upstairs. Sweeping and mopping is becoming a daily thing! I love that Sarah has figured out my need for cleanliness, saw the need and volunteered to help me out!



That's been my week. I need an 8th day just to write about it.

On Sunday, the band, Delirious, is throwing a concert in Beijing. We'll head in early for our morning gathering, hit up McDonald's for lunch (Can you believe I've been in China for a month and haven't even been to a McDonald's yet?...I don't think I've ever gone more than a week between Mickey Ds visits while in China.), have a fun afternoon in the city, and then enjoy a live show that night. I don't think I've seen Delirious since my middle school days, so this should be exciting! And if Keith or Cheryl ask, we've just been doing school work all week, okay?

Geno

I keep avoiding this blog. I need to write about my experience at the orphanages last week, but I've been having a hard time putting all of my thoughts into words. It's easy for me to record what happened and spill my feelings in my personal journal, but when it comes time to organize those thoughts, I'm left blank. It was such a life changing experience and I want to do my best to paint the right picture for you readers. I want you to get the real story, to be able to picture these places and faces in your minds.

The nine hour drive there went by fast. I took a dramamine and my pillow, and only awoke for a couple quick bathroom breaks. Now, I've seen my share of roadside restrooms across the United States, and even the worst of those are still cleaner than the best of these! And the gas station snack foods?...vaccuum sealed donkey meat and miscelaneous pig parts!

When we reached the first town, we met the orphanage director and she guided us to a fancy restaurant to talk over lunch. Here I was expecting impoverishment, and I found myself in an upscale dining room. As soon as I sat down, someone made me jump out of my seat by pulling my coat off from behind me. They hung it from the back of my chair, and then proceeded to hastily grab my gloves and purse from me as well. They used velcro straps to secure each of these items to the back of my chair. Then, just when I was sure they were finished arranging my belongings, they brought out a red velvet slipcover that pulled down over the entire seat back, covering it all. Oh, my! After making it through all the formalities that go with a proper Chinese meal (have I ever mentioned how I hate sitting through these things?), we finally were ready to go visit the first orphanage.

It was clear the minute we drove through the entrance gates that we had left the cushy life behind at the restaurant. The building was in a horseshoe shape, much like the layout of the public schools I taught at over the summer. It was four stories tall with all the rooms having exterior facing doors. We were ushered into a big conference room and seated around a large conference table. Again with the formalities, we were urged to eat from large fruit bowls that were placed before us and were served dixie cups of hot water. The table was ornate, our chairs were a comfy black leather, and a modern flat screen TV hung on the far wall, but there was dingy lighting, pealing paint on the walls, and bitter wind blowing through the metal doors and barred windows. I sat quietly for what seemed like forever as the orphanage director chatted with Hope, our foster house mom, in Chinese. Hope told us the director was very open and honest about the poor conditions and inadequate ratio of staff to children.

At last we were shown out to the staircase and lead up several flights of stairs. The first room we visited was a physical therapy room. The floor was covered with foam padding, and two therapists in white lab coats were helping a couple of kids with floor exercises. A number of immobile kids lay scattered around the room, waiting for their turns. In a building of three hundred children, they all have to wait to be circulated between the two therapists. From there we were shown the many rooms lined with metal bunkbed frames or metal cribs. They all had bare concrete floors and walls, and a heavy insulated tarp was the only thing hanging in the exterior facing doors to keep out the cold. Between every three or four 'bedrooms' is a small closet with a sink and hot plate, where the nanny responsible for those rooms will make rice or noodles three times a day for her charges. It was when we stepped into a room full of infants, and a nanny pulled back the blanket on a newborn to reveal severely disfigured, skeletal legs, that I really began to feel myself choke up. The overwhelming sight of this one child was enough, but then your eyes move to the crib next to it, and then the one after that - a room no bigger than my bedroom, with fifteen to twenty infants. Next we moved to a wing filled with mentally handicapped children. I was told that since so many babies are born at home in rural areas, there's a lot of mental illness caused by lack of oxygen during birth. In yet another concrete room lined with metal cribs, these older children lay on their backs with absolutely no stimulation. Down the center of the room ran a wooden homemade row of potty seats - a long board with about ten holes, each one occupied. Underneath each child lay a metal bowl filled with their waste. If you were in this wing, you either layed in a crib or sat on the potty bench. The smell was enough to make you sick, I can only imagine it in the heat of the summer. One nanny moved between three or four rooms just like this one - all the runny noses, all the bare bottoms, all the blank looks on their faces. It was easy to pick out the Down's children, but here they were grouped in with everyone else, none of them getting individualized attention. Even an adorable albino baby with eyes unable to focus in the bright sunlight, lay grouped in with the others. After seeing this wing, my tears turned into nausea and I began to welcome the bitter wind that hit my face. We made our way back downstairs into the conference room, and once again sat through more polite chit chat, until we were finally able to unload our vanload of supplies and greet those who had gathered to see the foreign guests. I also learned that this is the orphanage where our very own Noah and Micah came from, so it definitely gave me a new appreciation of the life they came from.

We left the orphanage that afternoon and headed to a nearby motel. I was left with a room to myself and a couple hours until we were to meet for dinner. I sat down at the end of my bed and scanned the TV channel listing, disappointed at not seeing CCTV 9 listed (the only English channel). I pulled out my journal and flopped across the hard bed and wept. Finally I decided I needed to wash my face and put on some fresh clothes for dinner. I turned on the TV and flipped through the channels, already knowing that without channel 9 I'd find nothing to watch. As I absently pushed the bottons on the remote, I came across a Chinese sports channel that was showing a Smuckers' figure skating show, and there before me was Rudy Galindo, Dorothy Hammill - all my favorites! As their solo numbers came to a close, the entire cast skated out to perform one final group routine. The camera panned to a stage at the end of the arena where a band was intro-ing into a song, and out walked SARA EVANS to sing one of my favorite songs, 'I Could Not Ask For More'. Here I was feeling so far from everything I know, yet two very real 'me' things played across my archaic television. That had to have been a scripted moment!

Dinner that night took place at another fancy restaurant within our motel, with the orphanage director and other dignitaries. Oh, how I loathe these meals! Strange food upon strange food is continually brought out - you feel like it will never end! And of course everyone wants to watch the foreigner take the first bite of each item and watches carefully for her reaction. I'd never been so thankful to finally sink into my bed as I was that night.

We gathered early the next morning to begin another big day. Our motel served a breakfast buffet, but it looked more like they had reheated our leftovers from the night before. We drove another couple hours before coming to our second orphanage stop. This one was built only a year ago and was set within a large compound. It was much larger than the previous one, had interior hallways, and the fresher layers of paint made it feel brighter, too. I believe if I had seen this one first, I would have found it just as overwhelming as the first one - but having seen it second, it felt like the Taj Mahal in comparison. We once again went through the conference room meeting prior to being shown around the grounds. It was felt that we probably weren't shown all the areas of this place, only those they wanted us to see. They were proud to show us their music room and nurses station.

Standing outside in front of the main entrance, our gaze was directed across the yard to another door where a small boy was being lead toward us. This was the boy with Brittle Bones that we had previously been made aware of. Even from a distance, I could see his resemblance to the twins and the other O.I. boys at our home. He held his hand to one of his thighs as he walked with a bit of a limp, and didn't seem the least bit shy as he shook our hands. He was then lead away as we continued on our tour. In one of the infant rooms, they allowed me to hold a baby, although I think it was a preselected baby as they tried to stear me away from some of the cribs. I watched as they changed the diaper (scraps of cloth, tied around it's waist with another strip of fabric) of one baby, noticing it still had it's umbilical cord attached. As they rolled it onto it's side, I gasped as I saw it's extended vertebrae piercing through the thin skin on it's back, sore and oozing. Keith noticed, too, and mentioned that with the open sore laying in the dirty diaper, that the child would probably become infected and not live much longer. In another room, my eyes were drawn to an albino set of twin boys, around a year old. Although their eyes couldn't focus on me, they smiled widely and laughed as I tickled them through their crib bars. We spent the most time in a physical therapy room, where many of the kids had clubbed feet and couldn't walk. Keith explained that with simple stretches that begin early in life, they could easily be corrected. But these children had been left untreated for so long that their limbs continued to clench tight and draw in. Simple things, but nobody to educate the caregivers. We found more clubbed feet in another room who were being classified as mentally handicapped, just because they were disfigured and undiagnosed.

After the tour, it was back to the conference room for more talking, some rice and hot water, and finally the final word that we would be allowed to take the little boy with Brittle Bones home with us! As we walked outside to leave, he was again escorted out to meet us. He climbed into the van without any hesitation, his only possessions being the clothes he was wearing and a small blue teddy bear. Keith told me I could pick out his new English name, since it was my first 'run'. I knew I'd need the long drive home to think up a good one! It wasn't long into the drive before both of us were snoring. At the reststops, he wouldn't go to Keith to be lifted out of the van, but would allow me to pick him up and set him down. He loved snacks, any snack, and really didn't make much of a peep the entire drive home. When at last we pulled into our driveway, it was I that got the priviledge of carrying him inside to his new home. We decided on 'Geno' for a name - after my dad's middle name, Eugene. We even passed this building (below) on the drive to his orphanage, so my dad was on our minds! He even looks like a Geno, and he's fitting in wonderfully here in his new home.



Now I'm asking myself, 'Where do I go from here?' What do I do with this new information? I've had such a rare opportunity to see what I've seen, so how should I use it? Will you join me as I'm still processing, thinking, and seeking?

If I was better at summarizing, it'd be a lot easier to write these blogs!

Going places.

After having breakfast on Saturday morning, I curled up on my couch and listened to Jimmy Wayne sing live on the Friday night Opry. Always a treat. In Tennessee, the Opry is a wonderful way to end a day. In China, it's a wonderful way to begin a day. :)

Afterwards, we headed into Beijing to meet some folks at Peter's Tex Mex. You will probably hear me mention Peter's frequently over the next year. I've only been here two weeks and I've already been three times! It's the only restaurant I've ever seen in China that has Root Beer and Dr. Pepper. I think my 'usual' will probably turn out to be their taquitos, with salsa and sour cream! Oh, and their fried ice cream! Amazing! They give you your own little saucer of caramel sauce to pour over it!

Anyways, we went to Peter's to meet seven girls from another orphanage in Beijing. They're between the ages of 13 and 18. They come from the area up by the Russian border, which makes them a not very liked minority here in China. They were all a bunch of the most gorgeous girls I've ever seen! Green eyes, blue eyes, hazel eyes. One girl has scars all over her face, back and torso from when her mother tried to kill her at age five. Another girl was sold into prostitution at age twelve. They're now under the care of an amazing Chinese woman, are doing well in school, and pursuing vibrant futures. It made me think about how we define who we are. I'm so thankful that these girls now know WHOSE they are. We shared nachos, and chocolate, peanut butter, and butterscotch milkshakes and then headed out into the city for some SHOPPING! Our orphanage had decided to gift the girls with some money and then treat them to a day of shopping so they could pick out what they wanted for themselves. We made a stop by a new mall, Salona, and I felt like I had stepped right into Las Vegas! It had a Todai, LL Bean, Sephora, Cold Stone - very Aladdin-esque. I had a wonderful day and hope I get to see them all again soon.



On the way home, we ran by the grocery store to pick up a few things.









This, below, is bing. We have this at most meals at home and it's usually my 'safe' item. Pretty good!














It looks like I'll be having rice for dinner.

When we got home, I had these two cuties waiting for me. They had been at a Birthday party sleepover at a friend's house the night before, so had a lot to fill me in on.



Sunday was another full day in the city. We had our normal Sunday morning meeting - I'm really enjoying such an international fellowship. There's a bunch of folks from Liberia who attend, and one little boy named Ruby has sure taken a liking to me. Not sure what it is, but as soon as I walk in he's wanting 'up, up, up' into my arms. A family from Australia leads the music - their ten year old son really tears it up on the bass. We met some friends for lunch at a Korean restaurant so I had to be a bit more adventurous than Peter's let's me be.

That evening, I was sitting on my bed when Keith came over to the bakery and said he had some folks downstairs I might like to meet. There in my apartment stood about six or seven Americans! They're all around my age, are like-minded in their reasons for being in China, and teach English at a university across town. They're hoping they can come volunteer at our place from time to time, and we exchanged info so hopefully we can hang out, too. That was a fun surprise!

Today we had another full day of school. I can remember wanting to be a teacher when I was little, but when it came time for college I could never picture myself in a classroom setting as a career. I feel like what we have here is a perfect setting! This afternoon we had three girls from Wheaton Academy High School in Chicago due to arrive. One of them was met with some visa complications once she arrived here in Beijing, but thankfully she was finally let in. As a treat, we brought Burger King home from the airport for dinner (the only BK's in China are in airports). We had had Chinese chicken fingers for lunch today (the actual chicken foot, with toenails and all), so I had joked that I wanted chicken fingers from Burger King for dinner. My wish came true! I've never seen so many french fries - there were even too many for this girl to finish! It was quite a fun night around the dinner table - the Duggar family has nothing on us! The girls will be volunteering here until next Tuesday, so I look forward to getting to know them better.

Well, my big news for the week is that I'm leaving at six tomorrow morning to go on my first 'orphanage run'. From time to time, Keith will head to other orphanages in other parts of the country to deliver supplies and gifts. These are China-run orphanages, which I'm told are a tough environment to see. It's also on these trips that they come into contact with children and teens who have disabilities that we might be able to help with. Tomorrow we're headed to Zheng Zhou, which will be at least a nine hour drive. The van is loaded down with goods to deliver. There will be four of us adults going. Please think of us while we're on the road. Our group met a young boy at this particular place on a previous visit, and we're thinking we might end up bringing him back to our place with us when we return. I'm sure I'm about to see and experience some things I'll never forget.

I hope each of you have a wonderful week. I love you!

Osteogenesis Imperfecta

The most common condition you will find here at our home is Osteogenesis Imperfecta, or Brittle Bones Disease. Since coming to the foster home, these kids have been able to get the surgeries, physical therapy, and medications their bodies need. The twins, Rebekah and Rachelle, were even featured on a Discovery Channel documentary during one of their surgeries several years ago. They love the fact that they're TV stars! They have a copy of the program on DVD, and a few days ago we curled up on the couch and they showed it to me. They just sat and watched the surgery scenes like it was no big deal! Anyways, I found the program on YouTube (Yay, YouTube - you are so great!) and wanted to share it with you. The Wyses don't show up until the second video, but if you want to learn more about this condition I'd recommend watching them all.

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3



Part 4