Christmas Magic

I think Emilia's most magical Christmas present this year was a tutu from Ms. Cheryl and Mr. Dave.  As soon as she'd put it on, she started twirling and hopping and generally finding herself to be a most scrumptious ballerina.

Thank you for such a sweet, girly gift, Ms. Cheryl and Mr. Dave.

December Happenings

December has been busy with a lot going on in our (extended) family. I didn't want to close out the year without sharing the happy news with everyone.

On December 5, our treasured Ms. Rie gave birth to a handsome baby boy, her first child.  Congrats to her and her husband.

On December 7, my mom retired.  She is unbelievably excited to enter this new phase of her life and has already filled up her 2013 calendar with a bunch of adventures, including a 5 week visit to us.  Can't wait.

On December 12, my sister got engaged.  My family is about to be more international as her husband-to-be is Iranian-born and has two children who are half Spanish.  Love it!

In early December, Rex's school updated a developmental assessment with him.  I have described it before here toward the end of the post.  This time around, Rex made a gain of 74 bricks in five months for a total of 191 mastered skills which is 13% of the total to be acquired by about age 7.  I am sure I don't need to say it, but we are so proud of our little guy who, if nothing else, is a hard and determined worker.

Rex during circle time at school on December 20

From Our Family To Yours

Wishing you joy, peace, and hope today and always.

Love,

The Martinis

Let Them Eat Cinnamon Rolls

Every family has Christmas traditions that are passed down from our parents, grandparents or generations even further back, but most of us also have something new that we started on our own.

Since the early years of our marriage, Craig and I have always enjoyed homemade cinnamon rolls on a Sunday in December.  I only make them once a year and they are melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  Last year with Emilia home just a few weeks, I did not have the time or energy to bake our holiday cinnamon rolls, so today was the first time we shared this tradition with our children.

I started the baking process around 9:00 am and we enjoyed a sweet brunch of warm cinnamon rolls around 11:30.  I made 32 rolls (16 regular and 16 cinnamon raisin), so I could give half of them to my friend Mary as a thank you for helping me out on Friday.

Yeast dough from two pounds of flour, risen and ready to go

Slathered with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon

Fresh out of the oven
The loaf on the right is dairy free for Emilia

Mary's batch

Iced and  almost all devoured in no time flat

I enjoyed baking for my family today and based on their finger-licking, lip-smacking, and ooh-aahing, I have no doubt that they relished in the fruits of my labor.  It doesn't get any better than that.

Therapists Holiday Gifts

Since Rex is now in preschool, this is my first holiday season as a mom having to consider presents for teachers.  Due to the size of Rex's program (13 families and 13 therapists at the moment), parents decided to pool our money for collective gifts.  We were definitely on a budget having only $13.46 available per therapist.  Our theme was "Spa in a Bag."  Since I love shopping for a good bargain, I volunteered to look for deals that would stretch our dollars as far as possible.  I shopped clearance, sales and promotions; I used free shipping and other coupon codes; and I searched ebay with these results:

12 Female Therapists:

Godiva Chocolate Biscuit Gift Pack: $5.30 each (regularly $8.50)

Bath & Body Works 8 oz Lotion: $4.57 each (regularly $11.00)

Loreal Nail Polish: 95 cents each (regularly ~ $4.00)

Avalon Organics Lip Balm: 88 cents each (regularly ~ $3.00)

Pair of Fuzzy Socks: $1.33 each (regularly ~$2.50)

Total : $13.00 ( value ~ $29.00)

1 Male Therapist

Godiva Chocolate Biscuit Gift Pack: $5.30

Panera Gift Card: $5.00

Total: $10.30 (sorry, Mr. Cameron, you got a little short-changed)

The remainder of the funds ($8.56) was spent on wrapping supplies.

Another mom did the wrapping, so here's a photo of what the therapists received today:

I think the gifts were a success as the board at school had a big thank you on it followed by a grateful email this evening.  I hope these ladies and gent know how much we appreciate what they do for our kids every day.

IAC 236 Results

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 236 which was held on November 13, 2012:

1) French dossier from August 2009 referred a male child aged 5 years and 2 months

2) Italian dossier from August 2009 referred a male child aged 4 years and 4 months

3) German dossier from October 2009 referred a male child aged 3 years and 3 months

4) German dossier from October 2009 referred a female child aged 3 years and 7 months

5) Spanish dossier from February 2010 referred a male child aged 8 years and 3 months

6) Italian dossier from June 2010 referred a male child aged 5 years and 6 months with features in health status

7) Spanish dossier from July 2010 referred a male child aged 8 years and 9 months

8) French dossier from July 2010 referred a female child aged 7 years

9) French dossier from August 2010 referred a male child aged 12 years and 10 months

10) French dossier from August 2010 referred a male child aged 7 years and 9 months

11) Spanish dossier from May 2012 referred a female child aged 12 years and 3 months

Emilia's 15 Minutes

Since Emilia is now more compliant with structured/guided work and activities and has been home a full year, this month I have begun an educational regimen with her on the days that we stay at home and have nothing or not much else on the agenda.  Under this plan, Emilia has up to four 15-minute sessions throughout the day where the focus is on skills and academics.  I have discovered that her attention span is roughly that amount of time, depending on how demanding the activity is, so it’s a good base line for how much I can expect from her at the moment.  I try to keep these sessions very flexible and offer a wide variety of activities.  For example, watching a Baby Einstein video counts if she sticks with it for at least 15 minutes.  I am keeping notes for myself, so here’s what I recorded from our first two weeks:

December 6, 2012

1) Dotted with bingo daubers, independent scribble with pen and sharpie, hand over hand lines and circles as well as write name.  Discovered she knows the verbal command “knock” – practiced knocking on table top.  Looked at animal magnet book – she chose which animals to take out and I told her about the animal.  Compliant and interested.

2) Baby Einstein World Animals on TV.  Periodically focused throughout 30 minutes.

3) Read two Christmas books, practiced sign for book, counted things in the books, sang The Itsy Bitsy Spider.  Unfocused. 10 mins only as it was right before nap.

4) Transferred ten stickers onto paper all hand over hand, played with play dough all hand over hand – she was resistant to everything and cried almost the entire 15 minutes.

December 7, 2012

1) Water play: practiced washing hands and pouring from various vessels (with assistance).  Explored colored shaving cream.  Interested and compliant.

2) Read Does A Kangeroo Have a Mother Too – practiced pointing to things on the pages, practiced counting, signed book hand over hand, practiced turning pages – medium level of interest and participation.

3) Sensory play with popped popcorn.  Transferred uncooked penne pasta from table into a cup to practice pincer grasp (needed some assistance).  Large inset puzzle (pieces out independent, pieces in with assistance).  Largely compliant.

4) The Nutcracker on youtube (BBC production) – watched with intense interest beyond 15 minutes.  Climbed up onto TV stand and touched the screen as the performance unfolded.  Smiled, babbled, and laughed at the TV.

December 8, 2012

1) Drew with pens, practiced vertical lines, she attempted.  Looked at human face picture and pointed to parts.  Looked at family pictures and pointed to people.  Magnetic animal book – took out pieces and made animal sounds.  Moderate interest throughout.

December 12, 2012

1) Baby Einstein Let’s Look Book – talked about each page and had her point. She now extends her index finger at the command “point.”  Practiced sign for book.  Turned pages with hands and feet.  Played music on the toy xylophone/piano, using fingers and toes.  Signed music.  I named the colors of the keys for her. – Good interest.

2)  Music Time: Sang Hickory Dickory Dock – she signed music independently between every verse.  Sang Five Little Monkeys – she signed music.  Introduced sign for please.  She was babbling quite a bit throughout.

3) Super Simple Songs on Youtube – total focus and attention for upward of 40 minutes

December 13, 2012

1) Transferred ten stickers to paper hand over hand, but she was able to pull them off the paper unassisted.  Colored with crayons, minimal assistance with vertical lines.  Looked at Let’s Discover Colors book.  Compliant and interested throughout.

2) Shape sorter – hand over hand except for 2-3 independent.  She can lift the lid off the shape sorter and put it back on without help.  She can put pieces into shape sorter without the lid on with ease.  She held the shape sorter and jumped to make the pieces clank around.  Giant legos – built hand over hand.  Compliant and curious.

3)  Baby Einstein Numbers Nursery on Youtube – stood in front of TV watching mesmerized and giggling for the entire 28 minutes.  Does she love numbers like her daddy?

December 14, 2012

1) Played with vehicles (firetruck, school bus, dump truck).  Stacked legos on top of bus, sang The Wheels on the Bus, practiced rolling vehicles back and forth.  Practiced ripping paper – I know I will regret this.  Somewhat disinterested and reluctant.

2) Played with Mr. Potato Head – pointed to and named parts of his face and my face.  Then let Emilia study her own face in a mirror and point to parts.  She made facial movements and various sounds and watched herself.  She was extremely interested, animated and happy and lasted with this activity for 20 minutes.

Emilia's last day of preschool was yesterday.  We gave it four solid months to see if this environment would have a positive impact on Emilia's development.  We did not notice any worthwhile improvements and, instead, grew increasingly frustrated with the staff over basic issues like feeding, clothing, napping, and diapering, so we decided to remove Emilia from the school.  Starting in January, Emilia will attend individual weekly toddler programs in the community, but more about that in another post.

IAC 235 Results

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 235 which was held on November 9, 2012:

1) Spanish dossier from October 2009 referred a female child aged 5 years and 8 months

2) French dossier from November 2009 referred a male child aged 6 years and 3 months

3) French dossier from August 2010 referred a waiting child (#1792) with a profile on the MOJ site

4) Spanish dossier from October 2010 referred a female child aged 10 years and 5 months

5) French dossier from May 2012 referred a waiting child (#1873) with a profile on the MOJ site

6) Italian dossier from September 2012 referred a female child aged 11 years and 3 months

7) Italian dossier from September 2012 referred three waiting children (# 1779 & #1780 & #1781) with profiles on the MOJ site

8) US dossier from October 2012 referred a sister and brother aged 10 years and 4 months & 8 years and 3 months

9) US dossier from October 2012 referred a waiting child (#1228) with a profile on the MOJ site

10) US dossier from October 2012 referred a waiting child (#593) with a profile on the MOJ site

11) US dossier from October 2012 referred two waiting children (#1648 & #1649) with profiles on the MOJ site

12) Italian dossier from November 2012 referred a waiting child (#1833) with a profile on the MOJ site

13) US dossier from November 2012 referred a waiting child (#1548) with a profile on the MOJ site

14) US dossier from November 2012 referred a waiting child (#1754) with a profile on the MOJ site

15) US dossier from November 2012 referred two waiting children (#1644 & #1645) with profiles on the MOJ site

* It appears that the IAC did not meet to issue referrals for about one month between October 11 and November 8, 2012.

More Christmassing

In light of the nation's mourning an unimaginable tragedy, it seems frivolous to write about the holiday joy we have been experiencing as a family.  On the other hand, these blessings are the means by which we make every day count as best as we can because, as we were so violently reminded, life is precious.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this holiday season.  I didn't know how much the kids would be able to handle and what they would enjoy.  It has come as a tremendous surprise how we have been able to celebrate throughout this month thus far and how much our children have liked making these memories.

On Friday night we went to the Festival of Lights at our local zoo.  It was just beautiful in unusually mild December weather.  Rex and Emilia lasted about an hour and a half and had such a great time.  Rex loved the carousel ride and the lights and music everywhere mesmerized both of our kiddos.  They were so good for the entire outing, we think this event might become a family Christmas tradition.  While we were walking through the festival, we told the kids that many years ago Mama and Daddy had had their first date there and that, therefore, the place was quite intertwined with our little family's history.

The four of us at Gingerbread Village

Emilia at the helm of our new wagon,
a Black Friday bargain

Rex lying back to enjoy the lights above him

My loves

We also had the pleasure of spending part of this weekend with our cousins and their boys.  We met up at our place and then headed to the local library for some gingerbread house decorating.  Rex and Emilia did a nice job with some parental assistance.

Putting on Fruit Loops shingles all by himself

Adding to the roof design

Afterward, we all returned to our home and enjoyed a Chinese carry-out feast followed by hot chocolate, pie, and cookies as well as presents.  Rex has been practicing opening presents at school and signing "thank you" and he did well with both.  It's amazing how he can learn and later apply skills if we introduce him to concepts first in a more controlled, non-traditional setting.

There's one more week until Christmas Eve and I, for one, know that I will be hugging my kids a little tighter as we wait for Santa after what happened in Newtown on Friday.  Parenting these little ones can sometimes be such a challenge, but they are alive and healthy and full of joy and for that I am grateful.

Sisters-In-Waiting - Update Added

Since this is the time of year for miracles, I thought I would introduce you to two beautiful sisters who wait for their forever family in Emilia's birth country.

"Emily" was born in April of 1996 and "Clara" was born in February of 1999. Both are healthy and are on target developmentally. Emily enjoys participating in theater and fine arts classes in school. She is interested in continuing her education with a focus in mathematics or catering. Clara is artistic, social and a leader. She stutters when she speaks, especially when she is nervous. She is currently working with a speech therapist. Emily and Clara have a very good relationship. Additional medical/educational reports are available upon request via info@hopscotchadoptions.org.

Not sure why this is coming in so small,
but aren't they lovely?

If anyone is interested in learning more about these girls, I can also put you in touch with parents who met them in October while visiting the teen they are adopting.  Emily is best friends with their daughter-to-be and Clara shares a room with her.  They really enjoyed meeting the girls and are hoping that a family will come for them, too.

Please spread the word about these sisters who are waiting for someone to make them cherished daughters.

*The family who met Emily and Clara wanted me to add that both girls are sweet, lovable, and affectionate though Clara is quieter and shyer than her older sister.  Emily enjoys fixing her friends' hair and does a very good job at it.  She also made matching bracelets and key chains as presents for the family who was there to meet their daughter-to-be.  The sisters did express a desire to be adopted and are waiting for parents to find them.

Holiday Happenings

It's beginning to look and smell and taste and sound and feel a lot like Christmas, so here's a little sampling of the happenings.

Last weekend lots of baking ingredients appeared at our kitchen and were turned into pistachio cherry as well as hazelnut mocha cookies. They were wrapped into ten packages for round one of our holiday mailings.

We also attended the Christmas party at our local children's hospital.  Last year, Rex was fascinated with the band, but this year, he was all about the circus performers.

Emilia on the other hand was super interested in the band and even got a private little concert from a really nice musician.  Throughout the party, she was very appropriate with strangers.  One woman at the party remembered Emilia from 2011.  She talked to me for a while and said, "Last year she was sitting in the corner so afraid and just look at her now."  Emilia was like a butterfly in the room, putting her spell on everyone.  I can kind of see why she doesn't feel the need to speak when she has this effect on people without words.

Last year, we could not get Rex anywhere near Santa, but this time around he was willing to sit with his daddy and meet the guy.  He even gave him a high five though the look on his face is very familiar to us and says:  'From a tactile perspective, I am not at all sure I want to do this, but I am going to overcome my fear and go for it.'  We're so proud of you, son.

Of course, there's always more baking during Advent, so I made 85 sugar cookies and an apple sauce pie.  Some of the cookies went to Rex's teachers, but most, along with the pie, were for our family Christmas party.  I am totally crazy about this applesauce pie which was a new recipe I tried.  I am going to make more this week.

We rented this pretty local venue for our family Christmas.

I didn't realize they would have such festive decorations up inside.  A great, unexpected bonus.

 All five cousins in one photo... a very tough shot to get.

This picture is so sweet to me.  Cousin Colton is playing with his new toy and Emilia is watching attentively.

I hope everyone else had as much fun as we did at our little gathering.

That's all for now.  Can't wait to see what the next two weeks have in store for us in terms of Christmas excitement.

Picture of the Day

Rex is a lover of all things bread, so yesterday he had a piece of bread with a spread for lunch and then asked for a dry piece of bread for dessert after dinner.  Before bed, I cleaned up the kitchen and discovered  Rex's leftovers in two different locations.  Upon a closer look, they made me laugh out loud:

What's New With Rex?

I can't believe it's been over a month since I wrote anything about Rex's developmental progress.  Time is just flying by and it seems that he is learning something new each day.

At school, there has been a lot of focus on verbal imitation which has resulted in Rex now being able to purposefully repeat a few words.  He says cracker (gra-gah), purple (puh-puhl), yellow (well-woe) after being prompted.  I remember when Rex learned to sign, it took a long time before he used his signs spontaneously, so we are being very patient as he works on his speech which is definitely more difficult for him due to being cleft-affected.  Rex is much more willing to speak at school than at home, so I plan to sit in on one of his speech therapy sessions this month to see what's being done there and how I can apply it at home.

Kicking back

Rex is also doing a great job with matching objects and has mastered six.  Once he can do ten, the skill is completed.  He has become a big fan of the weekly swims at school and gets visibly excited when it's time to change into his swim trunks.  He can now throw a ball into a box from one foot away, so the distance has been increased to two feet.  He has also mastered supporting himself for at least five seconds on both hands while prone over a therapy ball or while wheelbarrow walking as well as propelling himself forward with his hands while lying down on a scooter board.  Rex still struggles with pointing to his own body parts and certain gross motor imitations, but he does a great job labeling objects and photos of people when presented in a field of three and being asked to "touch [insert item here]."

Rex's therapists are in process of updating a developmental test (the one I have previously described as being columns made up of bricks where each column represents an area of learning and each brick represents a skill).  I happened to get a glimpse of the first column in Rex's data folder the other day and saw that Rex has gained about ten new bricks in it.  Go Rex!  I just can't wait to see the completed update to find out what progress Rex has made since late June.  His note yesterday said that we would love all of the new boxes which are getting colored in.

Showing sister how it's done

At home, Rex has been giving us some trouble with eating as he is definitely going through what I hope is a picky phase.  There are not many foods left that he accepts (sandwiches and toast but with less variety toppings, avocado and banana, yogurt, pizza, pancakes, some crackers, almonds, cashews, icecream, and some cookies) and he usually does not eat when we first offer a meal or snack.  We suspect this is a typical toddler behavior trying to control an aspect of his life that he feels is in his hands, so after attempting a few other strategies, we decided  to downplay the entire issue rather than let it escalate to a power struggle.  We usually offer Rex two options that we know he likes or has liked in the past and if he refuses them, we do not force it.  We simply allow him to walk away from the food.  Sometimes he comes back for it later, sometimes he doesn't.  I am sure he has gone to bed hungry on a few nights, but that's okay.  He does not fuss and keeps himself very well hydrated which is most important.  And at school, he always polishes off at least 90% of what's in his lunch box, so I know he has some healthy calories in his system every day.

Speaking of going to bed hungry, Rex is definitely stretching in height and losing some of that buddha belly.  He looks quite a bit trimmer and more muscular to us and he is almost tall enough that his entire head is above the bathroom counter.  A couple of pairs of pants are too short now, too, even though they fit at the start of fall and he is in a bigger size shoe.  And his legs are getting hairy which, based on tales of other parents of little Armenian guys, is not an uncommon aspect of their Armenian heritage.  I think Rex must somehow feel that he is growing because sometimes it seems like he is ready to burst out of his own skin as he lets out primeval grunts and tries to lift heavy stuff.  Very hulk-like.

Rex with his wonderful therapist, Ms. Cassie,
who has, unfortunately, transferred to a different location now,
but helped Rex have a successful first quarter at preschool.
Both Ms. Cassie and Rex were very sad to say good-bye.

In general, Rex seems to be in a period of growth.  Change is good but can also be hard, so I think this is why we are seeing a few of his less desirable behaviors resurface.  It's not often and definitely not what it used to be, but every once in a while he has a moment.  We understand and we support him through it.  We know that after every storm, Rex will shower us with his sparkling laughter, great curiosity, and boundless joy again.

Our Second St. Nick's Day

Today we celebrated a tradition from my childhood in Germany, Nikolaus (St. Nick's Day), for the second time as a family.  The children put their shoes on the window sill in the evening of December 5th and a very practical Nikolaus "filled" them with gifts overnight.  Each child received a new set of Christmas pajamas and a new pair of shoes.

 Here's Rex cautiously checking out the unusual window sill display in the morning:

And then taking a closer look:

Emilia who got up much later immediately seized upon her new shoes:

And inspected them thoroughly:

Before she asked me to put them on her feet.  She walked around the house with those new shoes on for a few hours before the novelty wore off.

I know right now my kids do not really understand what this tradition is all about, but I hope someday they will be as excited as I used to be on December 5th, cleaning my shoes and getting them onto the window sill so that I could find them full of treats the next morning.

Medicals From Eastern Europe

My friend Stephanie recently posted an entry to her blog that discusses the issue of adoptive children's medical reports from their birth countries.  I want to thank her for that information and add our own experience with the matter.

When we reviewed the medical file for Rex, the two main conditions mentioned in it were congenital cleft lip and palate and moderately-severe hearing loss.  Otherwise, he was born a very healthy baby, around 50th percentile by US standards for height and weight with an APGAR score of 8-9.  He had feeding trouble for the first few months of his life and lost a lot of weight, but once cleft nursers were provided for him, he started to grow.  Rex's report also mentioned that he had significant developmental delays, especially after his cleft lip was repaired in Armenia.  Any and all of these delays could, theoretically, be explained by his hearing loss, CL/CP, and institutional life.

We did have Rex's file, along with many videos and photos, reviewed by a reputable IA doctor who is also an adoptive mom of three.  She was very concerned about his development.  Rex was more delayed than what she typically sees out of EE, but Rex was the first Armenian child she had ever evaluated.  She suspected that he had suffered brain damage under anesthesia and told us that in a worst case scenario he would be the proverbial vegetable, never walking, crawling, sitting unassisted or interacting with his environment.  We decided to bring him home anyway.

Now fast forward about a year and a half from that referral review and Rex was our son.  He had learned to walk, crawl, sit and stand unassisted, but his developmental delays were still significant.  He was evaluated by a variety of specialists and finally a genetics test revealed that he has a rare partial chromosomal duplication with an outcome that can not be predicted at this time with 100% certainty.  However, many people who do have this syndrome suffer from some or all of the conditions the IA doctor foresaw for Rex.  The doctor actually apologized to us for not recognizing a syndrome, but in essence, she did because what she described to us without calling it a syndrome, suspecting brain damage instead, is the nature of the condition Rex has.  Unlike many other children who share Rex's genetic anomaly, Rex has gained physical mobility and is, at least to a certain extent, communicative and interactive though it is a struggle for him.  The IA doctor was right in her own way, despite the fact that Rex has beaten some odds.

All that said, Rex's medical was completely correct in terms of all vaccinations he had received as well as his testing for infectious diseases.  It was totally wrong in diagnosing him with hearing loss.

When we received Emilia's referral, the medical was scary, especially in terms of her physical health.  We were open to heart defects, but here we had been matched with a little girl that was extremely small and had several red flags in her report.  We used the same IA doctor for evaluation and she shared our concerns.  She asked for additional information and videos which we received and which clearly dispelled some of what was in Emilia's medical.  It is very difficult to understand how and why some of the statements in her report ended up there. We again decided to take a chance.

Upon homecoming, Emilia underwent a thorough check-up which showed that she was malnourished and severely anemic.  She is a carrier for a congenital blood disorder and significantly developmentally delayed.  Later we discovered that she has a food allergy along with the feeding problems we'd already been combating.  None of this was in her report.  On the other hand, her heart defect was properly diagnosed, she was 100% on target with her vaccinations as stated and the testing for infectious diseases was completely correct as well.  From Emilia's medical, we could not have foreseen that she would still be largely non-verbal after a year home.

So what's the point of the long-winded post?  I suppose it is simply to say that medicals can be anything from accurate to dead wrong to both.  The thing is you cannot know for sure until your child comes home, has somewhat adjusted and been evaluated by medical professionals.  Plus, the medical report is most likely not going to address questions such as trauma, a child's true personality, a child's level of resilience or controlling/manipulative behaviors, RAD, etc.  You may find a few sentences here and there skirting those subjects, but, for example, we could never have anticipated Rex's capacity for joy and Emilia's incredibly loving nature based on their medicals.  We also had no warning about Rex's self-injurious tendencies or Emilia's deep and persistent need to feel protected.  You can prepare like crazy and tap into all possible resources to make sure you have the right child joining your family, as we did, but you can never be ready for all surprises, obstacles, and challenges that lie ahead.

Adoption is a leap of faith.  If you cannot leap - emotionally, mentally, spiritually -, this path might not be for you.

IAC 234 Results

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 234 which was held on October 10, 2012:

1) US dossier from August 2009 referred a male child aged 2 years and 3 months

2) German dossier from August 2009 referred a male child aged 8 years and 8 months

3) French dossier from October 2009 referred a female child aged 5 years and 8 months

4) Italian dossier from October 2009 referred a male child aged 5 years and 3 months

5) French dossier from October 2009 referred a male child aged 6 years and 3 months

6) Spanish dossier from October 2009 referred a male child aged 2 years and 2 months

7) French dossier from October 2009 referred a female child aged 7 years and 3 months

8) Spanish dossier from November 2009 referred a male child aged 7 years and 4 months

9) French dossier from December 2009 referred a brother and sister aged 5 years and 1 month & 6 years and 5 months

10) Italian dossier from May 2010 referred sisters aged 4 years and 10 months & 6 years and 8 months

11) Italian dossier from July 2011 referred a female child aged 9 years and 7 months

12) Swedish dossier from November 2011 referred a waiting child (#1528) with a profile on the MOJ site

13) Italian dossier from July 2012 referred a male child aged 11 years and 6 months with features in health status

14) US dossier from September 2012 referred a waiting child (#1750) with a profile on the MOJ site

15) US dossier from October 2012 referred a waiting child (#1716) with a profile on the MOJ site

16) US dossier from October 2012 referred a waiting child (#1631) with a profile on the MOJ site