We have BIG news!
We are adopting Penny and June.
We are beyond excited. As part of our adoption process, we have started a crowdfunding campaign. It may surprise you to hear that adoption related costs can be very costly. This is why we have set a goal of $5,000 to help ease the financial burden that often overwhelms adoptive parents.
Our story!
We are the Whites. Mom - Daphne, Dad - Steven, and two sisters Diana and AJ.
Penny and June are our niece and nephew. They came to live with us in January 2017. These two little ones had already been through so much in their short two and a half and 3 and a half years.
When we got them, Penny was two and a half years old and only weighed 19 pounds. She was only showing as 2% for height and weight.
June was three and a half years old and weighed in at 24 pounds and was less than 2% for height and weight.
These two children were not only small but were showing severe signs of abuse and neglect.
Neither of them knew how to talk. They weren't potty trained. They didn't know how to feed or dress themselves. And they would jump at the least little movement or sound. They were so scared of being alone that if you left their sight to even use the restroom, they would scream until they started to vomit. The night terrors that haunted these children were worse than demons. Penny's terrors were so bad that she would wake the entire house. This went on for about six months. They began seeing a play therapist to help with their PTSD symptoms.
We also found that they were sneaking food and hoarding it in their bedrooms. Sometimes we would catch them eating food behind the furniture. We had to reassure them that they would always have access to food. They would never be truly hungry ever again. It took about a month for their bodies to accept the wholesome food without making them sick. It took several months of reassuring before they relaxed and no longer stole food for later.
You could not close their bedroom door. Ever! They would scream and cry. We found out that they had been locked in their shared room from 4 or 5 in the afternoon until the next day. When we got to see the room they had been in, it broke our heart and enraged us at the same time. The room was just big enough for a twin bed and a single dresser. There was a blackout curtain stapled over the only small window in the room. There was a black light bulb in the ceiling light. And the walls were a dark wood panel. There was also a hook lock on the outside of the door. Later we found out that the extended dark confines of that small room had caused both of the children to have eyesight problems including a depth perception problem.
As they began to talk they had difficulties with speech. They started seeing speech therapists in order to be understood. We also worked them at home.
Their biological parents signed custody over to us with the encouragement of our local family and children services April 2017.
After not having contact with the biological parents for over a year, we filed to terminate their parental rights. Several months after filing we had our day in court. To our surprise they showed up. Even though they appeared in court, they were unable to prove to the judge they were able to care for the children. The judge found in our favor and terminated their rights.
Now, almost two years after receiving our tiny tots, we get to adopt.
Penny and June have made great strides and progress during these past two years.
They both started school last year. Penny completed headstart and June completed pre-k. This year Penny is in Pre-k and June is in Kindergarten. As they have developmental delays, we plan to repeat this year for both children. Penny will repeat pre-k and June kindergarten. We hope this will help both children to catch up or close the gap with their peers.
Both children have expanded their vocabulary. They are still working on speaking clearly, but even strangers can understand them now. They are both completely potty trained. They can dress themselves and feed themselves. The night terrors are almost completely gone.
It warmed our hearts when they began calling us mom and dad. It also elated us to hear them say "I love you." They never said that when we got them. If you said it to them, in the beginning, they would just smile. It took many months for them to reciprocate the words. Now, they openly give affection, verbal and physical.
To know these two children is to love them.
We would like to thank you for any contribution you make towards making these two sweeties a permanent part of our family. No contribution is too small. Every dollar helps.
