Meet my Kids: Kian

KIAN JOSHUA JERRECK, AGE 3

On March 6, 2006, in Venezuela City, Philippines, a baby boy was born. He entered the world 16 weeks early, weighing a mere 1 and 1/2 pounds. He fit in the palm of his mother's hand. He spent three months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, while doctors and nurses worked around the clock to keep him alive. The odds were stacked against him, but he was a fighter.


At three months old, little Jerreck was taken to the Heart of Mary Villa, where he was lovingly cared for by the staff and his special caregiver for the next 2 years. He struggled during this time with hearing loss, hypothyroidism, asthma, Tuberculosis, and various other issues related to his premature birth. But he had a happy disposition and was on the go constantly from the time he could crawl. Though he was smaller than the other babies his age, he was the first to climb out of his crib.

Back at home, we were a family of 5, and had no thoughts of expanding any further. We were sure that 3 girls were enough for us to handle and still hold on to our sanity. Just out of curiousity, however, I would sometimes look at the Waiting Child Photolisting on our adoption agency's website. I enjoyed reading the profiles of these special needs children and seeing when they were matched with a family. I smiled inside every time I saw "I Have A Family!" written across their photo. I should have known better.

One day I was scrolling through the photos and a little face peered out at me. He was sitting in a carrier and holding up a fist, as if to say, "I may be small, but I'm tough!" He was wearing hearing aids, and his big brown eyes seemed to look at me and say, "I belong to you."

The first thing I did was wonder if I had completely lost my mind. I was finding it hard with my health issues to be the kind of parent I wanted to be to the three kids I already had. Kelsea was going to be starting preschool soon and I was looking forward to finally having some free time. Bottles, diapers, and potty-training were behind me.....and that's where I wanted them to stay. I determined that I was definitely insane to even consider adopting again, and refused to look at the adoption website anymore. But his little face would not stay out of my mind.


From that moment on, Jerreck was our son, and nothing would stop us from bringing him home to us. And so in April, shortly after his 2nd birthday, we flew to the Philippines to meet our son in person. As we approached the orphanage, we saw his little face looking out the window, waiting for us. We couldn't believe how tiny he was, and we couldn't believe how much we loved him already.

After an exhausting and challenging LONG flight home with a sick 2 year old, Kian Joshua Jerreck met his sisters who had been waiting a long time to see if he was real. From the moment he arrived we couldn't imagine our lives without him. He may be little....but he has a big personality. His grin is contagious and he excels at charming everyone around him. He gets into more trouble than a barrel of monkeys, and early on put my child-proofing skills to the test. He can climb over anything, unlock anything, and take apart anything. But even on his most mischevious day, Kian works his way into your good graces with a kiss, a smile, a hug, or a song. His best friend is Bubba the monkey, and heaven help us when Bubba goes missing. Bubba rides the bus with Kian each day to preschool where Kian receives speech therapy. He is my first and only son, who I love with all my heart.

He's a bundle of energy.

He's a master of electronic devices.

He brightens up every space he's in.

He is a priceless treasure of God.