I am so bad about updating our blog.  Things are a little busy around here.  We are trying to sell our house and have had about 40 showings since Jan.  The Lord has a plan!
Ela is about to begin a 2 week casting on her foot, this will prepare her for her next surgery on April 21st.  She will need to be off of her foot for about 6 weeks post op.
We are still waiting on our immigration form to come back!!   Ethiopia has slowed down quite a bit.
My heart is all over the place!!  Should we adopt from China while we wait? :)

We are also longing for some Spring here!
Praying for all you friends that are waiting for adoptions to be completed!

" Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ  from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." 1Pet. 1:3-5

Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati

Here is some info on adopting children with down syndrome domestically.

Adoptive Families Alert!

It seems that for years, we have been talking about, and working on, updating our registry and activating a database

that would make our adoption program more efficient and effective as we seek homes for children with Down

syndrome. One of the most critical pieces of getting this accomplished has been connecting with registered families.

For the close to thirty years our adoption program has existed, potential adoptive families have been contacting me,

expressing their desire to bring an infant or child with Down syndrome into their family. I take their contact information

and mail them a registration form. In 1982, I mailed less then a dozen forms. In 2011, I often mail that many in a week.

Those registration forms, once they are returned, go on file. The problem is that the families that send in those forms,

change and grow, alter their plans, have children placed with them through other sources, and sometimes, just lose

interest.

In 2011, we are literally “cleaning the closet!” With the valuable assistance of Stephanie Thompson, we are working

on updating our list of active families, and putting in place a system to insure that families will be able to keep their

information current and accurate. With the database in place, we should be able to identify adoptive families within

minutes of being informed that there is a child in need of a family.

If you are currently registered and wish to remain on our list, even if none of your information needs to be changed

in our database, please respond to requests for updates that will be sent to you semi-annually. If information needs

to be changed (you move to a new address, you adopt or give birth to a child, you decide you would like to adopt

a teenager instead of a toddler, etc.) at any time between “updates” just let me know by reaching me at rsteele@

zoomtown.com or on my cell at 513-213-9615. By doing that, you can virtually be assured that I will contact you about

a child with Down syndrome who needs YOUR family to call their own!

PS. Our DS Press Column will continue to feature children with DS who are in state custody and need families.

But we would also like to do feature stories on families who have adopted through our program. I hear those

stories all the time, and now I want to share them! Please send me the story of your adoption journey and allow me

to share it (along with photos) in our newsletter. Send stories to rsteele@zoomtown.com. Thanks!!

Lisa Steele

Business Manager/DSPress Editor

Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati

644 Linn Street, Suite 1128

Cincinnati, OH 45203

513.761.5400 Ext. 13

www.dsagc.com