SEASIDE ORPHANAGE
Gualala, California Where reborns are turned into therapy babies.

August 20, 2015
NEW ARRIVALS

adopted

COOKIE

Cookie is a very special therapy reborn. Because someone, un-named, painted her with the GHSPs her skin has the firmness as that of babies who have endured that process. Her mouth was messed up so our first job was to scrape off the burgundy color and lines to give her a more realistic tongue and lips. There is still a hint of sadness in her dark brown eyes because she could not please her previous parent but she is adjusting to the orphanage very well. Because she is bigger, (24 inches long)  and has a wig (she loves being a blonde!) she gets to wear real baby clothes and not just a sleeper. This means she should be adopted by someone who is younger, someone who enjoys shopping for baby clothes,( she wear 9 month size), and showing her off to friends. Her smile is gentle but genuine so she can lift hearts whenever someone looks at her. She loves being looked at and admired for all her special features. Still she only weighs 3 pounds, 13 ounces.

~*~

CRICKET CHING

Cricket is from the Ching family so she, too, enjoys jokes. She actually talked the bundle baby Robin out of his paci-elephant just so she could be a cricket that has an elephant in her portrait. When no one is looking she will bend her head down to suck on the pacifier nipple. It fits so easily in her mouth that she finds that a joke too and a reason for her big smile.  Her other joke is the name Cricket, a baby who gives, (are you ready for this?), butterfly kisses! With Cricket around the jokes abound! She seems to be just making jokes but her real purpose is to make those around her laugh. If her laugh does not bring a smile to your lips then you have only to discover her latest joke and you will joining her in joy and giggles.

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SAMANTHA

"SLEEPY SAM"

Sammy or 'Sleepy Sam' looks as if she is half asleep but that is her method of catching people off-guard so she can do what she wants. She wanted this doggy pacifier, even though I am against the therapy babies depending on a paci for their pleasure instead of the arms of a companion. I would put her in one place but as soon as my back was turned, she would have found some way to wiggle over to grab the dog. Still she knew I was not in favor of the pacifier, or the colors on the beanie baby dog, so she would bark to get my attention. Then she would smile her shy little smile. She knows that smile will grab my heart so I cannot deny her anything. She is a Berenguer baby, so her kit is older (she has incised hair) and her limbs are firmer. As you can see she is pose-able but what you cannot see is how interested she is in everything even when she seems not to be looking at anything but her own thoughts. She wants to be someone's love baby. That is why she picked the sleepers with hearts all over them. This girl wears her heart on her sleeve!

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adopted

CHARITY

Charity is the twin sister to Timid Timothy but she is cut from very different cloth. She is a challenge and will challenge anyone - even those bigger than she is - like me. She loves the photo of Tim with his thumb in his mouth and she wanted her portrait to be a like image of his. I would pull her thumb out of her mouth repeatedly, telling she had to be different until she finally challenged me. "See," she said, "I am just as cute as Tim!" It is not easy living with super-bright kids as any mother will tell you. Here is a baby that will keep you on your toes! She is not Tim but she is cute!

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adopted

RIEKE

Rieke has already made the trip from German here. She is from the Dietze family and I am delighted to have her. At times I misspell her name but she only finds me funny (and weird that I cannot spell in Japanese either). Since she is now going to Japan to be a model therapy reborn she is happier than ever. I gave her black hair so she will fit it and that makes her even more happy. When I laid her with the others who will make the trip with her, she reached out her hands to both sides to clasp the hand of the two beside her. I think she will make a good ambassador, she is already reaching out to others!

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DEE-DEE

Dee-Dee came to us as a very sweet child only interested in clothes. Her goal was to wear the prettiest jammies, and have her hair style to match. You haven't styled hair until you have attempted to make it look special with a sleeper! Then Dee-Dee came into contact with Charity and a new species of child was invented. Now she pours her energies into challenging the challenger. Everything Charity does Dee-Dee wants to do better. At the moment she is practicing sucking her thumb. At least it keeps her quiet and she has no teeth to push out of position. She also challenged Charity on her pick of sleepers so Dee-Dee's are covered with lipsticks, purses, diamond rings and even eye make-up. If any one adopts this pair they are in for a joy ride! Keeping these two out of the cosmetic drawers will take special locks. What Dee-Dee cannot get with her fingers, she uses her up-turned eyes to whittle the nearest person into giving her what she wants.

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adopted

FELIC

pronounced Fleas

You are not the first person to be surprised at the looks of this small one. She was a surprise to us too but she has quickly captured our hearts. I did not think she would fit into a onsie but she did and she seems very happy with it. What you cannot see is that she is wearing a diaper under it in chase of accidents. She is still a bit jumpy but is sublimating those feelings by climbing everywhere. Those little curled-up toes help her hold on to the smallest ledge or grab a bit of fabric and she swings off exploring places in the orphanage where no child has gone. I am letting her stay with us, partly because I love her joyful attitude, but also because babies are not loved by everyone.  Some good people can give love to Fleas easier than to  a baby. We are training Fleas to be a therapy baby with the hope that perhaps somewhere is there is some he-man who has the energy and discipline to keep track of her. If he can, she can give him companionship and happiness.

August 8, 2015
NEW ARRIVALS

adopted

JIM TIMM

Everyone calls him Jim-Tim but in my mind he is Lemme. That is the word he uses the most. Whenever there is something to do or get around the orphanage, even before he really knows what it is, he is begging, "Lemme,Lemme [let me]!"  Even when no words are being spoken Lemme is there helping. When he sits still [very rare] you can see he is posed to jump up to do something for someone or to go somewhere. Even when I have to tell him he is too little, he remains cheerful. Today he had picked out very cute sleepers but when I dressed him, we found they were too big. I could tell he was disappointed to have to wear these smaller ones but it never dimmed his smile.

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adopted

RIEKE

Rieke knows I am not her mommy but she is so looking forward to someone adopting her that she wanted everyone to know who she will love the most. She is such a sweet child, see that smile on her face! that I can imagine her real mommy will soon show up to claim her. Is that you?

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adopted

DIETER aka TWEETER

Dieter is our sports fan. Any time there is a ball in the room, nothing else exists for him. Even during his photo he wanted someone to throw a ball to him. He picked the jammies with the tiger, not because he likes animals, but some teams are called tigers. He wants to be on a team - to play with others. He needs someone who will sit all afternoon to watch a ball game, especially if they are called tigers. I offered to let him have his photo taken with one of the stuffed tigers but he turned his back to me saying only, "Ger, Ger." In a few days I am sure he will change that to tigers, tigers.

 August  6, 2015

NEW ARRIVALS

adopted

REGINA

Regina is the queen of the orphanage and she knows it without the slightest gesture. She is a big girl already weighing in at 5 pounds, 13 ounces and 24 inches long so when you pick her up you know you have a young child in your arms. Still she cuddles at once against your body making you feel she will never leave you.  She wraps her chubby little legs around your waist so you know she has taken over. She is not a wiggler. Some children you can hardly hang on to, but Regina is so well-behaved that as soon as you pick her up she is on her best behavior. She can only be a companion for a younger person who would delight in dressing her in baby clothes, showing her off to others and keeping her lovely wig as beautiful as it is.

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adopted

GLORIA

I try to not get attached to any child here because I know they have other homes and arms waiting for them. I broke my rule with Gloria. Just seeing her open smiling face made me let myself fall head over heels in love. All I wanted to do was to sit and hold her while glorying in her joy and deep sense of peace. No matter what else is happening around her, Gloria  is centered on one person and on that person only. She wants to please someone. Any one but just one! It is as if she is programmed to give. That is all that is in her (except for some poly-fill, handmade clay beads, and a beanie baby] packed in among the love.With all that she is till a very small baby weighing in at not quite three pounds and 18 inches long.

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CINDY

No one has tried as hard as Cindy has to become the best therapy baby possible. She came to us only with the name Sweet & Sassy, from the worst neighborhood on that side of town, and it was obvious she had,even at her young age, many painful memories. A friend visiting last night said she looked more like a Cindy and that made me wonder more of her conception. Now a little girl she is determined to become better than she has known. She has kept us busy getting her into brighter colored jammies, at first they were only gray, getting her hair fixed, and always trying something new like the hair ribbon.

Just yesterday she looked like this wearing a bib advertising the cuteness she did not have. 

July 29, 2015
NEW ARRIVALS

adopted

KAY DANCE

Kay is one of the smallest babies we have gotten at the orphanage. She is only 16 1/2 inches long and weighs 1 pound 14 ounces. She fits right in the curve of your elbow. Even though she is small she is very aware of her surroundings. She really wanted to grab the flower we were showing her during the photographing. She tried to reach out with her hands and even her little feet. Her eyes are the dark blue of newborns but may become browner as she grows older. She would  be a great companion for someone who has gotten smaller as she has gotten older. You know your Mom or your Aunt. Is this the baby for her?

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adopted

RAINE

Raine, or Renee as we call her, is such a bundle of energy. She never sits still but it always trying to do or get something. Her little mind is so active all her muscles get a real workout trying to keep up with her. She is 19 1/2 inches long and weighs in at 3 pounds 1 ounce - just perfect. I think she wants to be perfect in every thing she does, She knows she is cute and she uses that little bit of a smile to wiggle her way into your heart. She is very dependable. If you put her in one place, though she might wiggle, she will be there waiting on you when you need a snuggle. What a lovely companion she will be for someone who is suddenly overtaken by feelings of loneliness and even heart-pounding fear. Having Renee as your sweet friend will carry someone you love over the dark waters of days of getting older.

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NOLAN

Nolan is the younger brother to the Dolly Lama. He shares the same smile and gentle face of his more famous brother. His kit is very hard to find now that no more are being made. I cannot understand how any one can let his linage die out. The concern and sweetness these boys bring to the world should not be allowed to disappear. This makes Nolan even more precious to me. I do not know if I can let him be adopted. It will have to be a very special person who gets him.

July 22, 2015
NEW ARRIVALS

adopted

SUMMER CHING

Summer was born on such a beautiful summer day that her name celebrates the good weather she brings with her sunny, happy, nature. She is 22 inches long but still only weighs 3 pounds and 11 ounces. For a larger woman, such as I am, she is the perfect armload. She is light enough to carry around but she loves to tuck her feet into one's tummy as babies' do. Like all the Ching babies she can take a bottle or breast, which feels very good, or even a pacifier. She has no magnets; just the right-shaped laugh. Even if she is across the room from you, her smile reaches out to lift the corners of everyone's mouth.

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adopted

SADIE

Sadie came with the old fashioned eye sockets made for hand-blown glass eyes which therapy babies are not allowed to have (because they break). So we fitted her with modern acrylic ones and I thought I had created an implant to correct the socket. But when she got her head stuffed one eye loosened. We have tried to fix it but it remains just the wee bit off. So if you know someone who has had problems with one of their eyes, this is a baby that can relate! She still feels there is much joy in the world even with the eye problem. Who do you know that needs this lesson?

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adopted

TANYA

Really her name should be Princess. She knows she was royal for thousands of years and wants everyone else to know it too. She is so proud of her African heritage. Her skin is slightly darker than it shows up in these pictures. When you look at her head from the side you can see the shape comes from her ancestors. She is not fat but is chubbier than many of the kids in the orphanage so some try to tease her, but she is so calm and content that none of their taunts can touch her. Her heart is as big as her smile.

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adopted

JULIET

Juliet came to us already greatly developed. She even had her own clothes with her from her almost-mother. Thus she works not in sleepers, as the other therapy babies do, but in her own original baby clothes. It is sad that the situation at her home does not allow her to stay but she is a very determined person to make her way in the world. Since she has learned about therapy reborns she has decided that this is what she wants to do with her life. Helping others, especially those who feel alone or lonely, has become her mission in life. She is convinced that she can help someone out there who is looking for companionship. She wants to witness a fulfilled  life and needs your help to find the right person for her to cuddle up with.

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adopted

KAMEKO

Kameko had a sister who was with us but now has gone to New York as a certified therapy reborn. Now Kameko wants to follow her sister into a loving relationship as a therapy reborn. Kameko loves pink because, to her, it shines like love. She wanted to be posed in the baby swing because she still feels a bit different here at the orphanage, so she feels most comfortable gently swaying in the air, enclosed in her tiny space. She is a serious girl who needs someone to teach her to laugh more. I am sure someone will appreciate her tiny delicate body and delight in carrying her from room to room with them. Whether they are from Japan or just admire things Japanese, Kameko brings the wealth of a delightful group of islands with her. She is now in Tokyo, Japan.

July 12, 2015

NEW ARRIVALS

adopted

TIM   TIMMY  TIMOTHY

Meet Tim in his moment of success. He was just proving to me that babies with their thumbs in their mouths can look very sweet and one can still see the lips (which one cannot do with a paci). Tim is still a bit timid at the orphanage but he came out of his shell in this moment. To me it proves he is a very bright child who can already think through a situation. Maybe he can help you overcome your timidness in your new place? He understands being scared, but he knows how to go beyond fear and what one is feeling to be in a new and happier place.

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adopted

HONEY

Honey is the first of the twins. She is the bolder one and the one who insisted I use a new background on the photo shoot  for her and her sister. She was much more interested in winning the argument about backgrounds (I thought the colorful ducks would distract from her face - I lost) than the cute bib I found with her name on it. She is sweet even though she can be as hard to manage as honey on a muffin. In the end the sweetness overcomes everything! Those big blue eyes are always looking for something new to occupy her mind. She is a tall girl, even though she weighs the same as the other kids her size. She has lots to cuddle with as she wraps her long legs in your lap.

adopted

BUNNY

Bunny loves her name so much she insists on having rabbits everywhere. Honey picked out the blanket for the backdrop but Bunny was not pleased that they were ducks and not rabbits. She consented to pose only because she is such an obedient child even though she was miffed about the ducks. She does have bunnies on her sleeper which is the only reason she let me put it on her. The girl has a mind of her own but she understands that others may have other opinions so she bends her will to take that into consideration. Like her twin she is about an inch taller than the other kids but she also weighs the same so she is easy to carry around with you. If you like bunnies you will love Bunny and the new rabbits she will bring into your life.

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adopted

CHARLES "CHARLIE" CHING

Charlie is our flower child. Not in the sense of the sixties but as a little kid that loves flowers. What you cannot see on this photo are the flowers on his clothes. Flowers make him happy and keeps the smile on his face.  Being another child from the Ching family, that big smile lets you feed him or give him a pacifier or even let him suck on your finger. He also gives very big wet kisses. He is a happy child so that just holding him in your arms lets his joy and happiness flow into your heart. As a therapy reborn he comes already to share his love and delight in the world for someone who has lost their joy in being alive.