Oh my goodness gracious.
I just have to brag on our dearest little miracle girl. There truly are no words to express how proud we are of Hailee. She tries so hard to learn new things each and every day. I cry just thinking about how far she has come in such a short time-how her life has completely turned around in just nine months.
When I met Hailee last April she could not sit up for long periods of time. She couldn’t crawl. She couldn’t even put pressure on her very weak legs. All she wanted to do was lie flat on her back. She was like a floppy ragdoll-a five year old who weighed fifteen pounds and could do absolutely nothing for herself. She was drugged and miserable. Lifeless. Every single person in her orphanage thought we were completely insane for choosing to adopt this child. Ha!
That was then.
But this is now.
Just look at her now….our beautiful, teeny, tiny little walking miracle.
Go, Hailee, go! from Adeye Salem on Vimeo.
Isn’t she just too adorable for words?
The therapists who work with Hailee are amazed at her determination. Never did they imagine that she would be taking steps on her own after just a few months of therapy. Honestly, they thought that it may even take several years for Hailee to learn to walk.
How wrong they were! She has astounded them. Against all odds-she is walking independently. I think that by her sixth birthday in May, this lovie is going to be running around.
I can learn a thing or two about courage and tenacity from my daughter. Never give up. Never give up.
Never give up…no matter what life throws your way!
There is hope for every child!
To God be the glory…GREAT things He has done.
Oh Adeye…what amazing things she is doing :)! Yes, go, Hailee, go! is right. She’s making such huge strides. Feeling so grateful and thankful that she has the opportunity to make her mark on the world. Goodness abounds…
So amazing! Go Hailee Go!!!!
Go Hailee Go!!! So amazing!!
The tears are just streaming down my face. How absolutely beautiful!!! She’s blossoming under the love of her God and her family.
ADEYE!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!! I am amazed! What a lot of determination in that tiny little body! She is a testament to God’s power to redeem what seems to have been lost! Love that little girl!
Yay Hailee! That’s amazing.
It’s hard to imagine her only being fifteen pounds at that age. My 5 month old baby is 18 lbs. What a miracle girl little Hailee is!
I never dreamed she would come so far so fast!!! Thank you, thank you for sharing your precious family with everyone. Your little ones make me smile, laugh and cry happy tears! What a blessing they are to SO many!
Mary Wusterbarth
Praising God for this miracle of Hailee. He is just so good and His goodness shows everytime I come to your blog and witness his perfection in your children.
On another note, after an off day yesterday for us and a thoughtless person at therapy I NEEDED to read this!
Thanks for sharing!
my heart sings watching this video. our God is SOO big!
You go, sweet girl! And I even see a little knee bending in there, too! Adeye…you better get those running shoes on!
LOVE!!!!!!!!!!! I went back & forth between laughing & crying…just so wonderful! Yay, Hailee!!
That is amazing! I am so glad you shard the video. What a miracle!
WOW!!!! PRAISE GOD!!!!
Love it!!!!
XOXO JIll
PTL!!! A God given miracle.
be blessed
ashlee
What pure joy that was to watch! I have tears in my eyes. Good job Hailee!! xoxo
Amazing! She is so precious!
One fine day, when you are chasing her around the yard, you are going think back on the time when she was content to just sit:)
Those first steps are priceless!
Lisa
Yay Hailee!!!!
What an absolute joy to see her with purpose and determination. Thank you, Jesus!
That is absolutely AWESOME!!!!!
Thank you so much for sharing this sweet video, Adeye.
Good job Hailee-you show ‘em how good you are at defying pre-conceived notions and “statistics”.
Sending love your way, all the way from Connecticut & praying that your development grows & grows.
~Diane~
I so enjoy seeing/reading stories of children who are able to go beyond expectations. Good for your girl! We were told that my son was mentally-handicapped(sp?) and would not be able to attend regular school. Fast forward 15 years, he is a junior in high school, mainstreamed in regular classes. God is indeed good!
Wow! What a wonderful sight! Hailee is truly a miracle girl!!!
Love it when she puts her little hands out to the side, she looks like a little penguin waddling. So cute!!!
Let the games begin!!! She is going to be running in the Special Olympics before you know it!!! Either that, or running after her big brothers and sisters AND catching them!!!
Loved the video-especially hearing your sweet laughter! One happy Mama!
Cheering in MN!!
She is beyond adorable! I love her determination!!
OH MY WORD. OH MY WORD!!!!!
Are you kidding me? This is the SAME girly who nobody but YOU and Jesus cared a lick about less than a year ago??!!!
Mercy. God is so good. I am in awe of how He cares about the least of these.
I simply can’t wait to see what God has in store for His little miracle girl.
Go God!
Beautiful! Thank you.
Thank you so so much.
Go Hailey!!! That is truly an amazing site to witness! Thanks for sharing
Go Hailey!!! That is truly an amazing site to witness! Thanks so much for sharing
Adeye,
Keep posting and inspiring others with your faith, love, and hope.
WOW! I’m so amazed every day at what progress your children make. Your blog is way better than all the shows on TV! Hmmm…too bad you can’t replace those awful reality shows with stories like yours.
Denise
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO Go Hailee!!! SO SO awesome!
Adeye, This is my very first time to write to you, first to say that your blog has been a joy and a blessing to me for several months and also to let you know that I’m celebrating with you as Hailee begins to walk! Thank you for taking the time to share your life and your family with us and also for being a voice for the many children in our world who need families. I am the grandmother of a little girl from China who will turn three this coming weekend. There are no words to describe how much she means to us or how she has blessed all of our lives in just over a year. We also have a disabled grandson, from whom we’ve learned so many things about God’s plans for our lives and how how he uses the weak things of this eart to teach us and increase our faith. I’d like to share something with you that has been on my mind and in my heart since you posted Hailee’s last video. I didn’t get to see it, as I don’t read every day, but I did read your response to those who had been critical of her in some way. That night I opened up my scriptures, where I had been reading in Matthew, and I found these verses: Matthew 5: 38 - 48. What a great comfort to know that the Lord has given us specific instructions for those times when we must deal with “the unjust”. Since then I have been praying to remember those verses and to apply them in my life. So, just in case … just in case someone responds negatively again to Hailee’s valiant efforts to walk and grow and develop, let God’s word bring peace to your heart. He is with you and Hailee in this. He loves his “little ones” so much. Again, thank you for your wonderful blog! You are an amazing young woman, a light in the world, and someone who is truly making a difference.
AMAZING SHE IS , I’m so proud of you Hailee. Karen
Amazing! You beautiful little girl, GO HAILEE!
Praise God! What a miracle she is! I am overwhelmed with God’s mercy and grace right now. Thank you Adeye for knowing and believing that there is hope for every child!
I’ve just recently started reading your blog - and I think I’ve managed to read every post. Seeing Hailee walk makes me feel so happy!
Thank you for sharing your story!
This is amazing! A true miracle! Thanks for sharing with us!
Love, love, love it!!! Way to go, Hailee!! Can’t wait to see the video of you chasing the big brothers and sisters…and Harper chasing you!
Absolutely amazing how far she’s come! Way to GO GO GO, Hailee! (and she is adorable!)
Tears of joy roll down my face!! Go Hailee go!
Thank you for sharing the miracle of your little ones.
I counted 33 steps… that’s awesome!!!
yes, she is so cute!
Go Hailee!!
WOW! That is amazing!!!! Thanks for sharing!
How wonderful! God is so good!!
Hi, I found you on a late night blog rabbit trail- lol! I’m really enjoying following you and your incredible family. What an awesome video- I wish there was a way for you to share it with her orphanage to encourage them to get these darlings out of their beds and moving around!! Our family is waiting on our third child to come home from South Korea. This is our first adoption and I have know idea what the Lord has in store for us. But your story has definitely opened my heart and mind to more special needs than I thought “I could handle”. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Thank you so much for sharing this video. Hailee is just amazing! She will be cruising around in no time. I cannot belive she has made that much progress in such a short time. Your family must be proud. Go Hailee!
Sending warm thoughts your way from Washington State, Gina Brown
This is AWESOME. My husband and I are making preparations to commit through RR to a little girl with DS from the same country as your girls. I cannot tell you the ways God has used you and your girls to encourage my heart and help lead us here. This video is just what my heart needed to press on today! Thank you! I would LOVE to ask you a few questions if you could a get a chance. [email protected]
YAY! She is SO cute and amazing. You just want to go scoop her up and snuggle her little neck. And I love her blonde hair! I come from a family of brunettes and redheads, so, of course, I just love little blonde heads! YAY HAILEE!
I’m cheering your sweet daughter on!
Adeye! So amazing! And so happy for your little love.
Wow! Go, Hailee, go!! Praise God! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this video with us. I loved seeing her get moving and taking off and I loved hearing her proud mommy laughing and cheering her on. Such absolute bliss and joy- and we got to be a small part of it with you. Praise God for great things He has done- ALL are PRECIOUS in His sight- thanks for opening our eyes.
Hailee, don’t ever stop… we are cheering you on every step of the way…
Oh my goodness…she is just the CUTEST!
Yay, Hailee, you amazing little sweetheart!
As they say here in Louisiana:
“Geaux Hailee Geaux!”
All the best,
Nicole A., now in LA
Tears of joy…thank you for sharing that with us!!! Go Hailee GO!!! To God be all the glory!!! Praises to Him for this miracle!!
Oh, what a beautiful little miracle girl! I am so proud of Hailee. Go girl! God is good…
In Christ,
Larkin
She is so. adorable. I just want to eat her up. Bless her heart.
I am crying happy tears right now. Thank you for sharing her progress with us, your family brings a smile to my face:)
She is literally a walking miracle!
Go Hailee go!!!
Wonderful!!! Our God is AWESOME God! Beyond Yuri and Bohden’s family, are you able to relay Hailee’s fantastic progress back to anyone at the orphanage so they might open their eyes?
Oh Wonderful !!!! Praise God for little steps that turn into big steps and soon running !!!
Way to go Hailee (and Mom)
Oh Wonderful !!!! Praise God for little steps that turn into big steps and soon running !!!
Way to go Hailee (and Mom)
Praise the heavens above! What a glorious site to behold!! She is absolutely darling!!
Oh my goodness…that is the most precious video! And she is so steady on her feet-amazing!! What a privilege to watch this miracle unfold. Thank you for sharing it!!
How amazing is that!!!!!! Oh my goodness, she is such a doll. What a blessing she is!!!
OK, thanks for making me cry!!
That was the best I have seen all day!
What a miracle she is! Full of LIFE…Go Hailee go!
LOL those straight little legs must be one of the cutest things ever!
I believe she will be running by May for sure!! You guys have done amazing things for her, I admire you so much! She is so darn cute too!!
Your girls have captured my heart.
I can remember a time when I thought that adoption was very scary, and then I went to college and joined a church where several families had adopted one or more children. Seeing these families, the children, and the childrens birth parents really opened my heart to adoption. However, I hadn’t considered international adoptions/ adopting children with special needs before reading your blog. There is so much fear in things we don’t know about or understand. Your childrean are all so beautiful and wonderful. There is a huge stirring in my heart.
Thank you for sharing your story.
Nichole
Yeah Hailee!!!!!!!!!!!! So beautiful! I just love your family. Thank you for sharing with us.
The video of Hailee walking made my day! It is a privilege to see God’s work and miracles in action. Thanks for sharing.
Go Hailee!! Praise God!!
There are no words.. only Joy! Unspeakable radiating joy at what God has done with Hailee! You are so right, every child has Hope!
Totally adorable! I love her determination and will to get her way. She´ll have you running around in no time
Oh my,
What an amazing video! Hailee is very determined and with love, patience, good care, love from a family, and did I say love, it will not be the last time Hailee will amaze you or us!
Life in her is amazing,
Marie-Claude
Adeye - that is just AMAZING! Way to go Hailee! A true miracle happening before our eyes (thanks to you for sharing it with us).
awesome! Praise God! Amazing what love can do.
WOW!! Awesome! Miracle girl, for sure! I wish you could send that video directly to her old caregivers in the orphanage. God is SO good!!
Oh Adeye!!!!!!! I am in tears!!!!! Oh my goodness! Praise the Lord for this sweet child and your beautiful family!!!
Praise God! So wonderful to see her progress.
Jenn in Georgia
Praise the Lord!
Tears here! That has to be THE CUTEST waddle I have ever seen!!
I have said it before…The big kids had better watch out!!
I’ve said this before too…I really hope the orphanage is able to see these pics! Sheri
So VERY AWESOME!! What amazing progress she has made.
What an incredible little fighter you have on your hands Adeye. She will continue to amaze everyone, I just know it! I hope you’ll make a video of her walking to send with the Schwenzer’s when they go back to the orphanage to pick up their little sweeties, those nannies just HAVE to see this!
Oh sweet miracles!!!
What a great start to the day to see that determined little girl doing what so many thought wasn’t possible! Yay Hailee!! Love, love, love your sweet laughter in the background!
She will indeed do great things with your family’s love, and the love of her Heavenly Father, surrounding her every day!!
Just tears…Beautiful. She is so beautiful!
Yay Hailee!! Happy tears over here.
Just wondering, are the nannies at the orphanage aware of all the progress she’s making? Is there even an easy way to let them know?
God bless,
Sarah
Oh, Hailee!!!!! Good for you, little one!
That is so wonderful!
By the way, I love the way her little hands point up when she walks!!!
Wow, thank you for sharing such a wonderful video. I am so happy for you and Hailee! What an accomplishment!!!!
Great things He has done and IS DOING!!!!!!!!!
Amazing!!
Hailee, you are such an inspiration to us all!!!
IT IS A MIRACLE STRAIGHT FROM GOD!!! So awesome Adeye. You are right, she will be running by her birthday! God is so good.
Blessings,
Suzanne
What determination! Such strength she has, both mental and physical! She’s amazing!
Is there a way you could send that clip to your facilitator, to show the orphagae staff? I think they would be amazed too.
What a precious milestone! Praising God for Hailee, today!
Aww, she is sooo cute. My sickish son was begging for a video after lunch, so I told him we would watch a short video of a little girl named Hailee learning to walk. My 4-year-old, almost-3-year-old, and 1-year-old watched this three times and begged to watch it some more! You should have seen the huge smiles on their faces and heard them cheering her on. I have a feeling we’ll be watching this one again!
Nichole
TEARS!!! Soooooo proud of her!! So inspired by that sweet little girl.
YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!! Gooooooo Hailee! Good girl! You will continue to amaze and bring many tears of joy to a whole bunch of your fans! Look at you now baby girl, look at you now. xoxoxo
Is there anyway that you can get this video to the orphanage she lived in for so long?
Oh wow Adeye! Thank you so much for sharing this video. How absolutely precious. I knew Hailee would make progress in your sweet family’s care. What a little miracle! (-: Go little one, go! (-:
What a beautiful, beautiful little girl. Thank you for sharing this precious moment!
BIG GIRL!!!! I LOVE hearing her sweet mamas voice too! BIG HUGS!
I have been reading your blog since just after you brought the girls to the USA and I have never dared to comment until now. I couldn’t read this and not post - that is truly amazing progress! Hailee and her whole wonderful family should be so proud; you’ve clearly all been working so hard and what great success!! Well done little Hailee, you’ve made my day - I can’t wait to see what other brilliant things you get up to! Big hugs to you all from England xxxxxx
Amazing! It is so exciting to see the work that God is doing in Hailee’s life. She is such a darling!
Amazing!! Tears in my eyes as I type this. Just amazing! God Bless all of you!
You go, Girl!!!! The only thing that comes to mind when I watch this is the very fitting children’s song:
My God is so BIG
So strong and so mighty,
There’s NOTHING my God cannot do!!
Can’t wait to see how much more she will be able to do, it seems limitless for the little girl who had been written off…but for GOD!!
Laurie
Oh my word my hart is melting….thank you for sharing this video of her with us!
There are no words that can describe the absolute joy in my heart while watching Hailee’s video. Miracle on the move!
Was watching this when my husband came in and asked what I was up to - I gave him Hailee’s story in a nutshell and he was in awe. Slowly, ever so slowly, he is letting the seed of adopting a special needs little one grow in his heart. Give Hailee a kiss for watering that seed for me!
LOVE IT!!! Doing my happy dance here!!! She is just amazing! AMAZING!!! You know, I think having a family changes everything, I think the fact that she looks at her brothers and sisters running and jumping, she may think to her self:” I want to do that too, I CAN DO THAT TOO!!! She’s just following their lead! God bless your beautiful family!!
Carolina.
Wow. What a little trooper. She is going to be running so soon you wont be able to keep up.
I know you post her size and weight, but wow, this video shows how tiny she really is. If someone didnt know the story, they could easily believe she was a toddler just learning to walk.
I cant wait to see what she decides to do next.
I am so thankful for that you shared this video! She is amazing! Love, love, love that girl!
Totally awesome, Hailee!
Crying! AMAZING things God is doing!! Go Hailee Go!
That was so fun to watch! What an awesome video you captured and amazing little girl!
Amanda
Oh my goodness, how precious she is! Go Hailee, go!!
Yay for Hailee and for the family helping her get there.
go Hailee, go Hailie, go go go Hailee. Next comes running!
That sweet angel girl continues to bring me to tears!!! Soooo sooo beautiful. Thank you for sharing that gift from God!
There HAS to be a way to send this to the caretakers at the orphanage. What about those digital photo frames- can they play videos? You could do a “look how far she’s come” kind of slide show, including photos from the orphanage when you first met her so that they’ll remember her… I don’t have much to spare, but I would definitely chip in $10 to go towards sending something to them.
They need to see what they missed out on…
What a miracle!
Oh wow, she is doing so awesome! How truly amazing what kids are capable of when they have the right encouragement. You have a beautiful voice by the way. ;o)
PRAISE GOD! She is so amazing!
Oh my word, Praise the Lord!!! Go Hailee Go!!! She has made such wonderful, inspiring strides in these past few months. It’s wonderful to watch. Hugs
I check your blog often and am always encouraged, uplifted or leave smiling - what a precious family you have! This post made my day - what a beautiful girl! Go Hailee!!
Hailee, you are a miracle girl. Love can truly move mountains.
That is truly amazing! Amazing!!!!!!
My heart. My heart. My heart.
It nearly burst for her. I am not her mama, but loving each success as much.
Love you, friend.
And YOU GO GIRL! Hailee, YOU ROCK!
I love it, look at her little legs go! Way to move it Hailee!
She is amazing and so cute…but …”Really, Mom, all I want to do is play with the bug and you keep taking it away from me!!!”
Bravo Hailee
Amazing, wonderful
Go hailee Go
That is just awesome. Our youngest, who we adopted, was thought to be a child who would quite possibly never walk or talk. We thought he couldn’t see or hear. But now, At four years old he walks, runs, talks nonstop, knows nearly all his abcs, all his colors, shapes, most of his numbers. It just goes to show we underestimate God far to often.
Amazing and absolutely miraculous! Glory to God!!!!
Wow. I’m in awe of Hailee’s progress. Congratulations to you all. God is so good, I can’t stand it!
Adeye, That is AWESOME!! I love your blog and always find what you share so encouraging. This post just brought me to tears! How awesome is our God?! Hailee is such a treasure. Go Hailee go!! Thanks for sharing that Adeye!
God is good! I started following your blog after my baby boys therapist told me about it. My son has down syndrome as well. I am so touched by all the stories of your family. Thank you for sharing your life!
what a beautiful miracle she is!! so thinkful that you listened to the call when our Lord asked you to be her mama…
go hailee go!!!!!
Am I the only one who bawls my eyes out, while reading your blog. Your love for your children has just made them blossom. Praise God! It is so wonderful beyond words. It is hard to think that little Hailee is going to be 6, and that because she was so neglected before she is so little, and behind. On the other hand… look what Love has done. It is a testament to God’s amazing works through people like you guys. Wow! She is precious beyond words!