A Family for Me: Emma

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - Emma is just over a year old. She was born prematurely, so she’s a little behind on her development, but that doesn’t stop her from persevering, always with a big smile on her face.

Emma is in foster care. She has cerebral palsy, among other ailments, but she is determined to learn and grow, just as any child would.

”She’s just a really sweet girl. She’s had it rough, especially for her one year of life. She’s really just exceeding,” said Kelsey Jones, Emma’s adoption coordinator.

Right now, Emma needs all the help she can get. She’s currently doing physical, speech, developmental, visual, and occupational therapy.

Emma’s current foster parent also has her on a very strict eating and sleeping schedule, a schedule she said is helping her stay on track.

Here’s what that schedule looks like:

• She wakes up at 5:30 during the week.
• If it’s the weekend, she sleeps in until 8:30.
• Between 8:30 and 9 a.m., she has her first bottle.
• She has a morning nap around 11 a.m.
• Around noon, she has her second bottle.
• She plays and goes through her therapies throughout the day.
• Between 4 and 4:30 p.m., she has her third bottle.
• Around 8 p.m., she goes to bed.
• At 9 p.m. she starts an overnight feed through her button.

Adopting a child with so many issues will be challenging, but for anyone willing to make a difference in Emma’s life, just know that you won’t be alone

”The foster mom that currently has her is very proactive. She talks to the doctors. Because she has experience with special needs children, she knows the questions to ask. She’s also been very vocal about wanting to help whichever family is picked as a mentor. That’s something that’s very special. It’s a good resource to have,” Jones said.

Emma is facing several uphill battles, but the hardest could be her fight to find a forever family. She, like so many others, is waiting for a loving family to call her own.

In the meantime, Emma will keep growing, developing, and experiencing the small world around her, until a new home expands that world forever.

For more information about Emma or about the adoption process, visit Project Zero’s website.

Copyright 2022 KAIT. All rights reserved.