My name is Aldene Carter.  I live in Yuma, Arizona, with my husband, Jeff, and our sons, Glendon (ten) and Tanner (eight), as well as our adopted thirteen-year-old daughter, Baio Lian, whom we took in three years ago from Vietnam.

My daughter is incredible in every sense of the word.  She was born without eyes; however, she is otherwise okay, and nothing has really stopped her from doing what she wants to do in life.  She sings, rides a bike (a sighted person rides in front; she sits behind them; it's a tandem-bike for two people), skis, plays video games on our computer, talks on the phone with her friends, and reads, as well as writes stories or poems.  She wants to be a singer when she grows up.

Remember when I said that our daughter had a solo to sing around Christmas time?  Well, she sang "O, Holy Night"; she nailed it!  She did so well people were actually crying as they sat in their seats, listening to her.  I was so very proud of her; so were Jeff and the boys!  She did a terrific job!

I don't know if we are going to adopt again in the near future; we want to wait and see what the current shaky economy is going to do.  Right now, Jeff is working; but what's to say he won't be working tomorrow, next week, next month?  It's a scary time for many people.  If it gets better, we might, but for now, our adoption plans are on hold.

We wouldn't mind adopting a child from Russia or Africa, or else we may adopt another child from Vietnam.  It all depends on what God decides; after all, it was He who brought us Baio Lian, and it is because of her that our lives have been made better, whole!  She has been an incredible miracle, and it is exciting to see what God has in store for her, as well as for us!

Well, I am doing laundry, so I will run along.  The laundry sort of ran away from us.  LOL  I will write in here again soon; I feel Baio Lian's story isn't done by a long shot!  Take care, and may God bless you as much as He's been blessing us lately!

~Love, your friend in Arizona, Aldene Carter.  :D