S10.E01: Zoey's 4th Birthday

[Absolom]

There's about a two year difference with grandson and Will.  I don't point that out to make Will look bad, but to note that he is catching up rather than falling further behind.  Zoey has gained quite a bit in height as well as filling out.  It's astounding where Will is now compared to those first few months of his life. 

[ThinkerBell]

I had no idea that poor little Will had endured such a tragic start in life. That he is now a giggling, loving, joy-filled little boy speaks volumes about the developmental strides he has made thanks to the Kleins. My respect for Bill and Jen is now off the charts.

[LIGirl]

I think that Will's delays go beyond social interacting and speech. They are still putting his shoes on for him. At almost six, he should be able to slip his own shoes on his feet.

 

I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to chime in here about his ability to put on his own shoes and perhaps dressing himself in general. As I've mentioned before in this forum, I am a little person, so I literally have a lifetime of personal insight and experiences to draw upon and compare to when watching this show. I would respectfully ask people back off a bit on judging Will and Zoey's daily and self-care skills as it is completely unfair to compare them to an "average" child and nearly impossible to expect them to be able to do all of the physical things that these other children can do.

 

While growing up, all of my "delays", if you will, were strictly physical, not mental/intellectual.  So, even though I was way ahead of my peers in many respects, being able to dress myself without any assistance took a long time.  Most of that was due to having shorter limbs.  It's not as easy to pull our pants up and down with one quick motion as it is harder to reach behind and/or below; button or zip our clothes because our fingers are shorter and unable to "normally" grasp and pinch things (for me, I also have some fused joints in my fingers, so I literally cannot make a closed fist, but I have ways of grabbing things just fine otherwise); and even put on our shoes with ease because more often times than not, we also have wider feet.  Due to wide feet and our unique fingers/joints, learning how to tie our shoes can take longer and grabbing/pushing/pulling our feet into them is tough as well (laces or no laces).  Hell, I literally have never been able to wear flip flops because my feet are a bit wider than most kids' and even if they do fit, they just don't stay on my feet while walking. This totally sucks because I'd love to be able to slip a pair of flip flops on and off my feet with a quickness and run around with them, especially in the summer!

 

Will and Zoey will also probably have to use some assisstive devices like a dressing stick when it comes to dressing themselves as they get older.  So, not only are they children learning how to dress themselves, period, but they are also learning how to manipulate these devices so that they can dress themselves with greater ease. There really is no right way or wrong way when it comes to utilizing these things, so it's going to be an individual learning process for each of them to lock down a technique that works for them and only them.

 

If you were to compare me to another adult my age in our self-care skills, I would hope you'd understand that I'm never, ever going to get dressed as quickly as the next person.  I'm going to do it differently, too.  So, Will and Zoey will most likely never be "age appropriate" when it comes to this stuff, but that does not mean they are delayed or incapable of learning how to help themselves.

 

As for their speech, while I'm sure their delays has lot has to do with their orphanage background, please also remember that many little people are also born with various types of speech impediments and hearing loss. (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought it has been mentioned by Jen and Bill that Will suffers from hearing loss.)  I was not only born with some hearing loss in one ear, but also born with a cleft palate (fortunately it was only in the roof of my mouth and not my lip/nose), which made my speech not so clear as a child. With surgery to repair my cleft, some speech therapy and a hearing aid, I made great progress in no time.

 

I understand that this show puts these children out there and open for criticism, but please, please remember that most if not all of Will and Zoey's delays are a result of a genetic disability, not lazy parenting, not lazy children, and not any other outside environmental factor.

 

He also couldn't point out the store that they were going to in the mall. It makes me feel bad for Will. I think he's behind on every level of development.

 

 

I'm pretty sure Bill wasn't seriously asking Will where the store was.  I think it was more of a dad to little kid, "Hey!  Which way shall we go?" and hope your kid guesses the right direction.  I'm also fairly sure most kids Will's age don't have the stores memorized at the mall, not to mention Will most likely isn't yet reading well enough to be able to read the names of the stores to figure it out.  Besides, who knows how many times Will has been at the mall, let alone Build-A-Bear to be familiar enough as to where it was?  So sorry, I don't see any reason to feel sorry for him then. He certainly gets a total pass from me on not knowing where a stupid store was at a large shopping mall.

Edited January 12, 2016 by LIGirl

[BW Manilowe]

I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to chime in here about his ability to put on his own shoes and perhaps dressing himself in general. As I've mentioned before in this forum, I am a little person, so I literally have a lifetime of personal insight and experiences to draw upon and compare to when watching this show. I would respectfully ask people back off a bit on judging Will and Zoey's daily and self-care skills as it is completely unfair to compare them to an "average" child and nearly impossible to expect them to be able to do all of the physical things that these other children can do.

While growing up, all of my "delays", if you will, were strictly physical, not mental/intellectual. So, even though I was way ahead of my peers in many respects, being able to dress myself without any assistance took a long time. Most of that was due to having shorter limbs. It's not as easy to pull our pants up and down with one quick motion as it is harder to reach behind and/or below; button or zip our clothes because our fingers are shorter and unable to "normally" grasp and pinch things (for me, I also have some fused joints in my fingers, so I literally cannot make a closed fist, but I have ways of grabbing things just fine otherwise); and even put on our shoes with ease because more often times than not, we also have wider feet. Due to wide feet and our unique fingers/joints, learning how to tie our shoes can take longer and grabbing/pushing/pulling our feet into them is tough as well (laces or no laces). Hell, I literally have never been able to wear flip flops because my feet are a bit wider than most kids' and even if they do fit, they just don't stay on my feet while walking. This totally sucks because I'd love to be able to slip a pair of flip flops on and off my feet with a quickness and run around with them, especially in the summer!

Will and Zoey will also probably have to use some assisstive devices like a dressing stick when it comes to dressing themselves as they get older. So, not only are they children learning how to dress themselves, period, but they are also learning how to manipulate these devices so that they can dress themselves with greater ease. There really is no right way or wrong way when it comes to utilizing these things, so it's going to be an individual learning process for each of them to lock down a technique that works for them and only them.

If you were to compare me to another adult my age in our self-care skills, I would hope you'd understand that I'm never, ever going to get dressed as quickly as the next person. I'm going to do it differently, too. So, Will and Zoey will most likely never be "age appropriate" when it comes to this stuff, but that does not mean they are delayed or incapable of learning how to help themselves.

As for their speech, while I'm sure their delays has lot has to do with their orphanage background, please also remember that many little people are also born with various types of speech impediments and hearing loss. (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought it has been mentioned by Jen and Bill that Will suffers from hearing loss.) I was not only born with some hearing loss in one ear, but also born with a cleft palate (fortunately it was only in the roof of my mouth and not my lip/nose), which made my speech not so clear as a child. With surgery to repair my cleft, some speech therapy and a hearing aid, I made great progress in no time.

I understand that this show puts these children out there and open for criticism, but please, please remember that most if not all of Will and Zoey's delays are a result of a genetic disability, not lazy parenting, not lazy children, and not any other outside environmental factor.

I'm pretty sure Bill wasn't seriously asking Will where the store was. I think it was more of a dad to little kid, "Hey! Which way shall we go?" and hope your kid guesses the right direction. I'm also fairly sure most kids Will's age don't have the stores memorized at the mall, not to mention Will most likely isn't yet reading well enough to be able to read the names of the stores to figure it out. Besides, who knows how many times Will has been at the mall, let alone Build-A-Bear to be familiar enough as to where it was? So sorry, I don't see any reason to feel sorry for him then. He certainly gets a total pass from me on not knowing where a stupid store was at a large shopping mall.

Responding to the bolded. I know Will had surgery to put tubes in his ears because of excess fluid in them--that's been mentioned in the show. Also mentioned is that they found out the excess fluid was apparently responsible for Will having a hearing deficit. And that the deficit has apparently cleared up since Will had the tubes put in.

[ZoloftBlob]

Responding to the bolded. I know Will had surgery to put tubes in his ears because of excess fluid in them--that's been mentioned in the show. Also mentioned is that they found out the excess fluid was apparently responsible for Will having a hearing deficit. And that the deficit has apparently cleared up since Will had the tubes put in.

 

Speaking as a non little person but a person who did have to have tubes in their ears and who was speech delayed and to be blunt, put in the special class for a year, only to be bumped to the gifted and talented program two years later - there's a learning curve involved. I do worry, based on his past, that Will might have special, intellectual needs, but if he does, he does and it's not his fault or his current parents fault. And its as likely he needs more time - I'm willing to wait and see.

[mbutterfly]

Lilgirl, I'm not going to quote your wonderful post, but to applaud it. This is why I watch the show (besides the delight in the children, my awe of Jen professionally, and my little (yes, pun) crush on Bill. I want to relish their milestones. I have an extra reason to relish them. We adopted siblings ages 2 and 3. The three-year-old was born to be an over-accomplisher. Now she not only has a lovely, loving family but is a social worker who works directly with family court -- paying it forward. The two-year-old (not quite 2 really) was pretty delayed. I gave her half a banana the first morning assuming she knew how to hold it and take bites even if messy ones. She tried to push the whole banana down her throat. It became clear she was still being fed baby food a spoonful at a time. Her sister straight out said, "She don't know how to eat, you gotta feed her with a spoon." And, though she responded to questions and directions appropriately so I knew her receptive language was pretty normal, she didn't talk, just made baby sounds. Without even the excellent early-childhood programs (well, we didn't yet have First Steps, but I had a master's in developmental disabilities so I helped a little extra, I suppose) Anyway, kind of like a premie does, she caught herself up. She also is a college graduate with a family. I hope this isn't off track, but with any adoption beyond babyhood, some areas of catch-up need to happen, but happen it does. 

I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to chime in here about his ability to put on his own shoes and perhaps dressing himself in general. As I've mentioned before in this forum, I am a little person, so I literally have a lifetime of personal insight and experiences to draw upon and compare to when watching this show. I would respectfully ask people back off a bit on judging Will and Zoey's daily and self-care skills as it is completely unfair to compare them to an "average" child and nearly impossible to expect them to be able to do all of the physical things that these other children can do.

 

While growing up, all of my "delays", if you will, were strictly physical, not mental/intellectual.  So, even though I was way ahead of my peers in many respects, being able to dress myself without any assistance took a long time.  Most of that was due to having shorter limbs.  It's not as easy to pull our pants up and down with one quick motion as it is harder to reach behind and/or below; button or zip our clothes because our fingers are shorter and unable to "normally" grasp and pinch things (for me, I also have some fused joints in my fingers, so I literally cannot make a closed fist, but I have ways of grabbing things just fine otherwise); and even put on our shoes with ease because more often times than not, we also have wider feet.  Due to wide feet and our unique fingers/joints, learning how to tie our shoes can take longer and grabbing/pushing/pulling our feet into them is tough as well (laces or no laces).  Hell, I literally have never been able to wear flip flops because my feet are a bit wider than most kids' and even if they do fit, they just don't stay on my feet while walking. This totally sucks because I'd love to be able to slip a pair of flip flops on and off my feet with a quickness and run around with them, especially in the summer!

 

Will and Zoey will also probably have to use some assisstive devices like a dressing stick when it comes to dressing themselves as they get older.  So, not only are they children learning how to dress themselves, period, but they are also learning how to manipulate these devices so that they can dress themselves with greater ease. There really is no right way or wrong way when it comes to utilizing these things, so it's going to be an individual learning process for each of them to lock down a technique that works for them and only them.

 

If you were to compare me to another adult my age in our self-care skills, I would hope you'd understand that I'm never, ever going to get dressed as quickly as the next person.  I'm going to do it differently, too.  So, Will and Zoey will most likely never be "age appropriate" when it comes to this stuff, but that does not mean they are delayed or incapable of learning how to help themselves.

 

As for their speech, while I'm sure their delays has lot has to do with their orphanage background, please also remember that many little people are also born with various types of speech impediments and hearing loss. (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought it has been mentioned by Jen and Bill that Will suffers from hearing loss.)  I was not only born with some hearing loss in one ear, but also born with a cleft palate (fortunately it was only in the roof of my mouth and not my lip/nose), which made my speech not so clear as a child. With surgery to repair my cleft, some speech therapy and a hearing aid, I made great progress in no time.

 

I understand that this show puts these children out there and open for criticism, but please, please remember that most if not all of Will and Zoey's delays are a result of a genetic disability, not lazy parenting, not lazy children, and not any other outside environmental factor.

 

 

I'm pretty sure Bill wasn't seriously asking Will where the store was.  I think it was more of a dad to little kid, "Hey!  Which way shall we go?" and hope your kid guesses the right direction.  I'm also fairly sure most kids Will's age don't have the stores memorized at the mall, not to mention Will most likely isn't yet reading well enough to be able to read the names of the stores to figure it out.  Besides, who knows how many times Will has been at the mall, let alone Build-A-Bear to be familiar enough as to where it was?  So sorry, I don't see any reason to feel sorry for him then. He certainly gets a total pass from me on not knowing where a stupid store was at a large shopping mall.

Lordy, I hope that isn't some test of intelligence, just sayin'

[Kohola3]

LlGirl and mbutterfly, I feel privileged to have you both provide such wonderful perspectives and insights based on your lives.  Snark is certainly part of any forum but I hope your posts will provide some balance to it. I leaned a lot from both posts!  

 

Since Bill and Jen have had the same physical and emotional issues as you, LlGirl, hopefully they can make sure neither Will nor Zoey will find themselves on a third floor ledge contemplating suicide as Bill did (a shocking and heartbreaking revelation).  And while they don't have the educational background as you, mbutterfly, they do have the resources available to give their kids the best and I am sure that they will make full use of them.

 

I will always watch the show because I love this family but will not judge the progress these kids are making against any "standard".  They are who they are, they have loving and supportive parents.  That's all I need to know.

[mbutterfly]

Thank you for the information about your children mbutterfly. I have a couple of questions, if you don't mind answering them. How long did it take your 2 year old to catch up? Was she able to attend regular school? I know that every child developes differently and we can't use this as an indication of how Will will progress. However, it is an example of a child with a normal or higher IQ, that had delays due to her start in life. I just was curious if it took her many, many years or just a few years to catch up. Thanks.

She had a couple of little surgeries the first couple of years. One eye turned very much inward and her ears needed tubes. Infections had caused temporary hearing loss. By kindergarten she was caught up except she had speech therapy until -- I think -- second grade. So, yes, she was socially and educationally typical by kindergarten though very shy. Basically she caught up in three years. 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Day and night difference in these 2 photos, not to mention a miracle. But finding a permanent home for Will was a critical need. IIRC, New Day did not have the resources to pursue the medical consultations and treatments that Bill and Jen have initiated. I'm guessing that New Day activity pursued Bill and Jen to consider Will, based on his very great need. 

 

According to New Day's website http://newdaycreations.com/foster/their mission is to provide life-saving surgeries to orphans with special needs.  The Kleins pursued international adoption through Rainbow Kids and wanted to adopt a little person.  Ben was Will's name when he was introduced to the Kleins by the founder of Rainbow Kids.  New Day called him Josiah.  

 

This was aired Season 5 , Episode 15 called "The Golden Son."    

Edited January 12, 2016 by Foghorn Leghorn

[Wellfleet]

According to New Day's website http://newdaycreations.com/foster/their mission is to provide life-saving surgeries to orphans with special needs.  The Kleins pursued international adoption through Rainbow Kids and wanted to adopt a little person.  Ben was Will's name when he was introduced to the Kleins by the founder of Rainbow Kids.  New Day called him Josiah.  

 

This was aired Season 5 , Episode 15 called "The Golden Son."    

 

Thanks for the info. I know New Day has saved many kids, but I don't believe they have the funding, or at least didn't at the time Will was there, to do all the treatments, surgeries etc that might be needed to IMPROVE a child's life. There's no doubt in the universe that they saved Will. But I thought Jen spoke at some point about New Day not being able to do what was medically-indicated for Will's hearing, sleep apnea etc. That's why she and Bill made it their #1 priority once they got home. IIRC, this was part of the episode when Will was first taken for testing in Delaware - don't remember if it was a hospital, a large clinic or a university - but there were doctors who specialized in dwarfism issues. One was a pediatric endocrinologist, the other a pediatric orthopedist, and obviously a pediatric ENT specialist too.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Wellfleet

[Foghorn Leghorn]

And I believe Will had one surgery at New Day involving his kidneys so I guess that was a priority at that time.  I am glad Jen and Bill wasted no time in getting Will to Delaware for their own specialists to examine him and treat his apnea and ears.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Foghorn Leghorn

[toodles]

Thank you, everyone, for sharing your stories. It's no secret that I'm a little couple fan. Those pictures of baby Will broke my heart.

I agree with whomever upthread that said the universe put Will with the Kleins. They have said that Will was meant to be their son from the beginning. It warms my cold heart to see what wonderful children Zoey and Will are becoming. I think they are doing just fine.

[jnymph]

I would never call innocent children brats, however I would certainly call out their parents for allowing bratty behavior.

I followed Bill & Jen's show from the beginning & I had tears of joy when they adopted their kids.

Especially Will, he's been an absolute delight to watch. Such a sweet, thoughtful, easygoing boy.

Zoey? Just no. Jen & Bill indulge her every whim & it's not enjoyable. Not cute. Its not fun to watch.

[walnutqueen]

LIGirl, on 11 Jan 2016 - 7:31 PM, said:

I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to chime in here about his ability to put on his own shoes and perhaps dressing himself in general. As I've mentioned before in this forum, I am a little person, so I literally have a lifetime of personal insight and experiences to draw upon and compare to when watching this show. I would respectfully ask people back off a bit on judging Will and Zoey's daily and self-care skills as it is completely unfair to compare them to an "average" child and nearly impossible to expect them to be able to do all of the physical things that these other children can do.

 

While growing up, all of my "delays", if you will, were strictly physical, not mental/intellectual.  So, even though I was way ahead of my peers in many respects, being able to dress myself without any assistance took a long time.  Most of that was due to having shorter limbs.  It's not as easy to pull our pants up and down with one quick motion as it is harder to reach behind and/or below; button or zip our clothes because our fingers are shorter and unable to "normally" grasp and pinch things (for me, I also have some fused joints in my fingers, so I literally cannot make a closed fist, but I have ways of grabbing things just fine otherwise); and even put on our shoes with ease because more often times than not, we also have wider feet.  Due to wide feet and our unique fingers/joints, learning how to tie our shoes can take longer and grabbing/pushing/pulling our feet into them is tough as well (laces or no laces).  Hell, I literally have never been able to wear flip flops because my feet are a bit wider than most kids' and even if they do fit, they just don't stay on my feet while walking. This totally sucks because I'd love to be able to slip a pair of flip flops on and off my feet with a quickness and run around with them, especially in the summer!

 

Will and Zoey will also probably have to use some assisstive devices like a dressing stick when it comes to dressing themselves as they get older.  So, not only are they children learning how to dress themselves, period, but they are also learning how to manipulate these devices so that they can dress themselves with greater ease. There really is no right way or wrong way when it comes to utilizing these things, so it's going to be an individual learning process for each of them to lock down a technique that works for them and only them.

 

If you were to compare me to another adult my age in our self-care skills, I would hope you'd understand that I'm never, ever going to get dressed as quickly as the next person.  I'm going to do it differently, too.  So, Will and Zoey will most likely never be "age appropriate" when it comes to this stuff, but that does not mean they are delayed or incapable of learning how to help themselves.

 

As for their speech, while I'm sure their delays has lot has to do with their orphanage background, please also remember that many little people are also born with various types of speech impediments and hearing loss. (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought it has been mentioned by Jen and Bill that Will suffers from hearing loss.)  I was not only born with some hearing loss in one ear, but also born with a cleft palate (fortunately it was only in the roof of my mouth and not my lip/nose), which made my speech not so clear as a child. With surgery to repair my cleft, some speech therapy and a hearing aid, I made great progress in no time.

 

I understand that this show puts these children out there and open for criticism, but please, please remember that most if not all of Will and Zoey's delays are a result of a genetic disability, not lazy parenting, not lazy children, and not any other outside environmental factor.

 

 

I'm pretty sure Bill wasn't seriously asking Will where the store was.  I think it was more of a dad to little kid, "Hey!  Which way shall we go?" and hope your kid guesses the right direction.  I'm also fairly sure most kids Will's age don't have the stores memorized at the mall, not to mention Will most likely isn't yet reading well enough to be able to read the names of the stores to figure it out.  Besides, who knows how many times Will has been at the mall, let alone Build-A-Bear to be familiar enough as to where it was?  So sorry, I don't see any reason to feel sorry for him then. He certainly gets a total pass from me on not knowing where a stupid store was at a large shopping mall.

 

 

mbutterfly, on 12 Jan 2016 - 04:40 AM, said:

Lilgirl, I'm not going to quote your wonderful post, but to applaud it. This is why I watch the show (besides the delight in the children, my awe of Jen professionally, and my little (yes, pun) crush on Bill. I want to relish their milestones. I have an extra reason to relish them. We adopted siblings ages 2 and 3. The three-year-old was born to be an over-accomplisher. Now she not only has a lovely, loving family but is a social worker who works directly with family court -- paying it forward. The two-year-old (not quite 2 really) was pretty delayed. I gave her half a banana the first morning assuming she knew how to hold it and take bites even if messy ones. She tried to push the whole banana down her throat. It became clear she was still being fed baby food a spoonful at a time. Her sister straight out said, "She don't know how to eat, you gotta feed her with a spoon." And, though she responded to questions and directions appropriately so I knew her receptive language was pretty normal, she didn't talk, just made baby sounds. Without even the excellent early-childhood programs (well, we didn't yet have First Steps, but I had a master's in developmental disabilities so I helped a little extra, I suppose) Anyway, kind of like a premie does, she caught herself up. She also is a college graduate with a family. I hope this isn't off track, but with any adoption beyond babyhood, some areas of catch-up need to happen, but happen it does. 

Lordy, I hope that isn't some test of intelligence, just sayin'

 

LIGirl and mbutterfly - thank you for your most informative comments and insights.  I appreciate you sharing your personal stories with us.

[Emily Thrace]

Yes, I have to agree on social development. Will's language has not yet caught up with his age but he's really making a lot of progress. Much better and faster than I expected so just goes to show you. Or rather, me - LOL. Socially I still consider Will quite young in his behavior though, but thankfully he's 'happy-young" and not "frustated-young." He may eventually hit his stride here as well. At the risk of repeating myself, his behavior with the karate teacher gives me a lot of hope. Will did not behave like a baby with the karate teacher. He was a serious young man. I was proud of WIll in that clip, and he's not even MY kid. Clearly eager to do well, to please etc. IMO, Bill and Jen have to get it across to Will that they expect the same kind of behavior. They need to be Will's parents, not his best friends. Being his parents means that Will will sometimes, maybe even often, be angry or upset with them. And they have to be able to tolerate that and realize that the rewards for "being hated" lie in the future, not in the present. Show me a child who grows up never feeling frustration or anger with his parents, and I'll show you a poorly-raised child, one without friends but with a massive sense of entitlement and frustration when the world does not constantly adjust for him.

 

I think it more that Bill and Jen also try to avoid direct confrontation and simply try to reason and cajole rather than just correct . Some of that might have to do with size particularly with Will. For most parents when a child really throws a fit they can still pick them up and physically remove them from a situation Bill and Jen don't have that option. Not to mention at his size Will could probably actually hurt Jen without meaning too if he really threw a fit. So I think trying to keep the situation calm and cool and not escalating the situation are probably fairly important goals to them. I also think Will is a sensitive eager to please kid who is probably more likely to respond to "That's not nice" then "Stop that right now" anyway. Zoe is a little more wilfull but again directly confronting her is just more likely to cause her to dig in so she may respond better to that as well. Parenting styles are mostly a mix of the parents personalities mixed with their kids. Bill and Jen have a lot of go with the flow and really aren't confrontational generally and their parenting style reflect that. They've also only been parent's for two very rocky years and I think they will figure out discipline better as they go along.

[Chalby]

In fairness - Will had a shitty start. He may never make it up. That's not necessarily the fault of his current parents not doing enough to fix him. He may simply have a low IQ due to deprivation as an infant. 

I don't remember this ever being said about Will. I was under the impression that the orphanage Will was at looked after a variety of children with limited abilities. You can 'online adopt' a child, or simply follow their development online. It was said that Zoey's first year of life was more 'deprived' than Will's. Is there an episode that I have missed that supports your declaration?

[ZoloftBlob]

Sure, This is a repost of Steel Magnolia's post that came after mine.

 

Here is a retweet of a picture of Will when he was first "dropped" off at the orphanage? It's a wonder he's still alive.

http://newdayfosterh...anging-day.html

 

If you click on the link, there's a pretty horrifying picture of how starved and ill Will was when he was first dumped off at New Day, being three months old and just six pounds (which isn't normal even for a kid with achrondroplasia)

[jnymph]

Bill and Will really seem to be soul mates; such a beautiful thing, so much fun to watch.  I have a huge smile on my face when watching them interact.

 

Will continues to be my absolute favorite reality star. 

 

eta: that picture of him after being dropped off, shatters my heart into tiny pieces. 

Edited January 13, 2016 by jnymph

[LegalParrot81]

 

If you click on the link, there's a pretty horrifying picture of how starved and ill Will was when he was first dumped off at New Day, being three months old and just six pounds (which isn't normal even for a kid with achrondroplasia)

 

If memory serves, Will was originally in a state run orphanage.  New Day was made aware of his situation and, for lack of a better term, rescued the starving, sickly child from an overpopulated, under funded, woefully neglectful situation. 

[ButterQueen]

THIS WILL NEVER DRY -- Bill cracks me up!!!

Edited January 13, 2016 by ButterQueen

[jnymph]

THIS WILL NEVER DRY -- Bill cracks me up!!!

I love him.

[Steel magnolia]

Will may indeed have been in one of China's infamous orphanages. When I look at his little face and body in the picture New Day first took, it reminds me of .....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zd_nptd2q0M

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Will may indeed have been in one of China's infamous orphanages. When I look at his little face and body in the picture New Day first took, it reminds me of .....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zd_nptd2q0M

 

How absolutely horrible.  IIRC Will was found abandoned at 3 months/6lbs by railroad tracks and was taken to an orphanage.  New Day learned of his situation and moved him to their care as he met their criteria.    

[Wellfleet]

I had no idea that poor little Will had endured such a tragic start in life. That he is now a giggling, loving, joy-filled little boy speaks volumes about the developmental strides he has made thanks to the Kleins. My respect for Bill and Jen is now off the charts.

 

I've seen many if not all of the New Day videos featuring Will, and I have to say - with all due respect to Bill and Jen - it's my opinion that Will was BORN with that incredibly-sunny disposition of his. He did not acquire it upon coming to the States. In every video he's shown to be a very happy, up-for-anything, outgoing and exuberant little kid. IMO, he has one hell of an indomitable spirit. Not even nearly starving to death in a Chinese orphanage could knock it out of him. I hope he has it always...

[whoknowswho]

I've seen many if not all of the New Day videos featuring Will, and I have to say - with all due respect to Bill and Jen - it's my opinion that Will was BORN with that incredibly-sunny disposition of his. He did not acquire it upon coming to the States. In every video he's shown to be a very happy, up-for-anything, outgoing and exuberant little kid. IMO, he has one hell of an indomitable spirit. Not even nearly starving to death in a Chinese orphanage could knock it out of him. I hope he has it always...

He's an amazing little guy, no question about that. I seriously smile way too much during this show, my face hurts afterwards and I need to frown more to counteract it, lol! I can't help it, takes all the snark out of me.

Truly, that first picture of him at New Day was heartbreaking--and then the smiling little boy not too long afterward--he's a pretty resilient and thoroughly happy child. 

 

Zoey is like the weather--she may be sunny or stormy, it just depends which way the wind blows. They have really "grown up" since last season, and the vocabulary is great in both of them.

My favorite thing on TV, unashamedly. 

[leighroda]

Just a random insight as far as the mall scenario of Will not knowing the store. That mall would not likely be the mall they would normally go to given the area of town they live in. I lived in Houston the majority of my life, and that mall was the one I usually went to and I lived in west Houston. Bill and Jen live in what is referred to as west university, and the galleria is their most local mall... But also one of the busiest so maybe that's why they were willing to drive a little further. Its not terribly out of the way and probably relatively easy to get to so who knows if they frequently go there (there was another scene in an earlier episode filmed there something with a jewelry store) but that's just my theory.

[BW Manilowe]

Just a random insight as far as the mall scenario of Will not knowing the store. That mall would not likely be the mall they would normally go to given the area of town they live in. I lived in Houston the majority of my life, and that mall was the one I usually went to and I lived in west Houston. Bill and Jen live in what is referred to as west university, and the galleria is their most local mall... But also one of the busiest so maybe that's why they were willing to drive a little further. Its not terribly out of the way and probably relatively easy to get to so who knows if they frequently go there (there was another scene in an earlier episode filmed there something with a jewelry store) but that's just my theory.

Do both malls have a Build-A-Bear Workshop store? The mall they went to might've been a consideration based on that factor, since Will was building a bear for Zoey's present. If they showed the mall's name, maybe they (the producers) were also trying to "throw off" viewers who might go to Houston with the intention of finding their house, by going to a mall they wouldn't normally go to since it's out of their neighborhood (shrugs).

[BitterApple]

I didn't put too much stock in Will not recognizing Build A Bear. He's a little kid who was probably distracted by all the activity going on at the mall. If there was a train ride or food stand just off camera I can see him fixating on that instead of on his dad and the store.

[eributterfly]

before Jen and her mom went shopping, Judy asked Bill if she was going to see him later. We then see that an overnight with the grandparents was already planned. Why do they interject statements like this that later make it look so scripted and scripted badly. And when they were in the car leaving Bill looked so concerned as if they weren't "qualified" to keep them. He even asked Jens dad, are you ok? Really.

[Foghorn Leghorn]

I thought Dave looked ticked and Bill picked up on that look by asking "you ok?"  Next thing we hear is they are moving to Florida, family drama behind the scenes. There is more to the story I am sure!

[leighroda]

Do both malls have a Build-A-Bear Workshop store? The mall they went to might've been a consideration based on that factor, since Will was building a bear for Zoey's present. If they showed the mall's name, maybe they (the producers) were also trying to "throw off" viewers who might go to Houston with the intention of finding their house, by going to a mall they wouldn't normally go to since it's out of their neighborhood (shrugs).

I'm pretty sure they do, but I've actually never been to build-a-bear, so I'm not positive. I'm guessing it may be a mall management issue, or maybe the film crew preffered filming where there would be a smaller crowd.