‘I gasped in the CVS parking lot. The file read, ‘Child Reserved.’ My hands shook as I waited for my husband. I tried not to peek. Then, we saw the face that took our breath away.’: Couple adopt special needs child, ‘She has forever changed our hearts!’

“I called our agency and said, ‘YES! Tell us all you can.’ We were told she might not ever walk. The lower portion of her body had not properly formed in the womb. She was missing her sacrum and bottom 3 vertebrae. Her little intestines were blocked. ‘Can you be in India in four days?’ Something in us knew this precious girl was ours.”

‘We received a call. ‘Do you want to adopt all 5 siblings?’ It was an instant, ‘YES!’ We told our babies they were finally safe, that we would never harm them.’: Mom of 4 adopts 5 siblings from foster care after miscarriage, twin loss, ‘They have healed my heart’

“We were pregnant with twins! The nurse said, ‘Slowly, his organs will stop working.’ His heart was last. He was so swollen, he couldn’t open his beautiful eyes. ‘I’m so proud of you, Eli. You’ve been such a fighter. You can let go.’ I looked around at all the nurses crying. ‘Oh God, it hurts so bad!’ His tiny foot jerked. I couldn’t see through my tears.”

‘Stop stressing about the uncertainties. Worry about that little heartbeat in that litte chest. It’s beating because we fought and overcame.’: Mom reassures ‘things will all work out in the end’

“Walk past the dirty dishes, the stack of bills, the toys scattered across the floors. Go straight to your child’s room and put your hand on their chest, feel their heart. In and out, in and out. Those little breaths and that little heart are your purpose. It’s beating because you overcame.”

‘I was burnt and forced to sleep on a toilet because I wet the bed. ‘Artreese, there’s someone here to meet you.’: Adoptee shares ‘emotional rollercoaster’ of growing up

“I was born with drugs and alcohol in my system and severely underweight. It just felt like I belonged to them. It was something in my eyes; I was made to be their daughter. ‘You’re so lucky you don’t have to deal with what we had to deal with.’ But I always felt like something was missing.”

‘Is 9 a.m. too early for Tequila? I’m slowly losing my mind. Maybe not so slowly, really.’: Mom speaks to difficulty of parenting during pandemic, says ‘maybe we’ve got to lose it a bit’

“Stuff is hitting the fan, and I’m out of wipes, candles, and Febreze; the mop is missing; and the vacuum isn’t working — at least that’s how it feels. Like I was/am totally and completely ill-prepared for the day-to-day. A day-to-day and hour-to-hour I cannot predict or plan for.”

‘We walked through the door. His first word was, ‘DADDY!’ He lived his whole life in foster care. Weeks later, we found out we were pregnant!’: Bereaved mom adopts boy from foster care, births 3 sons

“The social worker asked, ‘What ethnicities are you open to?’ We sent Jonah a video of us, a stuffed animal, and a security blanket with our scent so it would be familiar. Every night, he slept with the stuffed animal and blanket. He watched our video, over and over and over again. We just ‘knew’ he was meant to be ours!”

‘It’s sitting one on one with a child. Making sure they know you care, they’re heard, and they matter.’: Teacher talks reality of teaching, ‘if you think you know, think again’

“It’s giving so much it leaves you empty. It’s finding a way to refill your tank, because they will need you again tomorrow. It’s simply taking them by the hand and hoping you have instilled enough trust and lessons and love in them, that one day, they will let you go.”

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