“I remember yelling at God in my minivan after another depressing doctor’s appointment. This wasn’t our plan. ‘Are you going to take me?’ His room was concrete blocks, no outlets, and a window so high you couldn’t see out.”
‘We’ve dealt with lice, super lice, lies, fighting, suspension, sexting, smoking, vaping, and drugs. It wasn’t our plan, but God had other plans.’: After infertility, mom fosters 10 kids
‘We ‘couldn’t handle’ being foster parents. We had just packed up our house and were moving in a week. ‘Do you have room for a placement?’: Family seeking adoption welcomes foster baby, ‘There is never a perfect time’
“We found out we were pregnant with our 4th child. We were very surprised! So many people tried to talk us out of renewing our license. I felt like I ‘couldn’t handle it.’ Then, we got a call. ‘Can you take him?’ I am willing to risk a broken heart.”
‘I got the call. ‘She has no name and no parents.’ This tiny baby was detoxing so bad she couldn’t eat.’: Mom adopts and fosters 16 kids after pregnancy loss, ‘I gave them my all’
“I got the call. The one I never in a million years thought I would receive. She had no prenatal care, she was not born in the hospital, and she was detoxing from multiple narcotics. ‘You have 2 minutes to choose a name.’ We went from one child to 4 in the span of 5 months.”
‘Can you take 3 siblings?’ You question yourself. Am I in over my head? Don’t let the pain stop you.’: Foster mom gives tips on how to be successful, ‘Love is what defines a family’
“Who would be calling at this time of night? ‘Would you be interested in taking them?’ Your heart quickens and your breath deepens, both to an uncomfortable level. ‘Three kids? Really?’ You feel obligated to say yes.”
‘You’re meant to have a daughter.’ If I heard I’d have another son, I’d move on. We had a decision to make.’: Family fosters to adopt brother/sister pair, ‘They are ours forever’
“We saw signs everywhere. ‘What if I told you coming home to your boys was only PART of your purpose?’ We knew she was coming. It was a shock, but we were going to move forward.”
‘We have a 3-year-old boy. His mother is homeless. No one will take him.’ Our jaws fell open. ‘We’ll be at your house in 30 minutes!’: Couple adopt 4 children from foster care, co-parent with birth mom
“We packed up all his belongings, drove him to his mother’s apartment, and said goodbye. Later, we received a call from the birth mom: ‘Can he come live with you again?’ One month turned to two, two to four. ‘Do you want to apply for joint custody?’ We had to explain to our little boy he was stuck with THREE parents forever! God had put us in each other’s lives for a reason.”
‘Isn’t it strange parenting a teen who isn’t much younger than you?’ My adopted son and I are 13 years apart, but to him, I’m just mom.’: Mom fosters 17 children, ‘They are all so worthy of love’
“If someone told me a few years ago, I would be 26 and adopting a teenager, I would have thought they were crazy. Now, I can’t imagine it any other way.”
‘Would you want to adopt him?’ She was taken from the only woman she knew and placed with a stranger.’: Couple describes adoption, foster journey, ‘Our lives have never been the same’
“We cried and prayed. We said yes right away. Then we got a call to see if we wanted to foster-to-adopt a 1-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl.
‘I’ve had 9 children, by myself. One passed away. I’m expecting, but I have no idea when my ‘due date’ is.’: Single mom fosters multiple children and has open adoption, ‘It’s all on me, baby!’
“I came to foster parenting by accident. Some women dream of having big families and becoming mothers, but not me. In fact, the older I got, the more sure I was that I never wanted children. Then my plot twist arrived. I had never seen a more beautiful baby in my whole life.”
‘I’ve wanted to be adopted all the time I’ve been in foster care. This is the best day of my life!’ I squeezed his hand. ‘It’s the best day of mine, too.’: Single dad adopts boy from foster care, ‘Love defines our family’
“I woke him early for the hour-long drive to the courthouse. He sat up at once, grabbing me in a tight hug, gushing, ‘Today’s the day!’ I know him well enough to note the look on his face, the slight undertone to his voice – he’s been in the system too long to believe in adoption until it occurs. The layers of trauma are thick, some abuse and tons of neglect. As the judge read out the declaration, I felt choked with emotion.”
