“One random evening, I received a message on Facebook. She reached out on behalf of her son, who wasn’t ready to be a dad, but wanted the baby to have a loving home.”
‘Sitting inside my inbox was a beautiful present. ‘I know this is random, but my family just welcomed a baby girl.’: Adoptive mom thanks social media for ‘linking two families together’
‘Can you take a pair of siblings?’ 45 minutes later, we met our boys. Babies? Easy. Toddlers with trauma and neglect? Not so much.’: Couple adopt ‘forever sons’ from foster care
“Dakota was 2.5 years old and could barely utter just five words. Nate, 2.5 months old, was extremely sad and had rashes all over. He didn’t cry when he was hungry, wet, or had a poopy diaper because his biological mom had not met his needs. ‘Would you like to adopt them?’ Without hesitation, the answer was YES.”
‘She’s 4 months old, weighing in at a whopping 5 pounds.’ She was all alone in the NICU. I said YES.’: Single mom adopts 3 girls from foster care, ‘We needed each other’
“I fumbled for about 20 minutes with a car seat. I remember thinking, ’I can’t even get them in these darn seats!’ But I had said YES. I was doing this.”
‘I sat in a hospital room as we mourned her mother’s last breaths. I held her trembling siblings.’: Couple fosters 9 kids, adopts 1, ‘Their arms around your neck are worth it’
“I rocked this child to sleep for 13 months. She knew me as her mom. We had NO idea what to expect for the future.”
‘Let me tell it STRAIGHT, there’s days I feel like I’m babysitting someone else’s kids.’: Foster mom details journey, ‘We’ve learned to love them as our own’
“They’d been with 4 different families in the last 6 months. The kids needed someone who could teach them to be a friend, to love others, to be kind, and to just be good human beings.”
‘As I was getting ready to terminate my foster license, I got the call: ‘Mr. Ramos, do you remember Hector?’ My eyes widened. 3 days later he walked into my life, forever.’: Single dad adopts son with autism after emotional journey
“‘This is it! We’re going to be a forever family!’ Hector ran towards me and jumped in my arms. He hugged me and squeezed me tight as he said, ‘I love you so much, I love you so, so much.’ There he was, the one I had cried, prayed, and hoped for.”
‘You’re newly pregnant and this little girl is a lot of work. If you need us to find her a new home, it’s okay.’ I didn’t want an ‘easier’ kid. I wanted her.’: Foster mom shares special needs adoption
“The social worker said, ‘This is the largest file I have.’ So much was going on. There was an intense amount of outer, anger, and lies. It broke me she was legally an orphan.”
‘How come I’m this color and you’re brown?’ I’d always respond, ‘This is how God made us.’ Black or white, it didn’t matter. I was her mama.’: Selfless woman adopts 4 children from foster care
“The adoption paperwork sat on my table. ‘Are we doing this?’ There was no question, the answer was YES! One year later, I got a call from a strange number. ‘A baby was born yesterday. It’s their biological sibling. Can you pick her up from the hospital tomorrow?’ My mouth flew open. Just when I thought my journey was done, it was only the beginning.”
‘Surprise! It’s two kids, not one.’ My husband said, ‘Tell them YES!’ I was terrified my babies would be taken from us.’: Foster family shares adoption journey, ‘It was worth every fear’
“Packing their things was hard. The house felt empty the more I packed. I was loading the car up when my phone rang. ‘I know you’re saying goodbye, but we have a newborn.’ We decided right there to say yes.”
‘His feet were bare and his toenails were broken on every single toe. He looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, ‘Mama?’: Couple fosters brothers, ‘I knew these were my sons’
“I smiled and it felt like I was looking into the face of someone I’d always known. ‘I’m so happy you’re here. Would you like to come play?’ I knew these two tiny humans were going to change everything in my life.”
