Foster mommie turned Adoptive mommie

March 28, 2007 Chris and I welcomed home our little girl. She was the most precious thing to us. Although I didn' t birth her, I felt a connection with her immediatly. I still remember the day as if it had happened yesterday.

At 8 weeks and 1 day old she weighted just shy of 8 pounds. She was the gift we had prayed for. For months we watched as her biological mother made attempts to do better for herself only to fail over and over again. We secretly wanted this baby to stay with us, but always used the caution statement that we "didn't know what was going to happen but would be happy either way". Every time I said that, my heart lost a little bit of hope. Who was I kidding, this child had stolen my heart, no matter how much I had guarded it.

When this little girl was 6 months old they had located her birth father. We said our goodbyes to her and were prepared to send her away. As we went to this meeting with him I was scared but tried to suck it up because this was just the "name of the game". I asked God to do what was best for this baby. I knew he had a plan for her, and I wanted his will to be done no matter how it made me feel. This was the first time I had EVER given the power to him. It was hard for me to give it up and not take it back when I started to feel sorry for myself, but I didn't , and I believe for that, I was given the most valuable gift... a child.

During our meeting, the biological father, asked my husband and I to adopt this beautiful little girl. This was beyond what we had imagined for her future. We were honored to be chosen by God to parent this child. He was faithful to us when we believed in him most.

We knew at that point we were not out of the woods but we'd have to make it to finalization before it was 100% final. As termination of parental rights were read by the judge, I sat next to this man as he cried. He was once a "father" biologically to this child, now a "friend of the family". He didn't cry in anger or pain, but rather in joy, that this child would have the best life possible with a mother and father who loved her more than anything in this world. He felt comforted that this little girl would be taken care of and given all of the gifts in life that new parents dream of.

9 months later the adoption for our daughter, Gabriella Julieann, was offical as we sat in court with our closest family and friends.

Through the infertility treatments, unsucessful attempts at pregnancy, & losses I thought I had felt every type of pain that could be felt. I wished it on no one and the roller coaster was mind blowing. I figured fostering and adopting was the "easy way" off of that roller coaster. I was mistaken when I thought that.

As a foster parent you are on a different type of roller coaster. A roller coaster where you are dealing with a precious life and sometimes biological parents who have done some HORRIBLE things to these little ones.

There are questions that you ask....

Q. "There's a chance you're going to give this baby back to a mother who did ______ to there child?"

A. "They have rights to there child."


Q. "Am I going to be able to adopt this child?"

A. "I've seen a case like this before, and this child is 99.9% adoptable."
" Oh wait, the judge is giving the biological mom 6 more months of services, so I don't know."
" Mom isn't showing to visits, so she's definatly not going to be getting this baby back."
" Oh wait, mom just started doing visits again, we'll see what happens."
"Oh wait, there is family who wants this child, we might be moving the child to family."
"Oh wait, family isn't approved."

Q. "What has this child been through, what type of abuse, neglect?"

A. "That is confidential information."


Your heart falls madly in love with this child and you want to do what is best for them, but the rights to these children are still attached to the biological parents who SOMETIMES don't have the best interest of the child.

You pray that the information to the judge is accurate (on both sides) and that by reuniting this child or adopting this child is what is in the best interest of the child.

You sit back as the court system plays "God" to these children. Deciding what there future will hold for them.

These past few years I have seen parents who don't show to visits and express no intentions of doing better for themselves and there children AND I have seen parents who have worked hard to do everything in there power to get there children back. My heart goes out to both types of biological parents in the foster system. I am honored to be a part of reuniting a family back together and I am also honored at being chosen as an adoptive home for my children.

My life has changed for the better these past few years. There have been a few bumps along the way, but I have made it through and have my children to show for it. I wouldn't have it any other way.

At the age of 25 I have finally found my calling in life. I believe I was put on this earth to be a foster mother. To help families reunite and to be a forever home to those little ones who couldn't.


Some highlights of what the year 2009 will bring to our foster/adoptive family......

In April-June we will be watching a family reunite together as our sibling set of 3, A, D, & N, should be returning home.

In March we will enter into our 3rd year of fostering. I am looking foward to helping families and establishing my family.

Febuary will be the month we are adopting our son, Garrett Michael.

January we will be having a big bday bash for our two children.