Becoming Parents: Our Journey of Fostering and Adoption

Who knew waking up on February 5, 2018 that our lives would change forever. This is the day we got the call from my husband’s cousin to see if we would be interested in fostering her sister’s baby that was born the day before. Now keep in mind, we don’t have children of our own unless you count fur-babies (which we do). This baby was born drug-exposed and was going through withdrawals so they weren’t sure if the baby would end up in the NICU, but they knew that if we didn’t take the baby, she would go to a foster home.

The state was already involved being that this wasn’t the first child born to the birth mother, so the family knew she wouldn’t get to keep her. My heart leapt with excitement and anxiety. I had so many questions racing thru my mind and anger that someone could do this to an innocent child. My husband and I discussed the idea of bringing a baby home and what we would immediately need if we did decide to take her. We decided to go see the baby at the hospital and have the conversation with his family on what the options were. That’s when I saw the most precious baby I’ve ever laid my eyes on. So small and quiet and going through her own personal hell of withdrawing from the drugs she didn’t ask to take. I immediately told my husband, “Let’s get the house ready; we can’t let her go anywhere else!”  He completely agreed and we decided to start the journey of fostering.

It turns out, it’s not as easy as taking the baby home and we get to live our lives. We were now at the mercy of caseworkers, getting certified to be foster parents, classes, doctor visits, and visitations with family, court dates, and so much more. Our home and everything we do is looked at with a fine tooth comb. I wouldn’t change any of it. I never knew I could love something as much as I love this little girl. She has completely changed the way I feel about myself, my husband, and how I see our lives. It has been four months and watching her turn into her own little person is the most amazing thing. She was able to overcome the withdrawal symptoms and with the right environment and love, she is thriving. The doctors say she looks perfect and is developing right on target. Obviously as she gets older, that could change because who knows what long-term effects drugs could do to a newborn. I do know my husband and I will love her no matter what and will do whatever we can to give her the right opportunities to thrive.

We just completed the classes to adopt but we still have a long road before that is able to take place. Coming from a background of fertility issues, we knew having biological children wasn’t in the cards for us. This little blessing came into our lives just when we least expected it. I’ve had many titles in my life but being a wife and now, mommy, is my all-time favorite.