My husband and I have been together 16 years, married for 11. Nine years ago I was diagnosed with Neurosarcoidosis. Due to the types of medication I was on, we weren't sure if we would be able to have a pregnancy. We felt we were ready to be parents. We looked at our options and ultimately decided foster parenting with the goal of adoption was the way to go.
Our fist case was a group of 4 siblings "The Fab Four". They came in waves with the two youngest moving in in January 2011 and the two oldest moving in in April 2011. We were their 4th and 3rd foster homes, respectively. They had suffered a number of abuses, from a myriad of adults and had a very high level of need because of their trauma history. In April 2013, after 2 years with us, they were able to return home to their Mom's house. We have supported them post reunification as much as possible and now consider their Mom part of our family.
The Fab Four
Little Mama (LM)- 12* full of Sassy
Gabby - 10* my Drama Queen
Jelly Bean (JB) - 9* every day is a surprise with her
Mr. Mohawk (MM) - 5* and full of little boy questions and energy
Maria - Mom to the Fab Four. AKA Mom and Bio Mom
Willow - Case Worker
In the fall of 2013 we were contacted about taking on another sibling set of 4 (3 girls and a boy). Same number of moves as the Fab Four and the same case worker (Willow). We transitioned them from two separate foster homes and were asked to take the case as an adoptive resource should the goal change from return home to termination. I had dubbed this group of kids "The Quartet". They officially moved in the week of Christmas 2013. We finalized their adoption in June of 2016 and are now "The Final Four".
The Quartet/Final Four
Stella - 12 Always dreaming up new questions.
Sarah - 11 My other Drama Queen.
Simon - 9 Studious and smart
Smiley - 8 budding fashionista!
Sheila - Bio Mom AKA Mom AKA Mommy
In December 2015 we took placement of the Final Four's infant sister. We were her 2nd placement after initially saying no when she was born. At the time, we were in the process of TPR and had just moved and we couldn't imagine adding an infant and return home goal to the chaos we were experiencing. But the fictive kinship placement she had been in disrupted and we didn't want her bouncing around foster care. In May 2017 she returned home to her Dad who has since become part of our family.
Solana - 2 The missing piece to our puzzle and a great source of joy.
Solana's Dad or "SD" - Her 23 year old father who supports her relationship with her siblings.
I began writing this blog as a way to document my feelings and experiences on the way to motherhood. What I hope, is that our experiences help other families going through this journey as well. Thank you for taking the time to stop by.
*Ages are the age when they last lived with us.
Our fist case was a group of 4 siblings "The Fab Four". They came in waves with the two youngest moving in in January 2011 and the two oldest moving in in April 2011. We were their 4th and 3rd foster homes, respectively. They had suffered a number of abuses, from a myriad of adults and had a very high level of need because of their trauma history. In April 2013, after 2 years with us, they were able to return home to their Mom's house. We have supported them post reunification as much as possible and now consider their Mom part of our family.
The Fab Four
Little Mama (LM)- 12* full of Sassy
Gabby - 10* my Drama Queen
Jelly Bean (JB) - 9* every day is a surprise with her
Mr. Mohawk (MM) - 5* and full of little boy questions and energy
Maria - Mom to the Fab Four. AKA Mom and Bio Mom
Willow - Case Worker
In the fall of 2013 we were contacted about taking on another sibling set of 4 (3 girls and a boy). Same number of moves as the Fab Four and the same case worker (Willow). We transitioned them from two separate foster homes and were asked to take the case as an adoptive resource should the goal change from return home to termination. I had dubbed this group of kids "The Quartet". They officially moved in the week of Christmas 2013. We finalized their adoption in June of 2016 and are now "The Final Four".
The Quartet/Final Four
Stella - 12 Always dreaming up new questions.
Sarah - 11 My other Drama Queen.
Simon - 9 Studious and smart
Smiley - 8 budding fashionista!
Sheila - Bio Mom AKA Mom AKA Mommy
In December 2015 we took placement of the Final Four's infant sister. We were her 2nd placement after initially saying no when she was born. At the time, we were in the process of TPR and had just moved and we couldn't imagine adding an infant and return home goal to the chaos we were experiencing. But the fictive kinship placement she had been in disrupted and we didn't want her bouncing around foster care. In May 2017 she returned home to her Dad who has since become part of our family.
Solana - 2 The missing piece to our puzzle and a great source of joy.
Solana's Dad or "SD" - Her 23 year old father who supports her relationship with her siblings.
I began writing this blog as a way to document my feelings and experiences on the way to motherhood. What I hope, is that our experiences help other families going through this journey as well. Thank you for taking the time to stop by.
*Ages are the age when they last lived with us.
