"The more the merrier" has always been my motto! When I host a party, go on a trip, have friends over I have always loved a large group of people and welcome many people with open arms.
I guess the same is true for the number of children in our family. "The more the merrier" sounds like a good plan. My husband and I have 4 loud, bouncy, adorable, high maintenance, loving, friendly, high energy, smart, and lovable children all 8 years old and younger.
Let me take you back in time to the beginning of our story. "Our" story begins as just "my" story. When I was single I was led to become a foster parent. I ignored the signs for awhile until one day with gentle urging from several friends I decided to take the plunge. After a few short weeks I was a single, licensed foster parent with two babies. YIKES! Those were some of the scariest and most exciting days of my life.
Several months went by and my "first" babies were reunited with their grandmother. Letting them go was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life! After they left my home, I pulled myself together and went to work to keep myself from sitting in agony all day long.
Little did I know that less than 24 hours later my life would be forever changed. The next day, I received a phone call from our Foster Care Placement Team to ask me if I would accept the placement of a 2 year old little boy. I jumped with joy and word quickly began to spread that I would soon have a toddler boy at my house. My co-workers and various members of the community came together to donate "boy stuff" for the little boy who would soon arrive at my doorstep.
This scared little boy, named Skyler, arrived a few hours later looking fragile and broken. His out of season clothing were much too small and too dirty for this sweet little boy. His hair was matted and in desperate need of a hair cut. He was scared of the bath tub and of my yellow lab. He was terrified and confused.
Over the next few months, this little boy would bond with me in a way that would make others question the fact that this child had not lived with me since birth. He experienced the joys and heartaches of being part of a foster family that fostered several children over the next couple of years. He saw children stay for a few days, weeks, or even a year and then leave our family. Thankfully, two of the children who were his "foster siblings" were welcomed into our "forever family".
Almost, a year after Skyler came into my life I received a phone call for a tiny 5 week old baby boy. This sweet baby was clinging to life. In his short 5 weeks, he had not received proper nutrition and was near death's door when he arrived at my home. Our pediatrician quickly admitted Beau into the pediatric ward at the hospital. Numerous test were run to see if this sweet baby had any underlying medical conditions. It was deemed that he was healthy, but was just underfed and suffered from Failure to Thrive.
After just a 24 hour period Beau began to gain weight and show a little spark in his eyes. We were released to head home. We needed to closely monitor his weight gain, so we had frequent appointments with his pediatrician. This remarkable baby boy gained weight quickly and soon was released from the need to monitor his weight. Over the next few months, he continued to grow and meet all of his developmental milestones.
When Beau was 6 months old, I met his future "Daddy". I went on several dates with Carl before introducing him to Skyler (then 4) and Beau (6 months). After, I felt like he may be "the one" I allowed him to meet "my kids". We had an amazing date of goofy golf, garden mazes, and McDonald's for lunch. My little boys had this man wrapped around their fingers. I KNEW I had found my future husband. We were married just a couple of months later.
Our adoption story doesn't end here. We had decided that we would stick with just two kids for awhile. Then, one morning I received a phone call from the placement team that they had a baby girl who needed immediate placement. I called my husband and we decided we would like to foster this baby girl.
Eden came to us after experiencing neglect as an infant. She was frequently left unattended in her car seat while her mother went out to party around town. This 7 month old baby girl could barely lift her head, she had no muscle tone, and would cry for hours on end. She was ANGRY! She was angry at the world and at me. We had a tough road over the next few months. She LOVED for me to hold her, but at the same time HATED for me to hold her. We worked through these struggles to form our mother/daughter bond.
She continued to blossom as she grew into a toddler. Eden loved to explore everything around her. She was and still is very inquisitive. She is always on the go and always noticing something new in her environment.
Shortly after, Eden came to live with us as our foster child, we discovered that we were expecting. Just a few short months later we gave birth to a baby girl. Ensley completed our family and was just 15 months younger than Beau and Eden.
So much for our idea to just stay with two kids for awhile...We then had 4 children who were very young and very close in age. Having a 5 year old, two 1 1/2 year olds, and a newborn in the house is not for the faint of heart.
Our family was exhausted but our hearts were full of love! Within 6 months after Ensley was born our family had the opportunity to celebrate our 3 older children officially joining our forever family. Their adoption day was one of the best days of our lives. Our children were officially our children and they were forever home!
At our house, we love the saying, "The More the Merrier!"
