11/02/2026
This is a beautiful story of foster care, hope, adoption, and love. ❤️
Every family has a story, and this one is especially meaningful. Take a moment to read about their adoption journey and the power of giving a child a place to call home. ❤️đźŹ
"For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a mom.
I can remember being just a little girl, sitting in our family room watching A Baby Story on TLC and thinking, "Oh my goodness, I want to be a mom so badly!" I was always playing with baby dolls, pretending to be a mommy, and taking every babysitting opportunity I could get. Motherhood was something I dreamed about long before I ever understood what it truly meant.
I graduated high school, went to college, built my career, and continued living my life. But I never found the person I thought I would be building a family with. Eventually, I had a realization: I didn't want to put my dream of becoming a mom on hold simply because my life hadn't followed the traditional path I once imagined.
I knew I wanted to be a mom, regardless of whether I was married. And I knew adoption was something I wanted to explore.
That's when I found NECCO.
I signed up for parenting classes, completed my home study, and began the process of becoming a foster parent. I was excited, nervous, anxious, and honestly experiencing every emotion imaginable. I received several calls about children needing placement. Some just didn't feel like the right time or the right situation for me, and I had to make the difficult decision to say no. Every time, I would hang up and question myself. Did I make the right decision? Was I missing my opportunity? It was an emotional process.
Then came the phone call I will never forget.
I was at work when I received a call about a baby girl who needed a placement. She was in another county, several hours away. I was so excited. We started preparing and getting everything ready, imagining that this might finally be the moment.
The very next day, I received another call. They had found a different placement for her, and we would not be moving forward.
I was devastated.
But not even five minutes later, my phone rang again.
It was NECCO. They had another baby girl who needed a home, and she would be arriving at my house at 6:00 that evening.
I don't think I had time to process what was happening. I immediately started calling my family, and everyone gathered at my house, anxiously waiting to meet this little girl.
I remember watching for the social worker to pull into my driveway. I didn't even know whether I should wait inside or go out on the porch. When I saw the car, I ran outside.
The social worker came around the side of the car carrying the infant carrier, and the moment I laid eyes on that baby girl, it was love at first sight.
We came inside, and all I wanted to do was hold her, touch her, love on her, and soak in every second. I knew in that moment that my life had changed completely, and in the most beautiful way.
Every dream I had ever had about becoming a mom suddenly felt real.
Being a mom has been everything I dreamed it would be and more. I absolutely love motherhood, and I cannot imagine my life without my daughter.
Of course, foster care comes with an important understanding: reunification is always the primary goal. When you open your home to a child through foster care, you are also opening your heart to the possibility that they may return to their biological family.
We experienced that firsthand. There were visits, uncertainty, and some very emotional days. I remember thinking, this is real. This baby isn't technically mine, and she could go home at any time. I had to learn how to love her wholeheartedly while also understanding that reunification was the goal and being supportive of that possibility.
It wasn't always easy. There were tears, questions, and moments of uncertainty. But eventually, parental rights were terminated, and I was given the opportunity to adopt the beautiful little girl who had been in my care since she was just days old.
The day we finalized her adoption in court is something I will never forget. It was one of the most emotional days of my life. I can only describe it as feeling like I was giving birth to her all over again. There was something so incredibly special about standing there and legally becoming her forever mom.
She is my daughter. Completely and wholeheartedly.
We may not share DNA, but I promise you, she could not be more like me if we shared the same genetics! It is unbelievable how much of my personality, mannerisms, and little quirks I see in her. We are a team, and I am so incredibly blessed that life brought us together.
One of my biggest concerns when I first considered adoption was whether anyone would allow me to adopt as a single mom. I wasn't married, and I worried that might stand in the way of the family I dreamed of building. NECCO immediately reassured me that being single did not mean I couldn't become a mom through adoption. They supported me, encouraged me, and helped me realize that families are built in so many different ways.
I am also incredibly thankful for the village that surrounded me throughout this journey. My family and friends have been my biggest supporters, and NECCO has been there every step of the way. They were there on the days I was crying because I was afraid adoption might not happen, and they were there to celebrate when it finally did. Their support didn't end when the adoption was finalized, either. They continue to be there whenever I need them.
And my story with foster care didn't end there.
Earlier this year, I welcomed another infant girl directly from the hospital into my home. She was with us from January through September, and ultimately, we experienced reunification with her biological family.
That experience brought a whole different set of emotions. You can be happy that a child is returning to their family, understand and support the purpose of foster care, and still feel heartbroken because you love that child and will miss them. Those feelings can all exist at the same time. There were tears, difficult days, and a lot of emotions for our entire family.
Once again, NECCO was there to support us through it.
And I would absolutely do it again.
If there is one thing I hope someone takes away from my story, it is that you do not have to be married, have a traditional family structure, or have your life perfectly figured out to make a difference in a child's life.
Foster care and adoption are beautiful ways to build a family, but they also come with responsibility, sacrifice, patience, and an understanding that a child's needs must always come first. Reunification is the priority, and as foster parents, we have the opportunity to provide love, stability, encouragement, and support while a child and their family navigate an incredibly difficult season.
Sometimes, that journey leads to reunification. Sometimes, it leads to adoption. Both are important, and both can change lives.
I often say that I changed my daughter's life, but she changed mine just as much. I opened my home because I wanted to be a mom, but I never could have imagined just how much love, purpose, and happiness she would bring into my life.
For a little girl who sat on the living room floor watching adoption stories on television and dreaming about becoming a mommy someday, I can honestly say that my dream came true in the most unexpected and beautiful way.
And if I could go back and tell that little girl anything, I would tell her that her story is going to be even more beautiful than she ever imagined.
Sometimes the family you've dreamed of doesn't come together the way you planned. Sometimes it comes together in a driveway at 6:00 in the evening, with a baby carrier, a phone call, and a love that changes everything."
