This week we hear from Amy about how to adopt from foster care. She shares her path to motherhood through her adoption story:
As a 27-year-old single woman, adoption was Amy’s first choice. Her whole adult life consisted of getting herself ready for adopting one day. When 2013 came around, she started the process to adopt from foster care.
Meeting a Son
After much patience, she was finally approved two years later in early 2015. On December 10th, 2015, a seven-month-old baby named Axel was placed with Amy in a foster-to-adopt placement. The journey with Axel had its highs and lows, with multiple court dates and decisions being made for both of them. However, in the end, they both found bliss. On October 10th, 2019, Axel became a Mckitterick and now has his forever home with Amy.
The Best is Yet to Come
When asked what the best experience was, Amy states that she found a strength within her that she didn’t know she had. All the challenges she went through made her into a stronger person who spoke up and did not back down. Besides gaining more self-confidence, her heart became so full because of Axel. She expresses,
Axel was a missing piece for me. I knew love, I knew happiness – but this? I couldn’t even dream of what it feels like to have my son screech with excitement when he sees me for the first time in the morning. When we are reading stories in his dinosaur bed at night, even after the long days of being a single parent to a very opinionated 4-year-old, I always think to myself that this is exactly what life is about.
Open Your Heart Up to Love
Amy offered some advice for those choosing to do an open adoption.
Axel has an open adoption and while I knew I’d always hold his biological family in my heart, I didn’t know it would be to this extent. It hasn’t been an easy road for any of us, including Axel of course but there is just so much love in so many different forms for this child. The journey can be long and arduous, we know this about adoption – but becoming a parent or expanding your family by choosing adoption is going to open your heart up to a love you didn’t even realize you were capable of. I would say to keep an open mind and an open heart, the kids depend on it so much!
In Conclusion
In conclusion, we’d like to thank Amy for sharing her beautiful story with Foster Love – Together We Rise. If you are in the process of fostering to adopt, we would like to help you photograph your adoption day. Check out our Framing Forever program. Click here for more information!
