We all have a story, and sometimes it’s not the one we planned. Our grandson arrived early in 2013 and had to stay in the NICU for 103 days.
When we visited, I noticed something painful some babies never had visitors. Nurses would quietly say, “That one hasn’t had anyone visit in months.” Or, “That baby will end up in foster care.” As a nurse and a mom, that stayed with me.
Later, in my job as a home health nurse, I met many foster kids with medical needs. One foster mom told me, “You’d be great at this.” I laughed. “Me? I’m in my fifties. We’re grandparents with four grown kids.” But her words stuck. My husband, Andy, and I talked, prayed, and decided to take the classes. We figured we could be “interim grandparents,” just helping until kids went home. At its heart, foster care is meant to unite families and help them grow together.
Soon after being licensed, we got a call. “We know you asked for a baby, but we have a 7-year-old girl with different needs. She can’t walk or talk. Her mom died, and no family has come forward.” That night, at 11:30, Laycee came into our lives.
She was beautiful. She had missing genes that caused brain and vision issues, but we didn’t care. She had a smile that touch our hearts. I would greet her every day with “Hi honey,” and one day, she said it back. I cried. She could remember. She could learn.
Six months later, we got another call. A 3-year-old boy named Kelton had been in the PICU for six months. He had many health problems, on a ventilator, with heart and kidney issues. No one would take him. We visited, and the moment we saw his sweet face and curls, we knew that he was ours too.
We brought him home after training at the hospital. Slowly, he started to respond. He couldn’t sit or roll over at first, but he’s learning. And his smile lights up a room.
In July 2017, we adopted Laycee. She progressed from hardly being able to crawl to walking with someone holding her hand.
From a few words to singing her ABCs. She wakes up and says, “Love you” with a sweet little tune. She’s genuinely full of joy, so we gave her the name Laycee Joy.
And in July, we adopted Kelton. He’s still growing and learning, and every day we see new progress.
Now, we’re parents to six amazing kids, ages 5 to 29. We’ll never have an empty nest and we’re so thankful for that. We’re always surrounded by hugs, kisses, and love. Every little milestone means everything to us. We don’t worry about the small things. We know how lucky we are. God has truly blessed our family.
