March 21, 2022, is a date we’ll forever remember as one of the happiest in our lives. On that day, we officially adopted our middle daughter, Addisyn, and our family finally felt complete. But our journey to get there wasn’t easy, and I want to share what led us to that special moment.
Our story really began back in 2012 when I (Taylor) met Jared. We had gone to the same small-town high school in rural Indiana but didn’t know each other well because he was a few years older. One evening, I went with a friend to watch her boyfriend play softball, and that’s when I met Jared. We became friends, started dating in early 2013, and by Christmas that year, we were engaged. It was a whirlwind romance, but we were sure about each other. We bought a house, adopted two dogs, and got married on July 26, 2014.
From the start, we dreamed of having a family with three or four kids. We talked about adoption and foster care but wanted to enjoy marriage first. Two years later, we were thrilled to find out I was pregnant. Our daughter, Claire, was born on December 6, 2016. She was perfect, and we fell into parenting with all the love and exhaustion that comes with a newborn.
When Claire turned one, we bought land in our hometown to build a house. We dreamed of raising our kids there, with open fields, starry nights, and room to run. The building process took longer than expected, but by Valentine’s Day 2019, we moved into our new home. With Claire now a toddler, people started asking if we’d have more kids. We wanted to, but month after month of negative pregnancy tests made it hard. Eventually, we saw a fertility specialist. Just when I was scheduled for a procedure, I found out I was pregnant. Tragically, that pregnancy ended in a very early miscarriage, leaving me completely heartbroken.
Tests later showed my fallopian tubes were blocked, making natural pregnancy very unlikely. IVF was an option, but it’s expensive and not covered by most insurance in Indiana. After a lot of prayer and conversations, we felt called toward foster care. I grew up around foster families, so it wasn’t unfamiliar to us. We reached out to DCS and began the long, emotional process of paperwork, interviews, and home studies. The process was intense, but we understood why it’s about making sure kids are safe and loved.
In March 2020, we became licensed foster parents, but no placements came right away. Then, to our surprise, I found out I was pregnant again. It was a mix of joy and fear, but thankfully the pregnancy went well. On June 14, 2021, the due date of our miscarried baby, DCS called asking if we could take a three-day-old baby girl. Without hesitation, I said yes. That’s how Addisyn came into our lives. We fell in love instantly.
Life with a newborn and a pregnancy was busy, but beautiful. Around Thanksgiving, DCS called again, Ahad an older brother who needed a home immediately. We weren’t prepared for a toddler, but our friends and family rallied around us with everything we needed. Both kids filled our home with love and chaos. A month later, Addie and her brother went to live with their grandparents. Saying goodbye was heartbreaking, just like we were warned it would be.
We focused on Claire and prepared for our second biological baby. On January 15, 2022, Piper was born. Then in April, Addie’s grandparents asked if we would welcome her into our home for good. We agreed immediately, without a second thought. Months later, after court dates and paperwork, we adopted her officially on March 21, 2022.
Today, Claire is five, Addie is two, and Piper is one and a half. Life is messy and loud, but full of love. Foster care changed us forever, and while we’ve paused to focus on our three girls, we’ll always support kids in need however we can. Adoption, foster care, volunteering, there are so many ways to help. Every person has the power to impact a child’s life.
