Our Foster Story

4 years ago, this beautiful baby girl came into our lives and forever changed our hearts. 

She became our foster baby (original story here). We had great hopes of adopting Amina and making her ours but God had other plans (original post). We struggled, lost hope, and mourned the loss of our baby. I didn't know if we could make it through....but God showed us that he is faithful and true. 

We feared that when we lost custody, we'd lose Amina forever. I have never felt so defeated, broken hearted, and scared. I couldn't imagine my life without our little peanut. Being 8 months pregnant didn't help. I cried myself to sleep and woke up every morning with lumps in my throat. I thought about her every minute of every day and missed her with my entire being. 

It broke my heart to think she'd forget us....that didn't happen. 

Amina's aunt allowed us to remain in her life. 

She didn't have to. 

There was no court order. 

Tamara allowed us to remain in Amina's life because she loves Amina.   

She allowed us to stay in her life because she knew how much we loved that baby girl. She allowed us to stay in her life because she is truly a good person with a very big heart. 

The beginning of our relationship was a challenging time, we struggled with where we stood, our new role, and often felt as if we had to tred ever so carefully as we navigated this new relationship. 

We get so many questions and messages asking if Amina is with us full time...the answer to that is no but she is every bit a part of our family as she was when she lived here. Amina visits us every other weekend, goes on every family vacation, and is a part of every holiday/birthday/family celebration. She will always be a part of our family and in our hearts, our baby. 

Amina was adopted 2 years ago. It wasn't the adoption I dreamed for us...that was emotional. But, I'll tell you, it was a special day. Not only had we known it was coming, we were invited to be a part of that special day. Wow. It's amazing to think where we have come with Amina and her family. 

As difficult as some days are, we have been so blessed. I still struggle and it's ok to be sad and get mad...but this is our journey and God's plan is always greater than ours. We still have Amina and through this journey have gained 4 new nieces and a new nephew! Tamara has been a loving mother to Amina and has become a member of our family. 

We are thankful for our role as Amina's "godparents" and are even more thankful for the love and kindness Tamara has shown us. 

I know not all foster stories have happy endings. We are lucky. We are blessed. And we are forever thankful. 

Every night I pray for the families that continue to put their hearts on the line and love other people's children with all they have. I pray for you and those precious babies every day. 

Happy 1st Birthday Peanut Butter Cup!

Exactly one year ago today, a loving mom gave birth to a beautiful angel. This little angel was taken to my husbands fire station at 28 days old...and our lives have never been the same.

I have always dreamed of adopting and knew I'd love our adopted baby. I just never realized how much I could possibly love until my beautiful Amina. People have often asked (in a very innocent way) if the  love you have for your foster baby is different than your biological baby. Honestly, I love Amina as if she were my own. Before getting married, I did wonder if it was possible to love someone else's child as much as your own but I now know without a doubt you can and do. The moment Amina was placed in my arms at the Social Workers office was one of the happiest moments of my life. The love I felt and the feeling I had was the exact same feeling and love that overwhelmed me when I held Drew for the first time. My heart and soul knew them and they were mine to love, cherish, & nurture.

We were blessed to foster Amina for 4 months and beyond thankful that Amina's family allowed us to remain in her life. I couldn't possibly imagine my life without her in it. Amina is our little sunshine! She came into our home and touched our hearts, changing us for the better. She has brought so much love to our family. So today, we celebrate the gift of Amina Sharay!!!

Little Amina is a crack up. She has the most mellow personality with a sassy flair! She is the biggest love bug! Amina loves being held and cuddled. She gives the best hugs and will give kisses for days...especially to her brother, Drew! And he can't get enough of her (or her hair...naughty boy)! Our little miss is the best big sister ever. And man oh man does she love her puppy sister and puppy kisses! Lol. She has the raspiest bluesy voice I have ever heard and love the sound of her giggles. She doesn't laugh easily which makes it so much sweeter when you earn that scratchy giggle! I could listen to her laugh all day.

Amina is a connoisseur of music and enjoys everything from Aretha Franklin to Toby Keith! Yup...it's true! But her all time favorite song is one her cousins made up,"Go 'Mina!" She loves to dance. Start singing "Go 'Mina" and she moves to the beat! Our little tiny dancer. It's pretty darn cute. Amina likes to make us laugh...especially by blowing raspberries! She rolls, crawls, stands, and is getting into everything! Little sassy pants. She has a rascal side that comes out every now and then...like when she snatches toys from her brother and cousins. lol. Or when she pretends she's going to touch my face then snatches my glasses. You can't help but laugh. She is getting so big and becoming her own little person with a BIG personality.

Amina, you were just an itty bitty and in the blink of an eye, you are 1! How did that happen?! I have loved every second of watching you grow and change. You make us so happy and proud. As much as I'd love to keep you little, I can't wait to see what you do next! You truly are our sunshine. Happy 1st Birthday my beautiful peanut.

All photos are from Amina's first birthday party, courtesy of Kristen Saldana Photography. Birthday Party Post and details coming soon...

A Beautiful Adventure

As we prepare to drop our sweet Amina off at her aunt's, we are filled with of course sadness but also the deepest love and gratitude.

The past 3 1/2 months have been the best times of our lives. It has been the greatest privilege and honor to foster this beautiful angel. 

God placed Amina in our lives for a reason. He has a plan...we may not understand it, it may not be our plan, but he is a tricky guy and works in the most mysterious and wondrous ways. I know Amina was given to us to teach us what true love is. She has strengthened us as a couple, made our families closer than ever, strengthened our faith, and taught us how to be parents. Wow! I am amazed by how this precious little baby has changed our lives. We are so blessed. 

In our hearts, she will always be a Vidovich.

Today, we woke up, loaded up the car with bottles, bath tubs, bouncers, bows, clothes, diapers, wipes, and oh so much more! We hugged our baby girl, loved her, watched Doc McStuffins, and let Coobie say not goodbye, but "See you later!" to her sister, our peanut butter cup.  

Amina is going to live with her aunt and 5 cousins. They truly love her and will take good care of her. The love they have for her offers us some comfort. Our families were brought together by this little angel and our lives are forever intertwined. Amina now has two families that love her and will be there for her.   

As we leave today, I reflect on the ending of my favorite childhood movie…The Little Mermaid. King Triton has to let Ariel go and so he turns to Sebastian and says, "I guess there is just one problem left Sebastian. [And what's that, your majesty?] How much I'm going to miss her." I am going to miss you with my entire being baby but know that we will be together soon.

Looking forward to our visits my sweet babe. Remember...wherever you are, my love will find you. I love you poopsie. 

God is Good!

I have been wanting to sit and blog these past 6 days but cannot tear myself away from this little peanut. Words cannot begin to express how thankful Andrew and I are for the outpour of love and support as we begin this new chapter of our lives. The response to our blog and all the shares on Facebook have really touched us. Hopefully with everyone sharing and praying, God will protect and bless this sweet little angel.

We are truly the lucky ones. This tiny little person has filled our home with love, joy, and more laughter than I ever knew possible! She is truly a blessing and we are so proud to be her foster mommy and daddy….hopefully one day we will be her forever mommy and daddy! Bringing Amina home was truly magical. She is the sweetest baby in the whole world. So far she eats, sleeps, chats, and loves music! We are all so in love…well that isn't entirely true.  Coobie isn't too sure of her yet but is coming around. I don't think she loves sharing her momma and dad! Lol. Crazy pup!

Being a mommy to this little angel is my all time favorite thing. It has been the most wonderful experience. As I look back at the past 2 1/2 years of praying for a baby, I now realize everything happened the way it was supposed to. God has blessed us with not one but two miracle babies! Wow… blows my mind. I know Amina and Andrew will be the best of friends and siblings. I love when I am cuddling her and feel little Drew moving and saying, "Hey sissy!"

With Mother's day just passing, I can't help but think about Amina's mother. She made the ultimate sacrifice out of love. I look at this sweet little girl and can't help but think how hard this must have been. I am so in love and can't imagine our lives without her. I wish we could let her know how loved this baby girl is…not to mention spoiled. Our family, firefighter family, friends, and neighbors have been so thoughtful and generous. I can't even think about it without tearing up. Thank you for loving our baby.

All the prayers and kind words mean more to us than you could ever possibly know. Please continue praying for us and for the most selfless woman...Amina's birth mother. We love this woman and pray she knows Amina is safe and so so loved.

Some things are meant to be...

I truly believe everything happens for a reason, which brings me to today…on Saturday, April 26th, Andrew (my husband) picked up an overtime shift. He was supposed to be at one station and for whatever reason ended up at his very own fire station. Andrew was cleaning the apparatus floor (basically the garage) when a woman approached him stating she'd like to give up her baby. Andrew called his captain out as he had never had this happen. They asked where the baby was and Andrew went out to her car to bring this beautiful baby girl into the office. Andrew was touched by the mother's selflessness in giving her child up to “have the best chance.” She expressed hope in Amina finding a loving and nurturing home. As my husband listened to this loving testimony, he knew that Amina had been put in our lives for a reason. We have talked about adopting since before we were married and even before we knew we'd struggle conceiving the good old fashioned way. This felt right, like God had hand delivered this beautiful blessing. This mother's tragic and beautiful sacrifice has truly touched us. Andrew immediately called me saying, "There is a safe surrender baby girl at our station." Without hesitation, I replied, "Can we adopt her?" We wanted to give Amina the life her mother dreamed of for her beautiful baby girl.

Andrew took her to the hospital and asked about adopting. In the 12 days since this happened, we have underwent background checks, fingerprinting, and a home investigation. Today, we were granted temporary custody of this sweet baby. We are now fostering Amina with the hope of adopting her. Please keep my little family in your thoughts and prayers.