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.
