Family finally grew, officially at least

B00ger

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So, I’ve been a bit quiet the last little bit here. Lot going on in my personal life. But I wanted to share an exciting event with y’all.

As some of y’all know, we have been fostering a little boy for a little over a year. He is now three. Not to go into great detail (though I could), his mother effectively gave him up, father didn’t even know he existed for a while. He has been in the foster system since just a few months old.

He came to us a little over a year ago:

0406dcd33b06393a3089ea94b8c09fb6.jpg

This was his first time meeting us. Sitting on the couch with our foster supervisor and his social worker beside him.

It didn’t take long for him to warm up to us, despite his past of being in and out of temporary homes. Sometimes with family, sometimes with fosters.

We decided pretty early on that if God wanted him in our lives, then we would treat him as our own. So we attended all of the Termination or Parental Rights hearings as well as all of his other legal hearings. When his parents failed to even put up much of a fight for him and they lost their rights, we told the social worker we wanted him.

3135b6d64fda7eda70b5379eec7cf6d9.jpg


We did notice that for the first few months, mainly when we were taking him to daycare or something he would at times zone out, as if he was somehow preparing himself for being moved again. But he slowly learned that he was home:

He loves dinosaurs, so I made sure one showed up for his birthday:

edacae761fcd690c3cb0dcc900c35421.jpg


He fell in love with his new “brother and sisters”:

bf87ca156e0a106b90b90607c5211c96.jpg


And we quickly learned that despite how he had been neglected in his past, he loved cuddles and being loving with people. Even now he hugs nearly everyone he meets.

We transferred him to a new daycare where he is thriving, though the pandemic has thrown a wrench in him attending much. But he starts back Monday and is excited to see his friends again.

Right when things began speeding up towards adoption, the flu hit and everything slowed down. Home visits and supervision has to be done via the phone. People out of the office. Paperwork getting misplaced. All a major hassle. But we still just loved him as one of our own.

He helped choose a new name, though we were careful not to appear to anyone that we were pressuring him or trying to “steal his identity away”.

We finally learned that the adoption went through, the details and steps being monotonous and trying. But we were finally given today, 7/31 as the signing day. So we all gathered together with family and friends via Zoom and the county held a virtual ceremony and he officially became my 4th child. Benjamin Acara Smith:

e080fc3aff65b8e1e6fbadeb5522c707.jpg

2933b63502c931455e1419eda86cce7b.jpg

118c2d8bb42a83c39ddfca178a885172.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Congrats, he’s a fortunate boy.

I don’t know how you do this, I couldn’t, but I’m thankful that there are families out there like yours!
 
Beautiful story! I can just imagine him, when he's older, and looks up what his name means!
 
That is fantastic! Congratulations!!!
 
@B00ger congratulations, and well done! It occurs to me that we live in a time where we celebrate the rescue of animals from shelters, and when a human becomes part of a family, maybe only a shrug of acknowledgement.

To me, there's nothing in this world that is more honorable or heroic than what you've done. Well done sir, very well done indeed.
 
Hang on, I think I got a window open in this house, it's really dusty all the sudden...




Dude, that's freaking awesome, congrats, especially to HIM for getting such a loving family that he deserves!
 
Your right, he is a keeper. Congratulations.
 
Please pass my congratulations to Benjamin, great family.
 
So, I’ve been a bit quiet the last little bit here. Lot going on in my personal life. But I wanted to share an exciting event with y’all.

As some of y’all know, we have been fostering a little boy for a little over a year. He is now three. Not to go into great detail (though I could), his mother effectively gave him up, father didn’t even know he existed for a while. He has been in the foster system since just a few months old.

He came to us a little over a year ago:

0406dcd33b06393a3089ea94b8c09fb6.jpg

This was his first time meeting us. Sitting on the couch with our foster supervisor and his social worker beside him.

It didn’t take long for him to warm up to us, despite his past of being in and out of temporary homes. Sometimes with family, sometimes with fosters.

We decided pretty early on that if God wanted him in our lives, then we would treat him as our own. So we attended all of the Termination or Parental Rights hearings as well as all of his other legal hearings. When his parents failed to even put up much of a fight for him and they lost their rights, we told the social worker we wanted him.

3135b6d64fda7eda70b5379eec7cf6d9.jpg


We did notice that for the first few months, mainly when we were taking him to daycare or something he would at times zone out, as if he was somehow preparing himself for being moved again. But he slowly learned that he was home:

He loves dinosaurs, so I made sure one showed up for his birthday:

edacae761fcd690c3cb0dcc900c35421.jpg


He fell in love with his new “brother and sisters”:

bf87ca156e0a106b90b90607c5211c96.jpg


And we quickly learned that despite how he had been neglected in his past, he loved cuddles and being loving with people. Even now he hugs nearly everyone he meets.

We transferred him to a new daycare where he is thriving, though the pandemic has thrown a wrench in him attending much. But he starts back Monday and is excited to see his friends again.

Right when things began speeding up towards adoption, the flu hit and everything slowed down. Home visits and supervision has to be done via the phone. People out of the office. Paperwork getting misplaced. All a major hassle. But we still just loved him as one of our own.

He helped choose a new name, though we were careful not to appear to anyone that we were pressuring him or trying to “steal his identity away”.

We finally learned that the adoption went through, the details and steps being monotonous and trying. But we were finally given today, 7/31 as the signing day. So we all gathered together with family and friends via Zoom and the county held a virtual ceremony and he officially became my 4th child. Benjamin Acara Smith:

e080fc3aff65b8e1e6fbadeb5522c707.jpg

2933b63502c931455e1419eda86cce7b.jpg

118c2d8bb42a83c39ddfca178a885172.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It is just a speck of dust in my eye. I'll get over it.
Seriously. That is one of the most beautiful things. Happy for him. Happy for you. Love is good.
 
Awesome! So happy for all of you!
 
Congrats to you both and really awesome of you all taking this on in these times.
 
That’s an amazing thing you two parents are doing for Ben. Ben hit the lottery. There is a huge, huge need for foster care in my region of N Carolina. My daughter is the manager of child protective services and there is a LOT of bad things happening to children and we need more like you and the wife.
 
Congrats to the entire Smith family.
 
Heck of a thing to do, giving that young fella a good loving family when it sounds like he had none.
Congrats to all!
 
That’s GREAT. Looks like you are well on the path of Proverbs 22:6 - “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”
 
@B00ger , you and your family have my utmost respect, for reasons far above the obvious. Congratulations!
 
Congratulations Benjamin Acara Smith, you're Home now.
 
There are no words to express what a great act of love this is. Congratulations on the addition to your family. The little boy has won the lottery and I'm sure he already knows it!
 
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