“The baby was born early and is in the NICU. It’s time for you come to Colorado.” The voice on the other line – my caseworker from CCS – was gentle and forthcoming. The baby arrived six weeks early and was struggling due to drug and alcohol exposure in utero. On top of that, her birth father had begun to question the adoption plan due to a deep distrust of the child protection and foster care system.
So much was up in the air. But nothing was bigger than the love God had already put in our hearts – not even the distance that stretched between our home and the state of Colorado.
“We’ll be there,” we answered breathlessly into the phone. And for six weeks, we were. The nursing staff told us that the baby needed much more than medical care. We held her sweet, tiny body as she battled. We fed her, cared for her and bathed her daily. The nurses noted that her vitals improved every time we held her. Our love and dedication helped her thrive.
While we were at the hospital, we routinely sent pictures and updates to the baby’s birth parents. During that time, they continued to receive counseling from their CCS caseworker and expressed that their confidence in their adoption plan grew stronger after witnessing how fiercely we loved the baby through the commitment we had already shown. That, coupled with the support and guidance of CCS, helped dispel the birth father’s mistrust in the adoption process.
Today, our sweet girl, Marie is happily settled into our home. She is a beautiful gift and constant reminder of God’s faithfulness when we fall under His sovereign plan. We will be forever grateful for the perseverance and guidance shown by the CCS team for making our dream of having a child come true.