The Birth of a Family {A Story of Foster Care Adoption}

My family story starts with a single mother of a sweet boy.

When my son Zane was 14 months old I found myself suddenly parenting solo.  During that 3 year journey I never gave up hope that I would have a Godly husband for myself and a Godly father for Zane.  While feeling lonely and abandoned, I held onto several verses that the Lord gave me knowing that He would never leave me nor forsake me.  The primary one being Isaiah 54:6 “The LORD will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit– a wife who married young, only to be rejected,” says your God.”   I trusted that God would be a father to my son and a husband to me while I was husbandless.  I poured my heart out to Him and my faith flourished.  I knew in my heart that God created me to be a mama of many so I trusted that he would be sending more little ones my way.

On April 1, 2007 Zane and I got our Godly man.  In addition to my beloved I also scored 2 amazing bonus boys my step-sons Mason and Carson. The Lowmillers were now a family of 5.   Before Brian and I were married we spoke of the desire to grow our family.  He thought one or two more would be ideal.  I thought three or four more sounded great.  Then there was the issue of HOW we would grow our family.  During Brian’s first marriage he had a vasectomy.  We knew that a reversal was a possibility but also costly and it might not work.  We were both very open to adoption so we agreed that is where we would start.

I had a heavy desire to adopt from foster care on my heart so we signed up to take the necessary classes to get our adoption home study.  Taking those classes opened our eyes to the need for foster families in our community.   After much deliberation we decided to open our hearts and home to children needing a loving family for perhaps a day, a week or forever.  We had several little loves come and go but in November 2009 our Naomi came as a legal risk placement at 6 months old and stayed forever!  I should mention that Brian had a vasectomy reversal in June of 2009.  It proved to be successful because in January 2010 when Naomi was only 8 months old I found out we were expecting!  Quinn was born in September 2010 and we thought we were done growing.  But then Brian went on a business trip in March.  When he came home he declared that he would like to have one or two more children.  I was shocked!  This is exactly what I had hoped for but I was trusting God to change Brian’s heart if this was His plan for the Lowmillers.

I felt VERY strongly that we should adopt through foster care again.  We filled out the mountain of paperwork and turned it in.  Several weeks later I discovered that we were expecting again.  That was a happy surprise but I remember being so  confused and telling God over and over again that I was absolutely positive that He meant for us to adopt through foster care again so why in the world is there a baby occupying my womb?  His ways are NOT our ways.  17 weeks into my pregnancy with Ezra I received a call on a Monday morning that Naomi’s birth parents had delivered a baby girl on Sunday.  I was asked if we would consider being a forever family for her.   With my 8 year old on the floor playing legos, my 2 year old tugging on my leg, my 10 month old on my hip and my baby in my belly I called my husband at work to pose the big question.  I had prepared my heart to hear “Woman you are nuts!” But instead my amazing husband said “Another daughter?  A sister for Naomi?  Yes!  Call and tell them yes!”

Two days later I brought Phoebe Violet home from the hospital. We finalized her adoption in March of 2013 when she was 19 months old. I am so very pleased that God has chosen me to be the mother of the awesome children in our family.  Our family has been incredibly blessed by adoption.  I had a specific burden to adopt through the foster care system because there are currently over 100,000 children waiting for forever families.  That is 100,000 children that have no one to call “Mommy” or “Daddy”.  My girls made it out of the system when they were still babies but many children are not as fortunate.

Each year over 20,000 children age out of the system and will never have a family.  Where will they go for holidays?  Who will call them on their birthday?  Who will walk her down the aisle?  Who will teach him how to be a man?  These waiting children desperately need the love and support of a family.  Half of these waiting children are 8 or older.  Some have special needs and many are sibling groups.  A few important facts to know are that adopting through the foster care system is free or very low cost.  The children often receive a monthly stipend to help cover costs of their care until they are 18.  They also receive Medicaid until they are 18.  Our daughters will receive free in state college tuition as a benefit from the state of Florida.  Children come into the foster care system due to abuse, abandonment or neglect not because of anything they have done.  Please consider bringing one of these precious children into your heart and into your home.  I am certain you will not regret it.

You can read one of this family’s birth stories as well here.

http://www.adoptuskids.org/

http://www.heartgalleryofamerica.org/