Our Family
I’m a mid-40s first time mom! Yep! A late bloomer at its best! You see, I was a single girl in the big city of Houston, Texas all through the 1990s +. Then in 2004, my life changed drastically forever through a whirlwind romance and marriage!
I moved from a city of 4 million to a town of 1,400 and began trying to conceive at age 40. In less than 2 years, our fertility doctor told us that all my eggs were gone and should realistically examine adopting a child.
We began the process to become foster parents in Jan 2007 hoping to adopt through our state’s foster care program. After a move back to our (much larger) hometown and struggles with state licensing staff, we were licensed as an adoption-only home in September of that year. Not the dual-licensed foster to adoptive home we had requested. After complaining to the right person, we became dual licensed in February 2008 and officially became foster parents of 8-month-old Stinkpot on March 4, 2008. Surprisingly enough, we adopted him over a year later on my husband’s 50th birthday in August 2009. An adoption success with our first placement!
Through this journey, we have also been foster parents to 4 girls (age 2-12), having to say goodbye and wonder how they are doing.
We currently have a nearly 3-year-old baby boy (Lil Bit) that we have been fostering since he was 3 months old. After fighting the State against placement with a family member in numerous court hearings, we adopted him on National Adoption Day. (Since he was an illegal immigrant, we had to wait for him to become a U.S. citizen!) You can read all the details in our eBook!
On this blog, I share our struggles and joys of being foster parents and eventually becoming a forever family!
Join in on the exciting conversations on our Facebook page!
PENELOPE
- Tree hugger by day – Mommy by night
- Loves being goofy with little kids
- Suffers from Peter Pan Syndrome (does not want to grow up old)
- Was single WAY too long
- Still coping with infertility
- Addicted to skin care products and Diet Coke
- Lives for social gatherings and Girls Night Out
- Loves popular music and can name that tune in just a few notes
- Cheats to keep up on book reading list by using audiobooks
FOSTER DAD
- Special Education Teacher retiring June 1st
- HUGE heart for disadvantaged and neglected kids
- Was married to ex-wife WAY too long
- Hopeless fan of Houston Astros, San Antonio Spurs, and Dallas Cowboys
- Snazzy dresser who refuses to wear t-shirts in public
- Addicted to cologne and coconut cream pie
- Can watch NCIS or FoxNews for HOURS
- Enjoys listening to Southern gospel, old country, and 70s easy rock (when Penny is not around to whine about it)
- Obsessed with his upcoming retirement date
STINKPOT
- Strong-willed is an understatement!
- At 4 years old, thinks grown-ups don’t know anything
- Hopeless fan of Houston Astros and Texas Rangers
- Addicted to baseball, football, basketball, softball, tennis, soccer, hockey, wrestling…
Loves attending church- Way too charming for his own good and juggles too many girlfriends to count
- Likes to act silly
- Independent – demanding to do things by himself
- Future first round draft pick for the Houston Astros in 2025
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Penny,
I’ve awarded you the versatile blogger award
http://tortoisetales2.wordpress.com/
Cheers!
Check out what TortoiseMum recently posted..Who me
Congratulations on your adoption!! We are just waiting for a Court Date to adopt our 2 and 4 year old Foster Sons!! -Jennifer
Congratulations on your adoption!!!! I found your blog while looking at another foster blog. I am so interested in reading your experience as a foster mom. I am a foster parent too. I’ve been fostering for 7 years:) I haven’t adopted yet, but I pray this will be my year. I’ve been praying for a looooong time for my forever foster child(ren) (although I didn’t become a foster to adopt in the start). We’ve had some of our kids that have came close to being free ,but everytime we get our heart set something happens (a relative comes crawling out of nowhere, the parent cleans up just enough,a dad turns out not to be the dad, etc) Our state ,I believe is the worst. I had one girl for 4 years and still never got to adopt her,but she will always be my daughter and she still calls me mom (she’s grown now). It’s so frustrating. I just started my new blog http://1blessedmom2.blogspot.com, because the birth mom of my 16 month old foster (whom I’ve had for 15 months)somehow found my old blog that I had kept for 4 years,so I just started a new one. Anyhow, nice to meet another foster mom(and one around my age. I’m 39). I wish you all the best. ~Sandy
Twitter: Foster2Forever
January 11, 2012 at 6:51 am
Thanks, Sandy! We are a blessed family. Be sure and add your blog to the Foster Care Blogs page. I look forward to reading your story. Be sure and sign up for email. I am in the process of writing the story of our Lil Bit’s crazy adoption that will only be available to subscribers. I plan to finish by the end of this month.
Twitter: foster mamalion
January 24, 2012 at 12:09 pm
Glad I found you! Can’t wait to read more. My blog http://www.5survivethedrive.blogspot.com is a disaster right now because I am in the process of changing it to another name and just all around cleaning it up….I am an accidental blogger. Since we are no longer 5, but 8 we needed a name change, but time is something I have little of with 3 in diapers! Whew! We have adopted 2, have 3 bios and one foster, 3 dogs and a partridge in a pear tree….well, we at least have the pear tree. This is a wild and crazy journey, but I can’t imagine it any other way. These precious children of God deserve love and fun and a safe place even if we are only “mama” for a little while (and “dada”). I’ve got you beat in age, but it’s ONLY a number, right?
Hi Penelope. Thank you for your comment on my MLTS blog post on “being too old to adopt.” I would love to talk with you offline when you get a chance. : )
Twitter: Foster2Forever
June 20, 2012 at 4:56 am
Thanks, Margaret! I, too, adopted “older.” I shared with Facebook & 4 other foster moms admitted to being “older.”
You can contact me here: http://foster2forever.com/contact
Twitter: one more with. us
July 25, 2012 at 10:12 pm
Hi Penelope!
I am just starting to get to know other bloggers, as I am trying to get my own out there too. My husband and I are waiting for our own license to foster and adopt, and I just find myself passionate for the cause. While we wait, I try to read books and watch movies and talk to people who have experience on the matter. Education, education, education
I found your blog through another one, and I am happy to get to know other blogging parents, getting to know more stories, getting closer to people who have a similar heart to mine.
I will be checking your posts to learn more. Thanks! -Gabie
Twitter: one more with. us
July 25, 2012 at 10:17 pm
Penelope, hello!
My husband and I are waiting for our foster and adoption license. It is a very long process, and we have been learning so much through it.
I also found you through another blog, and I am happy to get to know more parents who are part of this community.
Thanks!
Gabie
I Googled Foster Adoption and found you! We are the parents of two biological children, both grown and in college. We are investigating adopting from Foster care – it’s a long story. We were foster parents four years ago, so we aren’t “innocent” about the system. I am SCARED and EXCITED and I don’t know what else! I’m just looking for answers and looking for success stories of those who have adopted older kids (the two we are considering are 10 and 13).
Hi
I just found your site while surfing. I too and a foster turned adoptive mother. My husband and I became certified foster parents in 2005. We initially had two children placed with us, one with all kinds of medical needs. First time, instant parents and they bring us this beautiful, blonde haired, blue eyed, 8 month old little girl on heart medication and using a heart lung monitor when asleep. The worker drops them off and says here you go, good luck! Luckily I had a friend who was a nurse who came to help teach us a 9om at night! Those forst two kiddos eventually ended up with biological grandmothers. Then in February 2006 we began what I like to call our never ending roller coaster ride, that I will keep riding with pleasure. Our forst two kiddos arrived at 2 yrs and one at 9 months of age, full sibs. There case went on way too long and they dealt with sooo much! Then we got 3rd full sib in Febraury of 2008, he was 11 months. We finalized their adoption October of 2010. Hooray! In June of 2010 we got a fourth full sib right from the hospital, a newborn! We are currenly awaiting a final adoption date. The three older ones have numerous social emotional issues and behavior disorders. We love all 4 of them 2 pieces!
Twitter: Foster2Forever
September 21, 2012 at 8:29 am
Thanks, Amy!
I just found your site while looking for information on foster parent support groups. My husband and I are also certified foster to adopt. Our 3 biological sons are all grown, and we love kids so decided to start fostering. We have worked for years with a group called BACA (Bikers Against Child Abuse). We rode with the Houston Chapter and helped to empower many abused children to stand up to their abusers in court…kind of like CASA..only we don’t look as sweet as those CASA workers, we are bikers. I think the biker image is what gives the kids the courage in court. If you want to know more about BACA check us out at bacaworld.org. I have been looking for sites where foster parents share support and ideas about fostering. We live in a very rural area between Dallas and Houston, so there is very little support near us. I hope to learn more by keeping up with you on your site and on facebook. I have one foster daughter right now, a 15 month old….after raising all boys I sure enjoy when we have girls placed with us!
Thanks!
Sandy
Hi Penny:
I found your blog and think it is great. I don’t know if you can get into this (for privacy reasons) or even want to, but I am curious why the foster girls you had did not become a permanent part of your family. Were they returned to their birth parents. I cannot imagine what that must have been like – having to hand them back,
I love your blog. Please keep on writing. I think it is a big help to others thinking about making this journey.
Twitter: Foster2Forever
February 23, 2013 at 4:23 am
Thanks for reading Foster2Forever, RW! Most of our foster girls went to live with family. Only the 12-year-old was available for adoption; however, her aggression toward 3-year-old, Stinkpot, alarmed us & the caseworkers so she was moved. She was adopted last year.
Twitter: momsterof10
March 15, 2013 at 10:58 pm
Awesome, loved reading about your beautiful family! Best- Sunshine
Check out what Sunshine Peterman recently posted..MJ was right, this is it.