Our Princess and Buddy are three–year–old twins who were born 10 weeks premature and after spending their first month of life in the hospital, they entered foster care at the age of two months. They were placed in a temporary foster home for 11 days until a short term home was found. Eight months later, when their placement became more than short term and reunification was looking less and less possible, their current foster mother requested that an adoptive home be sought for the twins in the event that a TPR occurred. They were 11 months old when they came to live with us. .

With the parents not working on their plan, TPR seemed easy, but that was not to be the case. It was mentioned that another man could be the biological father and a DNA test determined that he in fact was and their legal father had simply signed voluntary paternity papers, without a DNA test. This was the start of a very long TPR process and even though this new father made very little effort to contact his children, check on them, or even become their legal father, he was in the military and could be protected from certain legal action. It took another 18 months after the DNA test before TPR was granted, and that was only because both parents pled no contest.

Three years and three days after being placed in foster care, these beautiful twins were finally legally adopted. This may not seem like a long time, but when a simple DNA test could have been done three years prior, it could have allowed these children to have permanency a lot sooner. Although, it is unknown if these records were in their case file, their hospital records did make note of the fact that there was another man who could be their father.

Although our feelings for our children have only grown stronger since the day we first say them, we have had many heartaches along the way. Waiting, Wondering, when we would be a forever family.