Our First Foster Baby

This is a series of articles about Our Journey Through Foster Care.  If you would like to read from the beginning please click here, and scroll down to Part I.

The training classes were done, we were approved, and we were just waiting for the call that would bring that first little baby into our homes.  The call finally came and we were to go pick up Linea* at the hospital the next day. 

I called my husband at work, and asked him, “What do you think of the name Linea?”  He said, “Fine, why?”  I told him that was the name of our first foster baby, and could he get tomorrow off so we could go pick her up?

We arrived at the hospital, happy and eager to meet our tiny little charge and her parents.  We were handed a small pink blanket, and tucked inside was a tiny little head with more hair than girl!  Linea weighed only 5 lbs. and she was the sweetest little Filipino I had ever seen!  Her parents hadn’t been able to meet us at the hospital after all because they had a class to attend as part of their requirements to bring their baby back home. 

Life with Linea was exciting!  We had weekly visits with her parents, and weekly Dr. appointments.  Linea had a hole in her heart, as well as some other medical problems due to being premature and drug affected.

The whole family stood over Linea and watched her every movement and listened to every squeak.  Her very favorite place to sleep was on my husband’s chest, which she did often!  I remember being up at night with her thinking, “This baby will never go to sleep!”  Finally my husband would come home from his night shift at work, shower and curl up with Linea.  They would both drop off to sleep in seconds.

We were very fortunate to have Linea and her parents for our first foster family.  Linea’s parents had made mistakes, and I believe that having their baby removed from their care was a wake up call for them.  They thanked us profusely for taking care of Linea, and they did everything that the state asked of them.  Many foster parents must deal with biological parents who curse at them, and on the whole feel more sorry for themselves, than their children. 

Linea stayed with us for only seven weeks.  She went back to her parents, and my husband and I were very comfortable with that.  It is heartbreaking to fall in love with a  child as if it were your own, and then have it move on, but for our first experience as foster parents, we waved good-bye to Linea with happy hearts. 

Linea was gone, but she was in good hands.  Besides, there was the next baby to look forward to! 

* Not her real name.

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