A New York family celebrated a welcome addition to the fold with the successful adoption of a five-year-old girl, who they first met when she was two months old.
When Cindy and Jeffrey Moore first met Cece, they had very high hopes from the beginning that they would be able to keep her long-term. The foster family’s journey to adoption finally ended after 1,954 days.
Cindy said, “Here we are over five years later, and that long-term placement has now become a forever home for her.” Jeffrey added, “We’re ecstatic that it finally, finally got to that point.”
Based in Depew, New York, the foster family’s journey to adoption began after the Moores experienced infertility years ago.
Cindy shared, “Friends of ours had some children that they had fostered and then they were in the process of adopting some of them. So, we picked their brain a little bit, got a little bit of information about how the foster system worked and what their experiences were, and then they sent us information to the agency that we work through — Child and Family Services. That’s how we ended up getting certified through them.”
The Moores have been certified foster parents since 2015. Over the last eight years, the couple says they have welcomed over 30 children into their home.
“It’s really, really gratifying for us. We’re very excited about it. Every time we take a child in our house, you never really know how it’s going to pan out long term by the time you start,” said Jeffrey.
Being able to adopt, however, is extra special. In addition to Cece, the couple has adopted two other children via foster care, and now they’re currently in the process of adopting another child.
Cindy explained, “The same day that Cece was actually adopted, we found out that her half-brother that we’ve been fostering has been freed for adoption. So we’ll be starting the adoption process with him as well.”
In Cece’s case, the foster family’s journey to adoption started the minute they saw her. The plan was for Cece to stay with the Moores overnight, but fate had something else in store for the family.
Once they saw her cute face, Cindy jokingly said, “If you need a place long-term, let us know.” The very next day, she was told that they were looking for a long-term placement for Cece and they formally started the process of adoption.
On May 11, the family posed together for sweet photos with Cece’s adoption papers at Erie County Family Court.
The young girl happily held up a sign that said, “I’ve been in foster care for 1,954 days. Today, I’m being adopted!” There was definitely plenty of joy as the foster family’s journey to adoption ended in a forever home for Cece. She exclaimed, “My mom and dad are so nice. I love them.”
Fostering can be difficult, but the Moores said that a foster family’s journey to adoption is a rewarding experience. Though the primary goal of foster care is reunifying the child with the family, adoption is an option if reunification does not happen.
In the five years of waiting for Cece’s adoption to come through, the Moores had always known of the potential for the child to return to her biological family. Fostering and processing adoptions can thus be a rollercoaster of emotions for all parties involved.
Still, Jeffrey wants families to know that fostering and adopting a child can make a difference in their lives. The Moores are encouraging others to consider becoming foster parents too and understand how the process works.
It is important for foster families to realize that while foster children may eventually leave their homes, they are giving valuable love and assistance to children and taking care of them in their time of need.
The Moores have seen some of their foster children return to their families but that has also given them satisfaction, particularly after seeing growth in the child’s family.
Though the Moores have had so many children come in and out of the house through the years, this foster family’s journey to adoption means that some of the kids will not be going anywhere and they are happily in a good and safe home.
To learn more about this foster family’s journey to adoption watch the video below: