It was right around this time on a Sunday night back in the year 2000 that a local couple saw an Adopt 8 story that changed their lives. It inspired them to expand their family through adoption. Now, they share their success story in the hopes it will encourage others to open their hearts and homes to children still waiting to find their forever family.
"Oh I remember it like it was yesterday."
Janice is talking about the Sunday night, 10 years ago that ultimately led to the creation of her beautiful family.
"I was in the kitchen cooking, Jack was on the deck barbecuing, and I said, Jack, Jack, look at this. We can do this, we can do this," exclaimed Janice.
And they did. Janice and Jack are now the proud parents of 13-year-old John and four-year-old Bethany and all because of an Adopt 8 story they saw a decade ago that prompted the couple, who had struggled with infertility, to contact San Diego County Adoptions.
"After going through the orientation and going through the county we realized that it was for us," Jack said.
Less than two years later, they welcomed John into their home
"John was a handful when we first got him. A little five-year-old and just exciting and just all hyper and happy. It only took him two days to call me mommy," Janice explained.
John even looks like part of the family.
"He's got my mother's hair. He's got my mother's eyes," said Janice.
Then, when Janice and Jack decided to add a daughter to their family, they specified - girl under five, but instead of a preschooler, they were matched with a baby. Bethany was just three-months-old.
"I said I don't know if I can do that. We had no idea how to take care of an infant because we weren't expecting that," Jack added.
But in the end, she too was a perfect match.
"It was a blessing. We went and saw her, fell in love with her, and she was the perfect baby," Jack said. "Someone that slept through the night, someone that didn't cry, somebody that just was perfect and John helping. John would feed her, and John would take care of her, and they get along great."
And as John celebrated his 13th birthday on the day we met the family at the park, his father reflected on how quickly the years have flown by.
"Yes, they have, but they've been good," Jack noted.
And many more lie ahead.
"It's been a joy, and we couldn't have asked for anything else," Jack said.
If you are interested in adopting from foster care or becoming a foster family, call 1-877-I-ADOPT-U to learn more about getting started.
The County of San Diego also offers monthly orientation classes.
