While we grieved our miscarriage and faced the obvious involuntary childlessness before us, we also were getting through the heartbreak of transitioning care of our first foster child who was very sick. We decided in October 2018 that no matter the financial costs (we knew private adoption was expensive), we wanted a baby. We deserved… Continue reading Why We Chose Adoption
Author: Dana and Andrew Burke
No More…
First let me apologize for not posting in such a long time. We were concentrating on our foster child and then we had to take time to heal after she left our home. Throughout June, plans were being made for our foster child to go to her family in Colorado. There was a team meeting… Continue reading No More…
Update on our Foster Kiddo
Our foster child has been with us for 5 months now and it has been so much fun watching her grow, learn new things and get stronger. She is now 16 pounds but when we fold her 6 month clothes, we are constantly thinking it is too small for her but they still fit. She… Continue reading Update on our Foster Kiddo
April Fundraising
Thank you to everyone who purchased a puzzle piece, made a donation, T-shirt/apparel (from March's fundraiser), and who have RSVP'd to our family movie night (May's fundraiser)! We are moving right along!!! We are so blessed to have so many supportive family and friends!
Our Second Foster Kiddo: Part 3
Our foster child came home December 20 and, once again, we had a baby in our house. We were excited about celebrating Andrew’s birthday and Christmas with this new addition. Unfortunately, I got sick on the 22nd and quarantined myself to my craft room. I set up a blow-up mattress and only came out… Continue reading Our Second Foster Kiddo: Part 3
Jeffrey and Amelia
Last Wednesday was supposed to be my due date. Thinking of all the things that might have and should have been was rough. Andrew and I have chosen names for our two babies who had heartbeats for a brief time. We thought it would honor their life. Jeffrey and Amelia. We lost Jeffrey in 2015… Continue reading Jeffrey and Amelia
Our Second Foster Child: Part 2: Navigating Medi-Cal and Having a Baby in Our Home
(Can you do 2 colons in a title? Well, I just did) So, we got to bring baby girl home on December 20th. We were surprised with the task of having to choose a pediatrician and we were ill-prepared to make that decision (had they told us ahead of time, we would have been doing… Continue reading Our Second Foster Child: Part 2: Navigating Medi-Cal and Having a Baby in Our Home
Our Second Foster Child: Part 1
We got a call on Monday, November 26 from our agency stating there was an infant in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) who needed a foster family. The county where she resides collects information on all the potential foster families interested and choose the family they think would be the best fit. We waited… Continue reading Our Second Foster Child: Part 1
Home Inspection vs Home Study
So what is a home study and how does it differ from a home inspection? Well, I’ll try to explain some of that here. When the county removes a child from an unsafe situation, they obviously want to make sure they aren’t placing them in another potentially negative environment. And whether it is a physical,… Continue reading Home Inspection vs Home Study
Our first placement, Part Three
Our foster child was in the ICU for 12 days. During that time, Andrew, Allyn (my mother-in-law) or I stayed at the hospital. There wasn’t much we could do for her - she was definitely well cared for by the nurses, respiratory therapists and doctors. But, we felt like we needed to be there. I… Continue reading Our first placement, Part Three
Seeking Baby Burke 