From Foster to Forever
Nick and Kayla Butler felt a calling from the Lord to be foster parents. Little did they know what the Lord had in store. Below, Kayla shares the journey God led them on.
When Ava was born and came into foster care, I believe it was no coincidence that she was placed in our home. Two weeks prior, we had said the hardest goodbye to our first placement. We were sad to see her leave but happy for her family reunification.
We got the call on a Tuesday afternoon that a baby girl was about to be discharged if we wanted to accept the placement. We said yes without hesitation! Social workers came to our house a few hours later with a beautiful baby girl, and our hearts instantly melted! She was so little and already so very loved!
From our first weekend together spent in the NICU to countless appointments and therapies, our first year and a half was very busy and adventurous. Ava was considered developmentally delayed.
With the right therapies, love, and nurturing, she started meeting developmental milestones and began to thrive. Now, she no longer needs any therapies and is considered advanced in several areas!
After a year in foster care, social workers approached us about the possibility of adopting Ava because the courts approved this route to be the best option for her. Again, we said yes without hesitation!
Within a few months, after a ton of paperwork, we had our adoption date set! We have loved and cared for Ava since the first day she came into our home on Nov 9, 2021. We said yes to forever loving and caring for our beautiful baby girl. We are so blessed that God chose us to be her parents.
To learn more about becoming a foster parent, visit here.