Choices
As she approached her 30s, Katie Page's marriage became strained, and she filed for divorce sadly. Katie felt lost and that she was no longer able to pursue her dreams of starting a family and a profession.
The decisions she made subsequently changed her life profoundly. However, they also dramatically influenced the lives of others.
Choosing Her Path
Katie Page was from Alabama, she was in the midst of her thirties and felt like she was going through a lot in her life. The chapter that was her marriage had just ended and she didn't feel whole anymore. She needed to find her way.
Katie had wanted a family but knew she'd have to put a pin in that. She was looking for a new beginning when she decided that she'd make a drastic change in her life.
A New Chapter
Katie felt that, if she wanted to achieve her goals, she would have to change a lot of things in her life. This is why she moved from Alabama, despite having connections and friends there.
After some thinking, Katie knew what she wanted to do. At just the right moment, Katie found a job that seemed perfect for what she was looking for. She moved to Denver, Colorado. Her new job was in commercial construction, more specifically as an integrated service manager for the company GE Johnson.
A New Home
Katie was feeling good about her decisions and cemented her life in Denver by buying a 4-bedroom house that needed some work. “The house I bought would require extensive work to transform into my vision and most of which I would have to do myself in order to afford it,” Katie said.
Katie recalls telling one of her friends that his house alluded to 'more'. But she didn't know just what 'more' meant in her life just yet.
Getting Her Life Together
A lot of money would have to go into Katie's new house to fix it up but she felt this was good for her. She couldn't afford to spend unnecessarily, so she had to work on the house without help.
She felt this was a good distraction while she got the rest of her life together, but Katie felt like she was missing something, living in her big house all alone. She thought that her divorce would lead to new horizons. She decided to go out and look for those opportunities.
Looking For Happiness
Katie wasn't so sure where to start -- there were so many paths to take. Despite all her hesitation, she felt like there was some way of making herself feel more fulfilled and complete.
She was hopeful. Her renovations kept her inspired and occupied, but it didn't give her the happiness she was looking for.
Health Concerns
Katie thought she'd get a new perspective on life when she moved, got a new job, and bought her house.
Even if her newfound perspective did help, it certainly didn't feel like it was what she was searching for. Katie also suffered from problems with fertility, so she started to consider the idea of adoption.
New Plan
Katie was looking for a new path in her life. So she started researching the idea of fostering children. She really felt she loved children and that fostering them would give new meaning to her life.
Katie had always looked forward to being a mother before she found out about her fertility problems. Maybe this was her way of getting around it. It was a new plan she created for herself.
Her Walk Of Life
A letter from the church Katie had just joined arrived on her doorstep. The letter spoke of a seminar coming up that was about a new fostering program for children who really needed it.
Katie felt like this was fate. Her heart fluttered and butterflies wiggled in her stomach. She felt that, at her core, this was going to be her walk of life.
Reassurance
Kaite attended the church seminar about foster care and felt that it resonated with her. Feeling like this was for her, any concern she originally had was abolished.
She was very anxious when thinking about the prospect of fostering, but she felt like what she was undertaking really made that void she had fill right up. She felt reassured.
Starting The Journey
What better way to start her journey than on Mother’s Day? She’d filled out her application form and it ended up changing her life forever.
With an ending comes the opportunity to start anew. This drastic life change offered her the possibility of taking her life in a new direction -- but it would ultimately turn her world upside down.
Right Decision
Being a single woman who was new to the area, she had to weigh out her options. She would first have to navigate the area and then navigate motherhood itself! Despite this, she knew it was the right choice.
Not long after she filed her application, she started to receive cases. The foster children that she received were not just children without parents, but they were also children who experienced trauma when they were still very young. Hearing this made her want to help even more.
Parenthood Calls
The next year, Katie fostered four kids. She found herself eager to adopt a child of her own. She was content with serving as a foster parent, but she decided to make parenthood a more permanent facet of her life.
From fostering kids, she wanted to adopt one! She didn’t have to wait long after making this big decision before life showed her the right challenge. Only two weeks after talking to her caseworker about her desire, she got a phone call about a child who was abandoned by his biological mother at a hospital nearby.
Praying For A Miracle
The new-born was just four days old. Without hesitation, she knew that this was destiny at work. Katie then told her caseworker, “I want him!” and asked the worker to try not to contact anyone else about the baby.
That night she prayed fervently that the baby would be hers. Only time would tell…
The Call
Within a day of getting that call, her caseworker contacted her again. Katie answered the phone, hoping she was granted rights to be his foster mother
That same day she walked out of the nearby hospital, the four-day-old boy in her arms! She had experience fostering a 14-month-old infant, but she had never taken care of a new-born in the past. She thought it was terrible that he was abandoned at such a young age, but sadly, that wasn’t the worst of it…
Going Forward
The baby boy had a tough beginning in life, but that was all past him now.
It was time for them to move on now so Katie decided that she would have to give her all if she wanted to take care of this new baby, and so she did! Since he was abandoned at only four days of age he didn’t have a name yet.
Name Found
When she first took him home with her, she only referred to him as Baby Boy for days. Immediately she felt a connection that she couldn’t explain.
She didn’t have a lot of time to think of what to name him, which is why she decided to call him by her favorite boy name: Grayson. She never dreamed that she would turn out to be such a natural at parenthood.
Her Calling
As days went on, she started to realize that true motherhood was her calling. She felt her soul tell her that she should raise him as her own child.
She’d already fostered little kids that grew up in bad environments, but none of them stayed with her for a long time. This is what she longed for. She knew it would be very different from fostering, but she was ready to go the next step and adopt Grayson as her son.
Seeking Answers
Since she had been taking care of him since he was only four days old, he managed to take a special place in her heart. Grayson stayed with her for nearly a year as caseworkers tried to track down his biological parents.
They looked far and wide for his mother and father, but couldn’t find them. They put up ads in the newspaper and on Facebook but did not get any responses. No one stepped in to look for the baby boy at the hospital either.
It’s Official
After some time Grayson finally got a shot at a loving home. He became the legal son of Katie when he was 11 months old!
They had no idea that their life together was just about to start. It’s something that Katie looked forward to and started feeling a little fulfilled. She did sometimes feel like her family was not yet complete, but she waited until her son was eighteen months old before she took in one more foster kid.
Another Life-Changing Call
Katie then received multiple emails and calls about potential placements now that her home was open once more. She mostly got offers for short term placements.
She wanted a more long-term arrangement, but she didn’t think it was the right time just yet. But, a month after Katie decided to adopt Grayson; she received a phone call out of the blue. Little did she know, but the call would change her and Grayson’s lives forever.
A Girl In Need
The person on the other end informed Katie that there was another new-born who was abandoned by her mother who was in need of a loving home. Interestingly, she was at the same hospital where Grayson was found.
She learned that the baby at the hospital was named Hannah. Katie instantly felt that she had to help this little girl.
Deja Vu
After talking it over with the worker on the phone, she got a sense of déjà vu. In an interview, Katie said, “during all of the phone calls I made that afternoon, the phrase ‘I know I am crazy, but God is telling me to say YES’ kept coming out of my mouth.”
Would she say yes to another baby?
Instincts
Katie could not help but feel anxious and nervous, but her instincts told her to open up her heart and consider taking in the baby girl at the hospital.
In only a matter of hours, they dropped off Hannah from the hospital, and the little girl met Katie and Grayson for the first time. Then, as if by fate, something strange happened.
No Coincidence
After Katie welcomed her into the house, she noticed the name of the mother written on the baby bracelet. It turned out to be the same name she found on Grayson’s!
She looked over the baby’s discharge papers and soon noticed that her birth mother had a similar birth date as her little boy’s biological mother. Was it a coincidence?
Suspicion
Hannah also had similar medical conditions that Grayson had. “[The caseworkers] told me her story, which was really similar to Grayson’s,” Katie explained.
Even though Hannah and Grayson did not look alike, she had a suspicion that the two were related in some way. “Grayson is half African American with beautiful darker skin and dark curly hair,” the mother posted on her blog. She continued, “Baby Girl has a pale white skin tone with straight red-blonde hair.”
Something’s Off
It was going to be difficult to find out the truth since Grayson’s birth mother had a different surname. Her birth date was also off by a single day than the one Hannah’s mother had.
While the two kids did not look anything alike, Katie still thought that something was off. Katie was so determined to get to the bottom of it that she took it upon herself to track down Hannah’s birth mother.
Slim Chance
Katie even approached her caseworker and told her that she thought Hannah and Grayson had the same birth mother.
However, she was told that this did not seem likely. For all they knew, the chances of that were slim and probably a million to one. Perhaps it was just pure coincidence. Regardless, she knew she might have better luck by getting in touch with her son’s caseworker.
Some Answers
She requested to take over Hannah’s case as well. After months of searching for an answer, she finally tracked down and met up with Hannah’s birth mother.
As soon as they met up, she could tell that she was the same person who gave birth to her son as well! She couldn’t understand how this was all possible.
Revelation
The moment she saw Hannah’s birth mother, Katie said that she “knew instantly” that this was also the same woman who birthed her beautiful son.
However, she told herself to keep calm and not to jump to conclusions.
Resemblance
During the conversation, the birth mother told her some information that confirmed what she suspected from the start. The woman said that she also gave birth to a boy who she gave up without records.
Of course, Katie took into consideration the fact that this woman had a striking resemblance to Grayson as well.
Confirmation
Katie asked her more questions and learned that the woman had a couple of children. She had another baby boy, whom she did not report to the authorities.
After the meeting, Katie told the social worker everything she learned. The caseworker confirmed that the last name the birth mother gave matched the last name of someone related to Hannah. The pieces were finally coming into place, but they had to wait for one more test that would confirm her hunch.
Half Siblings
Katie was amazed by the fact that she ended up with these two children by coincidence.
One caseworker decided to look into it and learned that Hannah and Grayson were indeed half-siblings. Katie was absolutely thrilled that she ended up with siblings even if was by accident. The results of the DNA test revealed that Hannah and Grayson were indeed siblings with the same birth mother!
Miracle
“What if the baby girl had gone to another family?” she asked in a blog post. “We would have never found her or Grayson’s mother.
"The connection would have never been made!" She continued, "I could not believe the miracle that had just happened.” After confirming that the two children were actually biological siblings, she knew it was only right for them to stay together.
The Process
Apart from that, she was already in love with Hannah and saw just how happy she made her brother. Katie was willing and ready to make things official, so she decided it was time to begin the adoption process.
Together with Grayson and Hannah, Katie went to a courtroom for a hearing. After this, it was finally official! Hannah was her daughter by law and would grow up with her biological brother. How amazing!
A Happy Family
The three of them were a family, and Katie could not be happier to help reunite these two siblings. Hannah spent nearly two years in foster care before she finally found a home she could call her own.
She fit into Katie and Grayson’s life like a glove! Katie now realized that it was all in her destiny. When she started on the path of foster care, she had no idea that something this incredible would happen to her.
Perfect Addition
“I was happy to just give Grayson a life, and I thought that that was big, but I didn’t feel like that was enough,” Katie explained, “So to give him a sister, I couldn’t imagine anything better.” Hannah was certainly the ideal addition to this small family.
This was what Katie told People Magazine: “They were meant to find each other, that’s pretty clear. I think God intended that from the beginning. If they weren’t related, Hannah would not have stayed with our family. She would have been placed with other relatives.”"
Natural Caregiver
When Katie began this chapter of her life, she had no idea that she would have two children so soon. But Katie was an awesome mother. It felt like this was her calling in life.
She was a natural mother and enjoyed taking care of the children. But there was more to come. Her motherhood story did not end with the adoption of Hannah... Thirteen months after the birth of her daughter, Katie got one more unbelievable phone call!
Biological Mother
The phone call came from the adoption agency with news that would change the life of Katie and her growing family. Apparently, they were calling her regarding Grayson and Hannah’s birth mother. What could be going on with their birth mother? Was she sick? Was she looking to take them back?
A million thoughts went through Katie’s head. She had to take a deep breath before listening to what the person on the end had to say.
Little Brother
When she received the call from the adoption agency, Katie found out that the birth mother had given birth to another baby boy. This revelation meant that the children had one more sibling looking for the perfect home! Katie was astonished by this piece of news.
Even though Katie was not planning to become a mother of three, she could not stand the idea of leaving the little boy. What would she do?
Deep Thought
However, she did not know if she was equipped to adopt another child. She had adopted quite a bit ago, but 3 kids? She had to think this through.
After some introspection, Katie believed it was only right for her to reunite the siblings with their brother. She then took in this new-born boy and started the adoption process for the newest member of the family.
A New Member
Katie took another leap of faith by taking in this new-born child called Jackson. Like Hannah, he fit into the family without any problems whatsoever.
In only a couple of months, he succeeded in capturing the hearts of Katie and his siblings. Katie was eager to make things official and become his mother on paper as well. Katie took to Instagram to make a post saying the court date for the adoption process was all set.
Keeping Him Safe
While the adoption process was still underway, she was careful to protect the privacy and safety of her children on her social media profiles. After the news about the miraculous adoption story came out, she started to receive plenty of media attention.
She wanted to make sure that the adoption process went smoothly, which is why she refrained from showing her youngest child’s face on any of the posts she made. Katie always covered his face using stickers or blurs to avoid any unwanted public attention.
The Happy Family
While they waited for the approval of the adoption, the children continued to live together in Katie’s house. Hannah was already two years old at the time.
She has since grown up to be a very energetic girl who adores clothes, dolls, and shoes. She also likes to take care of her brothers and hopes to grow up to be like Katie!
The Social Guy
Meanwhile, Grayson has turned three and will attend preschool soon. He has become a social butterfly who enjoys meeting other people.
Just recently, Katie made posted on Instagram about another addition to the family. In the captions, Katie said, “While I can’t share his face as I vowed never to post him on social media so I could get him to take a photo with me, I can share how grateful I am for him.”
Some Company
It turns out that Katie and the mystery man had been seeing each other for a year after they met through a pastor. He has been supporting her through the “craziness of foster care” and the surprise addition to their family. We are glad to hear that Katie has this man whom she can turn to for support!
Katie has been receiving a lot of help and support as she raises the three children on her own. Her sister, mother, and roommate have always been there to help out because she still works in the construction job time despite everything.
Multi-Tasking
Aside from raising the kids and working a full-time job, she has also been renovating her house. What is even more impressive is the fact that she has also taken on another responsibility when she started a small business.
She runs a website called woodandgrace.net on top of working as an independent consultant for a skincare company called Rodan and Fields.
Flexible Hours
The beauty company Rodan and Fields sells makeup and skincare. It allows Katie to work on her own hours remotely, which allows her to earn additional income to help her make ends meet for her big family.
But how on Earth does she find the time to take care of all three of her kids?
The Future
Katie said, “I am hopeful that one day this opportunity will give me the chance at the freedom to spend more time with my children and one day expand our family even more.
My current traditional career path doesn’t make my dreams seem possible…so I began to consider ways to supplement that complimented my lifestyle and was flexible.”
Sharing Is Caring
Katie has been using different social media platforms to promote the independent businesses she runs. Aside from her Instagram and Facebook profiles, she talks about her personal journey on the website woodandgrace.net.
On her blogs, you will find her discussing her home renovation project and interior decoration skills. She also shared the personal journey she underwent with foster care and adoption.
Changed Life
“The last 35 years has been far from easy or the ‘perfect’ life, but it has been mine and has always been driven by my ‘CRAZY’ dreams,” she posted on her blog. “If people only knew how my children have changed mine far more than I could ever have imagined.”
Her business decisions have let her finance the extra help she needs to take care of her children. She is planning to hire a live-in nanny so her kids can get some extra TLC.
Extra Help
She has said that it is necessary for foster moms to accept highly frustrating situations and lack of communication. Katie said that it could prove to be a very unmanageable situation if she did not have her faith to keep her afloat.
Katie has also been outspoken about her foster care advocacy on her social media profiles.
Determined
She posts a lot of encouraging messages that discuss how much fostering has impacted her life. “I don’t know if I believed in miracles for sure. I have no doubt now,” she said when she went on Good Morning America.
Katie is still undergoing the adoption process to make Jackson an official part of their family.
Still Waiting
“It takes patience beyond what I feel I have sometimes. It makes me and those who support me angry some days. But encounters/relationships with the children make it worth the hard times.
To think that Katie’s journey all started with one little boy named Grayson is truly remarkable. Had she not found him, she would never have been able to reunite 3 siblings! Katie spoke on the matter, “It is my greatest adventure and I can’t imagine my life without this experience”.
Adoption
Although adoption has helped many families worldwide expand, finding homes for kids who need them and offspring for parents looking to nurture their children, it has quickly become a dangerous place.
A North Carolina couple found out the hard way after they adopted a beautiful little girl from the Philippines, hoping to love her as their own. But they rushed her back the minute they discovered who she really was.
The Jacksons
Kimmy and John Jackson had always wanted to expand their family. After three beautiful boys, they decided to adopt their fourth, a girl who would keep the boys in order.
The couple had always loved visiting Asian countries and wanted to help a child from those regions. If only they knew what they were stepping into.
Meeting Their Daughter
Kimmy and John spent a few months researching and narrowing down the best adoption agency. It wasn’t long before they flew to Manila for their daughter Ting, a sweet seven-year-old orphan.
The hopeful parents couldn’t wait to shower her with affection. The boys also loved her; they’d always wanted a little sister they could play with and protect. But then trouble came.
Hidden Secrets
A year had passed after Kimmy and John brought Ting under their fold. Life was perfect, and Ting proved to be the best daughter ever. She was a fast learner and had mastered the English language faster than her parents could teach her.
But with the new language came hidden secrets that Kimmy and John didn’t know. By the end, they would find themselves on the earliest plane back to Manila.
The Truth
Ting was now communicating in good English. She was able to tell her brothers that she had another family back in the Philippines that she missed. She spoke of her dad and mom and told her brothers about her sisters and brothers in Asia.
The Jacksons couldn’t understand what was happening when they heard Ting’s stories. The agency they’d dealt with promised them their daughter was an orphan. So what was going on?
Best Of Both Worlds
After further investigation, Kimmy and John discovered that Ting’s parents were alive. She had a family that missed her terribly and couldn’t wait for her to come home. Talking to them, Kimmy and John learned that the agency had duped both sides, lying to Ting’s parents that she would go to the United States to study and come back to help them while telling the Jacksons that their daughter was an orphan.
The adoption agency is currently under investigation. As for little Ting, she’s found two families that love her more than anything in this world. She moves between the two, ensuring she has the best of both worlds!
In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.