There are many orphaned and homeless children in the world. They have no choice but to spend years in foster homes or institutions instead of being reunited with their birth families or adopted. For this reason, when they find their new homes, they can’t hide their happiness. And this is no exception to a beautiful girl named Ivey. She spent three years in foster care, and was then adopted by Paige and Daniel Zezulka from Athens, Georgia.
Image credit: Benton Photography
A few years ago in 2015, when Paige and Daniel decided to become foster parents, they were placed with a 5-month-old boy named Kai. At that time, the couple did not know Kai had an older sibling named Ivey as well as a baby sister, Lita, who was yet to be born.
Image credit: Benton Photography
“We got a call about a little boy who needed a home,” Paige Zezulka said. “The goal of foster care,” Zezulka said, “is always reunification with the birth family. We were in support of that for a long time… Eventually it just wasn’t [what] was best, [it] was not legally going to happen.”
In 2016, they were asked their thoughts on adopting both Kai, Ivey and, shortly after, Lita. For the siblings, this is wonderful because they can grow up together and have the best childhood. The Zezulka family then had spent time with Ivey through arranged play dates and social outings with her foster family.
Image credit: Benton Photography
“The siblings were so bonded, it was amazing,” she said. “From the moment we met her we loved her.”
After three years in foster care, Ivey couldn’t hide her emotion to finding out she would be adopted by her foster family. And on August 23, 2018, the Zezulka family legally adopted Ivey along with her biological brother and sister, Kai and Lita.
Screenshot: Paige Zezulka/ Facebook
Watch Ivey’s reaction after finding out she is finally going to be adopted:
“We were prepared for a hard transition. Her other family was prepping her. We made a new room for her with pink everything, fit for a princess. We wanted her to feel safe and loved. We thought it would be so hard for her – thought she would struggle,” Paige recalls. “[But] God was amazing. The first night she moved in, she asked if she could call us mom and dad. The second day, she asked if she could stay forever.”
Please share this post with your friends and family members to change the reality of foster care and help more children find safe homes and loving parents.
h/t: Good Morning America