Malachi was born July 6, 2008 2 months early. My husband and I were busy going about our lives and getting ready to become foster parents. Thats when we got the call. A call that changed our lives for ever. Malachi was born to a mother who was unfit to care for him and DCFS had taken custody. Malachi was still in the hospital (he was there for the first 4 months of his life) and fighting for his life due to a host of medical issues. He was born exposed to cocaine, he was 2 months early and mom had no prenatal care. He was in heart failure and required and oxygen hood, he had 2 holes in his heart and only 1 valve and he also had Down syndrome. When that call came we didn't know what to say. We took a few days and decided that if God was calling us to be his parents, we had to obey. I still remember the first time I met Malachi. It was love a first sight. He was absolutely perfect. I didn't see Down syndrome, I saw a boy who God so graciously gave to us to love, perfect in every way and I couldn't wait to share him with our family and friends. Unfortunately, they didn't all see what we saw. They were fearful because they simply didn't know. A few people told us they didn't agree and that adopting Malachi was a mistake. Boy were they wrong. Soon after Malachi was placed with us he needed open heart surgery. It was a rough few weeks, but we made it through and we brought home a healthy little 7 month old who was full of life. We started to see his personality come out and my husband and I started to learn from him. We learned life lessons, we learned how to truly laugh, how to have faith like a child and most importantly we learned how to love unconditionally. Today Malachi has brought our family closer, I can see the extreme love and joy he brings to everyone he meets. There are still a few people who are fearful, but I know that with time Malachi will melt their hearts just like he did ours.After all, how couldn't you fall in love him?
Erin, Josh and Malachi
