When Katie Page went through a divorce in her early thirties, she began to feel lost in life. It felt as if the family and the career she’d always wanted wasn’t an option anymore. Her next decision offered a life-changing experience not just for her but for others as well.
Single Mom Couldn’t Help But See Similarities In Her Foster Kids…Her Discovery Changed Their Lives
Lost In The World
Katie Page is from Birmingham, Alabama. She was in her mid-thirties when she went through a tough challenge that completely changed her life. Her marriage had recently come to an end, and she felt very unfulfilled in life overall.
Lost In The World
Needs A New Beginning
She was having a hard time trying to figure out her direction in life. The perfect life and family she wanted to have needed to be put on hold. She was focused on finding a new start for herself.
Needs A New Beginning
Taking The Leap
She decided she needed to make a big change. She couldn’t bear the feeling she had anymore. She didn’t want to be unhappy for the rest of her life and she knew the only way to get through was doing something about it.
Taking The Leap
A New Chapter
Katie knew she had to completely start over if she wanted to reach all her dreams and make them come true. This is why she moved to a new place. She did so in spite of the fact that she had opportunities and all her friends back in Alabama.
A New Chapter
Her New Chapter
In 2015, Katie did some soul-searching before deciding she wanted to make some big life changes. She needed to relocate in order to begin a brand-new chapter in her life. It was lucky she got a job offer that sounded like the perfect solution to her problems.
Her New Chapter
Relocation
Eventually, Katie decided she would relocate to Denver, Colorado. There, she started a job in the commercial construction industry. On paper, she was working as an integrated service manager for a construction company named GE Johnson.
Relocation
Her New Home
Katie was very optimistic about the decision she made. It was time for her to turn her life around and make her goals happen. She bought a 4-bedroom ‘fixer-upper’ house that needed some work, which she decided to do on her own. “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,” she said. She recalled telling her friend that this big house was meant for more, although she hadn’t figured out what that was just yet.
Her New Home
Keeping Herself Busy
Katie knew that renovating her new house would require a good amount of money, but she saw it as a good thing. She wanted to avoid unnecessary expenses. This meant she would work on all the repairs herself. Doing so would keep her focused and occupied while she got the rest of her life on track. She had to live in the big house all on her own, which made her feel like something significant was missing in her life. Despite the fact that her marriage had to end, she was sure there were more opportunities waiting for her. This is why she decided to figure out which options were worth considering.
Keeping Herself Busy
Searching For Satisfaction
She had many options in mind. While Katie felt somewhat hesitant, she knew there was something she could do to improve her situation. At least, that’s what she hoped. The renovation project kept her motivated and busy, but it didn’t give her the satisfaction she was looking for.
Searching For Satisfaction
Infertility Issues Of Her Own
She thought changing jobs and buying a new house would help give her a new perspective. While it did, it didn’t give Katie what she was looking for. After dealing with fertility issues, she started thinking about adoption.
Infertility Issues Of Her Own
She Loves Kids
She was searching for a new direction in her life, so Katie began looking into the process of fostering kids. She adored kids and though it would give her a true purpose in life. She’d always wanted to be a mother, but, unfortunately, mother nature wasn’t on board.
She Loves Kids
Another Prospect
Katie received a letter from a church she had recently joined. It spoke about an upcoming seminar that would talk about a program for fostering kids in need. Immediately, Katie felt attracted to the idea. She believed she had found her calling at last.
Another Surprise
The Right Path
The meeting about foster care at the church tugged at Katie’s heartstrings. It convinced her this was she was meant to do in life. While she was still nervous about such a serious undertaking, the possibility made her heart feel full.
The Right Path
Her Maternal Desire
What could be better than starting her journey on Mother’s Day? In 2015, Katie filled out her application form that would change her life forever. With each ending comes the opportunity to start anew. This big life change offered her the possibility of taking her life in a brand-new direction.
Her Maternal Desire
A Single Mom
Naturally, it was important to think her options through before diving into it all. Let’s keep in mind that she was a single woman who was new to the area. First, she would have to navigate the area and then motherhood. All the same, she knew in her heart that this was the right choice.
A Single Mom
Making It Official
Soon after she filed her application, she began receiving cases. The foster kids she got weren’t just children without parents, they were also children who have experienced traumas when they were very young. This made Katie want to help them even more.
Making It Official
Wanting One Of Her Own
The next year, Katie fostered four kids. She found herself excited about the idea of adopting a child of her own. Even though she was happy being a foster parent, she decided to make parenthood a more permanent part of her life. From fostering kids, she wanted to adopt one.
Wanting One Of Her Own
Excellent Timing
She didn’t have to wait too long after making this decision before life presented her with the right challenge. Two weeks after telling her caseworker that she wanted to adopt, she got a phone call about a child. He was abandoned by his biological mother in a hospital nearby.
Excellent Timing
Destiny At Work
The baby was only four days old. With no hesitation, Katie knew this was destiny at work. She told her caseworker, “I want him!” and asked them to refrain from calling anyone else about the baby. That night, Katie prayed that the baby would be hers. Only time could tell at that point.
Destiny At Work
A Short 24 Hours Later
Just a day after getting that call, Katie’s caseworker called her again. Hesitantly, Katie answered the phone. All she hoped was that she was granted the right to be the baby’s foster mother. That same day, she walked out of the nearby hospital with the four-day-old baby in her arms.
A Short 24 Hours Later
A Difficult Start
Katie had experience fostering a 14-month-old child, but she’d never taken care of a newborn before. This boy needed help as soon as possible. She thought it was awful that he was abandoned at such a young age, but that wasn’t even the worst of it.
A Difficult Start
Illegal Substance Abuse
Doctors found out that this little baby boy was exposed to illegal substances when he was in utero. He might have been exposed to drugs, but the good news were that he wasn’t showing any withdrawal symptoms. After some testing was done, the doctors found that he wouldn’t suffer any long-term effects.
Illegal Substance Abuse
Moving Forward
The baby boy had a tough start, but that was all in the past. It was time for the two to move on. Katie decided she would have to give everything if she wanted to take care of this new baby. And so, she did just that.
Moving Forward
Picking A Name
At just four-days-old, the baby was abandoned. This means that he didn’t even have a name yet. Katie searched online for hours on end, looking for the perfect name for this sweet baby. While his name might be changed after he was adopted, Katie didn’t want to keep calling him baby boy.
Picking A Name
Baby Boy Grayson
When she first brought him home, she referred to him as Baby Boy for days until she chose a name for him. She didn’t have too much time to think about it, which is why she simply decided to call him by her favorite name: Grayson.
Baby Boy Grayson
At First Sight
As soon as she laid eyes on him, Katie fell in love. Immediately, she felt a connection with him that she couldn’t explain. Who would have thought she would become such a natural when it comes to parenthood?
At First Sight
Her True Calling
Slowly, she began realizing that true motherhood was her calling. Katie also wanted to raise Grayson as her own child. She had already fostered little kids that grew up in abusive environments, but none of them stayed with her for long. This is what she wanted more than anything.
Her True Calling
The Next Step
Ultimately, this led Katie to make the decision of becoming a proper parent. She knew it would be very different than fostering, but she felt ready to take the next step. She wanted to adopt Grayson as her son.
The Next Step
Looking For Answers
Seeing as she’d been taking care of him from the time he was four days old, he managed to have a very special place in her heart. Grayson stayed with Katie for almost a year as the caseworkers did their best to track down his biological parents.
Looking For Answers
Searching For His Parents
They looked for his mother and father, but they never managed to find them. Despite the fact that they had put ads in the newspaper, and on Facebook, they had gotten no responses. No one stepped forward to look for the baby at the hospital either.
Searching For His Parents
Officially A Mom
In May 2017, Grayson finally got a shot at a loving home. He begame Katie’s legal son when when he was 11 months old! The two had no idea that their life together was only just starting. How exciting!
Officially A Mom
Struggling
Grayson needed Katie’s full attention since he was struggling both physically and developmentally thanks to the drug exposure he had suffered. Katie saw that her family wasn’t complete yet, but she waited until her son was eighteen months old before she took in another foster kid.
Struggling
Holding Her Horses
In the next couple of weeks, Katie got several emails and calls about potential placements since her house was open once more. Mostly, she got offers for short term placements. She wanted a more long-term arrangement, but she didn’t feel like it was the right time yet.
Holding Her Horses
He Deserved Her Undivided Attention
While Katie knew she wanted to expand her family more, she hoped to focus on Grayson for the time being. He deserved nothing less than her undivided attention, so that’s what she gave him! He seemed to enjoy his birthday cake on his first birthday!
He Deserved Her Undivided Attention
Something Unexpected
Katieknew she wanted a bigger family but put off a second adoption until her son was a little older. She had a lot of space in her house, which is the reason she wanted to take advantage of this while she could.
Something Unexpected
A Life-Altering Phone Call
Just a month after Katie made the decision to adopt Grayson, she got a phone call out of the blue. Little did she know that this one call would change her and Grayson’s lives completely.
A Life-Altering Phone Call
Hannah Is In Need
The person on the phone told Katie that there was another newborn that was abansoned by her mother who needed a warm and loving home. She learned that the baby at the hospital was named Hannah. Katie immediatley knew that she had to help this little girl.
Hannah Is In Need
Despite Her Reservations
Just like her son, Hannah was exposed to drugs while in the womb. Interestingly enough, she was in the same hospital that Grayson was found. While she knew helping out was the right thing to do, Katie still wanted to ficus on her son. What would she do?
Despite Her Reservations
Yes Or No?
After talking about it with the worker on the phone, Katie had 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 agree to take in a second baby?
Yes Or No?
First Meetings
Katie couldn’t help but feel scared and overwhelmed. However, her instincts told her to open up her heart and consider taking in the baby girl at the hospital. In a matter of hours, they dropped off Hannah from the hospital, and the baby met Katie and Grayson for the very first time.
First Meetings
Not A Coincidence
After Katie welcomed Hannah into her house, she noticed the mother’s name written on the baby bracelet. Oddly enough, it was the same name she found on Grayson’s, She looked over the baby’s discharge papers, and noticed that her birth mother had a similar birth date as Grayson’s birth mother. Could it be a coincidence?
Not A Coincidence
What Her Gut Said
In addition, the little girl had similar medical conditions and was also exposed to drugs, just like Grayson. “[The caseworkers] told me her story, which was really similar to Grayson’s,” Katie said. Despite the fact that Grayson and Hannah didn’t look alike, she had a suspicion that they were somehow related.
What Her Gut Said
Something Seems Fishy
“Grayson is half African American with beautiful darker skin and dark curly hair,” Katie wrote on her blog. She continued: “Baby Girl has a pale white skin tone with straight red-blonde hair.” While the kids looked nothing alike, Katie couldn’t shake off the feeling that she was onto something.
Something Seems Fishy
She Was Determined
It would be hard to find the truth since Grayson’s birth mother had a different last name. Her birth date was also off by just one day than the one Hannah’s mother has. Katie was so determined to get to the bottom of things that she took it on herself to track down her baby girl’s birth mother.
She Was Determined
What Are The Odds?
Katie even said to her caseworker that she thought Hannah and Grayson had the same birth mother. However, she was told that it was unlikely. Was it possible that all of it was simply nothing more than a coincidence?
What Are The Odds?
Getting Answers
Still, Katie knew she might have better luck getting in touch with her son’s caseworker. She requested to take over Hannah’s case as well. Months later, after looking for an answer, she finally tracked down and met up with Hannah’s birth mother.
Getting Answers
Anxiety And Nerves
Katie was understandably anxious when she went to meet her daughter’s biological mother. As soon as they met, she was able to tell that this was the same person who gave birth to her son. How was it possible?
Anxiety And Nerves
Figuring It Out
The minute that Katie saw Hannah’s birth mother, Katie said she “knew instantly” that this was the same woman who gave birth to her incredible son. However, Katie knew how important it was to act calm and avoid jumping to conclusions.
Figuring It Out
A Striking Resemblance
Throughout the conversation the two had, the birth mother told Katie some information that seemingly confirmed what she had suspected from the very beginning. The woman had said that she also gave birth to a boy who she gave up with no records. Of course, Katie considered the fact that this woman looked a lot like her adopted son as well.
A Striking Resemblance
The Confirmation
Katie asked her several more questions and found out that the woman had two kids. She had another baby boy, who she didn’t report to the authorities. After they had met, Katie spoke to the social worker and told her everything. Eventually, the caseworker confirmed that the last name the birth mother gave was a match to the last name of someone who was related to Hannah.
The Confirmation
Putting The Pieces Together
At last, the pieces were falling into place, but they needed to wait for one more test that would confirm Katie’s hunch. Soon enough, the results of a DNA test showed that Hannah and Grayson were actually siblings with the same birth mother!
Putting The Pieces Together
Grayson And Hannah
Katie was blown away by the fact that she ended up with these two children simply by chance. One caseworker decided to look into the matter and had learned that Grayson and Hannah were, in fact, half-siblings. We can’t even imagine how excited Katie must have been when she found this out!
Grayson And Hannah
A Miracle
“What if the baby girl had gone to another family?” Katie wrote in a blog post. “We would have never found her or Grayson’s mother. The connection would have never been made! I could not believe the miracle that had just happened.”
A Miracle
She Acted Quickly
After she found out the two kids were really biological siblings, Katie knew it was only right for them to stay together. She didn’t want to risk the chance of them getting separated. And so, she acted fast.
She Acted Quickly
The Adoption Process
Other than that, she was already completely in love with Hannah. She saw just how happy she made her brother. Katie was ready to make things official, so she decided it was the right time to begin the official adoption process.
The Adoption Process
Officially Her Mother
Katie went to a courtroom for a hearing along with Grayson and Hannah. This happened on December 29, 2018. Once this was over, it was official! Hannah was Katie’s daughter by law and she would grow up with her very own brother.
Officially Her Mother
A Beautiful Family
These three made a beautiful family, and Katie couldn’t be happier to help reunite the two siblings. When she began her path in foster care, she had no clue that something as incredible as this would be happening to her.
A Beautiful Family
Like A Glove
Before finding a home to finally call her own, Hannah spent almost two years in foster care. She fit into Katie and Grayson’s life perfectly. Don’t you think this sounds like the entire family was destined to be together?
Like A Glove
The Ideal 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 said, “So to give him a sister, I couldn’t imagine anything better.” Hannah was definitely the perfect addition to the small family.
The Ideal Addition
A Family By Fate
When speaking to People Magazine, Katie said: “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.”
A Family By Fate
A Born Natural
When Katie started this chapter in her life, she had no idea she would have two kids so quickly. With that said, Katie was an amazing mother. It felt like it was her calling in life. Parenting came naturally to her, and she adored taking care of her children. However, she had no clue that wasn’t the end of it.
A Born Natural
Another Surprise
Katie’s motherhood story wouldn’t end with Hannah’s adoption, however. We know what you’re thinking: “what can you possibly mean by that?” Just thirteen months after the birth of her daughter, Katie got one more incredible phone call.
Another Surprise
Their Birth Mother
This phone call came from the adoption agency. They had news that would change Katie and her family’s life completely. As it turns out, they were calling her in relation to Grayson and Hannah’s birth mother. What was going on?
Their Birth Mother
A Million Thoughts
What could possibly be going on with the kids’ birth mother? Was she sick? Did she want her kids back? A million thoughts raced through Katie’s head. She took a deep breath before listening to what the agency had to say.
A Million Thoughts
Their Baby Brother
When she got the call from the adoption agency, Katie discovered that her kids’ birth mother had given birth to another baby boy. Despite the fact that Katie wasn’t planning on becoming a mother of three, she couldn’t stand the idea of leaving this baby boy. What could she do?
Their Baby Brother
Some Deep Thinking
This revelation meant that the kids had another sibling that was in search of a good home. Katie was shocked by this news. However, she didn’t know if she was equipped to adopt a third child. She adopted a while ago, but three kids? She had to think about this.
Some Deep Thinking
A New Edition
After some serious thinking, Katie knew it was only right for her to reunite the siblings with their little brother. Katie then took the newborn baby boy and began the adoption process of the newest family member.
A New Edition
Welcome To The Family
Katie decided to take another leap of faith by taking in this newborn baby named Jackson. Just like Hannah, he fit into the family with no problem at all. In just a couple of months, he captured Katie’s and his siblings’ hearts. Katie was excited to make things official and to become his mother as well.
Welcome To The Family
The Adoption Process Was Under Way
On June 9th, 2019, Katie took to Instagram to create a post saying the court date for the adoption process was set. In the meantime, she was happy that the baby was in her care, meaning she could take care of him and watch him grow.
The Adoption Process Was Under Way
Protecting His Privacy
While the adoption process was still ongoing, Katie was careful to protect the privacy and safety of her kids on her social media. After the news of the incredible adoption story came out, she began getting plenty of media attention. She wanted to ensure that the adoption process would go smoothly, which is the reason she refrained from showing her youngest child’s face in any of her posts. Katie always covered his face with stickers or blurs to avoid unwanted public attention.
Protecting His Privacy
Celebrations
One of the best parts about being a parent is celebrating all the little things along with the bigger milestones. On Hannah’s second birthday, Katie chose to celebrate and make it as special as she could. She got on Instagram to write a sweet birthday message for her daughter: “Happy 2nd Birthday to my baby girl. You have changed our world in ways I never imagined. You always have a smile and want to giggle. You have more energy than the energizer bunny. You already are the best lil mama to your dolls and always want to help and love others. It’s an honor to be your mama and watch you grow and become a beautiful little lady!”
Celebrations
A Happy Family
While waiting for the adoption approval, the kids continued living together in harmony in Katie’s house. Hannah was already two years old by then. She had grown up to be a very energetic girl who loves clothes, dolls, and shoes. She also loves taking care of her brothers and hoped to grow up to be like Katie!
A Happy Family
A Girly Girl
Hannah was growing up to be a very sweet girl. She loved anything that was remotely girly, and Katie couldn’t get enough! She loved having a daughter. On Instagram, Katie posted this picture with the caption, “She’s already into all the girly things… dolls, hair, shoes, clothes, etc! And most of all, she’s clearly the caretaker of the three kids. She wants to be just like mama and it’s just precious. I love how she takes care of her brothers and is a lil mama herself!”
A Girly Girl
Dream Come True
It seems like just about every mother wishes that her baby girl will grow up wanting to be like her. For Katie, that was exactly the case! When Hannah asked her to do her hair, Katie was more than happy to oblige! “Today was one I dreamed about and have waited for. Miss Hannah wanted her hair curled just like mamas… and she sat so still and patiently for me (which is VERY hard for a 2 yo) while I curled her hair. I know it marks the first of many of these moments (I pray) in which we get to have special mama daughter moments,” Katie wrote.
Dream Come True