N.Y. Girl, 5, Adopted by Family Who Fostered Her for Almost 2,000 Days: ‘We’re Very Blessed’
A family from New York has just made it official! Cindy and Jeffrey Moore adopted a 5-year-old girl who had been in their care since she was 2 months old after 1,954 days. “We would get to keep Cece long term and be able to adopt her into our family,” Jeffrey stated to Good Morning America, “had very high hopes” from the beginning. “We’re ecstatic that it finally, finally got to that point,” he added.
The family, based in Depew, New York, began looking into foster care after experiencing infertility years ago, and have been certified foster parents since 2015, per GMA. Over the last eight years, they say they’ve welcomed over 30 children into their home.
“It’s really, really gratifying for us,” Jeffrey told the outlet.When they first met Cece, the plan was for her to stay at their home overnight, but luckily fate had something else in store. “Once we saw her cute little face, we jokingly told them, ‘If you need a place long term, let us know,'” Cindy told GMA.
“The next day, they said, ‘You know, if you’re serious about it, we could really use a long-term placement for her,'” she recalled. “Here we are over five years later, and that long-term placement has now become a forever home for her.”
“We’re very blessed” she added.On May 11, the family posed together for sweet photos with Cece’s adoption papers at Erie County Family Court, and she even brought a cute plush toy and a heartfelt sign to her special day.
“I’ve been in foster care for 1,954 days,” read a message on her sign. “Today, I’m being adopted!”
Speaking with ABC affiliate WKBW-TV at the courthouse, little Cece said she’s “so excited to be here.” “My mom and dad are so nice,” she added. “I love them.”And while fostering can be difficult, the family says that no matter how the journey ends, it’s a rewarding experience. “Something that I think that people need to go into foster care knowing is that the primary goal is always reunification with the family,” Cindy told GMA. “And if that doesn’t happen, then you can go down the adoption route.”
The couple has adopted two other children via foster care, and now they’re currently in the process of adopting another child, per the outlet.
“The same day that Cece was actually adopted, we found out that her half brother that we’ve been fostering has been freed for adoption,” she said. “So we’ll be starting the adoption process with him as well.”
