Becoming a Family

Story ID:	1511
Written by:	Kristy Duggan
Story type:	Family History
Location:	Andover KS USA
Year:	2006
Person:	My Family

It was time to say good-bye again. I've been saying goodbye for the last 6 years.

The last ones, Jessie and Peggy, went home to live with their mom after living with us for 3 years. I spent Mother's Day alone.

Bill wanted younger children; but I thought I was done being a foster parent.

I took a break for 3 months... then the social worker called and asked if I would accept 2 year old twins. I found myself saying, "Yes" and agreed to pick them up that night.

I expected this to be a temporary foster placement just like all the others. We were surprised when Sammy jumped into Bill's arms and Chris "wow"'d us with his first complete sentence, "I want my f*#@% mommy."

I spent the first two days saying nothing but "no, no, no" and chasing them around the house. Sammy found stuff I didn't know I owned and Chris fell, landing on the concrete, face first. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I picked up the phone once, but put it back down.

At our first visit to the doctor's office I didn't know what to do. I needed to talk to the receptionist but Chris was running wildly around the waiting room and Sammy attacked a woman's baby sitting on the floor in his carrier.

But... I bought a double stroller and gates for the play room door. Sammy overcame her fear of going to sleep and both seemed to recover from being hungry. We developed routines...

I don't know the exact moment when I fell in love; but Chris first called me, “mom” on Christmas Eve. Then, we were on vacation and I was waiting for Sammy in a public bathroom stall when she said. “My name is Sammy Smith. What’s your name?”

“Kristy Duggan”

“What’s Bill’s name?”

“Bill Duggan”

“Can I be a Duggan?”

I replied, “I would like that very much.”

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We signed the adoption agreement on July 10, 2006 and the twins’ names changed. Our first family photo was taken there in the courthouse.