She had lived in foster care and didn\u2019t want it for the newborn with no name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christie and Wesley Werts have taken the idea of a blended family to the next level. When the couple fell in love five years ago and married, they brought together her children, Megan and Vance, and his children, Austin and Dakota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As of January, the Ohio family has five children after adopting young Levi, 2. Levi is the son of Wesley\u2019s ex-wife, who passed away four days after the child was born. The ex-wife had the boy prematurely, at 33 weeks, and died soon after from drug addiction and complications of COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Levi was born, he was a ward of the state with no first name or birth certificate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen I heard about Levi, without hesitation, I said we should take him,\u201d Christie said, according to The Daily Mail, and her reason went far beyond the fact that the child was the half-brother to two of her recently adopted children. \u201cI myself was a foster kid and, although for the most part, I had a great experience, I did not want him going to foster care,\u201d Christie said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before the family knew of Levi\u2019s birth, Christie had a recurring dream about a blue-eyed, blonde-haired boy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBefore Levi, we had wanted to try to have a child of our own,\u201d she told Newsweek. \u201cI\u2019m in my forties, so we knew that we would probably need fertility treatment, so I thought let\u2019s just think about it and what will be will be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The problem was that Levi was in Texas, so the family sold their house and moved to the Lone Star State to go through the arduous adoption process. The situation was further complicated because Levi\u2019s biological father had parental rights even though he had substance abuse problems. The family couldn\u2019t move out of Texas until his rights were legally terminated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But after a 16-month process, in January 2023, Levi became a legal family member. Christie understands that adopting her husband\u2019s ex-wife\u2019s baby may seem unusual to some people. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot to process for a lot of people, but honestly, it seems a lot crazier than it was. At the time, it just made sense,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though Christie knew in her heart that she must adopt Levi, she wasn\u2019t without reservations. \u201c\u2019If I said I did not [have concerns beforehand], that would not be honest,\u201d she told The Daily Mail. \u201cThis was different\u2014I was going to walk into a child I never met and was worried the circumstances would hinder this instant love. But [\u2026] he stole my heart. I also felt this intense need to protect him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These days, Levi fits right in with the family, and the rest of the kids are happy to be back to living an everyday life without any caseworkers or inspections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe\u2019s great, he is the king of the house! We are all very close. He won\u2019t understand the journey right now, but someday, I will let him know we fought for him!\u201d Christie said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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