The whole process of adopting from the county was pretty straight-forward. Working with the social workers was great. They were very open to our questions, and very open to phone calls, as well. My husband was a little more nervous about it than I was. I always knew it was going to happen. Being a social worker who used to work for a high-risk pre-natal clinic, I was more prepared for working with the county. Having that work experience also prepared me for a child who was born with lots of drug exposure.

Our child, Alex, was in the hospital for five weeks for prenatal heroine and meth exposure. There are a lot of misconceptions about drug-exposed infants. We shouldn't rule these children out. Alex was only two weeks old when we received him and he just recently celebrated his first birthday. He is fine now. The doctors say he is developmentally exactly where he needs to be - and he's super cute on top of it. As my husband likes to say, we were looking for a piece of gold, but ended up getting a 14-carat diamond. Alex is a real gem. There are a lot of kids out there who end up in the system, but could be fostered then placed in adoptive homes if people are willing to give them a chance. People I talk to always think "oh my God" - but it can be a very positive experience. Just look at Alex - he's a blast.