The Family’s Support System

I’ve been having to slow way down on my sewing. I considered cutting back on blog posts from weekly to bi-weekly. While talking this over with family, Dana had the great idea that I could get co-writers for my blog. Lots of us craft, and could write about that. She volunteered to go first, by writing this blog about the wonderful things that have been made for her daughter, Alice. So without further ado, here’s Dana’s blog writing debut!

The licensing process to become foster parents requires a lot of personal information. We were interviewed multiple times, filled out countless documents regarding our finances, marriage, medical records, emergency evacuation plans and the like. This is to be expected for the safety of children who have already dealt with so much. What you might not expect is they also asked us to describe our support system, and this is the very thing I’m excited to share with you today!

We waited one month after licensing before receiving our first call for placement. On a cold morning in the first week of March 2020, I answered a call describing a tiny, four month old Native American girl. We said yes, and began calling everyone we knew. Cousin Nicole previously informed us she wanted to make sure every child who came into our care received a custom quilt with their name on it. Foster care is unpredictable and we did not know how long “Baby K” would be with us. So Nicole moved fast. She purchased fabric depicting a Native American girl. We arrived to see Baby K for the first time and were introduced to the fairest, blondest child you could imagine. It turns out she wasn’t Native American, but this beautiful quilt will always be a reminder of that first phone call and the eagerness in our hearts.

All of our friends and family fully invested themselves into taking care of her right along with us. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t “ours”, she was loved and provided for unconditionally. Toys and clothing were shipped to her from all over. Family flew in to visit her. My sister, Melissa, made her a beautiful puff quilt and dress to match her woodland themed nursery.

And then, after many months of uncertainty, “Baby K” legally became Alice Glenn on November 16th, 2020. Our support system lavished their love on our daughter with many wonderful homemade gifts. My friend from church, Janet, who makes children’s clothes, gifted Alice a custom outfit to wear on her Adoption Day.

My other church friend, Kattie, loved creating custom wall art in her free time. In their gifts they highlighted a Bible verse near and dear to my heart, 1 Samuel 1:27.

My niece, Ella, was eleven at the time and had waited too long for a cousin. She drew a picture of celebratory balloons for her new cousin’s nursery.

For Alice’s first birthday just before her adoption, her Auntie Elizabeth, “Bebeth”, gifted her an amazing and intricate Alice In Wonderland themed quilt. This was a smaller version of Elizabeth’s Alice In Wonderland quilt she had previously made for herself!

Shortly after Alice’s adoption we moved from Salt Lake City, Utah back to Dos Palos, California. The handcrafted gifts for Alice kept pouring in! Check out this stunning crocheted blanket with Alice’s name on it from her Great Aunt Sue.

Being the crochet queen that she is, Sue also gifted Alice this cute jellyfish, as well as several hats and purses.

Even my cousin Candace in Oregon sent a little homemade pillow to commemorate Alice’s adoration for teddy bears!

Speaking of teddy bears, this last work of art and love is who we call “Grandma Bear”. Nicole made this out of Alice’s grandma Carol’s pajama pants. Although Carol never got to meet Alice in this life, she spends every night cuddled next to her via Grandma Bear.

All of the gifts Alice has been given over her 3 years with us have been greatly appreciated, but there is something extra special about those that are homemade. The time and effort put toward these is not lost on us. They are timeless, treasured heirlooms created with love for a little girl who has inherited a support system I couldn’t be more proud of.

For more on Alice, she has been featured on the previous blog posts titled “Alice” and “The Legend of Alice”. ~Dana

Alice isn’t the only one who has an amazing support system, I do too! I’m grateful to Dana for taking the time to write this and take pictures of everything!

As for me, (I’m slowly) onto the next!