Woman learns that her husband's ex-wife's baby is going to a foster family and decides, for touching reasons, to adopt it

Bringing families together is never easy, especially when everyone comes from different backgrounds, but love and care can make all the difference. For Christie Werts, her journey is proof of that, as The Daily Mail reports. Christie, who grew up in foster care, found a fresh start with her husband Wesley. Already a mother of two, she started a loving family of six with Wesley and his two children. But life had more in store for her – a new family member was about to arrive who needed just as much love and warmth.

Little Levi was born after Wesley's ex-wife and her partner split up. Unfortunately, the woman passed away after struggling with addiction issues, leaving Levi without anyone to care for him. The only option for the newborn was to go into foster care. Werts had other plans and didn't want Levi to experience the same childhood she had as a foster child. Instead, she found a heartbreaking solution. “I was a foster child myself and although I had a great experience for the most part, I didn't want him to go into foster care,” she recalls. Additionally, Levi's mother passed away just days after he was born and it was heartbreaking to imagine him in foster care.

Werts and Welsey decided to take in Levi and accept him as their own son. It was a difficult process, however. “We were living in another state at the time, so we sold our house in Ohio and rented a house in Texas because we had to officially adopt him as foster parents,” Werts said. The family had to turn their lives around to welcome the little soul into their home. Werts is well versed with children, having raised her biological children as well as her stepchildren, but that didn't make it any easier. “This was different—I would meet a child I'd never met and was afraid that circumstances would prevent that 'love at first sight.' But… he stole my heart. I also felt this intense need to protect him,” she recalls.

The mother has documented her journey with her family and with Levi, now three, on her TikTok page. Several of her videos show snippets of her journey. In one of her most recent videos, posted on Levi's third birthday, the mother reminisced and expressed her gratitude for choosing to welcome Levi home. “Three years ago today we received an unexpected call that changed our lives forever,” the mother wrote.

She mentioned her decision to bring Levi home to his siblings, noting that it was not an easy process. “That tragic phone call turned into a love story. He brought more joy into our lives than we ever expected,” Werts added. “He taught us that life is short and can change, and that we should embrace the unexpected with love!” the mother concluded.

You can follow Christie Werts (@cjthemom5) on TikTok for more parenting content.