Meet the Herzog Family!
We adopted our twins, Dominik and Lilli, on July 7th of this year. The evolution of our foster and adoption process is the most beautiful love story we could have ever experienced.
Ryan and I had been trying to build our family for many years, but infertility left us feeling discouraged. We had heard foster and adoption success stories from friends, so after eight years of marriage, we decided to do foster care. Alex and Hunter, our teenage sons through Ryan's previous marriage, were extremely supportive.
I was giddy with excitement after receiving a phone call regarding 11-year-old twins in need of a new home. That evening, agency staff visited us to share more information. The first time I saw their picture, I started tearing up. The twins have natural curly hair and so do I. Lilli actually looked like me when I was younger. I had an overwhelming feeling that these were "our'' kids, and Ryan agreed. We couldn't wait for our new children to move in!
We fell in love with Dom and Lilli at our first meeting with them in February 2017. From Dominik's big smile, fun creativity, and out-of-this-world imagination to Lilli's bubbly personality, loud giggle, and love of music and dancing, we were SO smitten! We started doing short visits, and then progressed to sleepover weekends to ease the transition.
In the beginning, we were all in the honeymoon period. Things started to get a lot harder after a couple of months, with difficult behaviors and past trauma setting in. The twins were having a hard time coming to terms with their past and they were not very open to embracing this new life with us. It became evident that they were pushing all boundaries to see if we were going to turn our backs on fostering them. It was hard to live through this stage, but that's all it was, a stage.
We received amazing support and assurance with their agency. We utilized family and individual therapy, behavior management therapy, and other services to assist with their disabilities. Little by little, Dom and Lilli became more secure in our home. We overcame every obstacle and became more connected as a family. It was heart-warming to experience the bonds that were building among us, including between Alex and Hunter with the twins. Our love for them grew so strong and we knew we wanted them as a permanent part of our family.
Their adoption day was filled with loving family, friends, program coordinators and staff, therapists, and neighbors. We were overjoyed by the support we have felt along our path.
We love to support and bask in each of the child's unique personalities and interests. Dominik enjoys drawing, reading, and soaking up history through documentaries. He has an unmatched obsession with dinosaurs and is a great storyteller! Lilli enjoys sports, singing karaoke, and dancing.. She loves to express herself with notes and origami and she is always making someone's day special! We love spending time as a family camping, playing games, cooking, hiking, watching movies and just laughing and having fun together.
Dom and Lilli filled a hole in our hearts that we didn't know could be mended.
