Hello! My name is Bethany, I’m a 48 year old single mom of 8 amazing adopted children ages 4-22yo. We live in beautiful Southern California just above Los Angeles. I was a foster parent for special needs and drug exposed children for over 17 years. Five of my children were adopted from foster care, all of them were born to birth mom’s who had substance abuse issues, and my three youngest children were adopted through private adoptions. I’m very privileged to be a stay-at-home mom and provide my children with all of my time and attention as I’m a paid caregiver for my disabled children through a wonderful state program. I love spending time with my family. We enjoy being outdoors especially at the beach and park. I also very much enjoy shopping, swimming and going to the movies. My oldest son is Jonathan, he’s 22. Jonathan was my very first foster baby. He’s had a lot of medical challenges throughout his life including many surgeries on his GI system. Jonathan has some developmental delays including high functioning autism but he’s doing amazingly well! He’s finishing up a special school program and he hopes to get a job once he graduates, he wants to work at Lowe’s or Target. Jonathan loves everything Pirates of the Caribbean and Star Wars. He also loves doing LEGOs. My next oldest son is Ryland, he’s 19. Ryland is a super happy young man with lots of challenges. He is unable to talk and he is not potty trained but he does walk on his own and he is also able to feed himself. Ryland was born with a condition called Schizencephaly which has caused him to suffer from epilepsy but thankfully his seizures are well controlled. He loves going to the park and playing on his iPad. Xander is my next oldest son, he’s also 19. Xander went through a difficult childhood in foster care but despite that he has grown into a polite friendly young man. He is currently working towards graduating high school and he has started helping out with his brother Ryland as a paid caregiver. Xander enjoys hanging out with his friends, playing video games and fishing. Izabella and Avalyn are my twin daughters, they are 17. Izabella loves reading, writing and singing. Avalyn loves dancing, swimming and social media. They are both amazing big sisters who adore their little brothers. Both girls also love makeup, shopping and going to the movies. Avalyn has achondroplasia which is a form of dwarfism. Then we come to the “Babes”, my three adorable little boys. Cyrus is 5yo, Vance and Korben are 4yo (they’re 9 days apart!). Cyrus was born with Dandy Walker syndrome. He has hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy but neither of those diagnosis slow him down! He can crawl and climb and he’s working on walking independently (he’s so close!). Cyrus is the sweetest boy who adores his big sisters and loves giving the biggest hugs. Vance is my wild, typical 4yo! He is constantly playing, eating and talking. Vance loves playing outside, watching trash trucks and basically anything that makes a mess. Korben is the newest member of our family. He joined us last May just a couple weeks before his third birthday. Korben was born with a super rare genetic disorder called MEF2C. Unfortunately his condition causes significant developmental delays and epilepsy but that does not mean he isn’t the happiest, smiliest kiddo. Korben can sit on his own and he can roll everywhere he wants to go. He loves to laugh especially when Mickey Mouse Clubhouse starts, he loves to be held and tickled and he is totally obsessed with his pacifier. We’re very fortunate to live in an area that offers endless resources for special needs children including specialized education and top notch therapy programs. We are also extremely fortunate to have access to amazing medical facilities such as Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, UCLA Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Hospital. THANK YOU for taking the time to read about my special family! We can’t wait to add another special baby to our family!
