A woman who grew up in foster care adopted her husband’s ex-wife’s baby, despite the child not being related to him.
Christie Werts, 48, of Ohio, met her current husband Wesley, 45, five years ago and merged their two families — including Christie’s children Megan, 21, and Vance, 15, and Wesley’s two children, Austin, 14, and Dakota. 10.
But when Wesley’s ex-wife and mother of Austin and Dakota – from whom he divorced in 2015 – sadly passed away after struggling with addiction issues, they made a huge decision: to welcome her newborn baby, Levi, into the family.
Now Christie has legally adopted Levi from January 2023 and is raising him as her own daughter.
She said, “When I heard about Levi, I said without hesitation that we should take him.”
Christie Werts (left), 48, of Ohio adopted the baby of her husband’s ex-wife, Levi (right), to prevent the child from going through foster care like her
“I was a foster kid myself and while I had a great experience for the most part, I didn’t want him to go to foster care.
“My husband didn’t talk to the birth mother’s family very often, but she had Levi on Monday and passed away that Friday.
“We lived in another state at the time, so we sold our house in Ohio and rented a house in Texas because we officially had to have a foster family to adopt him.
‘We did; the process lasted sixteen months.’
Christie was in the foster system herself from the age of 15, which helped influence her decision.
She added, “Although my foster care experience was generally as good as it gets, I just knew I loved my stepchildren enough to make sure they could be with their half-brother.
“I didn’t want Levi to end up in the foster care system.”
But that is not to say that the mother had no reservations at first.
Christie (pictured left) and her husband Wesley (center) share children from previous relationships, as does Levi (right)
Christie (pictured right) adopted Levi after his mother tragically passed away due to addiction issues
She said, “If I said I don’t have that (I have advance care) it wouldn’t be fair.
“I love children and quickly bonded with my stepchildren.
“I was also in love with my biological children at first sight.
“This was different: I was about to meet a child I had never met and was afraid that circumstances would hinder this ‘instant love’.
“But (…) he stole my heart.
“I also felt an intense need to protect him.”
Christie and Wesley’s children (left to right) Vance, Megan (holding Levi), Dakota and Austin live together as a blended family in Ohio
Levi, now nearly two, officially became a member of the family in January 2023 when the adoption papers were finalized.
Christie said, “We already felt like he was our son.
‘But on paper he was a child without a first name, without a birth certificate, and under the supervision of the state guardian.
“Just knowing that he would have a birth certificate(s) and a legal first name was very emotional.
“I had dreams about him before we even knew about him.
“We prayed for him, so this was the moment we think God planned.”
Levi, pictured with Christie as a newborn, was officially welcomed into the family in January 2023 when adoption papers were finalized
According to Christie, Levi (pictured) is thriving in his new home and the other kids are also enjoying life returning to normal after the adoption process
The process of getting Levi officially adopted by Christie took a total of 16 months, and the family had to rent a house in Texas during the process.
Levi is having a good time in his new home.
Christie added: ‘He’s amazing, he’s the king of the house! We are all very close.
“He won’t understand the journey now, but one day I’ll let him know we fought for him!
“The kids are living a normal life again, no file officers, inspections – just sports and friends.”
And in terms of anyone wanting to do the same thing, or do the same thing, Christie said, “Make sure your relationship is super strong first before introducing the kids.”
“I think my husband and I have both made the mistake of introducing people (former partners) to our kids just to have that person no longer be around.
“They may have different parents, but treat those kids as if they were your own; that is important for both you and your partner.
“The adoption process from a foster home is not for the faint of heart.
“I once read a comment where someone said that people adopt out of selfishness for themselves, not for the child.
“You have to have that desire for a child, but the desire to want, love, and care for a child at any age should be just as important as helping a child.
“Take each day one at a time, because the system is not perfect.”
The family also shared some clips from their journey on TikTok, (@cjthemom5), sharing a moment of Levi as a baby in an incubator after his premature birth in one video.
The message read, “I wasn’t sure if I could bond with adopting my husband’s ex-wife’s baby.”
The video was viewed 900,000 times and 30,000 likes.
One person said, “My heart melted. What a great story. Your little man is absolutely gorgeous.’ (sic)
Congratulations on your lucky bundle. Some babies are born from the belly, others from the heart,” added another.
“Bless you for adopting and loving this precious boy,” another wrote.