\n\n\n\nThe\u00a0road to officially\u00a0adopting\u00a0Levi, however, proved\u00a0to\u00a0be\u00a0long and difficult,\u00a0taking\u00a016\u00a0months\u00a0to finalize. Levi\u2019s life story\u00a0is\u00a0a\u00a0mix of\u00a0both\u00a0sorrow\u00a0and\u00a0hope.\n\n\n\n
Born prematurely at just 33 weeks in Texas, his biological mother, who had been battling addiction, tragically passed away just four days after giving birth. Neither Christie nor Wesley were aware of the pregnancy, as it stemmed from a previous relationship, making the news of Levi\u2019s birth a shocking revelation.\n\n\n\n
When\u00a0Christie\u00a0and\u00a0Wesley\u00a0learned\u00a0of\u00a0Levi\u2019s\u00a0heartbreaking circumstances\u2014having\u00a0no\u00a0one\u00a0to\u00a0care\u00a0for\u00a0him\u2014they were deeply moved.\u00a0Christie,\u00a0who\u00a0had\u00a0experienced\u00a0foster\u00a0care\u00a0herself, felt an undeniable call to give Levi the\u00a0loving,\u00a0stable\u00a0home\u00a0he needed. Remarkably, before they even knew\u00a0about\u00a0Levi,\u00a0Christie\u00a0had\u00a0been\u00a0having\u00a0vivid\u00a0dreams\u00a0of a blonde-haired,\u00a0blue\u2013eyed\u00a0baby. She took this as\u00a0a\u00a0sign\u00a0that\u00a0adopting\u00a0Levi\u00a0was\u00a0meant\u00a0to\u00a0be. Upon finally meeting\u00a0him\u00a0in Texas, Christie felt as though her dreams had become reality. Though their hearts were set on bringing Levi home, the adoption process was far from easy.\n\n\n\n During this time, Christie and Wesley shared parts of their story online, receiving both encouragement and criticism. Despite the challenges, they remained committed to the joy of giving Levi a forever home.\n\n\n\n Though they encountered some negative feedback along the way, the Werts family\u2019s incredible journey was embraced by many who offered love and support for them and their precious son, Levi.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Christie\u00a0and\u00a0Wesley\u00a0Werts\u00a0embarked\u00a0on\u00a0a\u00a0heartfelt\u00a0journey\u00a0to\u00a0unite\u00a0their\u00a0families,\u00a0creating\u00a0a\u00a0close-knit,\u00a0loving\u00a0bond between Christie\u2019s\u00a0daughter,\u00a0Megan,\u00a0and\u00a0Wesley\u2019s\u00a0children,\u00a0Austin\u00a0and\u00a0Dakota. Despite facing concerns\u00a0about\u00a0Christie\u2019s age,\u00a0the\u00a0couple\u00a0remained optimistic\u00a0about\u00a0expanding\u00a0their\u00a0family.Their\u00a0path\u00a0took\u00a0an\u00a0unexpected\u00a0turn\u00a0when\u00a0they\u00a0joyfully\u00a0welcomed\u00a0a\u00a0new\u00a0addition to\u00a0their\u00a0lives\u00a0through\u00a0adoption\u2014baby\u00a0Levi.\u00a0The\u00a0couple\u2019s\u00a0story\u00a0began\u00a0five\u00a0years\u00a0earlier,\u00a0when\u00a0they\u00a0fell\u00a0in\u00a0love\u00a0and\u00a0decided\u00a0to\u00a0blend\u00a0their\u00a0families\u00a0by getting married. While\u00a0the\u00a0idea of having\u00a0a\u00a0biological\u00a0child\u00a0seemed\u00a0challenging,\u00a0their\u00a0miracle\u00a0arrived\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0form\u00a0of\u00a0Levi,\u00a0a\u00a0beautiful\u00a0baby\u00a0who\u00a0became\u00a0a\u00a0part\u00a0of\u00a0their\u00a0lives\u00a0in\u00a0a\u00a0special\u00a0way. Advertisements The\u00a0road to officially\u00a0adopting\u00a0Levi, however, proved\u00a0to\u00a0be\u00a0long and difficult,\u00a0taking\u00a016\u00a0months\u00a0to finalize. Levi\u2019s life […]\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5527"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5527"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5528,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5527\/revisions\/5528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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Christie\u00a0and\u00a0Wesley\u00a0had\u00a0to\u00a0sell\u00a0their\u00a0home\u00a0in\u00a0Ohio\u00a0and\u00a0move\u00a0to\u00a0Texas\u00a0to\u00a0meet\u00a0legal\u00a0requirements. Complicating matters,\u00a0Levi\u2019s\u00a0biological\u00a0father\u00a0still\u00a0had custody rights, which prolonged the process and added layers of complexity. What followed was a lengthy journey involving court hearings, home visits, and interviews over a span of 16 months.
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After a long wait, Levi\u2019s adoption was finally approved, making him an official member of the Werts family. Now a thriving two\u2013year\u2013old, Levi is surrounded by love and cherished by his parents. Christie and Wesley plan to share the story of his adoption with him as he grows, celebrating the incredible blessing he has brought to their lives.\n\n\n\n