Christy and Leo Caffrey have always wanted a family. When they married 21 years ago, the thought of family was at the forefront of their marriage. A family didn’t seem out of reach when Christy got pregnant right away – two months into marriage. Christy and Leo were ecstatic! Over the next 37 weeks, Christy and Leo did everything they could to prepare for the arrival of their little one.

But their dreams of starting a family felt distant when Christy went into early labor and their daughter was stillborn with no identifiable cause. Christy and Leo will always mourn the loss of their daughter, but she filled their hearts with more than unconditional love and loss. She filled their hearts with an even stronger desire to be the best parents they could. Christy and Leo did not lose hope, and over the next couple of years, they welcomed two sons into their family.

A Divine Sign

Over the years, the idea of adoption would pop into their heads, but the busyness of life and raising two boys distracted them from pursuing it. That is until a fateful night in November 2015. Leo was up late watching TV by himself. While flipping through channels, he came across a show on adoptions. That night, Leo prayed for God to give him a sign if it was His will for their family to adopt. The next morning, Christy and Leo were scheduled to go to the courthouse in Rosenberg. As soon as they walked in, there was a banner that said “National Adoption Day.” The sign was there in big letters for them to pursue – literally, figuratively, and spiritually.

Together, Christy and Leo discussed the idea of adoption with their teenage sons, and they were both in favor of growing their family through adoption. The boys did not want their parents to wait until they were in college, because they wanted to get to know their sibling(s) as soon as they could. After learning about different kinds of adoptions, Christy and Leo began to pursue foster-to-adopt. They were referred to Arms Wide Adoption Services, attended an Information Meeting in May 2016, and officially started the process.

Forever Seems So Far Away

Over the course of the next two years, Christy and Leo fostered two sets of siblings in their home. Although they would not be their forever family due to no fault of their own,
Christy and Leo provided the support, love, and care the kids needed. They connected them to resources, calmed them down after tantrums, and taught them new things. With both placements, Christy and Leo grew attached to the siblings, so with each move, they were left heartbroken.

Even though they trusted in the system and their journey, Christy and Leo wanted time to get over these losses. With their eldest son about to graduate high school, they decided it was the right time to take a break. They asked Arms Wide Adoption Services to inactivate their profile for the time being.

Destined For Forever

Typically, the Arms Wide Adoption Services team would never make a call like this, but when we heard about the perfect match for the Caffrey family, we took a leap of faith and called them – even while they were inactive. The potential placement was a sibling group of two sisters, who were five and six years old at the time. Without hesitation, Christy and Leo trusted in Arms Wide Adoption Services, and stated their interest. Approved quickly, the girls moved into their home within 30 days. The girls quickly and perfectly fit into their family. They look up to their new brothers, who are not afraid to be silly with them. The girls devour their mom’s spaghetti and race to their dad with smiles when he comes home from work. It’s been an adjustment, but one everyone agrees is completely worthwhile.

“Overall, I’d say the journey was a roller coaster of emotions,” Leo said. “It has been one of the greatest challenges, yet one of the greatest sources of satisfaction in our entire lives.”

Throughout the process, there were little reminders, which revealed to Christy and Leo that God was leading them the entire way.

Becoming Caffreys

The girls officially became Caffreys in December of 2018, just in time for Christmas! Christy and Leo are so happy to give the girls what they have always
needed most: Stability and a chance to heal.

“The girls are still guarded but healing,” Christy said.

And that’s what this work is all about.