‘Families don’t have to look the same’ – Black couple talks about their experience adopting three white children

Sadie and Jarvis Sampson tried for years to have a baby, using every method they could think of. They eventually accepted that they might only ever be an aunt and uncle. Then, one day, they got a text that changed their lives completely.

The couple had been trying to get pregnant since they got married in January 2018, but when it didn’t happen on its own, they tried everything else.

“We used ovulation tests, took prenatal vitamins, tracked cycles with apps, and used fertility monitors,” the Houston mom told Love What Matters.

“We even tried advice from friends, family, and strangers. For 14 months, we tried, prayed, and waited. Month after month, it was always a negative pregnancy test. It seemed like we might need help to conceive, so we even talked to doctors about it.”

Doctors didn’t offer much help to the couple. They mostly told Sadie to lose weight to improve her chances of getting pregnant. With no other advice, she had gastric surgery and lost 28 pounds.

Sadie’s OBGYN was excited about the weight loss and praised her for it.

“She told me that if I wasn’t pregnant within six months, she would refer me to a fertility specialist because she couldn’t prescribe fertility medication herself,” Sadie said. “I was thrilled! We finally got a positive step forward, even if it wasn’t immediate. We were excited about the progress.”

Unfortunately, the couple didn’t get pregnant after Sadie lost the weight, and they felt like they were back where they started.

“I always felt like I was meant to be a mother,” Sadie said. “Even though my surgeon warned me that I’d be very fertile after the surgery, I still wasn’t getting pregnant. So, we gave up and accepted that we might just be aunt and uncle to our nieces and godparents to our goddaughters.”

Just when the couple had decided to stop trying to have a baby, Sadie got a text from a friend asking if they would think about fostering a baby from a couple she knew.

At first, the couple was hesitant because they were told by a caseworker to take care of the baby while the birth mom was getting treatment. They worried they might get too attached. But then, the situation changed.

“The birth mom has decided she wants you to adopt the baby instead,” the caseworker said.

Sadie remembered saying, “‘Holy crap!!’ out loud when she found out she was going to be a mom.

“We went from having no kids to possibly fostering one, to suddenly being told, ‘You’re going to be parents!’ I was still in shock as I listened to the caseworker. I hung up and called my husband, shouting, ‘Babe!! They want us to adopt the baby! We’re going to be parents!’ He said, ‘Wait! REALLY?! I thought they just wanted us to foster him!’ I told him, ‘Nope! They want us to be his mom and dad.’”

The couple spent the weekend trying to take in the shocking news and getting ready, just in case the birth mom changed her mind.

By Monday, they were not only told that the birth mom still wanted them to adopt the baby, but she also wanted to do an independent adoption and was ready to sign the papers that day.

Their baby boy was born at just 33 weeks, which is seven weeks early. He weighed 4 lbs. 5 oz. “He was so tiny, he literally fit in one of my husband’s hands,” Sadie wrote.

“He was wrapped in a white blanket with pink and blue stripes,” Sadie said. “He had a small tube coming out of his nose because he couldn’t eat on his own since he was born early. But he was so cute!!!”

The couple shared their news on social media and were encouraged to create a registry. They listed 72 items, and within just three days, 55 of them were already bought for them.

Ezra Lee’s adoption was finalized in October 2020, and the couple had adorable family photos taken, all wearing t-shirts that said, “Families don’t have to match.”

In 2021, Sadie and Jarvis became parents to twin girls, Journee and Destinee, through embryo donation. True to their family motto, “Families don’t have to match,” the Black couple now has three white children – a boy and two girls.

For anyone who might judge their beautiful family, they have just one response: their family is built on the strongest foundation ever – love.

Meg Foster was the movie star whose sky blue eyes drove people wild – sit down before seeing her today, 76

That we are all destined to grow old and grey is an immutable fact of life (for now, at least, who knows what the future holds with regards to technology and science).

It doesn’t matter how much money we have, how strictly we control our diet or exercise, how much sleep we get, or what we do for a living… sure, we might age differently, but in the end we’re all headed in the same direction. It’s basic biology, and not something we can do too much about.

Which is why it’s somewhat amusing that we can still be shocked when we see the hand of Father Time working its magic. Perhaps you haven’t seen someone for years, only to be taken back by how much they’ve aged? Or you spot an old movie star you remember from your childhood, only now their hair is white, their youthful exuberance gone.

It’s an interesting thing actually, the way celebrities age. Their appearances change as they get older – just as with any human being – only their path to old age is documented for the whole world to see. Be it from film to film, red carpet to red carpet, they leave a trail one can literally follow with their finger.

Now, time for today’s not-so-subtle segway: who remembers Meg Foster?

Of course you do! With her captivating, icy blue eyes, piercing gaze and raw beauty, how could you not? The American actress made her acting debut alongside Michael Douglas in Adam at 6am (1970), going on to star in numerous projects including The Six Million Dollar Man, Bonanza, The Twilight Zone and Murder, She Wrote.

Once a burgeoning talent and in-demand actress, Foster’s star has steadily shrunk from the limelight in the last two decades. These days she looks virtually unrecognizable from the woman who Mademoiselle magazine said had “the eyes of 1979”.

I mean, that’s hardly a surprise given that she’s now 76 years old, but it appears that people on the internet simply can’t grasp just how much she’s changed. We’ll be honest, some of the comments to be found are borderline cruel, while others simply reinforce the idea that the actress looks nothing like she did.

That said, we think that her decision to age naturally – without resorting to the plastic surgery that has become so commonplace in the film and TV industry – should be commended, not lambasted.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA – MARCH 06: Meg Foster arrives to the “The Employer” – Los Angeles Premiere – Arrivals at Regent Showcase Theatre on March 6, 2012 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jonathan Leibson/FilmMagic)

In any case, Foster continues to work within film and TV, as well as reportedly breeding horses from a large range which she owns by herself.

Do you remember Meg Foster? What do you think to how she looks now? Let us know in the comments.

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