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By Daniella Gray
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After more than a decade of foster parenting, a New Jersey mom thought her family's journey was coming to a close.
With two biological children and three adopted through foster care, Jamie Finn and her husband, Alan, had spent years opening their hearts and home to over 30 children in need.
"Foster parenting brings a lot of beauty and joy, but it also brings a lot of heartache and loss and stress," Jamie told Newsweek. "We had our hands full."
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But then came a phone call about a baby boy in foster care who needed a loving home.
In a reel on Instagram (@fosterthefamilyblog), the 40-year-old captured the emotional turning point when she thought her family was "complete." The clip features footage of how little Ryan settled into their growing family and eventually became their son.
Jamie said that their journey to foster care began after the birth of their two biological children, Liv and Wes.
"We wanted our family to make a difference," she said. "We wanted our home to become a place of healing and belonging for kids who needed us. We became a family on a mission, and we're still going strong after 11 years."
And yet, even the most-committed foster families wrestle with limits. The decision to step back from fostering wasn't easy, but it felt right—until that call.
"There is a huge difference between the theoretical idea of being done with foster care and the actual call that there's a living, breathing child who needs a home and a family," Jamie told Newsweek. "All of the beds in our home were full, but we had room for a baby in our bedroom with us, so we said yes."
Jamie's post has since gone viral, amassing more than 800,000 views. The hundreds of viewers who commented were moved by the family's generosity.
"Bless you and your family!! All babies need this kind of love," one user wrote.
"Oh, that heartbroken baby in the beginning. And then his little face turns to joy as time passes by," added another.
But the surprises didn't stop there. On the very day they agreed to adopt Ryan, Jamie received another call: a little boy they had once welcomed home from the hospital—and again several times over the years—was reentering foster care.
In addition to Liv and Wes, the family now includes Bella, Em, their foster son who remains anonymous, Jax and Ryan.
"Being a foster parent is full of beauty and brokenness," Jamie said. "We get to be the landing place for kids who need love and safety, which is such a joy and privilege. But each of the kids who enter our home have experienced loss and trauma. We are so happy that we get to be their families for as long as they need us, but we also wish that we didn't have to be."
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