Sirens blaring, flashing red and blue lights. Tires screeching to a halt. “Christine -----, it's the police, open up!” shouted the officer in charge. There was not an answer and they proceeded to beat down the door. They rushed into the house to find a baby in a crib, covered in filth and crying. The baby was next to a spoiled bottle of milk and a man passed out on the couch. The officers searched the house and there was no sign of Christine anywhere and there was no supplies for the baby: diapers, formula or a responsible guardian. Christine was seventeen at the time and was a drug addict. The baby’s biological father wasn’t in the picture at all but he was forty at the time. The officers called The Department of Family Services to take the baby, whose name at the time was Bianca, into custody. Bianca was nicknamed Mia in foster care where she was given a lot of attention. The home that she was in had a bunch of teenage girls that wanted to hold her all the time and do everything for her. When she was 15 months old her case worker, Linda, called a woman named Monique who had been a foster mom for a while and was in the process of adopting a girl named Olivia. Monique met Mia and knew that this little girl was meant to be her daughter along with Olivia.  

That was everything I was told growing up by my adoptive mother. The rest of the story is what I actually remember. 

July 12th, 2005 is when my small family got bigger. My mother got a call saying I had a sister. The first thing my mom thought is that it was an older sister. But then soon found out she had just been born. Her name was Selena and after being born, our biological mother was declared an unfit parent being that my sister was high on crack. My Mother instantly took in Selena as her daughter and changed her name to Whitney because that name fit her much better. That was our family for a while, my Mom, Whitney and me.  

Around 2005 my Mother met a man named Chad. He worked with her at the Federal Medical Prison in Springfield. They started to date and when my Mom had something she had to do with Whitney, I would go over to Chad’s apartment. He had two sons Xavier and Dominic. Xavier was the same age as me, 3 years old. We called each other twins even though we didn’t look alike at all. I was a biracial girl and he was a pale red-head. Dominic was older than the both of us; he was five years old at the time. Now, I’m not sure exactly when this next part happened but I do remember it very well. Chad had been around for a while and was a big part of our lives along with his sons. One night I got the idea that I wanted to start calling him Dad. I was in the kitchen with my Mom and I decided to ask her if it would be okay. 

“Mom, do you think Chad would be okay with me calling him Dad?” I asked. 

“Why don’t you go ask him yourself?” she said. 

I walked to their room from the kitchen. I was real short and wearing one of my mom’s favorite outfits at the time. A pink and white horizontal striped shirt with matching solid pink shorts that went down to my knees. My hair was in pigtail with these pink bubble hair ties my Mother used to put my hair up with all the time. Of course, I had to be wearing pink Sketchers with glitter on them. I walked down the hallway rubbing my hands on the smooth tan colored wall, walking past my door frame then right after reaching my Mom’s room. As I turned the corner I saw Chad sitting at the desk on the computer. I got his attention. 

“Hey Chad, are you busy?” I asked. 

“No, Alycia, what's up?” he said as he pulled me on his lap. 

“Well you know how you are Xavier and Dominic’s dad. Well you’re here a lot and I was wondering if I could call you Dad too?” I asked him. 

“Of course you can call me dad.” He said softly as he pulled me in for a hug. 

So from that day on I’ve been calling Chad my Dad, which was long before he adopted me later on in my life. Then on May 16 in 2008 my Mom and Dad got married in our backyard. Whitney and I were flower girls. We were put into green dresses that had tulle on the bottom and glitter on the top. Dominic and Xavier were ring bearers. They walked Whitney and I down the aisle. Then, when they reached my Dad, we were handed the rings by our grandfather. I remember after they did the vows all six of us went over to this table with a white tablecloth over it. I remember pink candlesticks. My Dad lit one and then all six of us held onto it with one hand and lit the main candlestick as a family, symbolizing our union. The rest of the reception is a blur, I remember cake and dancing with Xavier the whole night. Whitney and I legally became my Dad’s daughters June 17th of 2009.