Woman finds out her husband’s ex-wife’s baby was going to foster care — she knew exactly what to do

A mother’s love knows no bounds, even when caring and loving for a child not her own. A mother of two went against all odds to adopt her husband’s ex-wife’s newborn baby for a heartbreaking reason. Christie Werts, 48, was happily married to her husband, Wesley, 45, blending their kids to form a beautiful family of six. However, she grew up in foster care, and a majority of her life was consumed by that experience of figuring out life all on her own. When her husband’s ex-wife passed away days after giving birth to a newborn, Werts could not turn a blind eye towards the baby’s fate, even though unrelated to her, as reported by The Daily Mail.

Hailing from Ohio, Werts and Wesley built their home around their six children, including Christie’s kids Megan, 21, and Vance, 15, and Wesley’s kids Austin, 14, and Dakota, 10, whom he shares with his ex-wife. The latter separated in 2015. Unfortunately, his ex-wife struggled with addiction issues and died after giving birth to Levi in January 2023. Determined to help the baby, Werts made one of the biggest decisions of her life. “When I heard about Levi, without hesitation, I said we should take him,” she said. Her unconditional love for Levi shone through and convinced all of her family to accept the newborn boy as their own. 

“I myself was a foster kid and, although for the most part I had a great experience, I did not want him going to foster care. My husband did not really speak to the biological mother's family often, but she had Levi on a Monday and passed away that Friday,” Werts explained. The couple was firm on their decision to adopt the baby and protect him from going into foster care. They went to great lengths, even selling their Ohio home to rent a house in Texas to be eligible for the adoption. “We had to officially foster to adopt him. So we did - the process took 16 months.” 

However, Werts owned up to the reservations she had about the adoption initially. While she noted that bonding with her stepkids was “real quick”, the mother was concerned about how her relationship would play out with a child she had never met. “I also was in love with my bio kids at first sight. This was different - I was going to walk into a child I had never met and was worried the circumstances would hinder this 'instant love',” she admitted. But as soon as she caught the first glimpse of Levi, Werts was filled with love. She said the adorable baby “stole” her heart and just wanted to protect him at all costs. 

Having spent most of her life in foster care since age 15, Werts revealed that her unconditional love for her stepkids encouraged her to ensure their half-brother grew up with them too. Months of rigorous documentation and inspections later, Werts and Wesley were finally made Levi’s official parents. Even though the couple had already accepted him as their son, legally, he was a child with “no first name, no birth certificate, and was a ward of the state,” Werts revealed. Therefore, obtaining his first birth certificate with a legal first name became their first milestone as a family. 

Now two years old, Levi is close-knit with his siblings and is dubbed the “king of the house.” The parents hope to share the remarkable journey with him when he grows older. “The kids are living a normal life again, no case workers, inspections - just sports and friends,” the now mom of five said. On her Instagram page (@christie_werts), she posts adorable snippets and pictures of her beautiful family and Levi. Whereas, her TikTok (@cjthemom) features popular videos of their adoption journey and Levi's bond with her father and siblings.