From foster care to adoption: How the Pittmans grew their family

Jared and Rachel Pittman started with a clear goal: adoption.

They completed a home study, connected with agencies, and spent more than a year waiting for a match. But after months of little movement, it became clear that door wasn’t opening.

“We found foster care as a path to adoption,” Rachel said. “That was the original plan.”

What they didn’t expect was how much foster care itself would reshape that plan.

As they went through training, their understanding began to shift. Foster care wasn’t about finding a child for their family. It was about helping families stay together.

“We realized pretty quickly that the goal is reunification,” Rachel said. “And if your heart is set on adopting every child that comes into your home, you’re not doing foster care the way it’s meant to be done.”

That realization forced a change.

“We had to take adoption off the table,” she said.

Jared and Rachel’s story started years earlier. They met in college in South Carolina, married in 2010, and moved to Alabama the following year. Over time, their church community helped shape their interest in adoption, and they always assumed that would be part of their story.

They welcomed their biological son in 2017, but the desire to adopt didn’t go away. By 2019, they were actively pursuing it. When that process stalled, foster care became the next step, and they became licensed in 2022.

Their first placement was a wake-up call.

“The first night, nobody slept,” Jared said. “Within the first week, everyone in the room was crying, including us.”

It was overwhelming in a way they hadn’t fully anticipated. Training helped, but it couldn’t replicate what it feels like to bring children in crisis into your home.

“You have to adjust your whole environment,” Rachel said. “You can’t expect them to adjust to you.”

They pushed through the early weeks and began to find a rhythm. In a later placement, they saw what foster care is designed to do. They built trust with a biological mother, supported her, and ultimately watched her children return home.

“That showed us the value of it,” Jared said. “It’s not just about caring for kids. It’s about supporting families.”

At one point, they thought they were done with babies. Then they got a call about one.

“We said, ‘We’re probably done with babies,’” Jared said. “And then we got a call for a baby.”

They almost said no. Instead, they agreed to take him for what they assumed would be a short placement.

“We thought we’d have him for a couple months,” Rachel said. “Just long enough for his mom to get back on her feet.”

They met his mother early on and answered her questions.

“That told me she cared,” Rachel said.

For a while, things followed the expected pattern. Then communication slowed, and eventually stopped. As the case progressed, it became clear that reunification might not happen.

“We had to ask, are we supposed to be an adoptive resource for him?” Rachel said.

That shift came with mixed emotions.

“We were happy and sad at the same time,” Jared said. “Happy because we loved him, but sad because adoption only happens when something else doesn’t.”

Even when reunification is no longer likely, the process doesn’t move quickly. Every possible family connection has to be explored.

“There’s this idea that if a child is abandoned, that’s it,” Rachel said. “But that’s not how it works. They look for every option.”

Case workers tracked down relatives and followed every lead. In the end, there were no other viable placements.

Termination of parental rights followed.

“That means there is nobody for this child,” Rachel said. “That’s a hard reality.”

Even then, nothing was final.

“Until the judge signs the paper, it can still change,” Jared said.

Their adoption day was set for July 8. They expected a small group to show up. Instead, more than 100 people came.

“We had to move chairs just to make space,” Rachel said.

The room was full of people who had supported them throughout the process. When the judge finalized the adoption, it was both a celebration and a moment that reflected everything it took to get there.

“It was overwhelming in the best way,” Jared said.

Today, JJ is an active, outgoing toddler who loves being outside and keeping up with his older brother.

“He’s just a sweet kid,” Rachel said. “He loves people.”

For the Pittmans, his adoption is part of a larger story. They began this process focused on adoption. What they found along the way was a deeper understanding of foster care and the role it plays.

“We thought adoption was the goal,” Rachel said. “But foster care changed our hearts.”

And in the end, it led them to JJ.