Joey Lane Huddleston Reite

Born: March 6, 2007 

10-17-07

MEET JOEY!
We are the new and proud parents of Joey Lane Huddleston Reite. Joey came to us "Via" the internet. It's amazing what you can find online these days!

Joey hails from St. Louis, Missouri. He was born March 6, 2007 at St. Johns Mercy Medical Center. His original adoption was all in place at the time of his birth and when Joey was born with trisomy 13, the adoptive family backed out. His birth family, feeling even stronger about not being able to care for him, put him back up for adoption.

The attorney who was handling the adoption contacted the "Living with Trisomy 13" organization and sent a letter over their website. Because of our son Tucker, (full trisomy 13, April 5, 2001-May 3, 2003) we are still involved with the trisomy 13 support groups and read this letter from the attorney stating she was was looking for a family to adopt this baby whom she and the nurses called Joey.

After Tucker died, Jim and I talked about adopting a baby. But I didn't want just any baby, I wanted another trisomy 13 baby. We have four other healthy, Normal (which is all a matter of perspective) children but I missed the uniqueness that only comes from these special children. But what were the chances of finding a baby like this when the syndrome is so rare to begin with. And out of those how many are miscarried or aborted. The percentage of those that actually make it to term and then survive long enough to be put up for adoption, and that's providing the birth family did not want them, was so small that I always said "If God wants me to have another trisomy 13 baby, He'll have to drop one in my lap!" Well That's exactly what he did!

Jim and I read the letter and felt God laying it on our hearts to call this attorney and inquire about Joey. I asked questions that only a mother of a trisomy 13 child would ask and gave her Tucker's website (www.cowboytucker.com). She had contacted several other families that were set up for adoption but they backed out. A few other families did inquire but it was Tucker's website and the questions I'd asked that kept drawing her back to us so she asked if we were set up for adopting. Our fleeing thought for adoption had long since past and we were looking at the empty nest since our last one at home was about to turn 18 in a couple months. So no, we had never started the process. We felt so sure that God was prompting us that we started the adoption process. This was about March 22nd.

 We had no clue where to really start so we talked to a friend from church who ran a Christian foster care organization in our local area called Koinonia Foster Homes. He put us in touch with Rob who was starting to do fost-adopts for Koinonia. We met With Rob in his office and talked about what we were trying to do. The problem was, Koinonia only did instate adoptions so they could only get us started on our home study which we were told takes about six months to complete. But he was willing to do what he could to help us out.

So before we left we all prayed together asking the Lord for direction if this be his will. Rob got in touch with Cindy S., The "whirlwind" of an attorney back in St. Louis who was waiting to hear back from us on our progress. Although she actually represented the birth family, she offered to do all our paper work on that end "pro-bono" (free). And she was helping walk Rob through the interstate compact red tape which could take a year or two to complete. All of us who have Trisomy children know that time is of the essence and we may not have months or years. Well God knows that too and He is obviously bigger than the state of California or Missouri because with in two weeks our home study was completed, (paid for by the state of Missouri) the home inspection waved and by the end of April all the paper work in Missouri was completed and they were ready for us to come pick up Joey. We had not been planning a trip to St Louis on such a short notices so we had no money set aside to make the trip or cover our income while we were gone which added up to roughly $4,000. With the help of our immediate families, church families and friends and donations that came in from our small community, God provided all we needed.

By now Joey had been in foster care for two weeks through a foster care organization called Family Christian Services that was ran by Sue. On May 5th we left our little mountain town in northern California and drove to St. Louis to meet with Cindy, her friend Kelly, who was the attorney to represent us, who also agreed to work for free, and Sue, on May 9th. The plan was to file for adoption placement and then return to California with Joey to finish up the adoption through the interstate compact how ever long that took. But there was confusion over which state was going to be responsible for him medically in the interim. So when we met with these attorneys they asked if we could stay a few more days in St Louis and they were going to get us in to see the Judge even though we were not on the judges docket, and push this adoption through to completion in a few days so we would not have to deal with the whole interstate compact red tape.

We set up camp at Jellystone Park in St. Louis and prepared to stay the week. Joey was in a wonderful Christian home and very loved and cared for. After a few visits, we were comfortable enough with the feeding pump to take him to his new home away from home..."the camper". Joey became very popular at Jellystone Park and soon almost everyone new him. He would have visitors daily. One couple we met there and had dinner with on a Saturday evening was Matt and Cindy K. On Sunday we had visited a Pastor Friend of ours church in Troy and when we had come back to camp, Matt and Cindy K. had already packed up and left. Monday morning we packed up and left to stay the night in Troy.

On Monday we got the phone call to be in court at 8:00 Tuesday morning, still not on the judges docket. We rushed into the parking lot, still running on Georgetown time, stressing because we were late do to traffic and fearing that if we missed our appointment it could be weeks before we could get in again. But all of our stress melted away when we were met by Kelly caring a large bag. In it was a lot of goodies and snacks for the road, some stuffed animals and toys for Joey and a card with a prepaid credit card for $250.00 for on the way home from Matt and Cindy K! Come to find out, when Cindy K. left Jellystone park and went home, she was telling her best friend how they met us and telling her all about Joey and how she wished she had a way to get a hold of us. As her friend listened, she realized that the people Cindy K. was talking about was her attorney sister, Kelly, clients! So Cindy K. and her friend put together this care package to give to Kelly to give to us! coincidence? I don't think so, Divine intervention? you bet!

Because we had stayed longer than anticipated in St. Louis, our funds were running low. We never told anybody that, but God new what we were going to need to get home.

Kelly, Cindy S., Sue , Jim and I entered into the court house where we were greeted by a "grumpy" bailiff who informed us that the judge was doing physical custody hearings all day and we had a long wait if we got in at all today. Just then a court trustee walked by and heard the conversation. Cindy S. and the trustee did a few hand signals and the trustee went into the judges chambers and a few minutes later the furled browed Bailiff came out and said the judge would see us now.
After about 15 minutes in the courtroom, The judge pronounced us as the new parents of Joey as if we had given birth to him and told us we were the sunshine in his day but actually he put the sunshine in our day.

We headed home traveling route 66 camping along the way. On May 21st we brought our new baby into our home.

Joey in now almost 5 months old and so far is doing well. He is g tube feed do to some obstructions in his airway. He was supposed to have a swallow study done a couple weeks ago but it got rescheduled and we are waiting for the new date. He was born with extra pinkies on both hand but they got removed today as they were dangling. He has an umbilical hernia and an asd. but he is not on any oxygen at this time. He so far has had no apnea (something that gave us A LOT of grey hairs with Tucker) and he has some myoclonic jerks. He has some vision impairment but I think he can see pretty good as he focuses well on objects and reaches to nudge them with his hand. He knows how to push the button and turn on his fish aquarium as and will wake up at night and play it of and on through out the night. We think he holds his head up pretty good too. My biggest concerns are keeping him healthy through the winter and wondering whether to treat the myoclonic jerks now or wait until they become seizures. With Tucker we chose to wait and we never could get his seizures under control.

Do we start early with Joey? Any advice would be welcomed, email: reitejl@hotmail.com or phone 1-530-333-4472.

There you have it....adoption in a nut shell!
Jim and Lori Reite reitejl@hotmail.com
Joey Reite full T-13
(Tucker full T-13, April 5, 2001-May 3, 2003)