Yessica In California

Family is especially important to me and I love to spend time with my mother, brother and sister. We have very close relationships and we are very supportive of each other. I am the oldest of three siblings and am like a second mother to my younger siblings. My mother is an especially important part of my life. She has taught me all the values that I've been able to implement as an adult. If I get the opportunity to adopt a baby, they will be loved very much by my family members. I also have many family friends who are extremely supportive and always willing to help.

I graduated from college with a Bachelor's Degree and currently work in a rehabilitation hospital as a physical therapy assistant. I help the elderly recover from illnesses and chronic diseases. I help them gain their strength and independence so they can discharge home safely. I also train students who are in a physical therapy assistant program and need to complete clinicals as a requirement to graduate. So far, I have trained 11 students. I really enjoy my job because I enjoy helping people, and just that alone is very rewarding.

I consider myself to be loving, caring, kind, helpful, responsible, independent, honest, hard-working, generous, peaceful, determined, understanding, respectful and patient. I have gone through some events in my life, which have molded me to be a better person and to be a good role model for others. Prior to Covid19, I volunteered at my church teaching second and third graders about God. I really enjoyed doing this because of the children's innocent and curious nature.

On my days off of work, I enjoy spending time with my family. I enjoy baking and am currently learning to bake cakes, cupcakes and other pastries. Traveling is one of my favorite hobbies. I especially love to go on cruises. My favorite was an Alaskan cruise. I find it very relaxing to work on arts and crafts. I can spend hours either creating flowers from card stock paper, free-hand drawing or trying to learn a new craft.

I have a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home with a fenced in yard. My house sits on 2.6 acres, which means a lot of space for all sorts of fun activities. In the past, we've had egg hunts for the kids, barbecues, horse riding, walks around the property, a trampoline with a net, play houses, etc. The neighborhood I live in is safe and very diverse. My neighbors are very friendly and the crime rate is low.

I live 5 minutes away from the mountains and there are a few national parks nearby that we visit at least twice a year. There's one park that we especially enjoy visiting to have picnics at and just relax. There is an elementary, middle and high school within 5 to 10 minutes of my house. Throughout the year, many different organizations host events for children and adults. There are fairs, rodeos, parades, classic car displays, a pumpkin patch, holiday events and more.

Even though I have a very small family consisting of my mom, brother, sister-in-law, sister and niece, we are all so close to each other. We love to spend time with each other, go on family trips, try out new restaurants, or even just hang out and watch a movie. I have extended family who live an hour or more away, but I can always count on them when needed. When it comes to special occasions, we like to plan out the day together so that we each can share an idea in regards to what we want to do, including meals, activities, themes, etc.

As in many families, there is always that special person who impacts our life and just makes things so much better for us. In my family, I would consider my mother to be the most special to me. She always goes above and beyond to help each and every one of her children whenever they need help. But more importantly, she is a foster mother, and she provides love and a nurturing home for babies, newborns to 2 years of age. I have seen how she changes their lives from a negative situation to a positive one even at their young age. When we have a foster baby at home, we all feel like he or she is part of the family.

Our favorite holiday is Christmas. My mom makes traditional Mexican foods, including tamales, bunuelos, champurrado (kind of like hot chocolate, but it has more ingredients) and ponche, which is a hot fruit punch. We usually decorate the house together and add a few new decorations each year. We enjoy making gingerbread houses and Christmas cookies. Our favorite Christmas tradition is to play Loteria, which is a Hispanic version of Bingo, but instead of numbers and letters it uses common household items, fruits, people, etc. We enjoy playing this game while we wait for the clock to strike midnight when it is time to open presents. When it’s morning, we see what’s inside our Christmas stockings. Even though we are all adults except for my baby niece, we still enjoy this tradition because we each take part in filling stockings for each other.

Our second favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. I especially love this holiday because I am mainly responsible for preparing Thanksgiving dinner. This is my way of thanking my family for everything they do for me throughout the year. I know they are also thankful for me. Before we start dinner, we do a quick prayer and we each say what we were most thankful about this year. This is significant for us because we make a reflection on how blessed we are.

Due to my past experiences with children of all ages, I feel like I am at an advantage to be an adoptive mother. I was able to help my mother care for my brother when I was 7 years old and then my sister when I was 14 years old. Then, my mom began babysitting a neighbor’s children, ages 4 and 8 years old. I would help my mom babysit them and I remember playing games with them and my siblings. Years later, when I was in college, my mom started babysitting 4 children; two older boys and 2 younger girls. Little did I know that later in life I was going to be a big part of their life, and that I was going to be a role model for them. The younger girl was 40 days old when my mom started babysitting her and I would take care of her while my mom took the others to school. She remembered me always being there for her. She is now 12 years old. She calls me mom because she says I’m her second mom she really knows how to make me feel special. Lastly, I have a very supportive family and we all get along well with children and think they are the greatest blessing.