Moriah Quimby and her husband Luke saw precious baby Charlie in the NICU as one of their own from the minute they set eyes on him two years ago. It’s official now. The Quimbys formalized Charlie’s adoption last Friday, making him a permanent member of their family. “It’s so bizarre. We’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. It feels fantastic. “He’ll always be our son,” Moriah added. Charlie weighed just under two pounds when he was delivered at 30 weeks!!!
Moriah, a foster mom with expertise in preterm care and high needs newborns, was visiting another foster baby who was ready to “graduate” from the hospital’s care when she got the call about Charlie. Moriah tells Love What Matters, “The wonderful woman at Homefinder’s informed me a baby was born who truly needed me.” “After a few inquiries, I immediately answered yes.” Hearing about Charlie, the little preemie, warmed my heart, and I couldn’t wait to see him.”
Moriah distinctly remembers walking into the NICU and seeing Charlie in his isolation, stating, “I was startled. How could somebody be so diminutive? He was fully awake and taking everything in. “I believe he fixed his gaze on me the first time.” “I asked the nurse if he might be held, and fortunately he was going to require his ‘cares’ done.” I was able to check his temperature, change his diaper, and cuddle him for a few moments.
He had the lightness of a feather. But you’re still so powerful. “I was madly in love.” You don’t truly grasp the NICU experience until you’ve been there. The emotional ups and downs, as well as the continual anxiety, take their toll on fatigued parents who spend as much time as they can with their little warrior. But Moriah has been here before.
“It’s really bizarre because it’s so calm until it’s not,” Moriah explains. “One minute, all you hear is calm beeping from devices; the next, sobbing or, worse, terror.” Charlie was one of those panics, having coded at the age of three weeks. It’s terrible to consider how vulnerable these newborns are. “Weak tiny combatants.”
Charlie was in the hospital for ten weeks. Moriah and Luke held him, prayed, and sang their favorite songs throughout that time. Then they rejoiced when he was also ready to be released and brought home! He’s now a toddler who enjoys seeing the trash truck pull up to the end of their driveway every week. “He’s felt like our son from day one.” “Getting a new birth certificate with our names on it is such a meaningful document,” Moriah said.
Moriah and Luke have five children, one of which is an adopted daughter. Charlie was all smiles and liked the attention during the court session, despite the fact that he is still too young to grasp the importance of his adoption day. “Charlie is adored (and pampered!) by all of our children. “They love him!” Moriah tells Love What Matters. “They’ll fight over who gets to pull him out of his cot for morning snuggles.”
He is a continual source of pleasure for everyone, and when the adoption day arrived, we were all overjoyed! He was going to be ours for the rest of our lives!”
“The ceremony went quickly, and we had all of our family and friends present to celebrate Charleston Luke, as Charlie, becoming our son for the first time.” It was the finest sensation! Charlie adored it. He was as silent as he could be. “He was obsessed with cameras,” Moriah said. Congratulations, Charlie, for surviving the NICU and finally being a member of your forever family! That adorable grin on your face tells it all.