PERKINS TWP.

Most parents have nine months to prepare for their new arrival.

Kristi and Kyle Knight had four hours.

At about noon on a Monday in the summer of 2008, the couple received a call that changed their lives forever.

A mother addicted to crack cocaine had just given birth to a premature baby, with no prenatal care and no means to raise the child.

The baby ranked in only the fifth percentile for her size and overall health. With both cocaine and marijuana coursing through her still-developing nervous system, she suffered severe withdrawal symptoms. Tremors wracked her tiny body, and she rarely slept.

The Knights, who completed a class to become foster parents about six months earlier, agreed to take her in at least temporarily. After a frantic trip to Walmart to buy a crib and all the essentials , 2-day-old Shelby Jean-Lee Knight arrived at their Peterson Lane home the same afternoon.

The first few weeks -- a tough adjustment for any parent -- were especially stressful for Kristi and Kyle. Though both work from home, they had to scale back their workload as feedings, naps and diaper changes dictated their day.

Kristi, 36, is a freelance writer who formerly wrote for soap operas. Kyle, 39, is a former radio personality who now works as a website designer and recently started his own online '80s radio station with Kristi's help.

They took turns sleeping while the other awoke to Shelby's screams as the drugs slowly worked their way out of her body.

It was a crash course in parenthood like none other.

Kristi said she bonded with Shelby almost instantly even without the head start of feeling her growing inside her.

"We waited so long we were ready for her to come, so I already felt like a mom," she said. "Those first six weeks was like my nine months."

While caring for Shelby, the couple also took in several other babies for varying times, ranging from one weekend to a month or two.

They remember each of the children with keepsake ornaments on their mantle. But in the back of their minds, they knew they wanted to become permanent parents.

When Shelby was about a year old, her father, who visited from time to time, told his caseworker he wanted the Knights to raise her.

The Knights were already taking steps to adopt, meeting with social workers and undergoing interviews.

They were deemed a match for Shelby, and about six months later, on Dec. 15, the adoption was finalized.

Today, Shelby is a curious toddler of almost 2. On a recent afternoon, she sat on Kristi's lap thumbing through a pop-up book of Disney princesses while her favorite TV show, Yo Gabba Gabba! played in their living room.

Kristi cut banana slices for her and showed her a scrapbook that reads like a fairy tale.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Shelby," she says as Shelby points to a page of her as a newborn. "She was tiny, but tough."

Shelby was so small at first that the couple put her on top of a Nintendo Wii Fit scale and it didn't register a weight at all.

As they celebrate their first Mother's Day as a family in a more lasting sense, both look forward to starting their own traditions. They no longer have to shuttle Shelby to visits or meetings with caseworkers.

"For 18 months, it was not our schedule, it was Shelby's schedule," Kyle said. "Now it's a family schedule."

Angel Young, deputy director of social programs at Erie County Job and Family Services, said although the agency is no longer involved in Shelby's life, the Knights have continued to mentor other local foster families. By adopting, they provided a "forever family" to Shelby, who is no longer among the more than 80 local children needing a home.

The couple has taken a break from fostering for now, but they haven't ruled out the possibility of adopting or taking in another child.

"One thing I've realized is you have a lot bigger capacity to love than you think," Kristi said.

Interested in adoption or becoming a foster parent? Contact the Erie County Department of Job and Family Services at 419-626-6781 or visit the website at eriecountychildrenservices.com. Click the links on the left for information about training sessions for parents and photos of children waiting to be adopted.