Elijah was not much interested in the formality of the day, asking his soon-to-be mother if they were done yet as they waited outside a courtroom to finalize his adoption process.
However, after a ceremony that lasted fewer than 10 minutes, the 7-year-old exclaimed over the toys he had received and said he was excited.
“I’m happy because I got adopted by my grandma and now I can call her mom,” he said.
Elijah and his four siblings were just some of the more than 40 children to become officially adopted Friday as part of Lake County’s celebration of National Adoption Day.
Families swarmed the second floor of the Lake County Juvenile Center awaiting their turn before a judge. Judge Thomas Stefaniak, who oversaw the various ceremonies, said that the day was a positive celebration for a place that normally deals with tougher issues.
“It’s such a pleasure to have days like this where we get to celebrate placing a child in a stable, permanent forever home,” he said.
Stefaniak noted that there is a sad component to the process because it means breaking up biological families, but he added they never do that unless there’s another family ready to step in.
Last year, Lake County saw 259 adoptions, and Porter County saw 37. Statewide, there were 3,581.
The judge added that although Lake County has had other days dedicated to adoptions, Friday was the largest one they’ve done yet. The county also topped off the day with a ceremonial tree planting in honor of former Lake County Magistrate Gail Tegarden, who Stefaniak praised for her dedication to the children in the county.
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“She was a very heavy advocate for the rights of kids,” he said.
Kimberly and Jared Fry, of Crown Point, were one of the first families before Magistrate Glenn Commons. The couple sat with their daughter, 15-month-old Riley, who was wearing a dress with a black top and polka dot skirt for the occasion, as the magistrate asked them questions about their situation.
“This process is always very special for a number of reasons,” Commons told the couple before granting their petition for adoption. “…You’re mom and dad as of right this moment.”
Jared Fry said they’ve had Riley since just a few weeks after she was born and adopted her through a foster arrangement.
“As soon as we brought her home …” Jared said.
“… We fell in love with her,” Kimberly finished.
The couple said they planned on surprising their family with news of the adoption that day. Family members knew they were adopting Riley but not that it was happening Friday.
For many families, the day means an end to a long process of various court hearings. Angelique Love has mothered 2-year-old Ja’Nyla since the girl was born. Ja’Nyla’s biological father is Love’s former ward, and she told him she wanted to adopt Ja’Nyla.
The process came with problems, including when officials became involved because of issues with Ja’Nyla’s birth mother. Knowing the process is over provides a huge relief, Love said.
“I’m happy it’s all done,” she said.
The family still has one more step to finish, however. Love’s fiancee, Quinn Taborn, intends to adopt Ja’Nyla once the couple is married.
Rosia Evans, Elijah’s mother, said she was happy to have the process over with so she wouldn’t have to keep coming to court for hearings and could instead focus on raising her children.
“It was a long process,” she said, adding that she got frustrated at points. “(But) it was worth it.”
Friday ended a four-year process for David and Angela Ramos, who adopted biological siblings Braleigh, 4, and Alayah, 2. The couple knew the children’s biological parents and have raised the children most of their lives, David Ramos said. Braleigh just saw the day as a simple matter of finally getting his parents’ last name.
“It feels great,” David Ramos said as his family celebrated after the ceremony.