New family members become official on National Adoption Day
This holiday season was especially magical for the Bacon family of Buffalo Township.
As the Bacons decorated their Christmas tree in the days leading up to the upcoming holiday, young Olivia Bacon — who was recently adopted into the family — joined in the fun, placing bulbs on a real evergreen alongside her two half-siblings.
“The kids were putting ornaments on the tree, and Olivia picked it right up,” her mother, Jamie Bacon said.
Olivia, 18-months-old, has been in Jamie Bacon’s care since she was six days old, but only last month was she formally released from the foster care system — officially becoming a member of the Bacon family — just in time to celebrate her second Christmas with her sister and brother, who Jamie Bacon had earlier adopted.
“It was a very emotional day knowing that now she’s mine and no one can take her from me,” Bacon said, recalling the experience on Friday, Nov. 21.
Families across the country were celebrating similar moments as courts recognized National Adoption Day with adoption finalizations and ceremonies honoring children and the parents who stepped forward to raise them.
Joyful squeals filled the typically somber judge’s chamber, which was decorated with a Dr. Seuss theme — “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” — in banners and balloons. The children being adopted were invited to build their own stuffed animals and were treated to balloon creations and temporary tattoos for the occasion.
Since then, Jamie Bacon said life has been good as the family prepares to celebrate Dec. 25 with games, lunch and presents. The biggest adjustment, she said, has been not needing to consult Children & Youth Services for the decisions she makes about Olivia.
Nov. 21 wasn’t the first time Jamie Bacon accepted someone into her family.
She has walked through the courthouse doors accompanied by family and friends to officially welcome a child into her life before.
With a desire to grow her family, Jamie Bacon became licensed to foster eight years ago.
Her first placement was a little boy, who returned to his biological family after three months. Then, birth siblings, Trenton, now 10, and Maicy, now 13, were placed in her care for 21 months until they became eligible for adoption.
Jamie Bacon admitted the months leading up to a foster care adoption can be an emotional roller coaster. Foster parents often fall in love with a child without knowing whether the courts will ultimately send that child back to biological parents.
For newborns, like Olivia, placed directly from the hospital, foster parents often become the adoptive parents if reunification isn’t possible. Infants usually remain in their first foster home and courts prioritize stability for babies.
“We fell in love with Olivia the moment she was placed in our arms,” Jamie Bacon said.
Trenton and Maicy were thrilled to get a little sister — and excited when they learned that Olivia was related to them, too.
“To see the love they share is amazing,” Jamie said. “Knowing that Olivia gets to grow up around her siblings — and knowing she is ours forever — means everything.”
“The smile never left my son’s face the entire day of Olivia’s adoption,” she added.
Although the goal of foster care is reunification with birth families, foster parents who hope to adopt the children placed with them often live in a kind of emotional limbo.
“It’s always in the back of your mind,” Jamie said.
But she said she felt like their mother from the moment each child arrived in her home, long before their adoptions were finalized.
“From day one, I called them my kids,” she said.
Now that all three siblings are together, Jamie sees glimpses of their shared traits — expressions that match, a similar laugh or mannerisms that show their connection.
“It’s incredible to see,” she said.
Jamie works as a Head Start preschool teacher and credits her extended family and friends — many of whom filled the courtroom gallery in November — for the “huge support” they provide in helping her care for her children.
She also appreciates that her children have occasional visits with several biological aunts, allowing them to maintain a sense of connection to their history.
As for whether she plans to foster or adopt again, Jamie smiled.
“Right now, we’re on hold,” she said. “We’re taking it day by day.”
