Living as a family was wonderful for the boys, but it also taught Sara something. It taught her what it feels like to have her own family and the special love that is shared. She gushed that her boys are awesome and that it’s a privilege that she gets to spend her days with them.
When people tell her that the kids are lucky to have them as parents, she calls it laughable, it’s the opposite. They constantly say how so truly, deeply blessed they are to have met every kid who has walked through their door. The experience of adopting has brought the family closer together. It has made them feel like a real family.
Patience
As they engaged with the adoption process, they soon found that patience is their number one ally in dealing with waiting for an outcome. It took much longer than Sara had bargained for. It took six months just to get the wheels in motion. It went on for years, not months. They were waiting to know if they would have an official family, and the boys were also waiting excitedly to know that they had a permanent home.
The anxious wait was a roller coaster of emotions. They didn’t know what was going to happen. The winds of change flew back and forth between Sara and Stuart adopting the boys, and them being reunited with their birth mother. This went on for months, then years, and Sara and Stuart tried to prepare themselves for every possible reality. Sara noted that being a foster parent has given her the gift of patience.
Preparing for the Long Haul
All they could do was wait patiently. Dayshawn was now a teenager, and Michael was growing tall. It would have been less complicated to adopt only one child, but that was not their fate. Even with just one child, the adoption process is long and drawn out, so we can't imagine the hurdles that were thrown at this family.
As they waited, they found a silver lining. The four of them were becoming a family unit. As time went on, it only served to draw them closer together, and the boys were happy as could be living together as a family team. Things were going well, even as they were forced to wait.
The Wait Is Over!
Years of anxiety over the adoption process were finally melting away. The stress of waiting, at last, had a deadline. On August 13, 2018, the family would have their day in court. At that court date, the family would at long last receive the news. Finally, they would know for sure if the boys had a real home with real parents.
A permanent place meant the boys would not be separated, and it meant that they would share the last name of their parents. It was going to be a great, beautiful change. They hoped and prayed that the judge was favorable towards them.
An Emotional Day in Court
With so much anticipation for this day, it’s no surprise that the couple was filled with emotion. The long wait yielded this final day, and they both fought off tears of joy and relief. Both Sara and Stuart had waited years, if not their whole lives, for this day.
On top of that, an unexpected event prompted Sara to break into sobs, right in the middle of the courtroom. There was no way to prepare for this! But in the end, coming from Dayshawn, it was just as she expected. Just as the judge was contemplating their decision, Dayshawn took the opportunity to make his voice heard.