Everett Harris has been through more than his fair share of struggles in his short life.
The 1-year-old entered the foster care system the day of his birth, born to parents who weren’t equipped to care for him properly. The curly-haired toddler with endless charm and a personality twice his size wasn’t left to fend for himself, but was taken in by Traci and Marvin Harris, a Silver Spring couple, and it was love at first sight.
The couple served as Everett’s foster parents, loving and caring for him for 382 days before everything changed Friday afternoon.
With sobs that reverberated and bounced off the high ceiling of the third-floor courtroom in the Montgomery County Circuit Court building in Rockville, Traci Harris carried Everett to the front.
She, Marvin, and Everett climbed three small steps to stand beside the presiding judge. Then, sporting a tiny suit, polka-dot bow tie and a green button the size of his fists that said “forever family,” Everett exited the foster care system and entered the Harris family, finalizing a year-long adoption process.
Simultaneously, the Harrises officially changed their son’s birth name to Everett Shawn Harris— Everett, meaning “strong” and Shawn, meaning “gift from God.”
“If there’s anything I could tell people thinking about fostering, it’d be to not be scared away, because we were scared, but now we have our greatest blessing,” Traci Harris said. “I’ve had friends ask if it matters that he’s not my blood, but that doesn’t matter at all to me. It touches my heart that these kids have families, and we’re going to work together to give him his best life.”
The Harrises have been caring for Everett since just a few days after his birth. They took him home from the hospital and it didn’t take long for them to decide they wanted to adopt Everett, so Friday’s ceremony was just a formality for the family, probably the only “formal” part of the afternoon.
There are likely few other occasions in which a normally stoic judge will preside while wearing a shiny, fake-diamond encrusted tiara or faux gold crown and blow bubbles after rendering a judgment.
The Harrises were one of eight couples who adopted children Friday afternoon, sharing a wealth of joy with a room packed with more than 100 people, scores of smiling faces and silent support and understanding.
Typically, adoptions are quiet, private affairs with little fanfare, a stark contrast to Friday’s elaborate, high-spirited celebration. But years ago, the county department of Health and Human Services joined a nationwide push to recognize November as National Adoption Awareness Month. That led the county to implement one large-scale adoption ceremony open to the media and other families to promote the rewards of adoption.
“It’s one of the things that should be celebrated,” said Mary Anderson, public information officer for the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services. “It’s really a one-of-a-kind experience.”
In attendance Friday was U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Kensington, who recently helped a local family finalize a difficult adoption, according to his staff.
With a personal connection to adoption, Van Hollen was eager to share praise for the adopting families, lauding their selflessness and commitment to bettering children’s lives.
“Really what this is all about is trying to make sure every single child has a loving and stable and permanent home and that’s what we’re celebrating here today,” he said. “… These are parents who have made the decision to help provide that love and provide a family for those kids.”
Naturally charismatic, Everett interrupted Van Hollen’s speech a few times, cooing and cheering loudly from the front row of the courtroom to a chorus of giggles and a quick ‘hello’ from the senator.
In contrast, toward the back of the room 22-month-old Caleb sat quietly, pulling a red balloon tied to his wrist down to his lap and releasing it repeatedly. Surrounded by family wearing Superman shirts to distinguish themselves from the crowd, Caleb smiled often and reached over to show his (very) soon-to-be sisters his helium-filled toy.
Just a few minutes after the Harrises completed their adoption, Caleb’s name was called and, while he popped soap bubbles floating around the judge’s chair, his adoption was finalized to Kim and Bryan Emery, the couple who had cared for him since his birth.
The Emerys have been fostering for about four years, their interest sparked by what they described as a “calling” they felt when their youngest daughter entered kindergarten.
The couple took a three-month class to become foster parents before taking in children who needed temporary homes. Then, they were paired with a long-term placement, a child for whom they cared for seven months before taking an extended break from fostering. But when the call came for Caleb, they were ready to jump back in.
“We hoped for that and we’ve loved him since we first picked him up,” Kim Emery said. “He’s just a joy to have in our family and everybody always says he’s the lucky one, but I feel like we’re the lucky ones.”
Caleb is the first child that the Emerys have adopted, but he joins three older sisters, ages 14, 13 and 10, who weren’t shy in sharing their excitement.
“We’re adopting my brother today,” one sister said excitedly as she introduced herself to other families. “We’re doing it!”
Soon after, to her delight, they had indeed.
