DELHI _ Nine children found new "forever families" Friday during Delaware County's 10th annual Adoption Day ceremony.
Jai Merideth of Delhi became a mother for the third time at the age of 58 when she adopted 5-year-old Lacey Nicole.
"I'm starting over," Merideth said, smiling broadly as Lacey wrapped her arms around her new mother's waist.
A group of 13 new relatives attended the ceremony to welcome Lacey into the fold. Her mother has two grown children and five grandchildren, so Lacey now has nieces and nephews that are both younger and older than her.
Lacey and her nephew Nicholas, 3, are already the best of friends and were having fun playing while the adoptions took place.
Lacey had very little to say about her new life, but said she picked out the dress she wore because yellow is her favorite color.
Lacey has been living with Merideth for four months, but Merideth said she met the little brown-eyed blond almost two years ago when she began supervising Lacey's visits with her birth parents.
"I fell in love with her the first time I saw her," Meredith said. "When her parents decided to give her up for adoption, they asked me if I would adopt her, and I instantly said yes."
Janelle McDonald, 34, said she is thrilled to have a new sibling.
"It's great to have a little sister," McDonald said. "It's very exciting, and she is such a good kid. The best moment was when I got to meet her for the first time."
Merideth said she has always loved being around children, so inviting Lacey into her life has not been a big adjustment.
"Children keep you young," Merideth said.
McDonald added that "Lacey has just fallen into place, she just jumped right in and became part of the family."
Delaware County Judge Carl Becker presided over the adoptions, completing each family's ceremony in private.
When children had officially become part of their new families they were each given a gift, a certificate of family membership and a hand-drawn caricature done by Doug Jamieson of Franklin.
"This is the best thing our court system lets me do," Becker said. "These are some of the greatest moments of membership in our human community. It's a tribute to these parents that you have taken these children of the community."
The other children and the families that they joined included Mary Johnson adopted Cody Richard Wheeler; Helen and Ed Alexander adopted Kathleen Paula, Robert Edward and Kyle Clark; Barbara and Richard Groat adopted Zane Thomas and Phoenix Dare; and Peggy and Rodney Carman adopted Elizabeth Kathy and Kona Marie.
Susan Aikens, Delaware County Social Services deputy commissioner, said there are currently 510,000 children in foster care nationwide and of those, 129,000 are available for adoption.
Aikens said 3,500 children were adopted nationwide this November.
During the last 10 years, 86 foster children have been adopted in Delaware County, including the nine that were adopted Friday.
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Patricia Breakey can be reached at 746-2894 or at stardelhi@stny.rr.com.
