Dressed in a white, floor-length gown, 3-year-old Willow Johnson was ready to officially join her new family.

On Friday morning, Darren and Ginger Johnson of Graham legally welcomed Willow as their daughter. Their self-proclaimed “fairy princess” was one of 15 children adopted into 11 families at Pierce County Juvenile Court in celebration of today’s National Adoption Day.

Three years ago, the Johnsons adopted Kara, 8, and Kaylee, 9. Their foster sons Elijah, 3, and Lonnie, 4, are going through the adoption process.

“We’re very blessed to give these kids some stable opportunities,” Darren Johnson said, adding the children “are very protective of each other.”

In the court lobby Friday, the boys batted balloons at each other, and the girls showed off their sparkly shoes.

The Johnsons – who also have four adult children, 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild – started taking in foster kids six years ago and found parting with their charges too difficult.

“Having to say goodbye was the worst, so we decided not to do that anymore,” Ginger Johnson said.

With adoption, “the labor’s a little longer; instead of nine months, it’s two years,” she joked, stroking Willow’s hair.

This is the sixth year Pierce County has celebrated National Adoption Day, which was founded in 2000 by a national coalition of child welfare organizations to raise awareness of foster children available for adoption.

As of September, 1,700 Washington children in foster or out-of-home care were waiting to be adopted, according to the state Department of Social and Health Services.

Pierce County’s juvenile court handles 350 to 400 adoptions a year, said Joni Irvin, the court’s adoption investigator.

“We’re extremely appreciative of all you do,” Superior Court Judge Beverly Grant said to the assembled families, who gathered in the lobby before the adoptions began.

Later, in the courtroom, the atmosphere was relaxed and joyful. Family members walked up to the judge’s bench to snap photos; every adopted child received a blue teddy bear.

After the ceremony, Krystal Wilbur of Tacoma held her newly adopted 20-month-old son, Josiah.

A nurse, Wilbur is a member of Pediatric Interim Care Services, which provides specialized foster care and support for drug-exposed infants and their families.

The prognosis for Josiah was grim when he first came to live with Wilbur a year ago. He was born 10 weeks premature and weighed 3 pounds, 10 ounces. He also suffered brain injuries.

“He wasn’t supposed to walk,” Wilbur said as Josiah ran around, clutching his blue blankie and popping balloons. “Now he’s walking and talking. He’s made amazing progress.”

Wilbur is no stranger to adoptive families; she has two adult sisters, Oana and Claudia, who were adopted 10 years ago from Romania as teenagers.

“I have cousins who are adopted,” Wilbur said. “This is not new for me.”

Wilbur said her families and friends will celebrate the adoption today with a party at her parents’ house in Eatonville.

Michael and Jennifer Morrison of Spanaway could not contain their tears at the courthouse. The couple, who could not have children, waited almost three years to adopt Michael, 4; Gabriel, 2; and William, 19 months, all brothers.

“It’s been such a long time, and now it’s official,” Jennifer Morrison said, adding that as a teacher, she’s well-equipped to handle three rambunctious boys. Still, she started to cry as she recalled a discussion Friday morning with her son Michael.

“I was telling him, you didn’t grow in my tummy, you grew in my heart.”

Joyce Chen: 253-597-8426

joyce.chen@thenewstribune.com

ADOPTION INFORMATION

 • Department of Social and Health Services Children’s Administration adoption information Web page: www1.dshs.wa.gov/ca/adopt/index.asp.

 • Families for Kids, an adoption recruitment service contracted by DSHS to provide information and training to potential adoptive parents: www.lcsnw.org/ffk/index.html, 1-888-794-1794.

 • Northwest Adoption Exchange, information and services for adoption of special needs children (this includes older children, children of color and children with siblings) in the Northwest. Their Web site includes a photo listing and biographies of children waiting to be adopted: www.nwae.org, or call 1-800-927-9411.

 • Foster Parent Association of Washington: www.fpaws.org or 1-800-391-2273.

 • For more details on each step of adoption, parents can visit www.dshs.wa.gov.