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November 22, 2005
William holds Chad Bousamara's finger. Couples turn out for annual adoption dayAdoption comes in 'whirlwind' for one couple
Dawn Bousamra holds her son-to-be, William, on Monday. She and husband Chad will adopt William today on Michigan Adoption Day. "It has been a whirlwind tour of how it is to be parents," said Dawn Bousamra. "It has been a little busy, but we are pretty proud of him. It felt natural immediately. I knew he was mine." Three weeks before William, now five months old, was born in Grayling, the Bousamras filed a portfolio for parents to review, and expected a wait of at least a few months. But life is full of surprises. "We thought we were going to have about nine months working with a birth mother, but there we were," Chad Bousamra, 33, of Interlochen, said with a laugh. "We didn't have a bottle in the house and the baby's room wasn't painted. We were lucky our neighbors had a car seat for us." Today, William's adoption will be one of more than 20 that Grand Traverse County Family Court Judge David Stowe will finalize as part of the third annual Michigan Adoption Day. "It is by far the highlight of what I do as a probate and family court judge," said Stowe. "It is just a wonderful, magical time. "This truly is a pretty momentous occasion for our community when we can finalize adoption for 20 children or more in one day," he said. Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Weaver will attend the ceremony and assist Stowe in finalizing the adoptions. The day will be even more special for the Bousamras to be able to finalize their adoption of "Will" in front of family friends and co-workers. Chad is a probation officer who works with Stowe in 13th Circuit Court. "We like the idea of open adoption because he is going to have questions when he gets older," he said. "And it will be comfortable knowing my boss will be presiding over the hearing. It is like a family here. We are all very close." Last year, 25 children were adopted by families throughout the Grand Traverse region, the second most of any county in the state. "Adoption just felt like a fit for our family," said Dawn Bousamra, 31. "We are just very blessed to have a beautiful and healthy baby." Stowe is scheduled to finalize his first adoption at 8:15 a.m. and said some 30 counties throughout the state are expected to participate in today's event. Stowe said the state Department of Human Services will provide mementos to newly adoptive families and a luncheon for those families and friends after the hearings. "We have a tremendously supportive community and individuals in it who desire to provide permanency for these children, some of which are fairly special need," said Stowe. For the Bousamras and hundreds others across the state today, the ceremony marks the last step in a "worthwhile" process. "I think it is going to be peace of mind knowing he is completely ours," said Chad Bousamra. "We have already felt like we were his parents since the first day, but this completes the court process and I think we will feel like he is ours."
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