Fayette County Adoption Day Celebrated

It was a rare day for smiles inside the district courtroom in La Grange last Tuesday, Nov. 25. In a place normally reserved for divorces, criminal trials, and lawsuits, tears of joy fell as an adoption took place.

Cheyenne Evans, a new mother from Bryan, adopted one and a half year old Jaxon Walter Evans. She had been Jaxon’s foster mother since Aug. 10.

“It’s been totally crazy,” Evans said about the experience. “It’s nothing I expected as a first-time foster parent. There’s nothing they can say to prepare you. It’s exciting. It’s heartbreaking. It’s always sad when a parent loses their rights. But it’s also exciting because he gets a fresh start. It’s been a wild ride.”

District Judge Jeff Steinhauser of the 155th District Court presided over the formal adoption proceeding. Cheyenne’s family members, case workers from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, Court Appointed Special Advocates and other officials who’ve been following Jaxon throughout the legal process filled the courtroom that day.

The officials who oversaw Jaxon’s journey testified about Cheyenne’s fitness as a mother. Each one swore under oath that the best place for Jaxon was in Cheyenne’s home.

The details of how Jaxon ended up in the foster care system remain confidential. But the Judge knows the story. At some point, Steinhauser removed Jaxon from his biological family. That only happens in extreme cases of abuse or neglect. Steinhauser teared up as he pronounced Cheyenne as Jaxon’s mother.

“We see bad cases all the time,” Steinhauser said. “I struggle with decisions sometimes. I’m not struggling with this one.”

November happens to be National Adoption Month. So it was fitting for Jaxon’s adoption to take place just as the month came to a close.

Mark Wilson with Texas Department of Family and Protective Services said the state constantly searches for adoptive parents who are willing to open their hearts and homes for children of all ages – from newborn babies to teenagers.

Some of these children have special medical, physical or emotional needs, but their biggest need is that of a loving, forever home “For anyone who’s interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent, the first step in that process is to attend an information session with DFPS or a partner agency,” Wilson said. “Folks can learn how to do that at adoptchildren. org. There’s an interactive map that’ll bring up a list of information sessions. Those are no commitments. You can go and learn from there. You can take steps through our agency or a placing agency to become licensed.

“Most of the children who come into our care are able to go back to their families,” Wilson added. “That’s what we work toward. That’s the gold standard that we try to do. But in those cases where they unfortunately can’t, we have to go find that forever home for a child, where they can not just survive but thrive.”

Evans had the following advice for families thinking about fostering or adopting children.

“Pray about it,” she said. “Some people worry that they’ll get too attached. That’s the point. You’re supposed to get attached. Just make sure your heart is ready.”

At the end of last year, DFPS saw 4,181 children adopted. Statewide, there were 2,224 children still waiting to find permanent adoptive homes. Throughout 2023, approximately 9,965 children in Texas were removed from their homes as a result of abuse or neglect.

Of the children available for adoption statewide, 63% are older children and teens (ages 10-17), 26% are African American, 39% are Hispanic, and 28% percent are Anglo, according to DFPS.

The minimum age you must be to adopt a child in Texas is 21.