Hallmark Channel Star Celebrates Son's Adoption After Their Little Boy Spent 984 Days In Foster Care

Jun 21, 2019 by apost team

Jen Lilley is an actress who has appeared on Days of our Lives and in several Hallmark Channel movies, but she recently took on the role of a lifetime: foster mom.

Jen and her husband, Jason Wayne, welcomed a foster child into their home in 2016. The main purpose of foster care is to eventually reunite children with their parents, but that wasn't possible with baby Kaden.

Kaden's parent's parental rights had been terminated. Jen and Jason knew they wanted to adopt him, but they didn't realize it would take two and a half years.

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On June 10, after 984 long days, a judge granted Jen Lilley and Jason Wayne full parental rights of Kaden. Jen cried tears of joy in the courtroom. The 34-year-old already has one adopted child, and she's pregnant with her first biological child, but her family would never feel whole if they weren't able to adopt Kaden.

Jen and Jason threw a party at Coop in Los Angeles to celebrate Kaden's adoption. The family chose a puzzle theme for the party because Kaden was the missing piece of their puzzle. Jen's mom catered the event. The bash featured games, balloons, puzzle-themed decorations and a puzzle piece cake from Drea's Wonder Cakes.

Kaden spent his big day playing in the ball pit and jumping in a bounce house. Kaden's new parents plan to commemorate June 10 with a party every year. They showered their new son with gifts to mark the occasion.

June 10 was already a special day for Jen's family. Her parents were celebrating their 41st anniversary. We can't think of a better anniversary gift than a new grandson.

Kaden is too young to remember his first adoption day celebration, so his parents made sure to document the occasion.

"We also made a video message for Kayden that he can watch over and over again, especially when he’s older, telling him how much we love him and value him and are so grateful he’s in our family, complete with photos and video footage of him since he first arrived in our home almost three years ago as an infant," Lilley told People.

The last 984 were filled with stress and anxiety. Now, Kaden's future is no longer filled with uncertainty, and his parents can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Jen and Jason took to Instagram with the hashtag "GotchaDay" to share their special day with the world.

Jen and Jason's 14-month old adopted son is Kaden's biological half brother. After Jen gives birth to her daughter, the couple will have three children under the age of three. Jen and Jason are slightly terrified, but they know that they have more than enough love to go around.

Jen took a moment to talk about Kaden's biological parents. She wanted to be clear that instead of judging birth families who lose custody of their children, we should show them compassion.

They are just as damaged as the children they left behind. They are human beings who made a mistake, and they need love and affection to heal.

Pass this along to your friends and family to help spread the word about this heartwarming story with a happy ending!