“Hi, I’m Reni Rooney! I was adopted!”
Having been with Terri and Brendan Rooney since she was three months old, Reni knew that she was a part of their family. Now four years old, Reni would sometimes ask why her last name was not the same as theirs. Since her adoption on September 9, though, she is Reni Rooney.
It was a long wait for Terri and Brendan. Reni’s biological parents, though not in a situation where they could care for her, were trying to get her back – causing concern for the Rooneys. “Every time we went to court, we would worry that they would take her out of our home,” said Terri. “We were waiting and waiting. Originally, we were hoping to adopt her last November. Then with the pandemic, everything was stressful. Finally, we got two weeks’ notice that we were going to have the virtual adoption.”
Asked about what the family was feeling on Reni’s adoption day, Terri’s emotions were palpable. “I’m going to cry,” she said as she took a moment to gather herself. “We just had our closest family who we knew were [being] safe. It was sort of like Christmas.”
After such a long wait, the Rooneys made sure to make the adoption day one to remember. They got a tent so everyone could safely celebrate outside. They also put up a large sign on their front lawn that read “Happy Adoption Reni.” A family friend gave Reni a goldfish because it was the day that Reni “o-fish-ally” became a Rooney. Other friends brought cookies over to the house. At 6:00, there was a parade down the Rooneys’ street and everyone gave Reni balloons.
It was an unforgettable day for the Rooney family – one that Reni could not have deserved more. “She’s such a kind girl. She takes care of us. At night she’ll make sure we put our feet up,” explained Terri. “We just visited a family member who is 90 years old. Reni was helping her to her seat and asking is she needed water.”
And now that she has been adopted, Reni is making sure that everyone knows that she is a Rooney. “She is singing little songs about how she is Reni Rooney,” Terri laughed. “We’ll take the dog for a walk and she will tell everyone she sees that she is Reni Rooney and that she was adopted.”
Click here to view a video of Reni’s adoption day photos.
