In all, 27 individuals finalized an adoption in Monmouth County on Thursday, and they ranged in age from 2 months to 52 years old.
FREEHOLD -- At the age of 4, Peterson Bellinger was scooped away from his biological parents and sent to a foster home.
It was the first time he was separated from his two older sisters and little brother. It was painful. But it was necessary after the joyous family memories he had as a young boy were soon replaced with images of screaming and fighting.
Bellinger's father was a drunk and his mother was mentally impaired to care for young children. His living conditions were deplorable. At its worst, Bellinger recalled a time in which his sisters helped his mother move a fridge to block the front door so his father couldn't enter the home.
"If it wasn't for all the things I went through, I wouldn't be here today," Bellinger said, as he addressed a crowd of a couple hundred people gathered at the Monmouth County courthouse. "I would not be able to say that I am Peterson Bellinger, a young boy who's thoughtful; who's musically inclined; who's an equestrian and loves technology; who's college-bound and is a born again who believes in Jesus Christ and appreciates the beauty of life."
Now a high school senior who resides in Freehold Borough, Bellinger was the keynote speaker at Monmouth County's 10th annual Adoption Day celebration. In all, 27 individuals finalized an adoption in Monmouth County on Thursday, and they ranged in age from 2 months to 52 years old.
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"Adoption Day is the one day when this courthouse is full of pure, unadulterated, happiness," said Judge Kathleen A. Sheedy, presiding judge in the Family Division and master of ceremonies. "... They will begin their journey in life in their new forever homes."
Sheedy noted in her opening remarks the importance of so-called safe-haven laws, which allow parents to anonymously surrender a child under 30 days of age to any state, county or municipal police station.
Over the past 16 years, more than 30,000 children have had their adoptions finalized on National Adoption Day, an effort to promote awareness for the more than 100,000 that live in foster care nationwide.
For Robert and Melissa Phillips of Spring Lake, it's been a long three-year wait to be chosen to adopt. On Thursday, they walked out of the courtroom with large smiles as they held Ryleigh, who is 4 months old.
"We're over the moon," Robert Phillips said.
"I'm elated," Melissa Phillips said. "She's all ours!"
The first thing they plan on doing as a family is putting up a Christmas tree together. It's a moment Melissa Phillips said she's dream about for a long time.
"She loves lights, she's at that age," Melissa Phillips said. "It will be very exciting for her."
In a rare instance, Robert and Melissa Phillips were both present in the hospital room for Ryleigh's birth. They remain in touch with her birth mom.
"She came to our daughter's baptism," Melissa Phillips said, "we'll see her again over the holidays, so it's pretty good."
Bellinger, who stood in front of a photo of himself as an 8-year-old boy at a previous Adoption Day, offered advice to the newly adopted children and adults.
"Keep your head up, this journey that you are on is not a pretty one," he said. "But the outcome is much more beautiful than you can imagine."
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.