Junior Lizzie Wurm is being legally adopted by her stepdad, Cayce Stone.

Wurm’s close relationship with Stone was the reason she decided to begin the adoption process. Wurm said, “He was the only dad I grew up with, even if it was only for part of my life, and he is the only dad I have, so we might as well just make it legal.”

Wurm said that Stone was there as a father when he didn’t have to be, which had a huge impact on Wurm’s life. “He actively chose to be the dad in my life,” she said.

Wurm is excited to change her last name and legally declare what her and her family already know to be true. Wurm said, “Obviously in our hearts, and in our minds we are all family. It’s just gonna be legal, and I don’t have to explain [it] to people… I can just say he’s my dad.”

Progress in Wurm’s adoption has caused excitement from everyone in her family. Wurm said, “We’re all looking forward to it. It’s just a great thing all around.”

The adoption process for Wurm and her family started about two years ago, and since then, there has been a lot of progress made. Wurm said, “Over the past month or so, things have started moving a lot faster.”

While the adoption process was overwhelming at first, Wurm’s feelings about the adoption have changed over time. Wurm said, “More recently, a lot of my anxieties about it have definitely subsided”.

One of Wurm’s best friends, Megan Kless, has seen Wurm’s change in feelings over the process of her adoption. Kless said, “I feel like now that it’s getting closer and closer, and it’s starting to move faster, that it’s more excitement than nerves.”

Even though Wurm’s adoption has brought excitement to her friends and family, Kless has also observed Wurm go through challenges during the adoption process. Kless said, “[Wurm has faced challenges like] knowing that not everyone has to go through this process, but she does.”

No matter the challenges though, Kless feels excitement about Wurm’s adoption. “I know it’s a really big deal for her, so it’s definitely a really big deal for me because all that excitement I feel like is just balled up inside both of us,” said Kless.

In addition to the challenges, there were some parts of the adoption process that Wurm did not expect. Wurm said, “We have to have random house visits at a certain point to make sure it’s a safe environment. We [also] have to fill out a bunch of basic paperwork of stuff you wouldn’t even think of.”

Although the process has sped up in the past couple of months, Wurm is still unsure of an exact date for her adoption. Wurm said, “Unfortunately when it comes to the adoption process, it’s not necessarily sporadic, but it won’t have a set timeline until we get some stuff with current custody figured out”.