The Jones-Baldwin fam wasn’t always so big. When Keia Jones married her husband Richardo Baldwin in 2010, she had just one child: a 2-year-old daughter, Zariyah (now 15), from a previous relationship. As Keia tells Mom.com, the couple was eager to expand their family and quickly began trying for another. Sadly, that journey would seemingly come to an end after several devastating miscarriages and failed rounds of IVF left them both emotionally drained. Little did they know, though, that their family would eventually blossom several times over, as they added not one, not two, but three more children to the Jones-Baldwin clan, thanks to the gift of adoption.
First came Karleigh, in 2014. She and Zariyah became close friends at school, but due to some financial difficulties, Keia says Karleigh’s mother fell on hard times and was unable to properly care for her.
A year later, when she was 11, the Jones-Baldwins became Karleigh’s legal guardians, and the experience helped plant a seed: “Through that, we thought that expanding our family through fostering would be great!” says Keia.
And so, they did.
They visited a local agency, known as Crossnore, to become licensed foster parents. That experience ultimately led the couple to meet an adorable 3-year-old named Ayden (now 8), whom they officially adopted him in 2017.
But as it turned out, their family wasn’t done expanding just yet. That same year, their fourth child swooped into their lives unexpectedly.
“He was initially only supposed to be with us short term and be reunified with his birth family,” Keia recalls, “but it didn't work out that way, and on August 29, 2019, we officially adopted him!”
The infant, named Princeton, was born drug-addicted and required several weeks of intensive care in the NICU after his birth.
“They needed someone to do skin-to-skin with him,” says Keia, “and chose me for the task!”
Needless to say, the loving mother was more than willing to take on the job.
“I’m so thankful they did!” she tells Mom.com. “After two years, our bond is so close and we love him to the moon and back! He brings us so much joy! Our hearts are so full and so grateful.”
There’s certainly no question about that one, especially now that photos of the family happily celebrating Princeton’s #AdoptionDay are going viral.
Keia shared them to her Facebook page on August 29, as well as her photography page, KJBaldwin Photography, where they’ve since racked up over 52,000 shares — mostly because of the awesome #AdoptionDay T-shirts the family is wearing.
“No Bump. Still Pumped!” Keia’s T-shirt read. Richardo’s reads, “The Man Behind the Pumped!”
Even the kids donned their own shirts, which said things like, “I’m not changing diapers!” and “I’m not sharing my food!”
Of course, Princeton’s tee might have been the cutest of all, designed to look like the logo on N.W.A.’s 1988 album, Straight Outta Compton. Instead, it reads “Straight Outta Adoption.”
Keia says the flood of comments from strangers both near and far has been pretty incredible.
“The encouragement and outpour that we have been getting from so many people have really blessed us!” Keia tells Mom.com. “We knew that having a multicultural family was hard for some to accept, but the love that has been shown to us since our photos went viral has been beautiful and encouraging for our children to see that not everyone is disproving of our family!”
She says the most touching comments they’ve received so far have been ones from people who’ve been inspired to share their own stories of their transracial or blended families.
It’s for this reason that the Jones-Baldwins have been continuing to open up about their unique family story. For Keia and Richardo, the experience of being Black parents raising a white son in America has certainly given them a different perspective.
“We get a lot of stares,” Keia told Today Parents earlier this week. “I’m frequently asked if I’m Princeton’s babysitter. … I get, 'Why didn't you let him stay with a family of his own race?'"
But things have escalated beyond mere stares and insensitive comments. Believe it or not, on two separate occasions, strangers have even called the police to report a possible kidnapping after seeing the Jones-Baldwins with Princeton.
“We were vacationing in Tennessee and we went to do an old-timey, Western photo shoot,” Keia told Today Parents. “The girl behind the camera would disappear and then come back. Finally she asked, ‘Is that your baby?’ I told her he was. Then she said, ‘I just took a picture of this baby with his family two weeks ago.’”
Keia’s shock turned to panic when police arrived just minutes later — and only left once she had produced a letter proving that the baby was in her custody.
Just last month, Keia was pulled over outside a man’s house when she had a flat tire.
"I knocked on his door to explain why I was on his grass," she told Today. "He called the police and said I stole my car and the baby."
Despite it all, though, the Jones-Baldwins have weathered these uncomfortable experiences as best they can. At the end of the day, they say their family is finally complete, thanks to Princeton.
“The Fantastic 4 is what we like to call them!” Keia says of her four kids, adding that “it’s no joke being a mom of not only [kids from] different cultures, but different age gaps!”
Yep, having two teenagers under one roof alone can be rough. But two teenagers, a soon-to-be tween, and a toddler? “What were we thinking?” Keia jokes.
Still, she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s all love, and if we couldn't handle it, God wouldn't have placed them in our lives,” she tells Mom.com. “It's not easy because they all have different needs — but hey, that's what being a parent is all about!”
She’s got a point there.
If you'd like to learn more about the Jones-Baldwins, follow their family Instagram account, @RaisingCultures.
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