Days of Our Lives and Young & Restless Stars Share Adorable Photos to Mark World Adoption Day: ‘Being Adopted Is Being Chosen, Loved Beyond Measure’

Jen Lilley, Melissa Ordway world adoption day Days Y&R

Credit: Jill Johnson, Howard Wise/JPI

Young & Restless and Days of Our Lives actors celebrate their blessings.

The Young and the Restless actress Melissa Ordway (Abby) took to social media to share a beautiful photo of her family to mark the occasion of World Adoption Day. Ordway and her husband, Justin Gaston (formerly Ben on Days of Our Lives), adopted their daughter Olivia as a newborn in 2016, and the adoption was made official in February 2017. The threesome became a family of four when Sophie was born to Ordway and Gaston in December 2017.

More: Melissa Ordway reveals struggle with anxiety

Ordway referred to World Adoption Day as “One of our favorite days of the year… to celebrate what a blessing adoption has been to our family and many others!” She also shared a special message to her daughter and said, “Olivia, you are a bright light of love. We love you more than you could ever know.”

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Happy @worldadoptionday 💕 One of our favorite days of the year… to celebrate what a blessing adoption has been to our family and many others! Olivia, you are a bright light of love. We love you more than you could ever know. ✨#worldadoptionday

A post shared by Melissa Ordway Gaston (@mel_ordway) on Nov 9, 2020 at 2:37pm PST

Gaston marked the occasion as well, with a photo of himself with his two adorable girls, along with the family photo Ordway shared, and the heartfelt words, “Olivia and Sophie I love you more than anything in the entire world. Thank God for the unique ways you were both given to us. Happy #WorldAdoptionDay.”

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Olivia and Sophie I love you more than anything in the entire world. Thank God for the unique ways you were both given to us. Happy #worldadoptionday

A post shared by Justin Michael Gaston (@jmichaelgaston) on Nov 9, 2020 at 8:58pm PST

Ordway and Gaston weren’t the only soap stars celebrating the very special day. Days of Our Lives alum Jen Lilley (Theresa) and her husband, Jason Wayne, recently completed their second adoption when their eldest adoptive son’s younger brother was officially welcomed to the fold after living with them for 846 days as a foster son. Lilley, who gave birth to a daughter, Juliet, in 2019, remarked, “I have the distinct honor of having two sons so far through adoption. And let me say, as a woman who carried and bore my daughter Julie, I do not find any distinction among my children.”

More: Jen Lilley’s Operation Christmas: Is Not Cancelled

Along with photos of her fun-loving boys, she shared a message to mark the occasion of World Adoption Day, which means so much to so many, and stated, “Today is #WorldAdoptionDay, and it floods my heart and mind with so many thoughts of joy and hope and love. I am so adamant about changing the stigma adoptees often feel. Being adopted is being chosen, loved beyond measure, being grafted into a heritage forever.”

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Today is #WorldAdoptionDay, and it floods my heart and mind with so many thoughts of joy and hope and love. I am so adamant about changing the stigma adoptees often feel. Being adopted is being chosen, loved beyond measure, being grafted into a heritage forever. I have the distinct honor of having two sons so far through adoption. And let me say, as a woman who carried and bore my daughter Julie, I do not find any distinction among my children. My love for them is without measure, bias, or distinction. I never fully understood the concept of being adopted into God’s family when I became a Christian. Part of me always thought, I wish I was Jewish, the chosen, metaphorically “biological”, children of God instead of being the adopted Gentile. I yearned for God to love me with the same love. And while the Bible says He does, I couldn’t grasp that as a truth…until I adopted children myself. Friends, if you’ve ever felt like you weren’t “enough” for God or you were somehow the one who just “barely” made the cut, can I just tell you that YOU are so adamantly, fully, and wonderfully loved by the Creator of the universe. That God the Father welcomes you with open arms despite any and all shortcomings, flaws, or failures. And, despite what you may have been told or interpreted, God’s kingdom is NOT one that requires you to be perfect, because it recognizes that no one outside of Jesus can be or ever will be perfect. You are not a spiritual orphan. You have a Father and He is love, and He loves you as much as He loves Jesus. Sitting here reflecting on what adoption means to me, I’m constantly undone and awestruck at that truth. I don’t know if I’ll ever understand God’s love. It’s a Love too wide and long and deep and ever lasting to fully grasp. Today, in honor of World #Adoption Day, I surrender to His absolute, unashamed, unrelenting Love, and I invite you to do the same. It’s been a wild year, and what a relief it is to have a loving Heavenly Father to cast my anxiety on so He can take it and give me peace. #Love 📷 by @bradley206 & @togetherwerise

A post shared by Jen Lilley (@jen_lilley) on Nov 9, 2020 at 3:00pm PST

Check out the photo gallery of Melissa Ordway’s legacy character Abby Newman below. Get your free daily soap-opera fix for The Young and the Restless — and all of the other daytime dramas — delivered straight to your email inbox by signing up for Soaps.com’s newsletter.

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<p>When Chance (now played by Conner Floyd) went missing and was presumed dead it was his devoted wife Abby who tracked him down and brought him home. The pair were elated to be in one another’s arms again, but it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. Chance was suffering from PTSD, which prevented him from bonding with their new son. They also grappled with Devon making a bid for shared custody, which they decided to agree to, and Chance began undergoing therapy for his issues when an attempt to return to work at the GCPD went awry.</p>

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<p>Baby Abby was born to Ashley Abbott onscreen in November 2000. Her birth took place the same day Ashley was supposed to marry Brad. She was totes adorb right from the get-go!</p>

<p>Ashley claimed her old friend, Christian, was Abby’s biological father, but this being a soap,<em> that</em> was a lie. Brad adopted Abby and they remained close until his death, even after her true father was revealed.</p>

<p>As a child, Abby overheard that Victor Newman was her biological father. It turned out there was a whole scandal involving stolen sperm surrounding her conception. Abby was the one to break the news to the Mustache, who proceeded to start doting and doling out ponies.</p>

<p>As a youngster, Abby hung out with her cousin on the Abbott side, Kyle, who was her Uncle Jack’s son with Diane Jenkins. Kyle and Abby are still close today.</p>

<p>Abby returned to Genoa City as a young teen and mourned the death of the man who was like her father, Brad Carlton, after he drowned. A Jewish ceremony was held and Brad’s daughter, Colleen, and Abby comforted one another. Abby would later lose Colleen too.</p>

<p>As a teen, Abby got mixed up with Ryder Callahan, who was working at Crimson Lights. She followed him to the abandoned zoo and amusement park where Lauren and Jana were held prisoner.</p>

<p>Abby went through a phase where she courted publicity and used the Newman name to garner attention for social causes. She rode a horse naked through the Genoa City Athletic Club as The Naked Heiress in one stunt. Daniel Romalotti, her boyfriend at the time, videotaped the event.</p>

<p>Abby attempted to run down Tucker, believing he wasn’t good enough for her mother, while drunk behind the wheel. Ashley, who was in the car during the incident, switched positions with her and claimed to be the driver to protect Abby. Ashley later married Tucker in the hospital.</p>

<p>Abby dated both Detective Alex Chavez, and Carmine Bosco. Carmine went on to become Lauren’s stalker.</p>

<p>Abby began dating Tyler Michaelson, who was the roommate of her nephew, Noah Newman. They got serious and were even engaged, but she ended things when it became apparent he wouldn’t cut off his connection to his ex, Mariah Copeland.</p>

<p>Abby had sex with Austin Travers, who was married to her niece Summer at the time. Austin later wound up dead in a macabre mystery that unfolded at the Abbott cabin.</p>

<p>One of Abby’s best friends through the years in Genoa City has been Devon Hamilton. They went on a date, and even kissed, but have remained firmly in the ‘friendzone’. Devon and Abby <em>did</em> end up parenting a child together, however.</p>

<p>Abby fell into a romance with dashing Zack Stinnett, who developed an app for her startup company. Unfortunately, Zack’s app was a front for a sex ring and he locked her in a storage unit.</p>

<p>Abby had sex with Lauren’s son, Scott, who was living with Sharon Newman. The pair was locked in a storage unit together by Zack Stinnett, Abby’s ex, when Scott was on the verge of exposing the sex ring he was running. Scott fell for Abby but they later parted ways overseas.</p>

<p>Abby fell for contractor Arturo, and decided to overlook the uncomfortable fact that he’d been having an affair with her stepmother, Nikki Newman. The pair became engaged but she later broke it off when he became entangled with his ex, Mia.</p>

<p>Abby began dating another doctor, Nate Hastings, and things went swimmingly for the pretty pair until her father dragged Nate into a scheme to fake his own death. Her family’s manipulation didn’t sit well with the straight arrow and he and Abby went their separate ways.</p>

<p>Abby was instantly attracted to Chance Chancellor when he returned to Genoa City, and the feeling was mutual. Abby and Chance quickly embarked on a committed relationship and began talking kids and a future together.</p>

<p>Abby married Chance (who was temporariy played by Melissa Ordway’s real-life hubby, Justin Gaston) in a lovely ceremony at the Chancellor Estate, which was to become their home. Abby then adopted the mouthful of a moniker Abby Carlton Newman Abbott Chancellor.</p>

<p>Abby took things to a whole ‘nother level with long-time friend Devon when the two fell into a passionate kiss whilst commiserating and ended up having a sex romp all over his penthouse. Her husband Chance walked in on the afterglow, so she headed into a new chapter.</p>

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