weadoptedthree

I think I know, I think I know! Third times a charm they say!!!! Congratulations to N&J, N&C on the newest addition to your family! Now you've caught up with us! :)

I will add all of them to my prayers. She truly is a beauty!

Suebee's post has got me crying my eyes out! CONGRATULATIONS TO LISA, LANCE, KAYLEIGH, AND MEG! WELCOME TO BABY BOY BRENNAN!

It's a BABY BOOM at Abrazo! CONGRATULATIONS to all the families that God has put together this week. How great for Marcelo and Claudia, Jennifer and Doug and Gina and Ernie. Three more patches in this big quilt we call Life. Your pictures in the Gallery show awe and happiness! God Bless All of You!

Doing the happy dance in New Jersey as well! Boy, oh boy, do things change around here very quickly! God is so good!

You weren't allowed to take pics during the performance, but a friend of mine did take some of Cassie with her friends. I will have her email them to me, then I'll post them! I promise!

Thank you, my friend, FeelingBlessed! I knew someone would move this for me!

You look over the moon in your picture in the Gallery! Congratulations Stephen and Jessica on the birth of baby Caroline. God bless your daughters birthmother always.

I feel kind of lazy just saying I repeat what everyone else has said, but it truly is how I feel (especially FeelingBlessed remarks, because we have similar situations in that we adopted sibling groups). I will come back to this topic, but I do echo the sentiments already said so eloquently by others who have already posted.

What a difference a week makes! Congratulations Andy and Ewa on the birth of Lilly Cate! God bless the birthfamily as well. What a precious picture in the Gallery. Thanks Mona for your hard work too!

I feel exactly as you do Elaine, you did a wonderful job expressing just how I feel. When we filled out our application to Abrazo we checked off Newborn-1 year old, 1-2 year old, 2-3 year old for the age range we would be open to ... we were really blessed to become Mommy and Daddy to one from each of those choices. Did we love Cassie any more because she was almost a newborn? Absolutely not. We loved all three the same ... because each one was our child, because each one made us a parent, because each one made us a family ... which is what our ultimate goal was. There are still so many firsts with a three year old. I hope and pray that someone digs deep into their heart and finds room for this little one.

Thank you for this ... it is very timely for me, as our son Brian was none too thrilled that we made him come to Good Friday services at our church yesterday. It kills me that he can watch a tv show for an hour or an hour and half and not move, but once we get to church even at 13 1/2 it's "can I get a drink, can I go to the bathroom, I have to blow my nose". He only gets to leave once during the service. This was very helpful for me! Thanks again!

I am glad you shared this Sandi. I went to a seder many years ago when I was a teenager, but don't really remember anything but that they had an empty chair (I forget who it was for). I like to know about other religions, thanks again for sharing. So were your ears ringing today? I saw Donna Ennis at the Post Office and we had a brief conversation about you. It's a very small world!

WoW Tricia! That is wonderful news ... like Jean said above, crying cleanses ... I'm sure "R" will be crying too. Just hug each other tight ... that always helps me! I'll pray for you all today. Hugs from NJ!

Aw shucks! Thanks for all the kind words about Cassie's project. The next paragraph was about something in the present (but it could be from anytime in her middle school years). She wrote about when we went to Camp Abrazo in 2004 and when she met her birthparents for the first time in 10 years. She is very proud of her adoption ... a few weeks ago she came home from school very upset. When I asked her what happened she told me her Science teacher said something like "if you don't do well in this class your parents mightl put you up for adoption". I emailed the teacher and told him how upset she was and that we embrace adoption in our house, etc. etc. and I asked him not to use this phrase ever again. He wrote me back and said he didn't use it at all, but Cassie insists that he did, so I guess he just felt dumb about it and decided to deny it. I have to say I love Cassie's passion. There is another boy in that same class who is also adopted, but never discusses it and Cassie asks me all the time why he won't talk about his adoption. I just tell her maybe he doesn't have an open adoption. I'm so glad we do!

I just have to tell you all about the beautiful 12 1/2 year old who is one of the loves of my life (Cassie). Cassie had to do an autobiographical poster for her Language Arts class. This is the paragraph she wrote for her "past". Much of what she wrote is part of her adoption story that we've told her over and over again. I guess she was listening! I loved it. "As you may know, I am adopted! I was adopted when I was about 2 months old, so of course, I don't remember too much about it, although my parents remember it like it was yesterday! Here's what happened ... my parents found out that three children (Hillary, 2, Brian, 1, and me, 2 months, were being placed for adoption by their birthparents, who were very sad to have to make this life-changing decision. So ABRAZO called them and asked if they would consider it. To make a long story short, on the best day of my parents' lives, they got the phone call telling them that they would be able to adopt us! My parents flew to Texas to meet us and fell in love! We came to New Jersey and on the plane from Texas (remember now, I was really young and it was my first time on an airplane), I GOT SICK, then my sister was SQUIRTING GRAPE JUICE all over my mom and my brother was PULLING the lady's hair in the seat in front of us for the whole plane ride! It was totally CRAZY!!! My parents were a little frustrated to say the least! Finally, we got off the plane with the help of the PILOT! As soon as my parents saw some of their family they all started crying like a bunch of babies! It wasn't a sad cry though, it was a happy cry! They were just happy to finally be a family!" As you can see, Cassie uses lots of exclamation points (just like me!!!!!)! She thinks the plane ride home is the funniest story (it truly was comical...as we wanted to make a very good impression when we got off that airplane, but instead we were covered in poop, pee, throw up and grape juice!) She had to keep her paragraph to a certain number of words, so she cut a lot of other things out, but I think she did a good job on it. We've come a very long way since October of 1994 and I wouldn't change a thing! Just had to brag a little about our (not so little) girl!

All I can say is "WOW"! This story is only one that could be made in Heaven. Congratulations to everyone!

Yay for your sister, Lisa! God is good!

TODAY IN NEW JERSEY IT WAS 70 DEGREES!! IT IS ONLY MARCH 27TH ... IT WAS GLORIOUS!!!

Adam, there is another joke thread, but I'm laughing so hard right now I forget where it is! Thanks for these!

How wonderful for Katie, Terry and Jerry.

Congrats to Laura and Eric on the birth of your beautiful baby boy! Love the picture in the Gallery!

WOO WOO! The proof that it is in God's timing is staring us all right in the face! Congratulations Debra, Maury and Big Sister Samantha on the birth of your baby boy/brother. I will keep all of you, as well as Nicholas' birthmom, in my prayers. WOO WOO!