kmiles

Jennifer and Doug! I am sorry I am so late in my heartfelt best wishes! I am so happy for you all Welcome little ones to Katy! Katharine

I have often thought of this and wonder why some many couples are not open to adopting bi-racial or African American children. I wish we could have more of a dialogue of what their fears and prejudices are. Maybe an honest and open dialogue could help repair some of the misconceptions or misgivings about being a parent to these beautiful children. Any of you PIW's who left that box unchecked, we would all welcome some non-confrontational conversations to bring more of an understanding to the "Rainbow" community. I hope you are willing to share your thoughts and feelings. It can be a great learning experience for us all. Sincerely, Katharine Miles

Happy Anniversary Karen! All I can say it WOW you must of been married when you were 10! Love, Katharine

Thank you Heidi!!! Ditto one thousand times! Katharine

That is the greatest news! Congrats to the new family! Katharine Miles

Sabrina, I agree with everyone you have to stay. We would miss you and your boys terribly. WE are all different and things that make us feel out of place and uncomfortable. I look to your wisdom and perpesctive. As a Mother of two boys like you that are so similiar, I value your opinions and love your stories. The forum would not be the same! Love, Katharine

Great News Melissa! The only advise that I can give you is although you may think you know what to expect, it will be different! Which is an exciting thing! You will use what you have learned from your first experience like talking to BP and knowing what to expect ect... You will learn more and of course cherish each moment! I wish you well on your second journey! The best part is that you have GraceAnn to share it all with! Isn't that marvelous! Katharine

Congratulations! What a wonferful homecoming! This placement is so wonderful that I had to post just a comment I made today. A client of mine was looking at the pictures of my boys today and after the adminration she asked me how do you know? I knew exactly what she meant and the point is that every baby that is placed into our waiting arms is chosen by God to be our child. These things are predetermined. I know it and my boys are living proof! Thank you for sharing the details of the wonderful day for a special family! God has blessed them with a gift that is meant to be! Katharine

Tom and Pamela, I have so happy for you both! What great news! Nathan will be the best big brother! He was so precious with Spencer at Camp Abrazo. I can not wait to hear to details! Many Blessings ! Katharine and David

AMEN!

You see there can be a happy ending! I am so pleased! Many prayers to the adoptive couple and this very special birthmother!

Thank you Carmen for sharing your story. There are always many different endings to each story. Your post demonstrates the support that is available at Abrazo. Your courage to reach out is remarkable and many can learn from your expereience. Thank you for sharing a part of your story. Many blessings, Katharine

Hi Martha, What a wonderful story! Thank you for sharing! Katharine

Each Bmom that I talked to did not have a problem with me working. The fact is that many of us must work. I know that they are Bmoms that prefer a stay at home Mom but I never talked to any. I imagine that if she selected our profile she already knew that I have a career that would sustain. That is another great aspect of the openess. The Bmom can select would she considers an ideal home for her baby. Katharine

I am glad you started this topic. There are many issues that affect working Moms who adopt and this is only one of many. In my circumstance, I told my boss that we were planning on adopting after we attended the orientation with Abrazo. When you leave the weekend we were told to get ready because this was the beginning of our pregnacy. We knew that sometimes placements occurr very quickly. I had to tell my boss right away so we could develop a plan for my absence. My compnay is a small company ( only 100 employees) so FLMA was not an option. I was disheartened to find out that no paids benefits were offered. I worked closely with my team and prepared for the next six months. Ha! After 2 1/2 months we were parents! The time when I left was vey hectic so after placement I needed to work a couple more days! YUK! My leave was supposed to be 8 weeks but due to the circumstances of a premature birth and other medical conditions, I stayed a home for 5 months. I was able to work part time from my house and still have appointments with clients. The situation worked very well and my company learned so much about the adoption process. Although I had no financial support, they offered me emotional support. When we adopted the second time 2 years later, they knew what to expect and it has worked very well! I wish you well! If you have any more questions, please let me know. Katharine

Welcome to the Peterectors! We really enjoyed meeting all of you. I can not express how excited we are for you! Thank you for allowing David and I to share our wonderful story! We hope to keep in touch with you as you fullfill your destiny to parenthood! Bienvenidos! By the way Alec did say Abrazo es numero uno at the party on Sunday for Spencer! Love, The Miles

Dear Jennfer, My prayers and faith reach out to your friend and her family! The Lord performs miracles of faith and healing each and every moment. May God watch over her... Katharine

We had much the same experience as Jill and Shawn. We requested information from agencies from Texas and Louisiana. We visited several. When we submitted our inquiry to Abrazo (after a referal from a friend) we felt like, please let them like us! From the initial inquiry phase thru orientation, we know Abrazo was the choice for us! Now two boys later, we thank Abrazo every day and consider the staff part of our family! Good luck to you! The Miles

We will certainly keep this very special baby in our prayers. I want the best for him and his Birthmom. Please update us on the outcome! We know the Abrazo Angels can make miracles happen with the power of prayer.

Hello All, I decided to post this topic in hopes of some feedback directly related to this issue because I feel it is important and worth a dialogue. Generally speaking most people think of infertility as a woman's issue but as we know male factor infertility is far more prevalent that people know. I want to know if any of you are willing to discuss this issue as a spouse of infertility. We come to Abrazo with the resolution of infertility. But my question is are we ever really resolved? We as a human race carry personal burdens every day of our lives. Whether they are as a trivial as a common cold, or a serious issue. People who love and care for us want to know how we are doing. The few, carry that further and really want to know how we are doing. I know that being an "againer" opens up the wounds of infertility. My husband and I always talked about it the first time around but now the second time it is hardly mentioned. I believe that the spouse who is infertile ( even though I regard the infertiliy as a couple issue) is reminded of their inability to produce and or conceive. So my question is to all who have "been there" is what can a spouse really do to reassure their partner and how was the second adoption different, specifically with the infertility issue? Regards, Katharine