marthaj

I'm wondering....just how many of these celebrities actually take a "hands on" approach to parenting, and how many have nannies or a household staff that primarily do those day to day activities?? Angelina Jolie does seem to take a very hands on approach to parenting. I do believe her motives were pure, but possibly the way she went about it was less than ethical. But, goodness, at least with all the publicity these celebrities should realize they are "on notice" that the world is watching. Which reminds me of the movie "Mommie Dearest" (I never read the book, just saw the movie.) The actress Joan Crawford adopted 2 children as infants, then proceeded to terrorize and abuse them (her daughter Christina more so than the brother.) The world never saw this because actors and actresses were idolized during those early days of motion pictures and television. And their private lives were indeed private....at least to the American public. So perhaps there is a good side to all the publicity and the public scrunity. The world is watching. (And hey, while we're talking about celebrities, my award for the "Worst Mommy Moment Caught on Film" has to go to pop-star/diva wannabe Brittany Spears, who let her biological son, still just a baby, ride in her lap while she was driving, sitting between her body and the stearing wheel, where a sudden impact could have caused him to be crushed by her body weight???????????????????)

Oh Ms Bergersnicker, you forgot Meg Ryan, who recently adopted a daughter from China... AFTER having a very public affair with actor Russell Crowe while filming a movie together (hey, let's call it what it was....ADULTERY!!!!) as she was married to Dennis Quaid at the time...basically disregarding her marital vows, which led to her divorce from Dennis Quaid and depriving their son of the love and security of a 2 parent home. Yep, that just about covers it...... (Just so you know.....I'm not dissin' single moms here......just the way she went about becoming single, since we are on the subject of celebrity adoptions!!)

Welcome to our Abrazo family, Baby Olivia, her gorgeous birthmom and big sis, and her new forever family! Stop by the Forum sometime and introduce yourselves, we'd love to get acquainted!!

I used to be very embarrassed to disclose that I had 2 failed marriages. The first was a college fling, primarily fueled by rampant hormones, and our marriage was over in less than a year. The second one was in my mid-20's...a rebound marriage on his part and extreme loneliness on my part. That marriage lasted 5 years but included an affair on his part, then his moving out for several months and finally ended when he got another girl pregnant. The last I heard, he was divorced from her and on marriage #4. Jeff and I recently celebrated 16 years of marriage, and I am no longer ashamed or embarrassed about my earlier relationships. I no longer let them define me. They were simply poor choices on my part. My marriages may have "failed," but I am not a failure. However, for many years I believed I was because that is what society led me to believe. When we started our adoption journey, Jeff and I had only been married 5 years and I was very sensitive about telling anyone about my previous marriages. Another adoption agency that we had applied to even turned us down, because they judged me as "unstable." (That was not the reason they gave in writing, but told me that when I telephoned them and pressed them further for an explanation.) So, when we applied to Abrazo, I was very hesitant to have to reveal that information, but figured out they would find out anyway because of all my different last names. So, I took a deep breath and filled out the form honestly. I am so glad I did. I will keep this couple in my thoughts and prayers. I pray they will find peace and healing.

Please Stork.........we need to get that Stroller full, pronto!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I'll bite........ Is the stroller pink or blue?

Just wanted to remember my special friend Judy today, as I remember and celebrate 24 years of our friendship!

Has anyone heard of or read about the new "moral dilemma" on the horizon in reproductive science? The term being used is "Designer Babies." That's right, the ability to manipulate DNA to accentuate certain desirable traits (intelligence, physical attributes, male vs female, etc.) Not content to simply let "nature take its course," couples WILL have the ability in the future to "pick and choose" those traits they consider as desirable. Does anyone else feel a sense of concern about all of this??? And what of the "designed" children who fail to "measure up" to their parents' expectations???????? Just as the moral ramifications of birth control was debated in the 60's and 70's, and IVF in the 80's and 90's, the new ethical debate may very well be "Designer Babies."

OK...time to change the Ten's group name to read "And then there were.............NINE"! Congratulations!!

SO TRUE!! Especially the "Spare the rod, spoil the child....get investigated by Child Protective Services...." This would also apply to the schools. Some of the teachers I had would be IN JAIL now.... I had a 4th grade teacher who hit the boy behind me on the back with a Geography book (I am NOT making this up!) I felt the wind from the book! He was a troublemaker, true....but today that would spell "LAWSUIT" for sure. This same teacher would also walk through the aisle and rap you on top of the head with a pencil if you weren't doing your work (now, I did get rapped a few times.) Our teacher in 5th grade threw erasers at us. There were paddlings at the front of the room. My dad even sent me off to the 1st grade with this admonition "If you ever get spanked at school, you'll get one twice as hard when you get home." Now, this sounds harsh, I know.....but consider it from a different viewpoint.... THERE WERE NO GANGS IN MY COMMUNITY. THERE WAS NO GRAFFITTI OR VANDALISM CHILDREN SAID "YES SIR" "YES MA'AM" ''NO SIR" WHEN AN ADULT ASKED YOU TO DO SOMETHING, OR TOLD YOU NOT TO DO SOMETHING.....YOU LISTENED...AND YOU DID WHAT YOU WERE TOLD TO DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE LEFT OUR DOORS UNLOCKED WHEN WE WERE AWAY FOR THE DAY....AND NOTHING WAS EVER MISSING!! PEOPLE NEVER LOCKED THEIR CAR DOORS....AND THERE WAS NO HOT-WIRING OR VANDALISM OR THEFT! WE RESPECTED OUR ELDERS ( WHICH WOULD BE ANY ADULT) AND THAT IS WHAT I SEE LACKING TODAY! OK...thanks for letting me VENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wel-l-l-l-......................I did. We bought a playpen for Catherine when she was coming up on a year old (I don't remember the exact age, I'd have to dig around and find the receipt). But I know she wasn't walking yet. We got a Pack 'n Play, that you could fold up and travel with. I also bought a terrycloth playpen sheet to put over the mattress, and it doubled as her bed when we travelled. The playpen went to West Virginia, California and North Texas with us. It was also so handy to place her in there when I was cooking dinner and needed to keep my attention on the stove and not worry about a roving child! I do remember, though, when we stopped using it. It was the 2000 Christmas holiday, and Catherine was 27 months old. I put her in the playpen before I went into another room, and before you know it there she was standing next to me! At that point she could easily climb out when standing on top of a toy. So, I packed up the Pack 'n Play! But, it did give me a year or so of peace of mind. She didn't have to be "strapped in" like you would with a swing or bouncy chair, and she had plenty of room to stand, walk around, and lay down, and I always had books and other soft toys in there for her. I took lots of cute pictures of her in her playpen, and if I ever get a scanner, I'll add them to our Gallery! Sorry, Lisa...I'm with your mom on this one!!!!!!!!!!

47354[/snapback] Heidi, I think you should start a separate thread for those whose vacation plans had to be postponed due to the Stork! There have been lots of stories over the years, of vacation plans, cruises, airline flights, etc that were "interrupted" by a call from Stork Central. There have been folks who were actually on their vacations when they got "The Call" about a BOG waiting for his or her "forever" family, and they cut their vacation short to meet their new son or daughter. I think it would be interesting to read all the stories, and also to let parents-in-waiting know that...yes...things like this DO happen, and provide some guidance on how to make the choice between going on your dream vacation or....having your dreams come true!!

Let's change the saying "If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans" to "If you want to get The Call from the Stork...book a cruise"! Congratulations, Cliff and Alison!

And sometimes.......GREAT THINGS happen to good people! Congratulations Dan, Ericka and Danny! You deserve all the joy and happiness your hearts can hold!

Marjory, This is wonderful news! You will never regret opening your heart and home to Katherine's little sister, and when she is older I'm sure she will thank you a hundred fold!!

I just wanted to share a conversation I had once with an adoption professional. I questioned why the waits were so much longer for couples working with adoption agencies in other areas of the country. This adoption counselor told me the reason there are waits of 5 years or longer with agencies in the Northeast particularly (such as New York), is that abortion is very common there. The logic is simple...fewer babies born, longer waiting periods to adopt. Because South Texas is predominantly Hispanic and Roman Catholic, the strong influence of their religious beliefs lead more young pregnant teens and women in South Texas to give birth rather than abort. And Central and North Texas is in the "Bible Belt" with predominantly evangelicals and Baptists, whose religious views are also pro-life. Is it any wonder Texas has become one of the most desirable states in which to adopt? Yes, I am glad that women who make the choice to abort have access to clean and safe medical clinics and facilities, and do not have to resort to "back alley" clinics or self-induced procedures. But just as years of fertility treatments and IVF attempts are having a "backlash" in women's reproductive health later on (as discussed in another thread), medical science is finding that a past history of abortion(s) is also having an effect on women's later reproductive health. I don't believe women are being told or understand all the risks, because there are risks, as there are with any invasive surgical procedure. But most of all it saddens me deeply to think of how many couples nationwide....if not worldwide...are on waiting lists for years at adoption agencies, while at the same time thousands of abortions are taking place daily? (And Lisa, after the experience you had at Gladney, I so totally understand why you felt you couldn't emotionally go through another adoption loss. Thank you for sharing what I know was a most difficult decision. (((((Big Hug)))))))

I already get mistaken as Catherine's grandmother (when my gray roots show between salon visits ). (Of course, I would be a very young grandmother, if I were!!!!!!!!! ) This child will be living with parents old enough to be his or her great-great grandparents! I hope there are some other (younger) relatives around to step in if/when health problems do occur.

Congratulations Diana, Ashley and Ted! Welcome to our Abrazo family, Tucker! "All good things come to those who wait."

I became a first time mom (thru Abrazo) at 44. I am now 51 (oh, to be 42 again!! ) and my daugher is 7 1/2. I definitely don't have the same energy level I had in my 20's or 30's (or even 40's) but I would like to think that with age comes a certain amount of wisdom, which is definitely a plus for guiding our children and preparing them for the challenges of adult hood.

Just opened a fortune cookie, left over from Chinese takeout, and here's what the fortune predicts... "You will be called upon to celebrate some good news." No kidding!! (Here are the lotto numbers too, in case anyone can use them 6 22 26 43 45, 13

Maybe the Stork had to go in for her 15,000 mile tune-up! Actually, whenever I think of the Stork, I always think of that Looney Tunes cartoon where the Stork got a little tipsy, and mixed up the deliveries. The deliveries were in egg form, so of course each family thought they got the correct one...until the egg hatched that is! Daffy Duck's egg hatched a baby alligator, and the alligator family got the baby duckling that was supposed to go to Daffy's house! The cartoon shows Daffy's attempts to "bond" with baby, and all the while baby alligator is snapping at Daffy the entire time. It is hilarious if you've ever seen it. And in true momma fashion, the momma alligator and duck accept their babies just as nature brought them!

Elizabeth Ann, Thank you for updating us!! The Stork has been working overtime lately....are your wings tired yet?????????

Yes, it would help if the adoptive parents' names were also listed with the baby's name under "New arrivals." With so many orientation groups on board at the same time, it's hard for me to keep everybody straight!! Also, I'm with Sabrina and Heidi.......who are the "mystery parents" for baby Ashton??

Don't forget that Daylight Savings Time begins this Sunday at 2 am. So since you'll probably all still be up into the wee hours Sunday morning, just set your watch ahead one hour then.

This is so exciting!! Congrats to the happy couple! Is the Pea Pod full yet??????