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Patti and Steve

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Posts posted by Patti and Steve

  4. BirthGrandparents in the News

    in BirthGrandparents & Important Others

    Posted

    While the article states this grandfather has not led a crime free life, it does communicate how he feels about family and how the girls feel about him. He is their family and I believe the courts need to respect that...people do make mistakes in life and it sounds like he has taken strong necessary steps to turn his life around in the last 7 years. Since terminating parental rights can take some time, why not let the grandparents be the foster home and then the state can monitor through visits if they feel necessary to determine things are going well, before an adoption is final. The focus should be on what is in the best interests of the girls....

    In New Jersey, a grandfather is fighting for the right to adopt his three granddaughters, all of whom are in state foster care, but he's hitting roadblocks due to a prior conviction record: What Should the Courts Decide?

  8. Your Dash: How Are You Spending It?

    in Abrazo's Chapel Potluck

    Posted

    Just came across this posting - it is worth reviewing the link if you haven't already done so. The photography is beautiful and more touching is the message of our "dash". A great reminder I think to what it truly important in life. Thanks.

    My dad sent me an email with this link: www.thedashmovie.com.

    I was touched, because he just had his 79th birthday last week and still struggles to master new skills (like the Internet.) But it was even more poignant because considering how much I respect all he's done with his 79 years made me think about my "dash" and what it stands for.

    Maybe it might help you look at your own in a new way, too. Enjoy!

  10. NEW PARENTS NEEDED!

    in Looking to Adopt

    Posted · Edited by Patti and Steve

    While we assured her that Abrazo has great parents-in-waiting from all over, she was adamant about wanting her baby to grow up in the Lone Star State. She saw this as assurance that her open adoption would truly be open, if her child could grow up in a home close enough to allow for periodic visits.

    I know some birthparents may think that having their child grow up in a Texas home will make it easier for periodic visits, but I guess it all depends on WHERE in Texas you live and your mode of transportation!

    Beaumont to El Paso is 742 miles

    and

    Beaumont to Chicago is just 770 miles

    and

    El Paso is actually closer to California than to Dallas!

    :blink::o;)

    Very interesting perspective -- maybe TX to WI isn't too bad then either. ;)

  11. The Welcome Wagon!

    in Looking to Adopt

    Posted

    Welcome Melanie & Joe,

    So glad to hear about your journey and finding Abrazo. We joined the Abrazo family last fall and have found everyone to be incredibly warm, caring, supportive and welcoming. We have a little boy 6 years old too and hoping to expand our family in 2008, so perhaps we can compare pareting a 6 year old experiences along the way. We look forward to reading your posts and being part of your adoption journey. Welcome!!!

    Patti, Steve and Jack

  13. Nursery Notes

    in Looking to Adopt

    Posted

    For all of us working with local state agencies for home studies....this is the type of plea we can do our help to spread through them. I just sent an email off to ours in hopes she can locate someone and\or help spread the word through her adoption agency network in WI. Hope that special childless couple can be found soon - a little one needs you!!!

    Are there any PIWs that could open their hearts to a beautiful baby?

  18. International Adopters: Looking for a Shortcut?

    in Looking to Adopt

    Posted · Edited by Patti and Steve

    Wanted to share something related to this that happened to me just this week. When speaking with a family member who told me she wanted to get the name of the agency we were working with in Texas -- don't worry Elizabeth I had told her prior, she just couldn't remember the name as catchy as Abrazo is....so, the reason she wanted it was that she was at a dinner with a woman who shared that her daughter had been waiting for a child from China for many years without anything happening, and now was going to look at agencies in Texas.

    I immediately shared that I could send her the website and name of the agency but she needed to be committed to an open adoption....if she was doing international to avoid openness this was not going to work ....I went on to reinforce that only those who embrace openness would be even considered as that is what is best for the child and they needed to give that very serious thought.

    The calls I am sure will keep pouring into your office I am sure -- hopefully amongst them you can find some new AP couples who maybe were a bit nervous about it all and uneducated or maybe just haven't found you yet. We have some very good friends who have an open adoption with their first child, and they just adopted from Guatemela after waiting for 5 years for another domestic open adoption with no luck they were told was primarily due to not being a childless couple (we all know there are no guarantees and there could have been lots of other reasons). They weren't as lucky as we were to find you. So I will do all I can to educate others about openness and only refer those to Abrazo that are committed to it.

    Thanks for ALL you do at Abrazo for the children, the birthfamilies and for us as adoptive families....

    Patti

  19. Baby Announcements 2008

    in New Arrivals

    Posted

    I love the name "Henry" -congratulations and enjoy every wonderful minute as a family :rolleyes:

    We are happy to announce the arrival of Henry Linton (aka "baby brother"), on Thursday 2/7/08 at 4:49pm. He weighed 7lbs and 2oz and was 20.5 in long (a peanut compared to big sister)!

    Danielle and Darren

  21. JUNO- The Movie

    in Considering Adoption?

    Posted

    I definitely want to see this movie. My sister called me today and told me that she saw the movie last night and absolutely loved it and so wished that she was watching it with me, as she thought I would love it too. Guess that means I need to find a sitter or hope it comes out on DVD soon!!! :P

  23. Adoption Risks

    in Looking to Adopt

    Posted

    Quick Question on this -- if the birthfather is known and signs termination paperwork, would that still be at legal risk?? I realize those situations can be few and far between....still wanted to ask to build greater understanding. Thanks Elizabeth.

    Just a reminder: as of January 1, 2008, the legal risks of Texas placements have changed along with the "new, improved" laws about alleged fathers not being entitled to notice if they fail to register with the Voluntary Paternity Registry during pregnancy or within 30 days after the birth.

    Whereas before, agencies like Abrazo told prospective birthmoms we had to know the identity of every possible father in order to contact and notify him of his potential legal rights in advance, the Texas Legislature now says that only legal fathers (i.e., husbands or men who have already adjudicated themselves in court as fathers) have a right to notice of a woman's decision to place her child for adoption, unless men suspecting they've fathered a child have registered (or do so in the month after the baby was born.)

    This means that essentially EVERY placement in Texas is now at legal risk for at least a month after birth, unless every baby being placed were to be held in foster care for that 30 day period during which any man could still register, which is not in any child's best interests. It's not clear how Texas courts will resolve inevitable conflicts in which contests arise over babies fathered by men other than a birthmom's spouse, should they happen to register and/or sue for custody?

    Even experienced adoption attorneys in this state are scratching their heads trying to figure out how this change in our laws came about and how long it'll take for a landmark lawsuit to get filed challenging this confusing new mazes of regulations!?! The best any of us can do, unfortunately, is to warn our clients of the "new, improved" risks it creates and keep on dotting our "i"s and crossing our "t"s and hoping our cases are legally sound...

  24. Nursery Notes

    in Looking to Adopt

    Posted

    The next hopeful will be #3 and they say that number 3 is the charm....so sending lots of hopes, thoughts and prayers with him and with you Angela, as you continue to work for a happy ending --

    I have been thinking and praying for this little guy. Since the last two "hopefuls" did not work out that just means there is an amazing family out there that is finding their way to him. Lets just hope they get here real soon!

    Jan

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