Garden of Hope
-
Posts
4,472 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Events
Posts posted by Garden of Hope
-
-
Hot Diggity Dog! Congratulations Windy City!!
-
Congratulations new mommy and daddy. Your little girl has made her way home to you. All in God's plan, all in God's time. What a blessing adoption is!
-
What a joyous Father's Day it must be in the Walker home and for Claudia and Marcelo. I can't wait to hear the updates and see the precious pictures. It is a known fact that Abrazo babies are the most precious in the universe! Enjoy your new little ones!
-
Congratulations to all of the Tennisons! The beautiful and perfect match the way God intended it to be........................................AND perfect timing, too. School's out and Dylan has lots of time to practice being the most awesome big brother in the world!
I cannot wait to see the pictures. HURRY HURRY!
-
It's always well worth the wait and those twelve waiting months will melt into memory as the newest parents begin their blessed journey with their new little one! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
-
AWWWWWWWW. What a sweet picture of the happy family. Congratulations. I'm wondering who the newest family to add a member is..........
Congratulations on the blessings from above.
-
Karen,
I'm with you! I love the new pictures.
-
I just knew it was you, Elaine. What a beautiful name you have selected for your precious gift. Enjoy every second. It passes all too quickly! I can't wait to see the pictures, too. Congratulations!
Jean
-
Boys are Best!!!! Of course, I didn't think that until I had one of my very own. I think people think girls will be "easier", whatever that means, but I"m here to tell you as a mom who thought she wanted a girl, I never thougtht I'd have an African American Boy, but I could n't imagine it any other way now nor would I want it any other way! I LOVE MY BOY. God knew what he was doing all along. Me.......not a clue! Good thing he's in charge!!!!!!!
-
Dear Sherri,
I agree with you. What your birthparents did and the adoption lawyer that enticed them is unethical and cruel to you. It seems as though in this case it was more about money than the best possible adoption plan for the child.
Heartfelt embrace,
Jean
-
Laura,
Any financial input in adoption is considered to be funds "at risk". As Sherri said, the adoptive family is not reimbursed in the event of the disruption of the plan. My ex husband and I provided total support for five months and thirteen days prior to the due date, the birthmom decided to parent. This was through another agency, but it is true everywhere, I believe. My ex was bitter and wanted to pursue civil action to recover the funds. We didn't. Years ago, adoptive parents could buy insurance against the loss of financial support. It was unavailable in 2000. It is definitely a leap of faith mentally and financially.
Good luck,
Jean
-
Reminds me of the show, Clean Sweep. A friend of mine had a garage sale to raise money for the Walk for a Cure breast cancer research and she raised over $500, which I thought was awesome for a garage sale stocked with "cast off stuff".
Good luck on yours!
"pay for him or her" May I suggest "helped finance our adoption plan" ? The first way made me really uncomfortable.
-
I received this from a friend via email and thought it was so touching.
A cold March wind danced around the dead of night in Dallas as the doctor walked into the small hospital room of Diana Blessing. She was still groggy from surgery. Her husband, David, held her hand as they braced themselves for the latest news.
That afternoon of March 10, 1991, complications had forced Diana, only 24-weeks pregnant, to undergo an emergency Cesarean to deliver couple's new daughter, Dana Lou Blessing.
At 12 inches long and weighing only one pound nine ounces they already knew she was perilously premature. Still, the doctor's soft words dropped like bombs.
"I don't think she's going to make it," he said, as kindly as he could.
"There's only a 10-percent chance she will live through the night, and even then, if by some slim chance she does make it, her future could be a very cruel one."
Numb with disbelief, David and Diana listened as the doctor described the devastating problems Dana would likely face if she survived.
She would never walk, she would never talk, she would probably be blind, and she would certainly be prone to other catastrophic conditions from cerebral palsy to complete mental retardation, and on and on.
"No! No!" was all Diana could say.
She and David, with their 5-year-old son Dustin, had long dreamed of the day they would have a daughter to become a family of four. Now, within a matter of hours, that dream was slipping away.
But as those first days passed, a new agony set in for David and Diana.
Because Dana's underdeveloped nervous system was essentially 'raw,' the lightest kiss or caress only intensified her discomfort, so they couldn't even cradle their tiny baby girl against their chests to offer the strength of their love. All they could do, as Dana struggled alone beneath the ultraviolet light in the tangle of tubes and wires, was to pray that God would stay close to their precious little girl.
There was never a moment when Dana suddenly grew stronger.
But as the weeks went by, she did slowly gain an ounce of weight here and an ounce of strength there.
At last, when Dana turned two months old, her parents were able to hold her in their arms for the very first time. And two months later, though doctors continued to gently but grimly warn that her chances of surviving, much less living any kind of normal life, were next to zero, Dana went home from the hospital, just as her mother had predicted.
Five years later, when Dana was a petite but feisty young girl with glittering gray eyes and an unquenchable zest for life. She showed no signs whatsoever of any mental or physical impairment. Simply, she was everything a little girl can be and more. But that happy ending is far from the end of her story.
One blistering afternoon in the summer of 1996 near her home in Irving, Texas, Dana was sitting in her mother's lap in the bleachers of a local ball park where her brother Dustin's baseball team was practicing.
As always, Dana was chattering nonstop with her mother and several other adults sitting nearby when she suddenly fell silent.
Hugging her arms across her chest, little Dana asked, "Do you smell that?"
Smelling the air and detecting the approach of a thunderstorm, Diana replied, "Yes, it smells like rain."
Dana closed her eyes and again asked, "Do you smell that?"
Once again, her mother replied, "Yes, I think we're about to get wet. It smells like rain."
Still caught in the moment, Dana shook her head, patted her thin shoulders with her small hands and loudly announced, "No, it smells like Him.
It smells like God when you lay your head on His chest."
Tears blurred Diana's eyes as Dana happily hopped down to play with the other children.
Before the rains came, her daughter's words confirmed what Diana and all the members of the extended Blessing family had known, at least in their hearts, all along.
During those long days and nights of her first two months of her life, when her nerves were too sensitive for them to touch her, God was holding Dana on His chest and it is His loving scent that she remembers so well.
-
Bullseye, Lisa.
-
Congratulations Michelle and Mike on taking the first very important step to becoming parents. You will be amazed and delighted with the efficiency and speed with which Abrazo works. The military status should not affect you at all unless particular birthmothers have a bias or negative regarding that lifestyle. To some, it could be a plus due to the travel advantages and cultural exposure a military family has.
Encouraging words: I never dreamed I could actually be a mom after ten years of trying to conceive with my husband, two disrupted adoption plans with another agency and then finally, my decision to become single again. But low and behold, I called Abrazo because a friend had adopted through them and said they did work with singles. I called in June, sent in my inquiry shortly thereafter, had my application in by the end of July, my son was born Sept. 9, 2002 and was in my arms and home on October 2, 2002. Hard to believe, I know. But like others have said, Abrazo is NOT like other agencies. They are literally angels on Earth. So, I would suggest that if you're anxious, call and talk to either Angela or Elizabeth and I'll bet they will ease your mind and get you totally excited about the reality of the fact that with Abrazo it's not if, but when.........
I'm so glad you posted and hope that you will continue to do so. We've all been parents in waiting at some point and some of us still are.
Welcome to the Abrazo Forum. We're glad you're here.
Jean
-
Congratulations to all of Phillyfamily. I love your story, which your children will enjoy telling over and over again! Congratulations.
And congratulations to the Montana family who found their dream in Texas. (Like so many of us!) Congratulations!
Seems like lots of againers are placing. Three cheers for the growing families.
-
Marcela and Carmela,
What an exciting trip you have had and what amazing big sisters you are going to be! L.J. sounds adorable! Please keep posting so we will all know how you and your new baby brother are doing.
I love the kid's eye view, Elizabeth. Thanks!
-
It has been my experience that things move very quickly at Abrazo especially if you fit the need of the current unmatched birthmothers that are working with the agency. Call Angela and check it out!
-
Claudia,
You and Marcelo are very wise to plan and prepare. Your thinking is solid. Just stick to your plan and get ready to reap the benefits of your planning and preparations!
Welcome to the forum. Please keep us posted on your progress.
Jean
-
Congratulations! You are now on your way to the most wonderful journey you could ever imagine. There may be some pot holes along the way, but you will be amazed how quickly things move forward. Good luck and keep us posted!
-
Adoption is not guaranteed to flow smoothly from start to finish. In fact, there are no guarantees in life except death. There are many things that are out of the agency's hands. There are statutes and requirements. I had a bad experience, I guess you could say, with another agency. This agency and Abrazo, too, are careful to tell families that any money expended are funds that are "at risk". The agency I referred to talked about the fact that adoptive families used to be able to buy insurance to cover the funds in case of disruption. The insurance companies have stopped offering the coverage because of having such a high percentage of pay out. My former husband and I lost a large amount of our escrow due to supporting a birthmother for 5 months and her deciding to parent. My ex was very bitter and angry with the birthmother. (I believe that this distructive outlook took its toll on us as a couple and contributed to the demise of our marriage) I was disappointed that the counselor at the agency hadn't been more perceptive about her but in reality if the birthmother wasn't sure about her own feelings/or in denial, then how in the world would the counselor be able to know. I never had any bad feelings about the birthmom. I called her about 6 weeks after the disruption and told her that. I honestly don't think I could relinquish a child and so who am I to fault anyone else for the same thing. What would be the point in badmouthing the agency for the way our case went? I know there are happy adoptive parents out there who had twists and turns with Abrazo that at the time caused them much anxiety and a bit of anger, too. I know happy adoptive parents who had their feelings hurt when they were told bluntly and honestly how the cow eats cabbage. But in the end, they have the child/children they were meant to have and would not had it not been for Abrazo. It just seems that nothing in life is PERFECT and it is a waste of time and energy to madmouth others when things don't go your way. And as several have already stated, we don't know the whole story. Kudos to the Abrazo staff for maintaining their confidentiality, and integrity by not responding in kind.
-
Dear Pamela, Tom, and Nathan,
Blessings abound. Congratulations! The perfect child in the perfect time. That's God's way.
Blessings to you all,
Jean and Nathan
-
I need to correct the name of the shoe drive to Shoes for Orphan Souls. I knew it didn't sound right, so heres he the corrected version.
How many of you are doing the costume and trick or treating with your little one?
-
A friend of mine always asks for something instead of a gift for the child. Last year she said, "Don't bring a gift, there's nothing we need.........." but you can bring a new pair of shoes or socks for Soles for Orphan Feet (Church Shoe Drive for Russian Orphanage). This year it says, "but you can bring a can of food for someone who's hungry." I think this is a really nice gesture and teaches her children the gift of giving to those in real need.
What made you pick Abrazo?
in Looking to Adopt
Posted
Dana and Glenn Kutz, proud parents of two Abrazo Dudes, recommended Ruth Stratton, major friend of Abrazo and former home study queen, to do the home study for my exhusband and I with another agency. Dana and Ruth renewed their friendship at the second Parents of Tomorrow weekend. Conversation somehow drifted and I became the topic. Ruth told Dana to have me call her, and it was the two of them who encouraged and supported me in my decision to pursue adoption as a single woman. At the time, Ruth was helping Elizabeth with the leadership of the agency, and it wasn't ever in doubt that I would go with Abrazo. Now, three years later I can't imagine having done it any other way. I take any and every opportunity to spread the word about the best agency in the universe. So, in a long winded way, it was Abrazo Alum that enlightened me about Abrazo.