Isis

All the best, Corinne' class="bbc_url">@Kevin and Leah -- CONGRATULATIONS! So excited for you. Cherish these first few days with the little angel that has come into your lives and into his forever family. May you have plenty of time bond with his birth family. All the best, Corinne

Our hearts go out to you, Nic and Raj and your extended birth family. May you enjoy these first few precious moments together. Warmly, Corinne, Jesus, Lucas and Benjamin

@Congratulations on the latest addition to the extended Abrazo family. Enjoy these first few precious moments together!

@Congratulations to the proud first time parents of this newly arrived baby girl, and sending prayers to all involved!

Elizabeth -- what a pity that you would consider dropping orientation! I really hope it does not come to that, as orientation was one of the highlights of our experience with Abrazo. As I mentioned to Angela, Jesus and I spoke at Barker, our home agency, this week to a group of waiting parents, and we told them all about Abrazo and passed along the information you posted recently. Though these are obviously not families based in Texas, most adopting parents here are open to children of all racial backrgounds, so I'm hoping you will receive some letters of inquiry from our neck of the woods... A few families in the audience voiced concerns about the cost of adoption though... How tragic that just when the need for adoption is so great (there are more children living in poverty in America now than ever), adoptive families are so strapped!!

Congrtulations on the birth of baby boy Drake!

Congratulations to the newest Abrazo-made family!

Congratulations to the new family and first family and all who helped to make this possible!

I don't follow celebrity news much at all (not because I don't want to but just can't seem to find the time... ugh), but I had heard of celeb international adoptions. I had no idea many celebs also adopted domestically (my ignorance). However, in dc, the question I always get is: what country did you adopt from? Maybe that's just dc specific. Many people here work in the int'l humanitarian arena, and int'l adoption is for them the logical thing to do. But it does take me aback each time people make the assumption that Benjamin was adopted from Ethiopia. That's not meant to be a judgment on people who adopt in Ethiopia, for hom I have tremendous respect. It's just a reflection on my own experience.

I agree that outside of the issue of the failed marriage, this case attracts well-deserved attention to domestic adoption, and especially biracial adoption. I find that here in dc, where the norm is to adopt internationally, people are not so much let down when I say we adopted domestically, but kind of surprised, as if it never occurred to them that you could adopt here, especially a biracial adoption. In response, I usually explain that there are many children in need of a family right here in the US. People listen to this with a lot of interest because I really think they have no idea that it happens or that there is a need (outside of in the movies, ie Juno, which is accurate but ignores biracial US adoption ).

Congratulations and best wishes to Luke's family!

Thanks, all. Baby is doing well and feeding well as wants to be held, held and held some more... And we're obliging! Thanks for all of your wishes!

Rebecca, I am so happy for you! WHen I read about your experiences I immediately thought of my cousin, who adopted two kids internationally and last year was diagnosed with melanoma. She opted not to have chemo after her surgery and is now cancer free! Everyday definitely counts. Wishing you a speedy recovery, Corinne

Congrats on the new baby boy! Enjoy these first days together!

I am trying to dig up a past thread that outlined the details of when health insurers are required to cover adoptive children. So watch for this on View New Posts. But, basically HIPAA law states that insurance companies are required to cover at the time of placement. Placement is defined in the law (if you read the fine print) as the time that you (adoptive parents) become financially responsible. So, for example, if you are matched with an expectant mother prior to the birth and are paying for expenses, you could argue that you are financially responsible. Most health insurance companies, in my experience, do not know the detailed reading of the law this way, so you are probably safe planning for coverage at placement. If any of your companies say they will cover at legal adoption (finalization) they are not following stated law. I am happy to help clarify -- Susan Thanks all, this is really helpful. Susan, I will look out for the thread on health insurance. I also got our insurance company to send me a statement of their policy, since they wouldn't sign the form. But because the policy states coverage only begins at "placement," I was hoping there was some way to get them to pay for medical costs from birth, since that is when adoptive parents become "financially responsible". That argument fell on deaf ears both with our benefits specialist and the insurance company. So I guess the norm is for adoptive parents to cover cost of medical care at the hospital prior to placement, out of pocket?