Stork Central

In the beautiful season in which so many remember the world changing impact of one young woman's unplanned pregnancy centuries ago, Abrazo is blessed to announce yet another tiny miracle. He was born this week to a loving mother, small in stature but with a great heart. She wanted a brighter future for her baby boy, and she surely found even more than that in a loving couple from our Candy Cornholes orientation of 10/16, who have genuinely embraced her as family, as well. We celebrate the precious son they now share and we wish them all a very special Christmas together this year.

Thank you, all... we received word this week that another birthfather, James (who placed a baby girl who is now in college) has also passed away. We were grateful to learn that his daughter was able to attend his funeral and meet even more of his family members. We have dedicated a special blog entry this month especially for Abrazo's birthfathers who are gone too soon. (Click here if you'd like to read it. And please keep all their families in your prayers this holiday season.)

Abrazo was saddened to learn today of the passing of another beloved member of our community, Tony, the birthfather of Ryder. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to Tony's family and to Ryder's birthmother and Ryder's family, as they come to terms with this loss. Tony was a dear man and will be greatly missed by all who knew him. May he rest in eternal peace.

And just days after counting their blessings and pushing themselves away from the family Thanksgiving table, another couple from our Candy Cornholes orientation of October, 2016 have yet another special arrival to celebrate, as a pair of againers from that group became the proud parents of a newborn baby boy today! We give thanks for this dear family and for the birthcouple who love them so, because we know they will all forever surround this precious child with a lifetime of love. Blessings, all!

Just three weeks ago tonight, this couple had joined us in a hotel conference room, and were seated in a circle of strangers around a tacky blue cooler, wondering where this road might lead them, and how long it might take? Yet they listened attentively to everything they learned during our Candy Cornhole orientation weekend of October 2016. And when the AbrazoChicks told all the couples in attendance to go home and get a nursery ready, complete their homestudy and send in their profile as soon as possible, they did it. And what a good thing it was that they did so, without delay! Because when a local hospital called late yesterday looking for a loving home for a baby already born, the AbrazoChicks were able to rush there with a few profiles and after giving those profiles careful consideration and sleeping on it, the baby's mother decided today to make her child theirs. They haven't had much time to prepare, but they were truly ready to become parents in their hearts, and tonight, their newborn son is in their arms, as well. Blessings, all!

Somehow, it seems only fitting that our first placement of this year's National Adoption Month would be with a family that has gone the extra mile to support not just their firstborn son's birthfamily and not just their 8/15 orientation group (Chavon Is The New Black) but the greater Abrazo community, as well. They're fantastic parents and their commitment to open adoption is genuine and true, so we know they will forever be a blessing in the life of their new baby boy and his loving birthparents, as well. God bless all y'all!

Over a year ago, a mother came to Abrazo to talk about an adoption plan for her three children. She and the children's father had a turbulent relationship that had since ended, but both truly wanted what was best for their children, and each was coming to the conclusion that neither of them could provide the life they wanted for their beautiful children. Abrazo conscientiously counseled this mother to revisit all her alternatives, not just adoption, and she made a choice to try to find some other way to keep her family together... and did so, for one more year. In the end, though, this mother, her mother, and her children's father and his mother came to the painful conclusion that what was truly best for the children was to be adopted. Her dream was to have the children adopted by a loving couple who were educated, who had a medical background, and who either lived in a rural community or had ample room for the kids to roam and grow, like flowers in a field. Once again, they turned to Abrazo, and Abrazo launched a nationwide search for just the right family for these siblings. (One Abrazomom even helped by putting out the word to a network of medical professionals who had adopted or were seeking to do so.) Eventually, thanks to the assistance of Bethany Christian Services, the just right family was found-- a doctor and a social worker with secondary infertility, a ready homestudy and (much to the birthparents' delight) a seventeen acre yard. The four parents (plus birthgrandparents) have spent time getting to know each other, the three siblings and the adoptive parent's daughter have begun learning to play together, and today, a family of three became a family of six! We wish them a productive (and peaceful) transition, and we thank the Good Lord for bringing everyone together, in the best interests of the children they all now love so. Blessings, everyone!

Congratulations to Abrazo's newest new parents, who welcomed a sweet baby boy into their lives just this evening! They had planned to attend this weekend's orientation, but their tiny new son had other plans for them, and we can think of no better reason to skip our event than to be at the hospital with the baby of your dreams. Blessings, all!

One year ago, they were just a nervous but hopeful pair of would be adoptive parents. They came to Abrazo off of a bad adoption experience elsewhere, so who could blame them for not knowing what to expect? They attended our Chavon Is The New Black orientation of 8/15. Talked with prospective birthmoms. Completed their required homework. Waited, and wired some more. And then-- then! they found the match that would change their course of their lives forever, with an expectant mom who truly needed them-- as would her child. Today, they became the proud parents of a beautiful, healthy newborn daughter, whose birthfamily just couldn't be prouder of them. We wish them all a lifetime of happiness! For all's well that ends well, and this was surely a happy ending for all.

We grow up hearing that "patience is a virtue" but oh, how hard that truth can be, especially for those who are waiting to adopt... For the only couple in our Chavon is the New Black orientation group of August 2015 who started the process with a firm gender preference, the wait may have been even trying on their patience. Because already having two boys, they really really really wanted a girl-- in a year in which it seemed nearly every prospective birthmother interested in their profile was having a boy. Yet they believed that a daughter was their destiny, and month after month, they struggled to stay positive and to remain calm while they waited... and waited. Then yesterday, the call came, about a baby girl in need of a family, and a couple seeking to place with a family just like theirs. And just like that, the long months of waiting and hoping came to an end. They hopped on a plane, returned to San Antonio, met the amazing new relatives they'd been praying for, and became the proud new parents of a beautiful baby girl. All good gifts are sent from Heaven above! And truly, this was worth the wait, in every way. Blessings, all!

Sometimes, in the midst of the storm, it's hard to comprehend the reason for what we're going through at the moment... but once the rains subside and the sun comes out, life begins to make sense again, and we can see clearly that where we are is but a beautiful outcome of all we've been through. One beautiful young family who found themselves in a south Texas hospital this week with a newborn they loved but felt unable to raise can certainly relate. They were already doing their level best to do right by the children they already have, and they wanted nothing less than the best for every one of their youngsters, including their newest. They made an incredibly selfless and painful decision to choose adoption, and yesterday, they chose another young couple to become their baby's parents. The parents they chose hadn't been waiting with Abrazo long-- they'd attended our G.P. Explosion orientation of February 2016, just 7 months ago-- but they were more than ready to become somebody's mom and dad, and they dropped everything to get to Texas the very same day they were chosen. They've spent treasured hours getting acquainted with each other and launching a friendship meant to last a lifetime! So we joyously celebrate the rainbow that surely connected them, for the love of the precious son they now share, today and forevermore. Blessings, all!

We beg for prayers on behalf of an Abrazo child who was just diagnosed with cancer and underwent what we hope will prove to be a lifesaving surgery. Please pray for this sweet child, and her devastated adoptive parents and birthparents. A miracle is desperately needed!

Abrazo has had a flurry of calls lately from expectant parents wishing to match and parents already parenting needing to place, and has nearly exhausted our supply of ready waiting families, so our agency currently needs adopting couples and againers for infants, toddlers and sibling groups of all backgrounds! Additionally, we have recently had prospective birthparents voicing specific requests for: childless couples of any race who are wanting to adopt their first baby* Texas couples with or without children already who are committed to openness* couples already parenting who are seeking to adopt a baby boy* adoptive parents open to a male toddler* adoptive parents open to a female toddler* Hispanic couples wanting to adopt Hispanic infants* adoptive parents open to an Anglo sibling group of three (two girls and a boy)* adopting families of Jewish descent for a currently-expectant mother of the same background* adopting parents open to pregnant mothers with hepatitis C and/or on methadone* adopting parents open to an African-American or biracial infant* To be considered for any immediate matches or placements, interested couples must submit completed homestudies and profiles to Samantha at Abrazo, followed by inquiry and application forms, contracts and fees upon request. To be considered for future matches or placements, prospective adoptive parents who are new to Abrazo need to start by filling out the Inquiry Form and having Abrazo submit their names and data for TDFPS background clearances, to be followed by completion of the full application, attendance at orientation and submission of a completed homestudy, contracts and funds. Call Abrazo if you need more information or if you have questions: 210-342-5683, or visit www.abrazo.org. * Abrazo's full-service program requires adopting parents to be emotionally stable, financially sound, be legally-married more than a year if wed, have documented infertility and be at least 25 years of age.

Well, they were signed up to attend Abrazo's October 2016 orientation weekend, but when an expectant mother contacted Abrazo asking to match with a Texas couple and they were the only Texas couple we had who had already done their homestudy and were ready in every other way, it seemed God just might have other plans for them that October weekend? And when that expectant mom delivered unexpectedly this weekend, it was clear they were meant to be parents already! So congratulations to our newest new parents and their sweet new son, and heartfelt thanks to the loving birthmother whose courage and sacrifice on behalf of her baby boy just made a miracle happen, for him and for the previously childless couple who are now proud parents at last. Blessings, all!

We are most thankful for the brave mama who made a very courageous choice for her baby girl today. She had contacted us several years ago, but decided adoption was not right for her then. With her circumstances being different now, she came home to Abrazo once more, and one very fortunate couple from our Jankledudles orientation has had their family forever transformed, as a result. We hope the child they now share will forever know how beloved she truly is! Blessings, all...

Thank you, Dyna, Monica, Fran and Leah!

Just wanted to bump this up for any new families who may need help teaching their relatives about positive adoption language! (And for any relatives out there who are reading this, please help ensure that anything posted on social media prior to the adoptive placement is respectful of the fact that before and until the legal paperwork is completed 2 or more days after birth, the baby still belongs to his or her mother-- so hold off on congratulating the prospective adoptive parents, however excited everyone may be, until after the baby is officially placed with them.)