Stork Central
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“Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.” -- Winston Churchill
One year ago, they attended our \\\\TEAM//// orientation weekend of 11/11, this faithful couple who have made their careers in the helping profession. They'd done so much to pay it forward in the world, it was surely time for them to build a family of their own.
They started this quest having no idea of what twists and turns would face them, and certainly there were times when they had to have wondered "why us?" Still, they kept the faith, kept stepping forward, kept climbing, and today, they found the answers life held for them, in the tiny miracle they held in their arms, made possible by the faith and perseverance of a hardworking single mother who never gave up, either.
The daughter they share from this day forth shall embody the best of all of them, and we give thanks for the strength and resilience of each of her dear parents and their respective journeys over this past year.
Blessings, all, and many more, as you come to know and love each other as the family you now are!
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Yes... Kinda wondered what made it newsworthy, frankly? Folks have been doing adoption advertising online for years. (Renee was the one who started placing Abrazo's ads onCraigslist, to give you an idea how NOT new the Craigslist adoption ads are?) But it was nice to see the birthmom get to finally see her child again even if/though the visit was set up primarily for the cameras.
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Abrazo recently heard from a mom who's placed with us previously, who said her cousin placed in Texas not long ago, using an out-of-state, unlicensed adoption company who stood at the hospital bedside and counted out a four-figure cash payment in exchange for that baby. We were horrified; this is a felony in the State of Texas, but blackmarket adoptions are alive and well, and that's tragic for the child who just got bought and sold.
The parents who place and who adopt for all the right reasons know there's no way anyone could put a price tag on their child-- nor the experience. We are so thankful for Abrazo's clients for knowing-- and living-- this truth! and for all they try to do to educate an ignorant public who still believes otherwise.
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I responded with some more information, and she emailed me back "Can you just give me the name of the agency where you got your baby?"
She made my skin crawl and I flat out told her that I would NOT give her the name of the agency we used because she was not an appropriate fit with them.
Thank you for protecting your agency and its birthparents!!
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"Change is not something that we should fear. Rather, it is something that we should welcome.
For without change, nothing in this world would ever grow or blossom, and no one in this world
would ever move forward to become the person they’re meant to be."
--Anonymous (from "YogisUnited.com")
She came to her decision amidst great changes in her life, this mother whose wisdom and insight stirred new understandings here on the Forum in recent months. With great courage, she shared openly the story of how much she's grown, even as the baby she carried grew within her, and we are all the better for it.
The couple she chose to be her son's new parents have undergone great changes, too, since they joined the \\\\TEAM//// orientation weekend of November 2011. They, too, have grown in their understanding of themselves, their son's first family, and their shared journey, and they are all the better for it.
Tonight, we celebrate the blossoming of their new family tree, with its conjoined branches, and we celebrate the amazing new son they share, whose life will continue to change everything, in all the best of ways.
May his path be all the better for the loving choices made on his behalf, and may he move forward to become the person he's meant to be.
Blessings, all!
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Out of the mouths of babes, as they say... wise counsel for those of wise age:
http://www.adoptivefamiliescircle.com/blogs/post/older-parent-adoption-childrens-feelings-fears/
Your thoughts?
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Abrazo is currently seeking homestudied families (preferably within Abrazo's community) for a trio of biracial (part African-American) cases due between now and the end of the year. (One of these expectant mothers wishes to only consider Texas couples.) Please contact Brianna for further information.
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Just wanted to bump this up for some of our beloved birthmoms who are finding themselves in a place they thought they'd never be again, and trying to make the best of it...
The short reading that follows is from an adoption support organization in Australia, so know that lightning does strike more than once, no matter what part of the world you may be in! http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:5DdlX4LNxd0J:cms.bensoc.org.au/uploads/documents/IS9_Women_who_have_placed_more_than_one_child.pdf+&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESid3-ctZEKJFkH2DMwajixQqZGjV1GAHqE5KTzqkpNyaR_xZjTg-Hju7uPoCrKwgBGuQLPwwU9luqVmlpKF01R1zrChjQiaTn8ITyN-WuyL9xr0THqQDC4WL0IxMdTYLZmOdNR0&sig=AHIEtbSdZSAsD6_FSzcAHBZ3ULVLM19hVg.
We feel for our birthmoms who "have" to consider adoption more than once only because we know every adoption takes an emotional toll and we worry about people we care about enduring repeated losses in life. For this reason, Abrazo still offers the same "options counseling" to returning birthmoms; we never assume that just because someone has placed before, they automatically need to place again.
Often, the options to placing are less than optimal for the parent/s and the baby, however, or the latest pregnancy has just come up at the worst possible time. We know that can happen, and while we encourage our returning moms to take time to think things through and not jump into matching until the second trimester (if possible), we always welcome them "home" with open arms and nonjudgemental hearts.
Abrazo generally encourages mothers who have placed before and need to make subsequent adoption plans to consider placing the new baby with the sibling placed previously, provided that adoptive family has honored its open adoption promises and is in good standing with Abrazo.
Sometimes, though, the adoptive family is not ready for another baby or the expectant parent does not wish to place with the same family for reasons of their own. In that event, the agency works with the expectant parent/s to make an alternative placement plan that will still enable the baby and his/her family to enjoy an open adoption relationship with the sibling in the prior adoptive home.
It's important for returning parents to remember that every adoption experience is different. While some of the elements may be familiar, no two pregnancies-- or adoptive families-- are ever going to be "exactly alike." It's okay to have different feelings about different experiences, and different relationships with different people. You're not the same person you were before, and in some ways, some parts of this journey may seem more or less difficult than they were before, when everything was new to you.
Needing to make more than one adoption plan doesn't mean you are "stupid" or "careless" or "slutty" (or any of the other labels judgemental people in your life may be throwing at you.) It just means you're fertile, and in every culture in history, that has been considered a good thing-- ironic, isn't it?
You don't owe anybody any apologies or explanations. Pregnancy happens, and not always when it "should." Your only obligation is to yourself and your child, to make the best decisions you can based on your own values and resources. And if those decisions lead you back home to Abrazo, where you know you are respected and loved, then welcome back.
We're always glad to see you, placing or not placing. That's because we're family, after all.
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Please DON'T email Abrazo attachments to print out for your client files!
Whether it's your profile or your homestudy or your supporting file documents or your homework or your post-placement reports or your physicals or your references or whatever else, Abrazo simply doesn't have the time nor the technology nor the resources to download and print the dozens of documents that all of our clients need to regularly submit for their files.
Print it out and mail it in, and save us the embarassment of having to remind you that it's your responsibility to provide this paperwork. Thanks!
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Abrazo is currently seeking more Hispanic couples!
Given Abrazo's location, Hispanic couples tend to be in high demand in our placement program, and at the present time, all our Hispanic couples are already placed... so if you know a Hispanic couple with documented infertility, who are emotionally sound and financially stable, over the age of 25 and married for longer than a year, please encourage them to submit the Adoptive Parents Inquiry form, found on our website here: http://abrazo.org/want-to-adopt/process/.
(The next Parents-of-Tomorrow orientation weekend, for qualified couples of any racial origin, is set for October 26-27, 2012.)
For more information, contact Brianna Gonzales, Family Services Coordinator, at 210/342-5683.
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"Don't be afraid to take an unfamiliar path... sometimes, that's the one that takes you to the best possible destination." -- Source Unknown
Being fiercely self-reliant, the hardworking single mom wasn't inclined to turn to an adoption agency to find her the "right" parents for her coming baby. Instead, she turned to the Internet, where she happened to find an Abrazo family who was also using Parent Profiles to extend their outreach. That family, however, opted out and she was left facing an unfamiliar path, as she struggled to keep faith in adoption despite her disappointment.
Meanwhile, a conscientious young couple from Abrazo's ///Team/// orientation of November 2011 had entered the program not anticipating their profile might be so quickly chosen by another mother, who was placing a toddler-- and at the very time they were moving from one house to another. They made the decision to forego that opportunity because of the timing, also an unfamiliar path for them and one they'd not expected.
Fate intervened, however, and as is almost always the case, those who don't give up do ultimately prevail! Thus today, one precious newborn baby boy is exactly where he was meant to be, as his loving, hardworking and self-reliant first mom and his conscientious young adoptive parents officially committed to becoming forever family on his behalf.
We thank them all for the plans they have made to enable four brothers to grow up knowing each other, and we wish blessings upon each of these parents who took an unfamiliar path to the best possible destination for the tiny son they all love so.
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If you were at Camp Abrazo this weekend, you undoubtedly saw Abrazo's staff staying busy on their cell phones, because truly, an Abrazochick's job is never done! And today, a staff member left the Mayan Ranch at sun-up to travel back to San Antonio to catch a flight to Houston. There, she spent hours with a heartbroken mama who knew what she "needed " to do, but needed extra assurance that she was making the right choice for her newborn daughter's future. By the time Abrazo's hardworking staffer boards her return flight, she'll have helped make new parents of a previously-childless couple from the Believe Me, We're Normal orientation of June, 2011, who waited many years for just such a miracle. It's the perfect end to a glorious Camp weekend that stood as an ever-poignant reminder of how anything worth doing is worth doing right... Here's to them that have, and those who do! Blessings, all.
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Come next summer, there'll be a new, tiny set of footprints toddling across South Texas' beaches... belonging to a precious little guy who just came into the world two days ago.
His new parents, the first of the BGE&S orientation group of 4/12 to place, are people of faith.
They put that faith in action when they decided to put their trust in a young mom who'd planned an adoption with Abrazo a few years ago, yet just couldn't bring herself to place in the end.
She's learned a lot since then, though, and when she found herself in a similar position once again, we were grateful that she put her faith in Abrazo once more.
Today, she made a choice that will certainly enable her and the small daughter she's parenting to make a better go of it. It's undoubtedly an answer to the prayers of a couple who would otherwise not be parents today, were it not for her commitment to her child.
And the adorable newborn son she shares for life with these Texas beachcombers will surely be the better for her courageous sacrifice on his behalf, as well.
We wish him beautiful sea shells, great fishing, clean waters, cool breezes and a lifetime of love with all the parents who adore him so.
Blessings, all!
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Truly, life is but a serenade...
Our newest pair of parents know this better than most. From the opening movement, their nine years of marriage have been remarkably harmonic, filled with intricate chording and amazing runs. Their infertility diagnosis may have struck a minor key, but they undoubtedly kept a tempo regardless, being the talented and positive people that they are.
Their orientation weekend with the good folks of Gertrude & the Shark Tank (August, 2011) wove a bright new allegro into their lives, as they began to truly believe that parenthood was within their grasp.
This renowned pianist and violinist faithfully worked their respective concerts and recitals around the many unknowns of the adoption process. They bravely weathered a painful "dress rehearsal" along the way, and patiently endured largo interludes in which it may have seemed as though nothing was happening, at times.
Yet the Great Conductor had a wonderful coda written into their score, and today, with a sudden and shimmering glissando, their childless days came to an momentous end, as a newly-delivered mother in a local hospital decided to forever entrust her firstborn child to them and in doing so, filled her daughter's life with endless love and magnificent music.
It is a most fitting finale to a unforgettable performance by a couple who have proven themselves most worthy of this miracle, and we offer a heartfelt standing ovation to these happy new parents, their precious daughter and her remarkable first family. Bravo! Blessings, all!
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An interesting law is being proposed in NJ, that concerns the right of a foster child or a child being adopted to maintain connections to their established spiritual heritage.
Read the story here: http://www.northjersey.com/community/religion/061312_Supporters_critics_debate_bill_linking_foster_care_to_religion.html?page=all then share your thoughts?
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In this day of "instant gratification," when homecooked meals have been replaced by drive-through orders and the very phrase
"longterm marriage" begins to sound like an oxymoron, there IS something to be said for "long matches."
Back in December, when two graduates of our Gertrude & the Shark Tank orientation of 8/11 were chosen by an expectant couple early in their pregnancy, they could have said no. They could have held out to see what other opportunities might come up that might be due sooner, or would require less support. Yet they listened to that small, still voice within that whispered "say yes!"... and so they did.
They used their time wisely, between then and now, getting to know this couple who had so much faith in them, sight unseen, and today, they became the proud parents of a beautiful little baby boy, as a result. It's all about him (and that's just as it should be!)
We wish them much joy and shared pride in the son they share, in the years that lie ahead. Blessings, all!
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It's been said that God answers prayers "yes", "no" and "wait awhile"... and for one couple from our Gertrude & the Shark Tank orientation weekend of August, 2011, that saying will hold very special meaning forevermore!
For just weeks after the mother with whom they'd originally been matched elected to parent, she came to feel that decision had not been in her child's longterm best interests, after all. And today, that young mom (who has so lovingly tended her son since birth with the support of her parents and grandparents and siblings) bravely carried him into Abrazo's office, to be sent home instead with the mom and dad she'd chosen for him during her pregnancy.
We know this was an unspeakably painful choice for her and her family, and we commend them-- along with her son's new parents-- for their willingness to resume their open adoption arrangement on behalf of the beautiful baby boy they now share. God bless the broken road, and they that travel it when they do! Blessings, all!
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Once upon a time there were two little brothers,
whose first parents and grandparents love them very, very much.
They all did their very best by these little guys, but the time came when they realized their precious boys were going to need more; more room to grow, more parental guidance, more security over the longterm. If love was all it took, they'd have had it made... but their devoted first mom and her parents didn't want to leave anything to chance.
The boys' mama had considered adoption (and Abrazo) previously, so when the day came that they knew (hard as it was) it was time to add a new set of parents, a new home and a new sibling to their boys' lives, they knew where they felt at home.
And God was surely in charge of the timing, because the family of their dreams had just graduated from Abrazo's BGE&s orientation weekend of 4/12, and the prospect of adding these boys, their parents and grandparents to their lives was, truly, an answer to their prayers, too.
The Abrazo staff is overjoyed to have been able to participate in this miracle, and we lift all involved in prayers for hope, healing and happiness as we join in celebrating the new, improved family constellation that has been created here, today. Blessings, all!
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Asking God to comfort you and your family in the wake of this great loss... we are so sorry!
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Sometimes, Easter brings beautiful lilies to remind us of the resurrection story... sometimes, it brings Easter egg hunts and big baskets of pastel candy and chocolate bunnies and plastic green grass... and sometimes, it brings about the rebirth of dreams and new family relationships and long-awaited answers to prayers.
This Easter weekend, we join an excited Iowa family from our Believe Us, We're Normal orientation weekend of June, 2011 in celebrating, as they welcome a precious, two-and-a-half year old daughter into their lives, along with the loving and courageous mother who has so painstakingly planned this new future for her.
May you all look back at this holiday weekend as the one that changed everything for the better, for the darling little girl you all love so! Blessings, all!
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Oh, no!
http://www.t-g.com/story/1802811.html
Far be it from us to critique Kim Kardashian's desire to parent, but given her marriage debacle last year, we're just not convinced that she has the stability (nor the good judgement) to put a child's best interests above her considerable commercial quests at this point in her life.
And who knew that the latest celebrity with an unplanned pregnancy, Snooki, was adopted from Chile as a baby?
http://www.wetpaint.com/jersey-shore/articles/snooki-opens-up-about-adoption
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In Elle magazine, read this fascinating essay explaining one married lawyer's decision to place her baby for adoption: I'm Not What's Best For My Baby
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Once there was a couple so dear, God knew they would need a child who was extra precious! They endured untold heartaches over the years, as they struggled to understand God's plan for their future. Yet as it's been said: God answers prayers with "yes," "no," and "wait awhile." So they waited and hoped and trusted, and waited some more.
Meanwhile, many states away, there was a mama so precious, God knew she and her children (and a family so special to them )would need a family who was extra wonderful! She endured countless uncertainties over the months, as she struggled to be sure she was making the right plans for her future and that of her child.Yet as it's been said: God answers prayers with "yes," "no," and "wait awhile." So she waited and trusted and hoped, and trusted some more.
And finally, we celebrate the culmination of all that waiting and all that trusting and all that hoping, as today, one beautiful bouncing baby girl is officially and forever surrounded by the love of a very precious birthmom, her ever-so-dear parents (graduates of the Gertrude & the Shark Tank orientation of, August 2011), her birthsiblings, and a special Wisconsin Abrazo family who thinks the world of all of them.
Theirs is-- truly-- a circle of love worth celebrating, and we ask God's continued blessing on each and every one of them!
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A 41-year-old NJ birthmom is seeking an adoptive family in her region of the country for her already-born baby boy, who is full-Anglo and has Down Syndrome. He was born nearly 2 weeks ago, and his birthmom does want an adoptive home that is comfortable with visits (approximately 3 per year.) If that's you or someone you know, please contact Brianna and she'll gladly connect you with the PA agency that's handling the placement.
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Baby Announcements 2012
in New Arrivals
Posted
From the days of the Pilgrims and the Indians, this week has been one in which it's customary to stop and count one's blessings, and for one Midwestern couple from our BGE&s orientation weekend of 4/12, the memory of this Thanksgiving week's blessings will forever be woven into the tapestry of their family story!
For the birthparents of their new baby boy found their way to our agency thanks to a referral from another Abrazo birthmom from a few years back, and when they first came to Abrazo, their son's first mom said she knew from the moment she saw their profile that they were the family of her dreams.
They've become so close over the past few months that the adoptive parents were the only people she felt she could trust to watch her other five children while she was in the hospital giving birth (and what a crash course in parenting they've gotten over the weekend! We trust these well-broken-in new parents will find caring for "just" one newborn considerably easier.)
We are infinitely grateful that these dear people all found each other, and we hope theirs is a lasting friendship for which the son they now share will be forever thankful, as well. Happy Thanksgiving to all!