Stork Central
-
Posts
5,912 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
335
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Events
Posts posted by Stork Central
-
-
When they came to orientation, last fall, becoming part of Gertrude & the Shark Tank weekend of August, 2011, nobody could have blamed them for perhaps being apprehensive of starting the process again, because a failed adoption in another state had left them grieving the loss of a child they'd thought was already theirs-- for over a week-- nearly a year ago.
Yet that brief taste of the glory of parenting had made them all the more determined to grow a family. Their painful loss only increased their understanding of the importance of openness in adoption. And their faith sustained them throughout their brief, five month journey from Abrazo's orientation weekend to Placement Day.
Still, the precious, six-pound miracle who became their son today could not have become their son, too, were it not for the loving sacrifice of the devoted couple who brought him into the world this week.
Having other children already, his first parents knew how important a stable home and consistent parenting can be. They wanted that and more for their little boy-- more than they could possibly provide, given their current circumstances. To feel comfortable with their choice, though, they knew they needed to place him with compassionate, open people who can be trusted to keep their word and keep in touch.
Today, they feel confident these are the parents they have chosen for him, and today, the lives of these four dedicated parents became forever joined, for the love of the newborn son they all adore so.
What a beautiful beginning to an exciting New Year! Congratulations and blessings to all, and a warm "welcome to the world" to Abrazo's firstborn baby of 2012.
-
There are notorious baby brokers who will say anything anyone wants to hear, sadly. We do know of situations where potential birthmothers were promised by despicable adoption workers that they "could get the baby back in a year" if they'd let the baby go with an adoptive couple at birth, or where they were told that "open adoption is like foster care," only to find out later that of course, they had absolutely no legal rights to seek custody or reclaim their child later. She is clearly being induced to place by an agency with no ethics whatsoever and we hope she will consult an independent attorney to find out what the adoption laws really say in her locale.
-
How we wish seven-year-old Abby Robbins had been adopted by one of Abrazo's loving families, who could have enabled her to have a healthy, ongoing relationship with both her birthmom and her late father's mother, but who would have spared her the sorrow of being slain by her depressed grandmother, who had adopted her just last year.
Rest in Peace, sweet Abby... and your troubled grand/mother, too.
-
"When he is seen within us and without, He sets right all doubts and dispels the pain off wrong actions committed in the past." --- Mundaka Upanishad
Of all the baby announcements we've posted over the last year (or two!), perhaps none was so eagerly awaited by so many as this one! Thus it is our pleasure to fondly announce the placement today of a beautiful baby boy with a very gracious and patient couple from our 1st & 10 orientation weekend of 1/10.
They recognized, upon starting the process, that cultural differences might prolong their journey, but they knew they wanted to be parents, we knew they deserved to be, and a dear birthcouple with wisdom beyond their years knew no one would ever appreciate their sacrifice more. We shower blessings on them all, as we celebrate with them and give thanks for a year that was simply full of wonderful surprises.
-
Abrazo's orientation weekends for 2012 start in January, so if you are ready to make a wonderful change in your lives , what better place (and time) is there to start?
-
It's been a busy year for the final family from our Griffin & the Gliders (1/11) orientation weekend, as they journeyed through the adoption process. They came to orientation in January, before he was deployed, then they waited many long months for his safe return. Fortunately, the adoptive-dad-to-be got back just in time to meet the expectant mom who had liked their profile, and he and his wife spent the next few weeks getting to know the special mother who was contemplating sharing her child's life with them. This weekend, as all the remaining troops in Iraq made their way home at long last, this couple and their matched mama reveled in the precious new baby boy she'd just brought into the world and tonight, he officially became theirs, as well. We wish for him and his siblings a safer world in which to grow up and we wish this newly-expanded extended family a very merry Christmas. Peace on Earth and good will to all children everywhere! Blessings, all!
-
Just wanted to bump this topic up for a shocked and distressed caller who contacted our office this week. She'd just learned that her child had secretly had a child and placed that baby for adoption (elsewhere) without any relatives knowing about it. This is a painful revelation anytime, but especially in the holiday season. We know there are no words to lessen this loss but we hope she finds some comfort in the support that's available here.
-
Just out today: Lower Birth Rates for US Women Tied to Economy.
As stated in the Associated Press story:
The U.S. birth rate dropped for the third straight year, with declines for most ages and all races, according to a federal report released Thursday. Teens and women in their early 20s had the most dramatic dip to the lowest rates since record-keeping began in the 1940s.Concurrently, Foreign Adoptions Fall Again.
What this means, unfortunately, for those who are waiting to adopt domestically is that there continues to be an ever-shrinking "pool" of mothers in need of placement options, and there's an ever-growing field of prospective adopters, agencies, attorneys and facilitators competing for that decreasing supply of available children.
Ironically, Abrazo has been blessed to be busy this year, but we still strive to prepare our parents-in-waiting for the reality that while most of our agency's placements occur within 6-12 months of our adoptive families' submission of profile and homestudy, adoption can and does take longer than that, sometimes. (And may increasingly require more patience, due to realities such as described in the news stories above.)
If anything, it just affirms the need for adoptive families to be as expansive in their "child requirements" as possible (ie., stretching one's openness to a variety of scenarios and opportunities.../races/genders/ages) and engaging in all the outreach that's possible (advertising on Parent Profiles, handing out "Help Us Adopt" business cards, using social networking to spread the word that you are seeking to match with an interested expectant mom, etc.) Take heart: there are still plenty of children in need of loving homes; it just might take more time and effort to find them.
-
Two years ago, just three days before Halloween, Abrazo received an inquiry from a local couple who had long considered adoption, and were remarkably astute about the importance of openness.
At the time, however, they were in the process of renovating a historical home they'd just purchased, and wanting to devote their full energy to their family-building pursuit, they wisely put off their adoption plans for awhile.
By the spring of this year, however, their longing to become parents supplanted their focus on floor plans, so they attended Abrazo's 3/11 ¡Montaña Rusa! orientation weekend, and it was a good thing they did! because as it turned out, their beautiful new son was born on Halloween... just 730 days after their inquiry was first submitted in 2009.*
Now, their dream of becoming a family of three has come true, their house is complete, and as it happens, so is their group, since all our March attendees who signed on are now home with their new arrivals. (Well done, all y'all!) What a fitting way to usher in the month of November, which is National Adoption Month.
Congratulations to our newest parents, salutations to their fellow group members, and fond adulations to all our Abrazofolk, everywhere! Happy Adoption Month, everyone!
*Note: complimentary computation provided in tribute to the new dad, a math professor.
-
1
-
-
We've said it before... it's a nice problem to have, but a problem nonetheless...
While Abrazo does still have 6? 7? perfectly-lovely waiting adoptive homes available and not yet matched, a program our size needs at least 1-2 times as many current profiles to meet the variety of the expectant parents who come to our agency seeking the adoptive families of their dreams!
Typically, when we post "new parents needed" appeals here, we are usually seeking a certain sort of demographic (childless, open to children of color, geographic region, etc.) This time, however, we are in the rare position of needing heterosexual couples with or without children, open to any racial configurations other than just Anglo-only, and from any area (except NY, where we do not place due to NY requirements that agencies working with folks in that state must have offices and licensure there as well.)
We always have a need for childless couples, of course, and we never seem to have enough Texans to go around! but our November orientation is less than 3 weeks away and we are currently welcoming inquiries and applications from all appropriately-qualified prospective adoptive families, this go-round.
Help us spread the word, and let's make the 2012 placement year just as successful as 2011 has been!
-
"God will not permit any troubles to come upon us,
unless He has a specific plan by which great blessing can come out of the difficulty."
Dr. Peter Marshall, Scottish-born U.S. Senate Chaplain, 1947-1949
Just two weeks ago, one of Abrazo's favorite hospital social workers encountered an expectant mother who desperately need compassionate help making a late-term adoption plan. A devoted mother of two, she is the glue that holds two generations of her own family together, and she'd been secretly carrying a child whose needs she feared she could not meet, given her obligations on behalf of everyone else.
In a different time and place, she might never have considered adoption, because she dotes on the children she already has and wished things could be different. But she knew that all she had to work with was what existed in the here and now and she just didn't feel she had enough to give, to enable her baby the life she wanted to afford him. Thus she has painstakingly chosen to entrust his future to a couple from Abrazo's Believe Me, We're Normal orientation group of June, 2011 who could never have imagined, one week ago, how swiftly their own fate would change.
We trust that her decision will truly prove to be a great blessing for her, for her family and for theirs, and that this wee one will grow up surrounded by and secure in the love of each of them. Congratulations, all!
-
"Να φροντίζετε δύναμη του πνεύματος για να σας ασπίδας στην ξαφνική κακοτυχία. Αλλά μην διατρέχουν κίνδυνο τον εαυτό σας με σκούρα φαντασιώσεις. Πολλοί φόβοι γεννιούνται από την κούραση και τη μοναξιά. Πέρα από ένα υγιεινό πειθαρχία, να είναι ευγενής με τον εαυτό σας. Είσαι παιδί του Σύμπαντος, όχι λιγότερο από ό, τι τα δέντρα και τα αστέρια? Έχετε το δικαίωμα να είμαι εδώ. Και κατά πόσο ή όχι είναι σαφές σε σας, χωρίς αμφιβολία το σύμπαν εξελίσσεται όπως θα έπρεπε."
"Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."
-- from the "Desiderata" by Max Ehrman
Undoubtedly, two very special angels named Sharon and Gus were watching from Heaven with joy, as her beloved daughter and son-in-law and as his favorite aunt and uncle finally met their long-awaited son this week.
The proud new parents hail from Abrazo's Griffin & the Gliders orientation weekend of 1/11, and it was because of their friendship with another Abrazo couple who took placement several years ago that they found their way here.
In the course of their adoption plan, they did sometimes have to choose not to be "distressed by dark imaginings," but they felt called to the arrangement to which they'd committed, and to the birthmom who saw so much potential in them, even when it required patience, gentle faith, and redoing the nursery just weeks before the due date.
And it's a good thing they did! Because clearly, the universe has unfolded as it should; their newborn son will forever enjoy a world full of trees and stars, and he will undoubtedly appreciate their willingness to save all that pink bedding for their next new family member.
Boys rule! Blessings, all!
-
1
-
-
Two months ago, the couple from Louisiana were the last in the orientation circle, and they waited for hours to tell their story on Friday night. But they waited patiently, and listened attentively, because that's just the kind of people they are.
They were the folks who had come to our Gertrude & the Shark Tank orientation weekend of 8/11 with their homestudy already done (and who'd found out in the course of their homestudy that their home had once belonged to that very same homestudy worker.) That night, they mentioned the importance of their families in their lives, and they'd said that once their baby comes home, he or she will never be set down, for all the loving relatives that are eagerly waiting to embrace their future child.
That night, when everything seemed like such a distant possibility, they could not know that somewhere, in the very same city in which they were visiting, lived a beautiful woman with a big secret. She'd prided herself as being 'old enough to know better' so she was too embarrassed by her situation to share her dilemma. She knew in her mind what she needed to do, yet she struggled to find the courage to put that plan in motion. So she waited for months-- but she waited patiently, and nurtured the baby growing inside of her attentively-- until the day came when plans had to be made, because that's just the kind of person she is.
Looking over profiles in the hospital after her son was born, she was very certain of which one she felt was "right." For everything in her life that she felt was wrong, she had found one couple in particular who seemed so very right to her, who were so ready to raise the baby she couldn't and who could love the baby just as she would, no matter what. And for all the uncertainty of the months preceding, when she found them, she found peace, as well.
Today, her son became theirs, they became hers and she became theirs. We wish them all much laughter and joy in their growing relationship, and yes... wet dog kisses, too. (Just because.) Blessings, all!
-
2
-
-
As many people know, the late Steve Jobs (founder of Apple computers and co-founder of Pixar Studios) was adopted as a baby... here is some lesser known information about the first mother, who gave him life: Birthfamily of a Genius, or How Steve Jobs Became an Adoptee ... and just for fun, here's What Steve Jobs and Homer Simpson Have in Common. (See also: JOBS: Biography; interestingly, Steve Jobs became a father first at the age of 23, reportedly denying paternity and claiming sterility and forcing his daughter's mother to rely on welfare, until he finally admitted paternity and sought a relationship with his firstborn many years later.) He was a great man, with two extraordinary sets of parents and two devoted sisters, who leaves behind a wife and four children, and Steve Jobs made a huge difference in this world... but it all started with his birthmom, who had the courage to pursue an adoption plan even without the birthfather's initial knowledge. She wanted more for her son, and he undoubtedly lived up to all her hopes for him.
-
1
-
-
There's an old saying that "life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." We know this is surely true of the adoption process, because we see it time and time again: when people called in one direction find their plans suddenly changing (seemingly without reason), only to find that God has other blessings in store for them.
Several weekends ago, Abrazo got an after-hours call from a Texas couple who'd thought their family was finished. They were already doing the best they could for the children they had, when a little surprise came along for which they were completely unprepared. Being the good parents they are, they want the best for all their children, and even amidst the crisis of their circumstances, they had the grace and wisdom to know that adoption was their best means of giving their newest, tiniest child the best while allowing them to continue to do the same for their other children.
Several weeks ago, Abrazo got a call from a couple from Abrazo's TIKLV orientation of 11/10, who'd thought their adoption dreams were finished. They'd been matched for a few months with a case that they thought felt right, but which they felt had turned out wrong. They questioned why this happened, they wondered why that baby could not be theirs, and they pondered whether or not to continue the process. Yet were it not for that unexpected change of plans, they would not have been blessed with the precious child who today became their son, just 7 months after they became paper-ready for placement. (Clearly, God knew best.)
Adoption is never simple nor easy-- nor should it be, considering how enormously it alters a child's fate and a family's future. We celebrate the new beginning of this child's fate and the future friendship of his four parents, and we wish them Godspeed as they grow together, as family.
-
1
-
-
“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the person that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but those whose hearts are firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, they will pursue their principles to success.” ~ Thomas Paine
The adoption process is, perhaps, one of life's greatest challenges. It requires of its participants great responsibility and much emotional investment, yet it requires those who take it on to invest themselves fully with no guarantees, and no promise of a positive outcome-- and this applies to parents who place as well as parents who adopt. Who could rightly blame anyone for wanting to give up, when challenges arise? and yet, what better parents are there than those who soldier on, despite occasional heartbreak and disappointments, all for the love of a new child scarcely known to either, yet so important to both.
Today, we celebrate the much-awaited homecoming of a precious baby boy whose parents all know all too well the sorrows of failed adoption plans, yet who appreciate each other all the more because each persevered in the face of great disappointment and kept the faith, for his sake. May this much-adored son they now share grow up with the courage, strength and determination of both families, and may he bless the day that his adoptive parents (graduates of TIKLV, Abrazo's 11/10 orientation weekend) and his first family became friends and family forever. Blessings, all!
-
2
-
-
They weren't supposed to come to orientation until August, but back in June, when Abrazo called a childless TN couple and asked if they might consider coming earlier (with less than a week to prepare), our newest new parents were ready and willing.
They bought plane tickets on short notice, threw clothes in a suitcase and gladly uprooted their lives to attend the Believe Us, We're Normal orientation class of June, 2011.
And it was a good thing, too! because having already finished their homestudy and prepared a profile, they were just as ready and willing when an expectant mom in her third trimester (recently referred by another mom who'd placed through Abrazo) wanted to talk with them.
From their first phone call, it seemed evident, this was a match made in heaven, so again, they bought plane tickets on short notice, threw clothes in a suitcase and gladly uprooted their lives to come meet her, the very weekend they otherwise would've been attending their originally-scheduled orientation weekend.
This week, they again got a last minute call, telling them their beloved friend was in labor, so once more, they bought plane tickets on short notice, threw clothes in a suitcase, and gladly uprooted their lives to come meet the handsome angel who officially became the son of all of them, today.
God works in mysterious ways, but we thank God for this little boy, for available flights, and for the very special people God has brought together here-- seemingly on short notice, but truly, as part of a divine plan known to God since long ago. May it serve as a reminder to us all: that nothing happens by chance, and that truly, these are miracles fueled by faith. Blessings, all!
-
Closed adoptions, whether intended to be steeped in secrecy or not, are like a lovely room with no windows and no view. It doesn't matter how nicely decorated it may be, one still has the sense that something is missing.
Open adoption, by contrast, is transparent; it's like an equally beautiful room, filled with floor to ceiling windows intended to let the sunshine in, thus enabling those inside to forever see beyond the confines of the present.
Today, we were blessed to join two families whose shared adoption experience is bathed in light and laughter. It's not that either party fails to appreciate the gravity of the arrangements being made... not at all. But both know all too well how confining it is to participate in an adoption which denies its participants the grace of knowing (and trusting) each other as genuine friends, and all appreciate the freedom to equally share in their love of the precious newborn daughter they will forever share.
So we celebrate with them, this beloved birthfamily and these againers who most recently graduated from Abrazo's ¡Montaña Rusa! orientation weekend of March, 2011. We congratulate them on finding each other, on the arrival of their healthy baby girl, and on the beautiful forever family they will always be... starting today! Blessings, all.
-
3
-
-
They had a feeling, after they completed their second adoption with Abrazo, that their family might not yet be complete? And given what wonderful parents they are, and how faithfully they have honored their open adoption promises, we were more than happy to welcome them back for their third placement! They graduated from our ¡Montaña Rusa! orientation in March, 2011, and matched within three months, with an expectant mom who felt she could only live with a closed adoption plan. But they kept her in their thoughts and prayers, and eventually, with Abrazo's encouragement, the situation evolved to the point that the birthmom and her mom elected to have the adoptive family present with them in the hospital. Today, they joined their hearts and lives for good, as the necessary paperwork was completed to send a beautiful newborn girl home with them. So congratulations to our newest "newly-improved" family and to the birthfamily whose courageous sacrifice made today's celebration possible... and God bless that sweet little angel they all love so!
-
We hadn't heard this rumor, but as it turns out, Amy Winehouse won't be adopting, after all:
-
They weren't planning to adopt again, but when these Texas 'tweeners (original graduates of Abrazo's Bald Tires orientation weekend) got word that their child's birthmother needed to place again, they said "yes!" and made room in their hearts and their home for one more little angel. May this adoptive couple's words and their actions always assure their children's first mom that her faith in them was indeed well-placed, and may the precious son and daughter she has entrusted to their care always know the love of all their parents, firsthand. Blessings, everyone!
-
Wherever Griffin is today, we hope he's gliding! because we know one couple from the orientation group whose name he inspired surely is! They couldn't join us for Camp this year because they already had something to do this weekend, but fortunately, they were able to change their plans when they got the news that a special mom and her mate were headed to the hospital earlier than planned! and today, by the grace of God and through the loving sacrifice of this dear birthcouple, they have become the proud parents of their first child, a baby girl. So we congratulate them, and we hope they'll be back with the birthfamily and the rest of the Griffin & the Gliders of 1/11 to join us all for Camp Abrazo 2012!
-
Some Abrazo againers in our designated program have an extra-special little reason to be doing the happy dance today!
-
1
-
-
She'd known, she said, that she wasn't ready for another child, although this very special mother is--by all accounts-- a wonderful and devoted parent to the two children she and her husband are already raising. But she dearly loved the baby she was carrying, and couldn't conceive of life without some continuing connection between them.
So when she called Abrazo, with her mind made up just weeks before her due date, we knew she needed a very special family, one who would understand how hard this would be for her, and who could be there for her, in every way-- before and during and after.
She looked over profiles, but needed more choices, and in the end, she chose a KY family who are already devoted members of Abrazo's Forum. They were to have been "againers" in Abrazo's 8/10 orientation, but already having planned to attend Camp Abrazo this year, they were more than willing to add an unforgettable excursion to north Texas to their pre-Camp schedule, becoming "tweeners" instead.
And what an unforgettable side trip it was! This week, they fell in love with this dear mama, her family, and the precious son they now share, born just two days ago... and built the foundations of a lifetime kinship, all in a matter of days.
As we head into our annual national family reunion this coming week, we celebrate tonight's very special placement and especially the people involved; the two caring couples, the proud new "big" siblings of each family, and the newborn boy so loved by all! Big hugs to each of them!
Growing Spiritual Children
in Abrazo's Chapel Potluck
Posted
Families Praying Together
Feb 20, 2012 12:00 am
[1]Family Matters Picture
Links:
1. http://dontwastefun.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/original/familymatters/2_20.png
By Dudley Callison, LPC, Camp Pastor
“I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my
forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and
day.” 2 Timothy 1:3
Children benefit from the rich faith handed to them by their parents.
Did you know that 75% of the kids who go to church while in high school
drop out of organized church activities during their first year away
from home?
In order to “own” their faith, our children need personal encounters
with the living God. If they only hear stories from scripture or other
believer’s, then they may wonder if God cares to listen to their
prayers, or to get involved in their lives.
Prayer journaling as a family can open the door for kids to realize
God’s powerful presence at work in our world today. It can provide
personal experiences between a child and the living Lord. Try one of
these ideas for a family prayer journal, or share with us what you have
found useful!
* Simple notebook – Share prayer requests as a family, and write them
down in a notebook. Then, periodically, go back and record a
change or answer to those prayers. Then offer a prayer of
thanksgiving together for what God has done.
* Daily prayer list – In a similar notebook, designate sections for
each day of the week. Spread out family members, friends and
neighbors, missionaries, church or national leaders, and others
onto the various pages. Then look over that page before
dinner-time prayer and ask the Lord to bless them.
* Fridge list – Just like having a grocery list on the refrigerator,
put a prayer list on it as well. Record prayer requests with dry
erase markers where everyone can see and remember what you are bringing before the Lord. Once a prayer request has come to pass, thank the Lord as you erase it.
By keeping prayer requests – and prayers answered – in front of your kids, they will grow to understand that their journey of faith is personal. God will answer your son or daughter’s prayer just like he does the prayer of an adult. When he or she leaves home, the habit of personal prayer will go with them.