Stork Central

The weather in Texas may not feel much like autumn yet, but a special 'lil pumpkin arrived just in time for Halloween, and his dear birthmama and new parents (from our Cabarets-R-Us orientation of April, 2015) just couldn't be more proud of him! We welcome their much-loved son to the world and we wish them a lifetime of happiness together.

Be sure to visit Abrazo's newest website, http://www.birthmomstrong.com

Just wanted to bump this topic up for some of our newbies who have perhaps not discovered all the glorious Forum topics past page one of this section...!

It's not often we get to say this, but Abrazo could use some more families with children who are racially open and ready to adopt again, so if you've been thinking it's time to grow your family, Stacy has an orientation coming up that has space available for experienced parents wanting to adopt again! (Go for it!)

What a fortuitous journey their quest to become parents took them on, these Fifty Shades of Faustino graduates of 7/14. They started out pursuing international adoption, opted for domestic adoption instead, experienced the highs and lows of the adoption roller coaster but never lost the faith, and whaddaya know? Tonight, through the love of a birthmom and the grace of God, they're a family of three! Blessings, all!

Abrazo is presently accepting applications from againers, so if you have adopted previously (whether with Abrazo or elsewhere) and you are seeking to do another open adoption of an infant, toddler or sibling group, please download the application from the Abrazo website and get started now!

Any deadheads around here? You might enjoy this story: http://www.marinij.com/arts-and-entertainment/20150627/grateful-deads-bob-weir-says-fare-thee-well-to-his-birth-father And for anyone who has been living under a rock: http://radaronline.com/celebrity-news/sandra-bullock-adopted-daughter-louis-bryan-randall-bonding/

As the first couple from our newest orientation group to take placement, the couple who became first-time parents today promise to cheer the rest of the members of Chavon Is The New Black (7/15) on until everyone's families are grown! In the meantime, they'll keep busy doting on their beautiful new baby girl and building a lifetime friendship with the sweet birthmama whose courageous choice proved to be the answer to their prayers. Blessings, all!

One of the first things adoptive families need to do upon beginning the adoption process is complete their background checks. This must be done for obvious reasons; if one is seeking to adopt another person's child, it is incumbent upon the adopter to prove that there is nothing in their background that would be potentially unsafe for a child, and there is nothing to preclude the courts from approving an adoption. Texas couples wait for Abrazo's Family Services Coordinator to submit their identifying information to TDFPS; a records check and a CANRIS (central child abuse/neglect registry) scan is done, and then the couple is cleared to undergo fingerprinting through MorphoTrust. No homestudy can be completed and no adoption activities such as matching can commence prior to the entire background check being cleared and received by Abrazo. Out-of-state couples must submit to background checks run in their home state by their homestudy worker, and they must also allow Stacy to run their records check and CANRIS scan through TDFPS, with repeated fingerprinting through MorphoTrust to follow (yes, even if MorphoTrust is the same company who did their fingerprints through their home state. And yes, you have to pay MorphoTrust twice, even though it makes absolutely no sense to any of us-- because Texas has a mltimillion dollar exclusive contract with MorphoTrust. Go figure.) Here are some useful links for those trying to comprehend the background check requirements: https://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Child_Care/Information_for_Providers/faq_bkgd_ck_foster_adpt_homes.asp http://www.lac.org/toolkits/ASFA/asfa.htm Certain convictions can exempt an adoptive applicant from being able to adopt in the State of Texas: http://icpcstatepages.org/texas/criminalbackground/ Applicants with violations who wish to seek "proof of rehabilitation" from the State in order to attempt to adopt despite infractions identified in the list above need to contact Abrazo's Family Services Coordinator for more information on all the documentation needed for that process. (Please be forewarned that it is a labor-intensive process that requires originals of all relevant court documents as well as professional assessments, etc. Additional fees may apply.)

Abrazo had several cancer survivors in attendance at our Parents of Tomorrow orientation last weekend, so we found this article to be particularly timely: http://articles.philly.com/2015-08-10/news/65383393_1_cancer-survivors-adoption-agencies-breast-cancer If you haven't seen this poem, may it lend you both strength and encouragement! "What Cancer Cannot Do"Cancer is so limited... It cannot cripple love. It cannot shatter hope. It cannot corrode faith. It cannot eat away peace. It cannot destroy confidence. It cannot kill friendship. It cannot shut out memories. It cannot silence courage. It cannot reduce eternal life. It cannot quench the Spirit. Author: Unknown

Abrazo did a very special placement today of an older child with a well-qualified couple who was found only after an intricate nationwide search. We wish this newly-created family every joy in their new life together, and we thank the loving God who has guided all our steps on behalf of this precious child. Blessings, all!

If there's one certainty in the adoption process, it's that the journey is always filled with unforeseen twists and turns, and one of our family's journeys took an unexpected detour this week, albeit for the sweetest of reasons. Just two days after an unexpected baby had been placed with them, the birthmom of their first daughter called; she too had just delivered, and needed to place. They were only able to take one baby home, so after much careful consideration, they made a wise decision enabling the sisters to grow up together. The birthmother is overjoyed, and we too are grateful that her little girls get to share the forever family that they do. All's well that ends well! Here's to the winding road and all its faithful sojourners. Blessings, all!

Adoption is about finding loving homes for children who need them, and today, Abrazo witnessed the joining of two loving homes for the best interests of a first grader who needed more stability than his first family could offer, hard as they'd tried. They had plenty of love to share, no doubt about that! But try as they might, they had little security to offer him, and they wanted him to have a home where he would never have to go without the things he needed most, like a big brother or a dad and a full-time mom, and adequate food and clothes, and a safe house and a friendly dog and a good education. Together, the birthfamily and a Midwestern adoptive family have carefully entered into a plan that will give him all these things-- and more. We wish them all peace and comfort, and joy, as well-- plus an open adoption that enables him to revel in the love of all who care about him, forevermore. Blessings, all!

It's official-- we NEED more adoptive families! Abrazo has done six placements in the past four weeks and currently has five more pending, so we are presently accepting infertile adopting couples with OR without children, and we need couples in Texas and from out-of-state, for children of all races and both genders. Our next orientation is August 28-29, so if you've been thinking about getting started (or starting again,) NOW IS THE TIME! If you've never adopted from Abrazo before, start here: http://abrazo.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/InquiryForm.pdf If you're adopting from Abrazo again, skip ahead here: http://abrazo.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CurrentApplication.pdf

They came back for Abrazo's 3... 2... 1... orientation of November 2014, and what a prophetic countdown it was, for they weathered two unsuccessful matches in order to get to the one that was meant to be! We are overjoyed for these againers who are so happy to add a second baby girl to their family, and for the birthmama who is blessed to be adding them to hers.

It's a girl! Months after their completion of the Sin Carne, Sin Dinero orientation of February, 2015, weeks after attending Camp Abrazo 2015 and just days after the adoptive family returned from a successful Ironman excursion in Alaska, these loyal againers have joyously welcomed a precious baby girl to their loving home. The adoptive parents have consistently gone the extra mile to honor the birthparents, and we are so very thankful that God saw fit to bring their lives together, that their children might always know the affinity they share. Blessings, all!