Stork Central

When these faithful againers joined Abrazo for our Fifty Sheets of Faustino orientation weekend in July 2014, they could not possibly have imagined all the twists and turns their journey was about to take, nor God's providential hand in all of it. They were the only returning clients that weekend, and they graciously shared of their own adoption experience to help put all the other newbies at ease. Immediately after orientation, an unforeseen medical crisis arose, requiring them to temporarily put their adoption plans on hold while attending to the challenge at hand... but still, they continued to loyally support both their orientation group members and the Abrazo adoption community at large. Treatments concluded. Months passed. One year after their orientation weekend, Abrazo got a call from a mother who had already delivered and wanted experienced parents to raise her baby girl. Abrazo contacted againers with no gender preferences for her consideration, and the decision was made to place this "angel of the outside chance" with this family, whose faith and fortitude has instilled in them a strong belief in angels and in Divine Intervention. We thank God, from Whom all blessings flow, and we wish them all a very long and happy life together!

He was an unexpected blessing, the sweet baby boy who came into the world this week, but much loved by his first parents, nonetheless. They would have dearly loved to raise him themselves if things were different, but they knew their survival (and his) dictated otherwise. So they made the best plan they could, given their circumstances, and in doing so they forever changed the lives of a couple from our Cabarets-R-Us orientation of April, 2015 (and for those who love them, too.) Blessed be each of them! (For stories this serendipitous only happen once in a blue moon, after all...)

Some might say it had something to do with the convergence of Jupiter and Venus and the so-called return of the Star of Bethlehem this month. Some might chalk it up to chance, or patience rewarded, or good karma, or even cranberry glitter bath gel. But we know that tonight's long-awaited placement was the result of some very special prayers said by a little boy who longed to be someone's big brother and knew God just might need to be reminded of how ready he was. God hears our prayers, after all, even when God doesn't always answer them in the way we hope or the timing we'd choose. You see, God knew that there was going to be a little baby boy born this month whose mama would need to make a very difficult decision, and that the grief of that decision would require her to find a special family who could be trusted to go the extra mile to make room for her in their lives. So God picked out one faithful family from Abrazo's Ibbity Dibbity orientation of July 2013, and charged them with the important task of waiting for this little boy to be ready for them. It wasn't easy, and the wait didn't always make sense, but God knew what God was doing, and we're so grateful that everything turned out the way it did. God bless this newborn miracle, the mama who bore him, the parents that adore him, and the proud new big brother, whose precious prayer was answered in such an unforgettable way this very special night.

What a joy it is to welcome back beloved clients who are not just great parents but also extraordinary open adoption proponents who have proven true to their word! They didn't make it back to orientation because the baby got here first, but they've spent the last few months getting to know her first mom and they plan to continue a friendship that will forever honor their child and her birth mama's place in their lives (just as they do for their son and his birtthfamily.) Blessings, all!

It's us, again, and by the grace of God, Abrazo needs more new adoptive couples again! We've had a flurry of placements recently. and we are in special need of (1) childless couples, of (2) Texans, and of (3) adoptive families with children who are racially open, as these are the sorts of adoptive homes most of our placing parents are seeking lately. Please pass this on to your homestudy agencies, your adoptive parent support networks and to any friends or relatives you may know who in interested in adopting and who would be a great addition to the Abrazo community. Abrazo works with traditionally-married couples over the age of 25 who have documented infertility, are emotionally-sound, financially stable, and ready to commit to open adoption. Our agency serves adopting families in all states except NY. (As an added bonus, inquiry fees are being waived for the month of July, in celebration of Abrazo's 21st summer of operation!) Those who are interested in more information can find it on Abrazo's website, at http://www.abrazo.org, or call Abrazo's Family Services Coordinator Stacy Levinson at 210-342-5683.

Ten months ago, they came to Abrazo's July 2014 orientation weekend (Fifty Sheets of Faustino), a little bit excited and a little bit nervous. We talked that first night about the fact that however long the wait might seem at times, that there truly was a greater plan and that their lives would be forever changed before they knew it. We also talked about the fact that their children's birthparents were already "out there" somewhere, even thought most had no idea how their lives were about to change. And how true it was, because at that time, a San Antonio mother was about to conceive a child for whom she was very unprepared. She, too, would experience excitement and nervousness, and she, too, wanted to believe there was a greater plan. This week, their lives connected and today, they became family, joined by their devotion to a newborn boy who will surely change all their lives. May their lasting commitment to him and to each other forever change his, as well. Blessings, all!

Well, this story doesn't exactly warm the cockles of one's heart in an haute couture kind of way: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3105531/Late-designer-Oscar-la-Renta-snubs-adopted-son-26million-will.html

Adoption is not just for babies, of course! Abrazo is presently seeking a loving adoptive home for a first grader of Hispanic descent, who has ADHD and vitiligo (loss of skin pigmentation). He is a sweet child who knows his mom and grandmother need to find him a new family and he would likely do best in a home in which he can be the youngest child, with experienced adoptive parents who embrace openness, understand ADD/ADHD issues, and will honor this child's connections with his birthfamily and commit to annual visits. If you or someone you know have a homestudy and would be open to this placement opportunity, please contact Stacy Levinson at Abrazo for more information: 210-342-5683. This will be a La Promesa (special needs) placement. Texas reportedly no longer makes the nonrecurrent state adoption subsidy available in private agency cases, but such funding may still be available to families in other states that offer such assistance.

It's been said that good things come in small packages, and one of our formerly-childless couples from our Two Men Down orientation of April, 2014 is celebrating a tiny pink package of their own today, thanks to the courage of a sweet West Texas mama who delivered unexpectedly this week. We congratulate all this dear baby's proud parents on their beautiful little daughter, and we'll be sure to save a place in the front row for them in the Camp Abrazo group picture, this time next year! Blessings, all...

This is May Day, a holiday which was traditionally celebrated by fair maidens dancing around May poles, and surprise deliveries of elaborately-decorated baskets-- so what better day to celebrate our newest fair maiden, a beautiful baby girl clearly already loved by all? Her birthmama has been a faithful member of Abrazo's birthparent support group for months, and her new adoptive parents are againers who were distinguished graduates of our 3...2...1... orientation group of November 2014. They've built a friendship that is meant to last for ages, and we couldn't be happier for them, because the precious babe they now share is going to grow up with an also-adopted big brother, and birthsiblings who will never be hidden from her (which is the whole point of open adoption, after all!) Happy May Day! Happy Entrustment Day! Blessings, all!

They could never have imagined, that Friday night last April when they walked into Abrazo's Two Men Down orientation weekend of 4/14, what challenges and blessings awaited them in the year that lay ahead. Yet through two failed matches and countless other possibilities, the couple who became parents today had an overwhelming sense of calm, because of their strong faith, their rock-solid marriage, and their abiding certainty that their story was unfolding as it should. Those were just some of the many attributes that appealed to the married couple who came to Abrazo last month, seeking an extraordinary home for a statistically-rare pregnancy. They reviewed all of Abrazo's waiting parents' profiles but knew almost immediately what felt right, and over the weeks that followed, their choice remained clear. Three days ago, these two couples were together in a San Antonio hospital when God bestowed two tiny blessings upon them and the world, and today they made their new family relationship official, forever. We wish these beautiful little twin girls and both their sets of parents every joy in the future, and we join our newest adoptive parents in lifting prayers of thanks to God, from whom all blessings flow!

It's the first placement for the Cabarets-R-Us orientation of April, 2015, but today's entrustment was the culmination of a plan that was surely always meant to be, for this sweet baby boy's fate was undoubtedly destiny. The mama and her mother came to Abrazo seeking a very specific sort of parents, with carefully defined qualifications, and Abrazo found just the right couple with the help of a beloved out-of-state social worker who's helped with countless Abrazofolk over the years. They have spent a whirlwind month getting to know each other and building a friendship (and the birthmom and adoptive mom have already made plans to get matching tattoos this summer, how awesome is that?) We wish them all a lifetime of joy and fun together!

It was just a hop, a skip and a jump between the Sin Carne, Sin Dinero orientation weekend of February 2015 and today's joyous placement, but these adoptive parents were so beloved by the birthfamily of their first son, Abrazo knew they'd be more than ready to welcome a second child and his birthfamily into their lives, and with just as much joy. (And what a joy it is for us, to see this forever family grow.) We wish the new big brother and this precious newborn boy a very happy National Sibling Day, and we celebrate the adoptive couple who have proven to be such good parents and so true to their open adoption promises, as well as the two sweet birthmothers who both appreciate them so. Blessings, all!

She had never intended for life to lead her back this way, but when it did, she knew she had to make the best of it for the sake of her then-unborn son. Her options may have seemed limited, due to circumstances beyond her control, but she soon found a new family, a local couple from Abrazo's 3... 2... 1... orientation of November 2014. Upon meeting them, she felt instantly at ease, and ever since, they have been building new family connections with which to bless the life of the son they now share. May their sense of kinship never wane, and may he always know how very loved he is by all!