Stork Central

DITTO!! Abrazo is blessed to STILL be in need of adoptive families... please help spread the word!

He had to have known, sweet baby that he is, that February would be an extra-special month in which to make an unexpected appearance! After all, one formerly-childless Tennessee couple just could not be happier about "having" to make an unexpected trip to Texas to meet their newborn son. They had no idea, two days ago when he was born, that their lives were about to change forever, but today, their patience and faith have been divinely rewarded. They drove all night to get here, and now these roadweary-but-excited graduates of Abrazo's Fiesta Under the Bus orientation weekend of April 2013 have become parents at last, so what better place to celebrate than the very town in which their journey began? Blessings, all! Enjoy our fair city and your precious baby, as we know you will!

There's not... We were so grateful to see this shared on several Facebook walls, yet nothing came about. (And our February orientation is necessarily being cancelled, because despite our present need for childless couples, we had only one signed up and ready to attend.) But thanks for checking back!

An expectant mother due next month who has used marijuana during pregnancy is seeking to match with a childless Hispanic couple (who is not already part of Abrazo's program). If you know of a homestudy-ready Hispanic couple with big hearts who would qualify to be part of Abrazo's community and might be open to such an opportunity, please have them forward their completed homestudy and profile ("Dear Birthparent" letter) to Stacy at Abrazo, ASAP!

In an essay about her first adoption experience, novelist and Abrazomom Jacquelyn Mitchard refers to babies placed for adoption as "angels of the outside chance." This week, one such angel came into Abrazo's care, as a hardworking mother checked into a hospital with abdominal distress and to her shock, delivered a very unexpected baby boy. Unprepared, she bravely opted for adoption, and the hospital turned to its agency of choice. This precious child is going home with the final waiting couple from our Soiled Oats orientation of October, 2012 and we hope this "angel of the outside chance" will truly thrive in their tender care. Blessings, all!

"I thought I couldn't do it, until I got attached (to the baby), and then I knew I had to." -- Nevaeh's Birthmom When they attended Abrazo's "Fiesta Under the Bus" orientation of April 2013, they could not have known that just across town was a young woman who would eventually change their lives. She first came to Abrazo last fall, looked over profiles, then decided to reconsider her options. This month, she called back, ready to proceed. She chose the adopting couple whose profile had caught her eye months ago, met them a week ago and birthed her baby days later, on the birthday of the adopting mom. Today, they officially became forever family, joined by the sweet baby girl they now share. May she always know how very loved she is! Blessings, all!

A loving mother, she knew she wanted nothing more than to parent, when she found out she was expecting again. Yet when she learned she was carrying twins, it became doubly difficult to contemplate both parenting and placing. If life were always "fair," she would have surely won the lottery in the interim, or found some equally-wonderful means of turning her situation around to enable her to make different choices for the children she already loved so... but in the end, circumstances led her to believe that adoption was the most selfless decision she could make on their behalf. It is our fervent hope that the family of her choosing, graduates of Abrazo's Ibbity Dibbity orientation weekend of July 2013, will forever be the silver lining in these children's lives, and that these fortunate adoptive parents will reward the faith she has placed in them by ensuring the twins forever enjoy a close personal relationship with the first family who treasures them so. Blessings, all!

We have not finalized 2014 orientation dates yet, but we're looking at Valentine's Day weekend, midApril during Fiesta, July and October?

"When, therefore, we end the civil war within our nature and cultivate peace within ourselves, we become at peace.” (St. Gregory of Nyssa) Unexpectedly expecting and stuck in surroundings not of her choosing, she would have been the first to tell you she felt at war with herself, and desperately alone when a friend gave her Abrazo's phone number 9 weeks ago. She may have felt anything but divinely-inspired, yet God had that proverbial eye on this sparrow, and when she looked over Abrazo's profiles, she was immediately drawn to one in particular. It was that of a new couple who (like her) had just entered Abrazo's program that same month. Compassionate, local and devout Catholics, they were exactly the kind of parents this young woman wished she herself could have had, and the time she spent getting to know these graduates of Abrazo's The Mighty Paisanos orientation of October 2013 only strengthened her convictions. Today, she signed legal paperwork to make them her son's new parents, and it is a decision with which she is truly at peace, knowing she is giving him the opportunity to become everything every parent dreams of for their child. Being that today is the feast day of St. Gregory of Nyssa, we think the quote above is especially appropriate, and we wish this sweet baby boy and all his parents a lifetime of peace and joy together. Blessings, all!

They couldn't have guessed, when they attended Abrazo's Fiesta Under the Bus orientation in April 2013, that just a few hours away was a teen mom whose courage and strength would eventually change their lives forever. A single mom, she wanted to do her best for the son she was already parenting, and ultimately, that meant making an adoption plan for the baby she was carrying. They've spent the past few months building a friendship, and today, they've become a forever family, for love of the sweet newborn daughter they now share. Here's to new beginnings! Blessings, all.

When a San Antonio couple came to speak on Abrazo's panel for our last two orientation weekends, they had no idea that they, too, would be preparing to adopt again in the near future. Yet when a local mother-to-be was led to Abrazo by a friend who had placed here, and then found herself without a Texas couple to adopt her child (which was the desire of her heart), the AbrazoChicks leaped into action. We called the folks who have been so gracious about sharing their story at orientation (and who had just finalized their first adoption of a beautiful baby girl, after having initially had a twin match fall through.) At the time of our call, they were busy entertaining beloved friends from their original orientation group who were in town to finalize, but they happily agreed to get a quick homestudy update and today, they officially became the parents of a beautiful baby boy! We thank them for their willingness to open their hearts and their home as needed, we love them for their loyalty to the Abrazo Family, and we congratulate them on their gorgeous Irish twins, as they now are the proud parents of not one, but two children-- exactly nine months apart!

There's a new sheriff in town, as of this week, and while he may be tiny now, we have no doubt he's going to bring some Texas-style justice to his new stomping grounds! We join a selfless San Antonio-area birth couple in celebrating the arrival of a beautiful five pound baby boy, and we wish them a close lifetime friendship with the adoptive parents they have chosen for him, formerly-childless graduates of Abrazo's July 2013 orientation class, Ibbity Dibbity. What a perfect way to ring in the holiday season! Blessings, all!

From time to time, when our agency gets requests from expectant parents for types of adoptive families not currently in supply (ie., families of a certain race or religion or locale), we are faced with the option of networking with other agencies to find alternative homes OR recruiting former adoptive families within our own program who may have expressed interest in adopting again or who may be ready to start again. (And we'd always rather keep Abrazo babies "in the Family," whenever possible!) Families who wish to be considered for such opportunities must be in good standing, which means they have * kept their promises to the agency by following agency policies and providing annual reports in a consistent manner, * honored their open adoption commitments to their child/ren's birthparents, and * remained active in the Abrazo community, through ongoing Forum participation and attendance at Camp Abrazo and/or regional Abrazo agency gatherings. "Draftees" are encouraged to have updated profiles and criminal/CANRIS/FBI checks at the ready. (Home study updates must be obtained in advance of anticipated placement date.) Againers contacted by Abrazo will be required to submit a current application with references, photos, tax return and application fee in order to receive the case assessment, if selected for match. (Contracts, full-service preplacement agency fee and escrow funds must be returned with case commitment. Orientation participation will be required only if an available weekend precedes the due date for the "drafted" match.) Should a "drafted" match not result in a successful placement, the adoptive couple remains eligible for ultimate matches via Abrazo's full-service program, should they opt to continue. In extending such case opportunities to qualified alum, Abrazo relies on its former clients' integrity and ongoing compliance with and commitment to program policies. Abrazo reserves the right to make all program and placement decisions as it sees fit, in accordance with best practice standards and what it perceives to be the best interests of the children in its care.

Abrazo needs childless couples, especially those from Texas. We know these words may irk some of our six yet-unmatched PIWs, but every adopting couple has its own preset expectations and qualifications, just as placing parents do. And when prospective birthparents shuffle through our very small selection of waiting family profiles and don't find what they're looking for, they go looking elsewhere, and we don't want that to happen! So if you (or your homestudy agency) know childless couples who are well-suited for open adoption and would be a great addition to the Abrazo family, please encourage them to download our Adoptive Parents Inquiry form, available on our website at http://abrazo.org/want-to-adopt/process/ OR have them call Stacy for more information at 210-342-5683. Pay it forward... share the "gift" of Abrazo with everyone you know!

They come from large families and they have a large family, and they're doting parents, but they know their limits, so when a South Texas couple found themselves delivering another baby unexpectedly, they knew which agency they could trust. They called Abrazo, and within an hour of that call, Abrazo was there for them. The couple wanted the baby to go to a deserving couple who would truly appreciate her, who had been waiting the longest, but they didn't want to look over profiles nor choose the family themselves. And they chose a very special name for their little angel, the most beautiful one they could think of! Abrazo has so many deserving couples, we knew this dear baby would be adored by any of them, but upon reviewing the birthparents' criteria, it seemed clear which family had waited the longest and was ready in every way, so twenty four hours ago, we called a faithful family from our Soiled Oats orientation of October 2012, who had endured several disappointments yet stayed loyal through it all. They jumped on a plane today, finished placement paperwork an hour ago, and they are presently meeting their beautiful new baby girl at the hospital-- a child who would likely not have been theirs were it not for how patiently they have waited. Truly, everything does happen for a reason! They have chosen to keep the name the birthparents chose for this sweet child, and they will likewise keep their promises to raise her to love and respect them, and to keep them informed of her welfare. Why? Because they're just good people, and we couldn't be happier for them (and that goes for all of them!) Blessings, all!