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Stork Central

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Everything posted by Stork Central

  1. Bienvenidos to our latest orientation graduates, Bruce's "Great 8" Posse (4/03), who joined up this weekend and proved themselves ready to hit the ground running, in search of eight (or more) darling new sons and daughters!! Best of luck to each of our new families on this exciting quest.
  2. Springtime in Texas is known for the beautiful wildflowers which blossom along our state's roadways--roads that were not nearly as scenic nor floral last October when two newbies drove down from out East to join The Great BambinoFest (10/02), losing a special bag somewhere along the way-- one containing important identification records. It seemed like a catastrophe at the time, but little did they know that just six months later, that loss would be long-forgotten as they returned to Texas to take on a whole new identity, as a first-time mom and dad! "Bloom where you are planted" was a popular slogan of the Seventies. Here's wishing bouquets of happiness to two loving couples (birth and adoptive) who've just planted the nicest of gardens together, securing a rosy future for our latest precious baby girl. Hearty congratulations to all!
  3. Please say a prayer for one little baby boy and the loving would-be parents who recently lost him, when a judge in a "foreign" court ordered him "returned" to a man who'd refused to take paternity tests-- then failed to even show up to claim him upon his return, sending his kid sister to pick up her new charge. It's a travesty and a tragedy, and we can only ask that a loving God, who knows far more than we, will hold these dear ones in His care, offering divine comfort, strength and shelter in the wake of this storm.
  4. Childless couples are always in demand, particularly when open to a beautiful array of little ones of assorted race and gender and age. Our orientation weekends are generally held every two months, but registration confirmations are granted in accordance with agency placement resource needs, meaning that different kinds of families may be especially needed for upcoming cases at various times of the year. This is why completed inquiries and applications must be on file prior to orientation assignment, so that our family services coordinator can best fit each particular weekend to each particular applicant. Get that paperwork in promptly, and count on Angela to work on getting you on board as soon as she can!
  5. Please call Angela, our family services coordinator, at 210/342-5683; she can let you know what the orientation forecast looks like for April!
  6. In a word, yes: Abrazo continues to have new birthparents joining our program each week, and they are expressing a particular preference for childless couples-- especially those living in Texas and open to children of full hispanic descent. (Thanks for asking!)
  7. Heartfelt thanks go out to two more loving birthcouples, who have entrusted their newborn daughters to two more loving Abrazo families! As a result, we congratulate another set of graduates from The Great BambinoFest (10/02), who took placement of their second Abrazobabe just five months after orientation, and the first of Los Missionarios (2/03) who have become parents only five weeks after coming aboard... here's wishing you both a beautiful spring season with your precious new little blossoms!
  8. "Sugar and spice, and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of..." Abrazo joyfully announces the culmination of a dream (and many answered prayers) for another of our againers, loyal Forumites from The Great BambinoFest orientation weekend of 10/02. Celebrate with us, as one of the sweetest of girl babies joins one the dearest of families, who in turn thank heaven for having been matched with such precious birthparents!
  9. If you're new to Abrazo, this is a particularly great place to get basic questions answered by the "been there, know that" crowd... especially if you have a burning need-to-know something after hours, when the office is closed. Admissions questions of a specific nature, of course, are better saved for our Family Services Coordinator, but there's a wealth of wisdom and information to be found among our Forum folks. So newbies, if you need to know how the Abrazo adoption program generally works, how the costs typically run, how to complete the admissions process, and other "how-tos" you've got a bunch of awesome new friends out here in Forumland, ready and willing to help, around the clock!
  10. Abrazo sent the future Miss Minnesota 2023 home with her proud new momma and grandmother today, to be welcomed home by three handsome brothers and an in-home auntie, as well! This terrific trio is headed home by way of Houston, where they're stopping for a special family reunion of sorts, as this precious little baby girl introduces her adopting family to the loving birthmother who is so anxious to meet them. We wish them happy trails and safe journeys, and we hope to lure Dr. Mom and crew back to Texas to meet the rest of our kin at Camp Abrazo one of these years! Congratulations!
  11. It's already "westward ho!" for a 10 lb., 13 oz. baby boy born this past weekend to a couple of our Holiday Hopefuls, (12/02), in a wonderful case that came together in just 2 weeks time!! It was a cold, icy day in San Antonio today but while most other local establishments were closed due to weather, Abrazo's loyal team braved the climes to slide into work anyway, and now, a certain "gang" of two proudly number three!! (So we're sending out five happy "attaboys", one each for Mom, Dad, Baby, birthmomma and birthdad, too.) A hearty welcome, also, to our most recent orientation graduates, the February 2003 weekend participants who named themselves--help us out here, Stork Central needs a spell check on this one!-- "Los Misionarios"--or something that sounds just like that! We wish them Godspeed on their mission, and many inspiring Forum visits in the interim!!
  12. Linlacor, thanks for sharing your friend's father's needs. We join you in keeping your friend, her dad and their loved ones in our prayers. (Please keep us informed of his welfare--and hers.) Tonight, we also ask for prayers of comfort for adoptive mom Marilyn, whose three-year-old son succumbed to heart problems yesterday after a long and trying medical battle. We know God has a very special place for his littlest angels, and we offer thanks for the joy Marilyn's son brought to his mother and siblings in the time he spent with them. Our thoughts are also with his birthparents, and we wish for them, too, the peace that passes understanding.
  13. They may have gotten off to a slow start, but these Forumites from the Fabulous Six-Packers (11/01) now know why no other baby could've "fit" their dreams--and why not? It was all because their new little son just wasn't ready to enter the world and join their home until now! So it is that tonight, a faithful country couple from NC find themselves in Houston, pinching themselves to be sure it's for real and staying up all night to admire their precious baby boy. Good things do come to those who wait, and this new family is living proof of that. Congratulations, y'all!! You couldn't have happened to a nicer baby!!
  14. It's a nice problem to have, but a problem nonetheless... after a flurry of matches and placements, Abrazo is in need of new adoptive families!! We have a particular need for childless couples, especially from Texas, and have nearly depleted our supply of families awaiting children of full Hispanic descent. Abrazo currently has only a half dozen families still "in-waiting", and more than three times as many birthmoms waiting to find the adoptive parents of their dreams, for babies due between now and June! Please help us spread the word... our next orientation weekend is the first week in April, and interested candidates should call Angela at Abrazo to get the necessary paperwork in place before then! Thanks, all.
  15. It wasn't baby dust, B.O.G. hint-dropping nor Abrazo magic that brought today's miracle about, but rather, good old-fashioned Divine Intervention, which enabled one conscientious birthmom to free her chosen aps from their match with her--just in time to make them available for another birthmom, elsewhere, who delivered the very next week! So it is that another lucky couple from our Los Nuevos Familias orientation weekend (8/02) have become parents, with this morning's placement of a tiny, newborn boy. We send loving wishes to both birthmothers, and to all those like them out there, who seek better lives for their children and in doing so, also help make dreams come true for our parents-in-waiting. (And while we're at it, a special word of thanks to the heavenly host for watching over all our efforts and bringing Abrazo the very nicest of clients!! Amen!)
  16. "To everything (turn, turn, turn) there is a season (turn, turn, turn) and a time for every purpose under heaven...." The season may still be winter, and the holidays may have just ended... but just weeks after completing our 12/02 orientation, the first of our Holiday Hopefuls have come back to Texas to bestow abrazos y besitos (hugs & kisses) upon a precious new daughter, born unexpectedly this past weekend. Abrazo againers, these faithful alum had been preparing themselves for a much longer wait...but God had other plans in store, and tonight, they are a family of four! We send loving congratulations out to them, and best wishes to those who've shared in both their first and second orientation and placement experiences.
  17. Launch the fireworks, dig out the noisemakers and fling the confetti--our first baby of 2003 is safe and sound in the arms of her startled new parents tonight (and they're still pinching themselves to be sure she's for real!!) This precious New Year's Eve arrival went to the last of The Mamas & The Papas II, and met her new parents just weeks before the first anniversary of their 1/02 orientation weekend. It was a year that took this faithful young couple through unforeseen challenges and some of life's greatest tests, but they were people of strength and grace and goodness, and she's a lucky little girl to have them as her very own Mama & Papa! Our heartfelt congratulations to this special new family of three, and a special word of thanks to the very dear birthcouple who made this miracle possible for all three of them. The best things in life, as they say, truly are worth waiting for. If you're still waiting, that means the best thing in life is still headed your way. Just watch what happens! and make the most of every step along the path. Because here's to great happenings in 2003!
  18. Congratulations to three more families, for whom "bubbles" will have a whole new meaning this New Year's Eve, as they celebrate with precious new little end-of-year arrivals! It's a bouncing baby boy for some recent Forum newcomers, whose infant son found his way home, even before they could find their way to orientation... while a single mom from our March 02 orientation weekend, Sleepless in San Antonio, took placement today of a tiny new daughter... and a duo of docs from Los Nueve Familias (August 02) welcome a preemie princess just born Saturday into their hearts and lives. Happy New Year to these and all our beloved Abrazo kinfolk, past, present and future. We ask God's continued blessings over all, in 2003 and beyond!!
  19. Just in time for Christmas, a baby girl for two doctors from our 5/02 orientation, The DreamTeam 02. She's 3 days old, gorgeous to boot, and sure to teach them a thing or two about patience (get it? patients?)... the perfect prescription for the happiest-ever holidays! Here's wishing all our new moms 'n dads as well as those soon-to-be's much Christmas cheer and sugarplum dreams (as well as babies who sleep through the night!!) Congrats!
  20. NEW PROSPECTIVE PARENTS ARE NEEDED FOR 2003!! Abrazo's ranks of adoptive parents in 2002 is quickly dwindling, due to the number of parents-in-waiting who have successfully matched and/or placed this year, and the agency is in need of additional adoptive families to meet our anticipated number of children needing loving homes in 2003!! Our Texas (in-state) families have placed particularly quickly this year, as have our childless couples who are bicultural (of Hispanic and Anglo or Anglo-Hispanic descent) or biracial (one spouse being Anglo and the other African-American). Singles open to children of part or full African-American background have become parents in record time. And Abrazo continues to need adoptive applicants who are open to full Hispanic infants, or toddlers and sibling groups. If you are looking to adopt, we hope you're looking at Abrazo! We've helped nearly a thousand folks get on their way to parenting since 1994, and we need more great families to continue the tradition. For more information or 2003 orientation dates (starting with February!) please call our family services coordinator, Angela, at 210/342-LOVE and see if our programs fit your needs. Hope to hear from you!
  21. Great advice, linlacor! (And good thing you got your homestudy ducks all in order when you did! For those who are new here, skip over to "Parents in Waiting" to the "Lance & Lisa's Beautiful Daughter" topic and find out why! ) "Fairy tales do come true, it could happen to you..."
  22. Their forum screen name started with "Ready" and so they were, having voluntarily joined us for Camp Abrazo, a month before their orientation weekend, and then giving up their Thanksgiving dinner with their own families to spend the weekend with an anxious birthfather, his family, and a birthmom who knew in her heart that adoption was best. Today, they are journeying home with their newborn son, and we send out special congratulation to our 10/02 orientation grads, The Great BambinoFest, as they welcome new babe and parents to their ranks. Ho ho ho! (And the season's only starting...!) Best baby wishes to all out there!!
  23. ...And miracles do so abound! They'd wondered if they might dare to hope to be parents by this time next year--but Santa paid them an early visit, filling their stocking with sugar and spice and everything nice--and tonight, one of our beloved Forum families and graduates of Los Nueve Familias (8/02) welcome a newborn daughter into their circle of love. We couldn't be happier for them (or her!) and we send warm wishes, yuletide greetings and quick Compact karma their way (and your way, too, if you're still "in-waiting"-- your turn will come!) "...How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given! And God impart to human hearts the blessings of His heaven." Phillips Brooks, 1868
  24. Newest addition to our Baby Announcements: Babies, we're Announcing our newest parents-in-waiting, the Holiday Hopefuls, graduates of Abrazo's last orientation weekend of 2002!! Welcome aboard to these fine folks, who have joined the ranks of our fourteen other couples with high hopes of being moms and dads by this time next year. This is, after all, a season known for great miracles... wishing all of you the best of both! Seasons' Greetings!
  25. Lately we've been hearing lots of homestudy questions from prospective clients--what they consist of, how they're done, who does them, how much they cost... so how about we post some basics for newbies, then invite veteran Forumites with real-life homestudy experiences to share their insights and suggestions? The homestudy is an official report done by a Master's level, licensed social worker in your home state and submitted to Abrazo for approval before you can match and/or place. We require that homestudies for couples involve no less than 5 face-to-face interviews with all household members (individually and jointly) and a home inspection, conducted in the course of no less than three separate calendar dates. Texas standards require that agency-approved studies cover a total of 22 specified topics and they just changed the topical requirements in May 2002, so be sure any social worker you're considering knows the latest requirements!!! The original study expires six months from the date of the last visit; after that, an update visit done within 30 days prior to placement and citing all 22 topics and any changes must be on file approved by Abrazo before the adopting parents arrive for placement. Once you've had an acceptable homestudy done, if you seek to adopt a year or more later, Texas standards do not require that a whole new study be done--only an update, with supporting documents updated as well. This should cost considerably less than the full study. That's the dry stuff--now onto more interesting feedback from the "Home/studied Team" out there. What kind of questions did your homestudy worker ask? What kinds of fees were you quoted when shopping around for homestudies? How did you decide who to hire? What did you hide just before the worker arrived at your house? (Better yet, what'd you forget to put away and hope she didn't notice?) What do you wish you'd known before starting the study? What could you have nuked your spouse for saying during the interviews? Did anybody out there actually endure a "white glove" test? (Most homestudy workers out there today probably have pretty lax housekeeping standards themselves and would be appalled to have their clients see their own homes.) Did your worker allow you to read the study before it was finished, or give you a copy to keep? If so, what did you think of what was said about you? (An interesting sidenote: birthparents have no access to the homestudy unless their adoptive family specifically asks that they be provided a copy--would you? Why or why not?) One veteran homestudy worker we know always used to try to schedule visits over meal hours in hopes of getting fed! while another complained about East Coast adoptors wanting to entertain him with home videos of their nephews' bris-- a brilliant Yiddish technique for keeping in-home social worker's visits short, we suspect!!
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