Stork Central

DATE CHANGE! Please note that the last Parents of Tomorrow weekend for 2001 has been moved to November 2-4, and that the host hotel site is now Hill Country Inn & Suites; those interested in attending must have completed inquiry and application on file and contact Angi Moller, Family Services Coordinator, for official registration forms and further confirmation.

Hurrah for Sabrina, faithful Forum participant, who mentioned at this summer's Camp Abrazo she was ready for baby #2 and turned that dream into reality within months--before we could even get her scheduled for a second orientation weekend! And congrats, also, to the Wannabe grads who took placement of a second daughter, through Abrazo this summer, only to learn that the birthmom of their first daughter was also interested in placing with them again--they're now home with number #3, and learning to manage the challenges of two non-twin infants under the age of six months (a rarity allowed in an nonfinalized placement situation only when a bio-sib becomes available!) They report that life is thrice as nice with three little girls to dote on and delight in, and we wish them 3 extra sets of hands to help! :-)

If you're searching for just the right family for your precious baby, we've got just the people for you! Abrazo offers overnight delivery of free color profiles of our fabulous parents-in-waiting... loving couples who could never become parents without the courage and unselfishness of someone like you. Our families are carefully screened and ready for immediate placement of children of all ages, races and backgrounds. Abrazo-approved families are committed to openness in their adoptions, because they truly understand and appreciate what birthparents go through to make adoption choices and because they want to raise their children to love and respect their birthparents for those choices. If you want some professional help in finding the best possible parents for your infant or child, use the use the "messenger" option on this screen to contact Stork Central and an Abrazo staff member will respond, or else call our office (in Texas, dial 1-800-454-5683; if outside the state, call us collect at 210/342-LOVE) and we'll get you in touch with the family of your dreams... Because they're just waiting to get you to welcome you and your little one into their lives!

The agency often gets calls from single persons inquiring about adopting. Granted, many birthparents are unwilling to consider a one-parent home for their baby, especially if their desire to give their child a two-parent home is a motivating factor in their placement decision. However, there are loving mothers out there who were themselves the product of one-parent homes and recognize the value of a single but fully dedicated parent of either gender. But who better to provide insight and answers than those who've successfully negotiated the challenges of adopting and parenting as a single parent?! Or those who've made the decision to match with or place into a loving home where one parent does it all? Let's hear from those of you with questions to ask or stories to share!

Fall is in the air, and hunting season draws near, as we welcome the graduates of our latest orientation weekend, Duck Blind Faith of August 2001. One couple from that group is already celebrating the arrival of a precious baby girl, and they send their best wishes and warm encouragement to all others who are still "expecting"... and recently, another set of Diaperwarmers moved into the parenting column with the birth of their new son over Labor Day weekend. Congratulations, and hurrahs also for those who've recently matched (there's a bunch of you lately) and are just awaiting the big day. Still awaiting that special call? Your turn will come. Get out and rake some leaves and listen for the phone...! It'll happen.

It's a bevvy of boy babies!! Hearty congrats to the families of four fine little fellas who headed home with new folks in the last days of July, moving the 12 Couples & A Baby, the Families on the Ground, and the Wannababies all further towards completion! Remember--the best things in life truly are worth waiting for, and if you're still in the "waiting" column, know that your child's arrival will be the answer to the question of "why" it couldn't happen before it did. So in the meantime, do the things any expectant parents would do! Take that newborn care class now! Interview pediatricians so the right doc's in place when baby comes home. Sleep up while you can! Enjoy "date nights" with your spouse! And keep the faith, because you know in your heart you're meant to be a parent, and so do we.

It's summertime, and the loving is easy--especially when it entails welcoming home some precious new daughters! Abrazo celebrates the first of many homecomings for the Wannababies (5/01) as one faithful couple welcomes home their second baby girl, after enduring several failed, pre-Abrazo placement plans out of state (including disrupted adoptions separating children already placed with them from their loving care, a fear they are free from in Texas, where state law disallows arbitrary "reclaim periods" after relinquishment is completed.) Congrats also to the first of the Lucky Leprechauns (3/01), againers who added a second precious newborn son to their family just over a year after the first. We also are proud to announce that one of our most beloved Abrazofamilies (formerly from Memphis, where they graciously hosted several Friday night orientation gatherings for incoming clients before moving to Arkansas) have taken placement of their first daughter's biological sister, a precious preschooler sure to keep them busy! And finally, the last of the Bold& On Hold orientation folks (7/00) have ended their search for the perfect baby with the arrival of a baby girl born Monday night, surely worth the wait. Congrats to all, and best wishes to those still waiting...

Recently, we learned that an Abrazo birthmom who'd placed a son for adoption years ago has set up her own website, and we've asked her permission to post a link here: www.geocities.com/k_renaeb/Adoption.html Why does Karly want to share her experience with others? In her own words: "I want people to see what I had to say about Abrazo. If you also have people who want to talk to someone who is going through this about what I went through, then I want to be someone they can talk to... I know for me, it helped when (agency employee) April told me her story because I was talking with someone who had been there and not just someone who did not really know how I was feeling. So if I can help just let me know. I will try my hardest." Many thanks to Karly and to all who give of themselves to help others along the way!

Oops-- apologies from S.C.--the home office has been so busy with preparations for Camp Abrazo, we've neglected our duties here! Nonetheless, here we are and this week, we are celebrating yet another couple of baby homecomings, both boys! One little fella, born last week, is headed home to North Carolina with his proud new folks from the Diaperwarmers (1/01), while the other was welcomed home by his Texan single mom and more than a half dozen excited (and adopted) siblings! Congratulations to both families, and cheers to those whose turn is surely coming.

Abrazo doesn't offer wait time estimates based on skin pigmentation or ethnicity alone, since there are so many unknown variables which impact the process, as WeAdoptedThree mentioned; however, the agency's official website and other printed materials generally advise prospective clients that the average wait time is 6-12 months, with many placements happening in less than 6 months for those who are childless, with more flexible placement preferences. Hope this is helpful to those trying to understand the timing of the process.

Adoption is, truly, the investment of a lifetime... but the costs seem to rise every year, in the domestic adoption system as well as in foreign adoptions. Congress is considering doubling the adoption tax credit, but that doesn't do much to help those who are struggling to find the means to get to placement (and particularly with the recession looming overhead)! Can anyone out there offer some good advice for newbies about managing the expenses of adopting? How do you save up enough to enter the adoption process, especially if you're coming off a long and costly round of fertility treatments? Or do you borrow to the hilt? Take out a second mortgage? And then what about all the unanticipated, added costs that come with new babies? We all hate to talk about it, but the reality is that this "elephant in the living room" scares off a lot of good, would-be parents. Adoption shouldn't ever be about money, but it does have its place in the conversation--so let's talk about it... Feedback? Advice? Rants? Suggestions?

Change those welcome bouquets from blue posies to pink ones--as two more families from Families on the Ground have taken home beautiful new little baby daughters! And welcome to our newest parents-in-waiting, the WannaBabies, who completed orientation this past weekend. Hey--we told 'em to get those nurseries ready, just as we tell all of you, so this is why! Wishing you all joyous tidings, not if, just when...!

We're singing the blues this week, but it's a happy tune! to celebrate two more homecomings of two more baby boys with two more happy couples! A childless couple from Families on the Ground (11/00) well known to Forum folk became parents of a precious newborn son, as did againers who attended the Diaperwarmers weekend in 1/01. Hurrah for both groups, because these arrivals are proof positive that adoption works, for grown-ups and (most importantly) for little kids! (Some time ago, "Christophersmom" proposed in Kidstuff that forum members swap baby pix via family website addresses--what a marvelous idea! Maybe some of the proud new moms and dads of arrivals heralded here would be willing to share an online glimpse of their little miracles (because as they say, a picture's worth a thousand words, and for those still waiting, a little bit of hope can go a long, long way...)

We're singing the blues this week, but it's a happy tune! to celebrate two more homecomings of two more baby boys with two more happy couples! A childless couple from Families on the Ground (11/00) well known to Forum folk became parents of a precious newborn son, as did againers who attended the Diaperwarmers weekend in 1/01. Hurrah for both groups, because these arrivals are proof positive that adoption works, for grown-ups and (most importantly) for little kids! (Some time ago, "Christophersmom" proposed in Kidstuff that forum members swap baby pix via family website addresses--what a marvelous idea! Maybe some of the proud new moms and dads of arrivals heralded here would be willing to share an online glimpse of their little miracles, because as they say, a picture's worth a thousand words, and for those still waiting, a little bit of hope can go a long, long way...)

Lisa, thanks for a great post! You're so right, often folks forget that an essential part of any happy homecoming has to be the right match. And sometimes, it takes time to find the appropriate combination of dreams and realities and personalities and all. There's no "perfect match" in reality because there are no "perfect" people (and adoption, in truth, is borne of imperfect circumstances) but there is such a thing as the "right" match and when it's the "wrong" fit, it just doesn't feel right. When matches don't work out, it doesn't mean anyone isn't measuring up or that adoption is the wrong plan, it simply means those folks aren't meant to be related so best to wait to find the match that was meant to be. So that's our word of encouragement to those still waiting, birthparents and prospective adoptive parents, alike! Your match is out there but everyone must be open to "trying on" many different options in order to find it. It'll happen!! (Just not before it's "supposed" to, even when we don't understand the timing ourselves.) And it's happened, again, for several of Abrazo's clients these past two weeks. It's Fiesta in San Antonio and appropriately so, as we celebrate dreams come true for much-loved clients and infants... the Diaperwarmers (1/01) are heating up, with the placement of a tiny baby girl with one of their families, and the placement of a newborn boy with another...both within 12 weeks of orientation!... and the Families on the Ground (11/00) are partying at the news that another of their own has taken home an angelic new infant son, as well! Congrats to the happy parents and the loving birthfamilies who made this joyous news possible. We wish both good nights' sleep in the days and weeks that lie ahead. Viva Fiesta!

For those who are contemplating entry into Abrazo's parenting ranks, keep in mind that we have a three step admissions process: 1) Inquiry (or "preapplication" ) and approval 2) Application and approval 3) "Parents of Tomorrow" orientation weekend (and yes, attendance is required) Abrazo's orientation weekend is a major investment of time and funds, but as former graduates can attest, it truly is the gateway to parenthood and the beginning of your psychological pregnancy. Entrance is by invitation only, and only 8-12 couples are approved for each weekend, so space is limited. The agency makes orientation admittance decisions on the basis of agency placement resource needs, thus certain weekends are tailored to specific placement qualifications (ie., childless couples, open to varying infant ethnicities, etc.) Please contact Angela at Abrazo for more information. (Note: completed, approved inquiry and application forms must be on file prior to event registration.)

Spring is looking "pretty in pink" as the Diaperwarmers (1/01), the F.O.G. (11/00) and 12 Couples & a Baby (9/00) have each added one more happily-ever-after ending to their groups' orientation stories with recent placements of three baby girls! But not to be outdone, the divine boy department contributed one handsome little arrival to 12 Couples & a Baby (9/00) and yet another blue-blanket miracle to some beloved Againers who didn't even have time to return for another orientation weekend before he made his official debut! And kudos, too, to our latest orientation grads, the proud participants of our latest "Parents of Tomorrow" weekend, the Lucky Leprechauns of March, 2001. May the luck 'o the Irish be with them as they search for the pot of gold at the end of the adoption rainbow! Congratulations and best wishes to all...

Families on the Ground (11/00) gained another baby on the ground in the past week (yippee!) and 12 Couples & a Baby (9/00) have moved two placements closer to having their entire group photographed as the portrait of success at the Camp Abrazo reunion this summer. For those of you who read and wait and hope, it's spring! and all sorts of wonderful little miracles are about to bloom, so stop and smell the roses along the way, because it's going to happen--not "if?", just "when!!"

Diaperwarmers (1/01), start your engines! One of your own is headed home with newborn twin girls, another of your ranks has already matched, and several more are already fielding birthparent calls. If you are one of those still putting a homestudy or profile together, step it up! because there are children out there needing homes and one might just be meant for you. (Or two! Or...!) Congrats!

Hurrah! The weatherman may not have had a clue, but down here in Texas, atmospheric conditions appear most favorable for F.O.G. as we launch the new year! Our November graduates, the Families On the Ground, have a trio of new success stories to celebrate, with two boy babies born this month and one little girl born Saturday all headed home with their elated new folks. Here's wishing renewed hope and patience to all those still waiting--now get your nurseries ready, because you're on your way, too!

"Bold & On Hold" (7/00) grads will be tickled pink to learn that another of their own has taken home a beautiful baby girl... and kudos to the "Millenium Boomers" (1/00); all continuing members of that orientation weekend became proud parents within 11 months.

Congrats to the "12 Couples & a Baby" orientation crew (9/00)-- another placement closer to completion with this weekend's newest arrival! And for those home with babies already, don't forget those families in your group who could use a word of support and encouragement from you while they wait for their own dreams to come true. Cheers!