S&L

Glad to say it is Jeff & Amy, Spoke with them briefly and will try to see them and their bundle tomorrow. They are on Cloud Nine with a wonderful BP and experience. They truly did wait for the "right" one. Laura

Congrats Chad & Shannon, Life will be so much fuller and richer than ever imagined...God Bless you three on your new journey. Laura, Steve, Rian & Alex

Yea to all the new parents out there!!! I can only imagine that it might be...let me see, Adina and Ben??? Is it you guys???? Congrats to the Cloud Niner couple. Just be sure to have plenty of diapers and onesies...little boys tend to leak everywhere (they just point and shoot ). Best to all the new parentss. Laura, Steve, Rian & Alex

Mary and Leonard Check your email. Laura

Congrats Cloud Niners, I know who it is and they must be thrilled beyond "pink"...all those prayers sure paid off. God Bless you and your new arrival - she will change your world in ways you only dreamed of...safe journey home (call us if you need anything.) Laura, Rian & Steve

Hi Albert, Abrazo just requires some documentation from your physician in regards to infertility. Ours was considered "nonspecific infertility" meaning no real reason why, just couldn't happen. Talk to Abrazo and your doctor. Laura

Dr Mom Gosh, your words ring the truth - thank you for your inspiring story and information. Laura

Welcome fellow military Michelle&Mike, We too are military (go big blue). My husband is AD and I USAFR and Abrazo had no problem with our status. Our daughter's BP thought it was great too. The agency actually had a couple that matched ASAP after orientation since the husband was going to Iraq. I think they either placed right before he left or he had to come back for the birth...so, it doesn't seem to be an issue for Abrazo. They are in military town USA and very supportive of the uniform. Come on down to the south for a looksie...best of luck. Laura

Hi Windycity and Melissa Merritt, We just went to orientation and are in the process for number two. We sort of addressed this issue during previous conversations with our BP by saying stuff like "what would you think if Rian had a sister/brother..." She actually asked us once if we were going to adopt a second child (after finalization). We told her honestly that we would love another child/sibling and she seemed okay with the idea. She was willing to write a letter for our profile but time sort of ran out. I think she was okay until I told her we talked with a BP on the phone...she seemed a bit somber. I think she is excited about us adopting again, but I'm sure it stirs up emotions, thoughts, etc. She knows and sees how much we love our daughter. She herself has several children so I don't think the idea of "not enough love" is an issue for her. I think it just resurfaces a lot of feelings. I do know that the longer you wait the harder it might be...I think it's best to just touch on the topic and let the conversation move on from there. You might be surprised at the acceptance she will show towards your plans. Then again, if there are questions, you have time to discuss them and issues that might come up. Just my thoughts. Best of luck. Laura

Interesting, our BP called me to ask if I was watching the recent show on Dr Phil (I was at the store) and reminded me that she would never be "the stalker." We have a very open relationship and she and I can't imagine life any other way. She was disgusted at the show and the lack of discussion, positive influence and feelings with an open adoption. I realize that in the future we may face some adversities, questions, etc, but we have our eyes open and won't hesitate to seek help, counseling, etc. We realize that open adoption is not for everyone...but to not discuss the BPs or the positive role of open adoption (like the couple with Amanda) makes me think they were going for "wow" factor, lacked time on the show and didn't think it was necessary to bring that aspect up...too bad. I hope you all have written Dr Phil - S&L

Melissa, There are several comments regarding this topic under "parents in waiting". The last post being CGRACE from my orientation group. We also have decided to go the "againer" route and am filling out paperwork this week. Abrazo would have loved us to do it in August but we felt it a tad too soon. Our daughter will be a year old in Jan and it seems appropriate now. The worries are real and scary. We too have a great relationship with our BP and we talk like friends, etc. She lives in the same city so we see one another each month. We'd like to have a similar situation, but realize that every situation will have it's own issues, path, etc. Good luck in the endeavor - maybe we'll see you at orientation. Laura

I think you need to be honest with your supervisor/employer, but ask for confidentiality. I told my supervisor and requested that it be only discussed on an as needed basis. My wishes were respected. We were lucky as we matched with our BP in her 6th month so we had time to prepare our respective work environments. Surprisingly all were very supportive. As for the working AP vs stay-at-home; I don't really think it matters. I do think BPs want to know that the child is cared for in the best possible way and they themselves probably work, go to school, or are stay at home mom's. I work per diem and am in the AF Reserves so my BP knows that I'm not always at home with the baby. Needless to say, I love being at home with her - we waited a long time - so working occasionaly is okay with me (hard on the wallet), but we make sacrifices. Good luck - we finalize next week! Yippee.

Forgot to say hi tp The Fab nine - we met at orientation. Good luck to you all. Laura & Steve

Hello and congratulations to everyone. It has been a while since we posted - our beautiful bundle taking most of our time but we enjoy EVERY minute. Rian is doing so well. She is a great baby and already gained a pound at her 2 week well baby checkup (she loves her formula)! I was fortunate that a friend of mine from years ago is now a pediatric resident and was delighted we asked him to see her. She didn't even cry when it came to the PKU test - just mellow in yellow. We are adjusting well. My years working in OB and newborn nursery helped with essential things like feeding/diapering/swaddling...just now need to learn all the other mommy stuff. My husband is totally wrapped. He would deny it but can't stand when she is asleep and blows kisses on her tummy to try and wake her up. He's learned to do that closer to feeding otherwise he's trying to console her (men ). We have seen our BP at least once a week and we talk almost 3-5 times a week depending on what's going on. She has become like a niece to me. She confides her issues and frustrations and I find it comforting to try and help her work through things. Her mom (the birthgrandmother) has already bought several items and took us out to dinner. She has accepted this placement and tells us that our "Rian" is very lucky. I think this has helped our BP deal better with the placement - the idea that she has so much supprt. Linlacor - know what you mean about girls clothing...geez, I went into Gymboree to exchange a gift and their clothes are so CUTE! I couldn't help myself. They were having a huge sale and I bought stuff for the next year. Gotta watch that since I may not go back to work for a while. Well, big hug to all and off to do my "homework". Laura

Hello all, We are the last of the Abrazados to come home with our beautiful baby girl - Rian Giana. She was 7 lbs 15 oz and 20 inches long. Our BP was fantastic and after 8 hours of labor let us in the OR (after finding out she had to have a c/section) for the joyous journey to parenthood. What an emotional and physical journey for us all. After the birth I went into my "nurse" mode and took care of our BP and the baby while my husband slept (as much as he could on those pull out beds). It was a sleepless night for me but a great beginning. Rian is fantastic - sleeps 3-4 hours between feedins and already taking 3-4 oz of formula. She is 1 week old yesterday and already growing. It is a daily reminder of the blessings we have been given. Thanks for all those prayers and support over the last few months...that's what got us through. Big thanks to our BP's sister in law, for without her, this may not have been a reality. Happy prayers and congrats to the Peterectors. I pray the daddy remains safe and sound while in Iraq. God Bless everyone this New Year (now I can get my Christmas cards out Laura and Steve

Hello All the above - ditto, ditto, ditto. I have a friend who is a director of a children's home for battered/abused children. She wrote a letter for us and it stated pretty much how she knew us, etc. The special thing she wrote is how we react with her kids (over the last 10 years) and what we mean to them. She even stated that we were the only adults that her 18 year old son really liked and would "hang out" with. It made us laugh. Just have them be genuine and it will come out in the letter. S&L

Laura That answer can only come from within as everyone's "last straw button" is at different levels. We tried just about everything from inseminations, IVF and FET, as well as donor...one pregnancy and a miscarriage that followed. You just come to the realization (some earlier than others) that biology just doesn't matter - for us, it took 8 years of trying. My husband was ready much sooner than I was but we now face adoption through Abrazo (hopefully next month) and wished we had not waited so long. It is a very personal decision that no one else can make. All I can say is pray, talk and be ready for the adoption plan you make. There is nothing wrong with going the distance with infertility treatments - it's your choice and important that you feel that you have given it a chance. You don't want to look back and feel regret. Just realize that when you need Abrazo they are there with open arms and a baby possibly sooner than you might think. Best of luck in your decision and with the Clomid...happy ovary thoughts to you. S&L

Okay, we didn't even think of international (thought the red tape would be too much) but have lots of friends who did and who are really happy. Realize your state may take quite a bit of time for the INS paperwork to come through (Texas is about 4-6 months). Our social worker has 3 beautiful children from 3 different countries and thought her experience was great...she spent over a month in quatemala and now in Russia - so the only off shoot could be the time in-country to get everything in order. As for domestic...we wanted to have an open adoption and only went with Abrazo. Some friends of ours adopted through them over 8 years ago and suggested them to us. They have been great, but yes, the potential that the BP would parent is always there. All I can say is that we've experienced so much loss before that this seems less of a threat than years of infertility...but without a doubt the thought is always there. But on a positive note, in our orientation group of 5 couples (in Aug 03) my husband and I are the only couple still waiting for our baby to be born...in Dec. That says a lot. Best of luck in your decision. S&L

Christine and Angel As an AF Reservist with a husband on AD I know what you all are feeling. I haven't had "the call" to arms yet, but you never know. My bags are packed and I just pray it doesn't happen until WAY after the baby is here. I plan on retiring from the reserves soon anyway. Angel, keep you head down and be safe. I have lots of friends near Mosul in CSH's there and here they are very busy. I pray you will be safe and sound - you should send you address once there and we can all send you care packages!!!! Christine, all I can say is keep it simple. We were waiting until our home study was done when Elizabeth called on a Tues wanting our profile for a BP who was to deliver on Friday...I ran home, my husband ran home (thank God on leave) and my best friend came over. In 2 hours it was done (I had done a lot of prep work but no pasting). We kept it simple with our desires and short notes about us...that BP didn't pan out but the following Tues we got a phone call from Angela about another BP. You just never know what attracts them to the profile. Our BP loved our travel page the most...kept talking about it. We were not about "cutsey" but simple with a collage page on vacations and one page about each of us - a total of 5 pages. Anyway, good luck, pictures say a thousand words. S&L

Whoweeeeeee Things are moving a long for everyone...amazing! Rest up now is the statement we keep hearing and we hope by end of Dec/early Jan we have our little one. Perhaps best timing...after holidays and ready for New Year. Congrats to all S&L

Hello to all, It's so nice to hear everyone is moving a long with things and good news to be had by all. We were excited that we finally met our BP (very pretty) and had dinner with her. It was a good night with the occasional "pregnant pause" but all in all nice evening. Have spoken with her a few times since and hope to have dinner again sometime soon. We are lucky to live in the area and drop by a weekly gift for her to let her know we are thinking about her. This week huge chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and sugar cookies. She can share. It also allows us to say hi to the office staff and chat a bit. Hi Angela! It sounds as though the "Five Abrazados" are moving along at lightening speed (with us as the exception, of course). We hope that our group will be completed by the end of Dec and we can all unite at the Camp Abrazo. Have spent some time and sweat cleaning out the nursery-to-be room. Haven't decided on decor, so to speak, until we find out the sex of the baby. I'm excited for either - okay, secretly hoping for a girl, but will love either one. Good wishes and hugs to all. S&L

Christina It was so great to see you two; I'm so sorry I missed Samuel but hope to see you all at a reunion sometime next year. As Lisa said, it may be down to 2 now...rumblings of another one. Anyway, you are truly blessed and we are so happy for you. S&L