suebee
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Posts posted by suebee
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Now THAT'S what I'm talking about...a post from the Stork!!
Yipee! and Congratulations!
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Once again reminded of the frailty of life. How sad for this wonderful lady and those who loved her.
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Hi Suebee! Thanks for the welcome. I have to laugh because nearly everyone i know spells my first name wrong. hahaha
I don't correct them either! When did you & your husband adopt?
Nichole
Nichole,
We adopted our son Joshua almost six years ago (I can't believe I just typed that...where does the time go?!) through Abrazo. He will be six on Feb. 15...we were blessed to be there for his birth and have a great relationship with his birthmom Nichole.
Can't wait to follow your journey!
Susan
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We should make a rule that you can't post on this topic unless you have a baby announcement!! :-)
It gets my heart going to see a new post here!!
I'm kidding of course...waiting also to see who will be the first babe place in 2007!
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Welcome Nichole and Joe! I just wanted to say hi because you have the same name as my son's birthmom and y'all spell it the same way. Of course, the goof that I am, I spelled it wrong for a year (without the "h"), and she never said anything.
When I asked her why she didn't correct me she said it was no big deal. But I felt terrible. Spelling a person's name right was always a big deal in my family (I guess because I have a brother named Michael that hates to be called Mike, and a sister named Teresa who spells her name without an "h" (unlike Theresa).) So you think I'd have paid better attention! Anyway...good luck and Godspeed on your adoption journey...we'd love to learn more about you when you get the chance.
Susan
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Ok so, we got an email asking us to send our profile in ASAP. I was sorta looking forward to orientation to brainstorm on that one. I have found a little bit of info on the forum, but none that really put me at ease...any suggestions? Rich and I are going to work on it this weekend. Thanks
Kristin,
That is good news! The advice I remember from orientation is to use lots of photos of you and your spouse doing the things you enjoy and having fun. Don't use photos with lots of kids to show how much you love kids because in looking through profiles, the expectant parents may assume you already have kids. Use photos that show your face, no sunglasses. You can show some of extended family, house, and pets...but mostly just keep it to the two of you. If you've done your nursery, include a photo.
Have fun!
Susan
Thanks for the responses...I was also wondering...do we HAVE to write it or can we type our profile input? I just feel like we have so much to say and have so many pictures that we could "squeeze it all in" if it was typed. I know that it will look really formal though...AAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!
We typed ours! You can sign your name or write cutlines for your photos if you want to add some handwritten parts.
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Ahhhh...Cowboy Dennis!
Guess we don't have to wonder if you and your guys will be attending Camp Abrazo this year, huh?!!!
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What wonderful news and reason to celebrate (or in Mandy's case "shop"!!!!!)
Congratulations Wombles!! Can't wait to hear more about your new daughter!!
Susan
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The following was my first, posted January 25, 2001. We were matched, and Joshua was born about three weeks later.
How do you respond to the endless questions about your birthmother both before and after placement? It amazes me what people will ask. Some are simply curious...others just plain nosey. Examples are: Does she have other children? Do they have the same father? How old is she? Why is she giving her child up? I want to protect her privacy as well as our adopted son's privacy, but I don't want to be rude. How have others handled this situation?
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What a blessing this was for me to read this morning. Our church has been through a lot (that's an understatement) of turmoil in the last 8 months. It's not the same church God led us to four years ago. My faith and church family have always been extremely important to me, so the last 8 months have been a very unsettled time. We have been going to a new church in the last few months, and yesterday, I felt hope for the first time that our journey of searching for a new church home may be coming to an end. It was such an encouragement to read of your journeys, Karen and Sabrina, and your words of wisdom, Elizabeth, and know that God wants us to find a church home as much as we want to find one. I have never been one to "church hop" so leaving the church I grew up in four years ago was a HUGE step of faith, but God blessed us tremendously in our new church home. It has been heartbreaking to be in such turmoil these past 8 months, but God is faithful. I am learning too about the different seasons of our faith, and the different purposes God may have for us at a particular church.
Thanks for sharing ladies!
Susan
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Would those of you with agency connections out of state please consider doing us a favor?
Call your homestudy worker this week and tell them about our little trio of angels in need of loving homes. Direct them to the Nursery News (http://abrazo.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=36&st=45, post#60). Ask them to call Angela (210/342-5683) if they know of any appropriate, home-studied families that might be available for any of these three situations.
We've made some calls, but we need your help! Because we know the Forum folk can do some amazing things when they put their minds (and hearts) to it! Thanks, y'all!
I have sent an e-mail to the agency we are working with in TN and will follow up with a phone call.
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Hello Abrazo families,
The happy little girl is Kate Rylee!!!
With love from Yoakum
Chris, Amy and Kate
Kayla too!
Yeah!! Another precious Texas baby finds her forever family in Tennessee! Congrats to the newest mom and dad, and blessings and prayers for the wonderful birthfamily!
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Even after your own placement, does your HEART still skip a beat with each and every baby announcement??
Congratulations to the newest family!! It's fun to think about 1 more stocking to hang.
Even after your own placement--five (and a half, as Joshua would say) years later--my heart still skips a beat with every baby announcement, and I get CHILLS!!
Congratulations to the newest family!!
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Hurray Monica and Clyde! Hurray Squirrels! Hurray for Baby Ella Lauren!
Congratulations to the newest family, and blessings for the precious birthfamily!
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Follow your heart...that is so true. The second I held Baby Cliff, I knew that placing was going to be the right decision. My heart was overflowing with love for him and I knew that he deserved so much more than what I could give him. So many thoughts were running through my head though: Maybe you could raise this child, maybe everything would be alright, maybe I could be the mother that this precious boy needed. But those were maybes. My HEART was sure that I had to place. I knew that no matter how much I wanted to keep this baby, there was a family out there that he deserved and that deserved him.
My heart also knew that Cliff and Alison were that family. Their profile was awesome. Everything that I was looking for. When I walked into that Abrazo office to meet the parents of my baby, my heart was beating a thousand beats per second. But I knew the minute that we hugged and started talking that I had made the right decision. Although we didn't get to form the bond during my pregnancy....it started forming instantly, as soon as we met. I felt so comfortable with them. And as I sat with Baby Cliff waiting to take him to meet his parents after I had signed away my parental rights, I felt so awful, but so happy. I murmured sweet little nothings in his ear and told him how happy he would be with them. And when I placed Baby Cliff in Alison's arms, I looked at the three of them and felt peace with my decision. They were a family, they looked complete.
Now Baby Cliff is almost a month old, 3 more days to be exact. Alison, Cliff and I talk on a weekly basis and email back and forth. Our AP/BP relationship is growing stronger and stronger. Alison said it is a learning process for all three of us and I couldn't agree more. What's funny though is I thought there would be a hole in my heart the size of Baby Cliff, but that isn't the case. He will always be in my heart, and I gained two more people in my life that I love dearly. So in the end yes, I followed my heart and I wouldn't want it any other way.
What a beautiful tribute to your son and the parents you chose for him. He is a very blessed little fella to have three people who love him so dearly. Your strength and courage are inspiring. Thank you for posting! May God bless you with peace and comfort when your heart is breaking, and hope and joy for the days ahead with Alison, Cliff, and little Cliff. What a special family you all are!
Susan
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Thankfully, Mel never gave up talking to us about Abrazo. During Christmas Dinner 2004 she asked me one last time to check out Abrazo's website/forum. I told her I had in the past and she begged me to look just one more time. She said if I would she would never mention it again.
Thank goodness for happy endings (and beginnings)!
That Melissa...she's a pesky one, isn't she Elaine?!!
Of course, in this case, it's a good thing she didn't give up! 
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Well said! This was initially the number 1 reason we were committed to open adoption. I didn't want my future child to have to wonder about their birthfamily or have to "search" for answers down the road. And I'm happy to say (as many of you forum faithful already know) we have been blessed not only with a precious son, but a wonderful and open relationship with his birthfamily! It's better than I had even hoped for!
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Congratulations to the Longs and their precious bundle of blue. Just love the photo in the gallery. Praying extra special blessings on your birthmom, and wishing you all a LONG and happy relationship.
Susan
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Can you allow birthmoms of a BOG to look at ALL profiles that meet her preferences, both those who specify gender and those who don't, while allowing profiles for families who have specific gender preferences to be seen only by those birthmoms who have a BOG of the preferred gender. Does that make sense?
In other words, the birthmom of a BOG could choose from the entire pool of adoptive parents therefore it wouldn't be unfair to clients who do not specify a gender preference, but it would also solve the dilemma of knowing the gender of the baby for sure. That would mean that clients who specify gender could only be chosen by birthmoms of BOG, thereby increasing their wait time most likely. But they already accept that possibility when they specify gender.
Just my two cents.
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The following paragraph was in one of the related links to the article Elizabeth posted. I really admire Dr. Dobson and think he is so on target with many things... BUT this is not one of them. Hmmm, maybe I should write him a letter. I really don't understand his position. Anyone else have any thoughts???
"But Dr. James Dobson cautions that open or semi-open adoptions carry some risks. Whereas an open arrangement may be beneficial during the latter part of a child's development, it can also be harmful earlier on. There is potential for emotional damage to a child who establishes one parental relationship only to learn "mid-stream" that there is another mother involved. Much conflict and confusion can be avoided if the book is left closed until later in the child's life. "
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From just a few days ago...
Congratulations Sandi and Scott on your baby girl!!
Prayers for you, your daughter, and her wonderful birthmom.
Susan
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Lisa,
Excellent site! I've bookmarked it so I can go back to it and read some more. Thanks for sharing this. You always are such a wealth of information!!
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Saying Grace (Prayers & Thanks Givings)
in Abrazo's Chapel Potluck
Posted
It's good to have you back Loriahn. You definitely belong here...you have so many perspectives to share and contribute...adoptee, birthmom, and a mom who is also parenting! I like the new name!! It definitely fits who you are at this place in your life (and Alex...like all your kids...is a living doll!)