Jason and Kristen

Jason and I are loving it Elizabeth! we love your wording! Olivia Grace Cockrum is the most beautiful baby girl, Daddy already has his shotgun ready for any little boys with less than honorable intentions! Tons more later! We are truely blessed to have Olivia in our lives and we feel beyond blessed to have her birthmother and birth grandmonther in our lives. They are three amazing people, and have taught us a great deal in the past what is is years, no that is 4 days! Seems like a lifetime! I am going to write more about Olivia in the Stroller Section! Just loved the clever wording! Jason keeps having me read it over and over again. Kris----Olivia's MOM!

Susan, Just wanted to give you a reference from another perspective. We are currently parents in waiting with no children at this time. We were in the July orientation group, and as a couple who has not placed "super quickly" (by Abrazo standards) I would like to say I have every confidence in the ladies at Abrazo. A week ago I drove to San Antonio to talk to a staff member about a descision we were struggling with. Upon my arrival I learned the ladies were dealing with a really serious issue that day but Angela still made time later in the afternoon to see me. These ladies DO NOT have a 9-5 job. Last weekend Renee called me several times in the middle of taking several birthmoms to the movies. When do they relax? I have no idea! Anyway, in my opinion Abrazo is the ONLY way to go! Jason and I could have never gone through this process with ANY other agency. These ladies are professional and compassionate above and beyond anything I have ever wittnessed! There may be other agencies similar out there, I can't say but I can tell you with confidence that You will not regret going with Abrazo. These are the biggest descisions my husband and I will ever make, EVER, and I am so glad to have Godly, loving women on my team. Just my two cents! Hope to hear more from you! Kristen

John and Nina, Congratulations!!!! WE are so happy for you and your baby boy! Fill us in with more details when you get a chance. Love, Jason and Kristen

Craig and Tifffany, We are so thrilled at your wonderful news. I e-mailed earlier so in your spare time...............ha..............check there too! Enjoy every second. Can't wait for pictures. Love, Jason and Kristen

Teresa, I am so choked up I don't know what to say. Thank you for sharing your beautiful story. I am so happy for you and your expanded family. I am praying for that kind of relationship with the birthmother who choses us. Again, thank you for sharing, it is a truely heart warming story. Kristen

Elizabeth, Love it!!! That is so true you can make it easy on yourself or you can make it hard but either way ultimitly it is HIS way! Jennifer, I just scrolled up and read your post on 1 Samuel 1:27-28. I just read the first chaper of 1 Samuel last night. I love the way Gods word is always there and never changes but depending on what you are going through in your life the meaning changes for you. My sister-in-law and I were talking about people being intimidated to read the Old Testiment over the weekend and she said "I always tell them to read 1st and 2nd Samuel, it is a good place to start and easy to follow" So I opened it up last night just to see refresh my memory of what 1 Samuel was all about and low and behold......it begins with the infertility of Hannah, I had totally forgotten..... God is so great! Anyway I thougth that it was interesting you had posted from the same scripture way back in 2002 and it had just come to my newly about to adopt eyes last night. Kristen

Thanks Elizabeth, that is wonderful! Kristen

Michelle, I am sorry I have not responded sooner. Traveling, Moving and a problem with my user name and password are my excuses, "the dog ate my homework"! I appreciate your offer to share profile info and I want to see them but I am up to my ears in moving and PSC paperwork as well as our house being a disaster in preparation of the big move! Forum readers are likely to hear much whining coming from Germany as I hate moving! Odd I am a military spouse huh? I am excited to see your profile at orientation. Did you do several pages? I read one time and a person said they did one page of them together and then a page on each individually. I have to run to a meeting. I will write more later and again thank you so much for offering to share information, any other time I would certainly take you up on it. I just don't see any way I will get to work on it before orientation. Thinking now even if I did I have no idea how I would carry it without messing it up. Have you heard from your hubby? How are you doing? Getting excited!!!! Love, Kristen

Michelle, I am so excited to meet up with you on the forum. The Abrazo Chicks mentioned there was another military family coming to the July orientation, I am so glad we got in touch. I was going to wait a while longer and then post a message asking if the other military couple was out there so we could chat about military stuff. We do not have our confirmation letter for the July orientation. Actually I still have our formal inquiry but plan to mail it tomorrow. It is ready but I am such a worrier, I keep reading over it and making sure the answers reflect what we are feeling and trying to convey, I feel like it is a thesis or something. I am letting go of it today, putting it in the envelope and sealing it shut!!!! So we aren't offical. Jason is Air Force and he is currently home, and hopefully will be until we PSC in July. You are in my prayers, deployments are so difficult. I hope you have a good support group there to help you through it. June is just around the corner! Do you have a big reunion planned? Again, I am so glad to have met up with you. The military seems to have some unique aspects in terms of adoption so I am thrilled to have someone to share with. Kristen

This morning I was planning on asking some questions on the forum about extended family in the adoption process, and then I read these posts. After reading some of the above posts I must say I am so sad to hear how some families responded. It is just crazy to me how unaccepting a family can be. I really wanted to inquire about talking to family members about positive adoption language, open adoption and other adoption issues and at the same time educating myself more so I am better equipped to answer questions lovingly and intelligently. I wrote down "Adoption is a Family Affair" and plan on ordering it for our parents. Anyother suggestions? Does anyone have advice about teaching your family about positive adoption language and open adoption in addition to reading? Our families are very supportive of our decision to adopt and eager to learn. I want our children's extended family to understand our adoption plan. Kristen and Jason

Just wanted to touch base with you. Jason and I are planning on attending the July orientation. Look forward to meeting you there. Have you started this whole profile process? I have tried to gather some pictures up but haven't gotten farther than that. I read about all those who have already gone to orientation and I begin to feel behind. I am creatively challenged so my Mom is going to help me. She is great at stuff like scrapbooking and it is a great project for us to work on together, but we need to be in the same country to work on this. Are we supose to come to orientation with the profile prepared to some degree? We are in the process of a move from Germany to New Mexico so I am feeling stressed and unorganized anyway. I have this fear we will need something (paperwork) and it will be in our shipment somewhere over the ocean when we need it! I am trying to think of everything possible to bring with us. Did I mention I am stressed? Where are you guys from? Kristen

Sorry I keep quoting people but these words speak to my heart. I too believe in God's perfect timing and love thinking of our infertility treatments as God keeping me busy until his perfect time and perfect plan are revealed. I am plenty curious about that time and plan! Even now I know it is beyond my wildest dreams. I also feel very strongly that God has a child or children meant for Jason and I, he wouldn't have planted the strong desire to be parents and the love for children in us if he didn't. . Again, thanks for "words of wisdom" from someone who's been there. Kristen

I totally agree, each person is led to parenthood differently. Thanks for sharing, I love hearing everyone's stories, they are all so interesting.

Jason and I struggled with this descision for 4 years and finally decided to try IVF, 3 times. For us the decision came after much prayer and finally concluding that ALL life comes from God, he alone creates the miricle that becomes a baby and then He alone breathes life into that baby. God also has given Dr.'s the knowledge to perform the procedure, God guides their hand and God decides weather a baby is to be born. This was a very difficult descision for us. I have several friends who are wonderful biological parents after having IVF. One of my friends had IVF, 2 empryos transfered and 8 months later she had triplets, 3 little boys, 2 are identical twins. God has a plan for everyone, the Dr placed 2 embryos and 3 babies were born, God and God alone can pull that one off! Would I do it all over again? Yep, it has been part of our path in this process and we have learned and grown each step of the way. I definaltely don't take the miricle of life for granted like I once did. I look at it through very different eyes these days.

I am sitting here eating my cereal and crying, tears of joy! These posts are some of the most powerful words I have heard. I have never thought about God's adopting me and longing for me along with the rest of the world, the same way I have longed for a child for so long. Wow, that is so powerful to me. When we first decided to pursue adoption I went to the Bible to read about "adoption". Now I realize the ENTIRE Bible is about adoption. God's seeks, longs, waits, all of these things, anxiously awaiting us to become his children and ultimately to come home to him. Thank you for starting my day right! Thank you for the encouragement.! God Bless you, Kristen

Stork Central, We will be at the synposium! Will you be there? Where should we look to find you? As I read through all the posts on the forum I know God leads many of the poeple to adoption from reading their stroies. (OK I believe he leads everyone whether they know it or not) God has been leading my husband and I also and speaking to us through many different resources leading us to adoption and specifically to Abrazo. Lately it seems he has "turned up" the volume and his leadings are so loud and clear! There is no room to doubt that this is what he has planned for us and our future child and hopefully children. After 5 years of struggeling with infetility and what God's plan is for our "Family" his leading is so clear now. What a wonderful feeling! All in God's perfect timing!!! Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3 I cannot wait to find out what "great and unsearchable" things he has planned for us and for everyone! Loriahn, thank you for your welcome! Marthaj, thanks for the tip on the stroller! Jason and Kristen

This is my first post! I wanted to indroduce myself. My husband and I are so excited to hear there are several military couples working with Abrazo. My husband is Air Force and we are currently stationed at Spangdahlem Germany. The AF is moving us to Clovis, NM in July. We were both raised in Texas and are excited to move closer to home, and most of all hopefully begin working with Abrazo in the adoption process! I have been reading posts from the forum for several months now but I just mailed our initial inquiry a week ago and we are waiting to hear from Abrazo. It is so exciting to hear adoptive parents and birth parents stories. We have friends who adopted with Abrazo last year and I feel so blessed they shared their positive experience with us. Thank all of you for your openness and support of others. Jason and Kristen