Windycity

Wow, what a great topic. As the parent of two toddlers I have to agree with Jenn that there are just so many firsts we simply can not keep up with them all. You keep a journal, you scrapbook, take lots of pictures and video in the hopes that you can capture all of it. For our son's three year old brithday in March we bought him a new bike - you know the "first" big boy bike - bright green - training wheels and all - the look on his face was worth a million bikes - could not trade it for the world. Although we had the opportunity for two times the new born first I must say that watching them roll from back to tummy and then from tummy to back, although incredible, does not really compete with many of the toddler firsts we are in the midst of. Would I like to have it all - yes - but knowing now what we know - they are both just equally incredible! Just one perspective Our best to all who have the opportunity to make this decision

Congratulations to all of the new parents of 2005 - enjoy this wonderful holiday season with your new little ones.

Cath, Shane and Amaya - congratulations - we are so thrilled for all of you. We can not wait to see Matthew's new friend!

Looking back to our original post on this topic (March 19 2005) it is actually quite funny to read our words. You can tell the tentative nature of the phrasing etc. Anxiety was all around us at that time over what, when and how to say it. Fast forward to today - second abazobabe just down for a nap and how 8 months can make such a difference. Last week we spoke with Matthew's BP and talked about both kids and how they are both adjusting etc. Now when we send photos we send photos of both. How funny it is to us today, that we had such anxiety over approaching the subject. Matthew's BP chose us for her adoption plan - she loves her son - she loves us - why would she ever not be happy for our family to expand. It's amazing how far you come in 8 months!

Brenda, Mike and Gabe - what wonderful news - we are so very happy for you!

We can certainly say that although this is not in the cards for us at this time - Matthew and Sarah are 15 months apart and yes it was a shock during the first month - but as we settle into month #2 and head for month #3 - wow - is it nice to have two at home and the 15 month separation is really quite nice - a lot of work - but all worth it when you reflect back at the end of each day! So for all of you potential againers out there - think hard - then call Angela - you will not regret it! Warm thoughts and best wishes to all of the potential new Mommys and Daddys!

Congrats Tim and Amy - how absolutely wonderful!

We too were faced with an adoption plan that failed after several weeks of expenses for our BP. At the time all of it was hard- the failed plan most of all but also the financial aspect. What Elizabeth stated so well though is today, we feel that this was the road we had to travel to bring us to our son. We have no regrets.

Thanks to all for so many best wishes - we are so blessed to have two wonderful children in our lives along with two equally wonderful BMs. Well - as you might guess - someone needs a bottle and someone else needs a diaper change - got to run!

The Windy City of Chicago is now one person bigger! On July 3rd, our little girl finally said eniugh is enough - time to get this show on the road. Our beautiful and courageous BP arrived at the hospital only minutes before little Miss Sarah Elizabeth made her entrance into the world! Sarah weighed in at 7 pounds and 5 ounces. She is 18 and 1/2 inches long and has a head of thick black hair. A beautiful glow to her new baby skin makes her the most precious thing we have ever seen. We were so blessed to have arrived in town just one day before Sarah's unscheduled arrival - allowing us just one meal with our BP before the big event. We were further blessed to be able to spend hours bonding with our BP at the hospital as we together welcomed Sarah Elizabeth intot he world. She is so strong! It has been a fantastic fourth of July weekend - with fireworks of our own kind! Finally, this post would not be completw without two things: 1. Matthew is now a big borther but somehow we are certain he is still waiting for us to take Sarah back to where ever it is she came from! Boy does he have a surprise coming! 2. Our heartfelt thanks to the entire Abrazo team - what an extraordinary group of ladies that change lives every day. 15 months ago we were childless - today we are parents of two wonderful children - it is still hard for us to believe how blessed we are and how our lives have changed. We are forever grateful. Lastly, a special thanks to Pamela who, by chance, happened to be the one who was here this week. It was so nice to share the special connection our children now have with you after the two placements you have handled. Will post a picture just as soon as we can. Look forward to seeing all at Camp Abrazo in just a few weeks!

Hey Angie - we too are Catholic and were able to baptize Matthew at 8 weeks. There were no special requests from our priest although, we did wait until we cleared the legal risk issues. Sounds like the best advise is to speak to your priest and see how they want to handle. Good luck!

Agree casual is best - be comfortable! We did go to dinner on Saturday night and some dressed up for dinner while others did not.

Thank you to everyone for your words of advise and personal stories. We finally found the right time to tell our BP about our plans to make our son a big brother. It was a very easy conversation - in fact she almost laughed when we said that we were worried that she may think that Matthew may not get as much love or as much attention etc - she said she has no worries! She seemed genuinely happy for all of us. We are so glad to have crossed this bridge and have promised to keep her posted on our progress. Thanks again to one and all!

We are beginning the process for our second adoption and have not yet found the right opportunity to approach the subject with our first BP. Our fear is really for her - we know she knows how much we love our son but we don't want her to worry that he will be loved or cared for less when a sibling comes home. The logical side says this is crazy - she knows us well enough to know this will not happen yet the emotional side says tread carefully so she understands. For our forum friends that have crossed this bridge already we would appreciate any suggestions and advise on how to handle the conversation. Thanks in advance for all of your help!

It is a great topic and very timely as we prepare to take our second adoption journey. There are so many things we could say but what it really comes down to is that life comes with risks. We too had the blessing of pregnancy, followed by the devastation of loss at 23 weeks. We spent 57 minutes with our beautiful son before we had to say goodbye. After such loss, when you think that there will never be happiness in your life again - this week we prepare for our beautiful son's first birthday. Yes, through adoption we became parents again and it is just hard to explain the happiness we feel watching Matthew grow and flurish day by day. The adoption process brought us risk - we matched and unmatched and ultimately found ourselves in a legal risk placement. I can't say we slept very well for a while but looking back - these were risks we understood and accepted we had to take if we were to ever achieve the happiness we sought. For us, the risks were worth it - you see we believe that there is a "right" match and placement for everyone - you may have to step out of a comfort zone to face some of the risks but we believe, like us, you too will know when it is the right time and the right situation. No regrets - still some fears as we venture down the road again - but we will be brave and face what life presents to us because we know first hand that the rewards last a lifetime.

Congratulations to all of the new parents and the new big borthers and sisters!

Hi Angie, we adopted our son through Abrazo in March of 2004. He is 10 months old and a blessing greater than any we could have ever imagined. We understand the process and accept that it has no specific timeline but instead is a journey to match the right BP's with the right AP's. Could we have a one year old and a newborn? yes, but it could also take significantly longer. Either way we are ready to go - when the time is right it will all come together and we will again be blessed with yet another wonderful birth family and a new child to love. The waiting is the hard part. I heard something this week - "begin with the end in mind" Focus on the end result and the time will pass. From our perspective we hardly remember the waiting and the paperwork - the day Matthew came home it all just melted away - it just was not important any more. Hang in there!

Hi Angie - we too are planning to attend in May - we are Abrazo Againers and are thrilled to be starting our second chapter with Abrazo. Let us know if we can help in any way. Hope to see you later this year!

Congratulations to Tom, Pamela and Nathan - it was wonderful to meet you this weekend! Congrats again - enjoy that baby girl!

Orientation weekend was a major step in our journey. It is most certainly a whirlwind! It provides the opportunity to meet others in your group and when you hear some of the stories and all of the fears and dreams you really begin to realize that everything that has come before was not isolated to you. Better than that you begin to understand that as you move forward you are not doing it alone. It was a great experience and we were very glad that Abrazo requires everyone to attend. Our decision to work with Abrazo was made at San Antonio airport on our way home and we have never looked back. We attended the January 2004 (Fab 9) orientation and brought our son home on March 24th. Our lives will never be the same and we would not have it any other way! We are so blessed! If we had to pick just two things that we took away from orientation it would be a deeper and greater understanding and appreciation for open adoption and the phrase that we repeated daily after leaving San Antonio - "it's not if but when". Best of luck with your journey!

We adopted our son this year in Illinois. We did a lot of research on the home study process and found all of the agencies in line with the one we used. Our costs were as follow: $350.00 application fee $2050.00 home study fee $350.00 per post placement visit (we needed two) Our fee schedule does show a fee of $1350.00 for an update to an expired home study within three years of the original home study. Hope this helps lend some perspective to costs you have been quoted.

We can only guess which Fab Niners just became parents - we are very happy to hear this wonderful news! Another boy for the Fab Nine - We see a trend here - Amaya - so many choices! Please let us know all the details as soon as possible. Love Beth, Paul and Matthew.

Jeanette and Jay, we are so thrilled for you! Congratulations on the birth of your son! We could not be happier! Paul and Beth

Our heart felt congratulations to all of the new parents but a special thought goes out to one of our own at the Fab Nine. We can only guess which couple became new parents this week and we could not be happier! Waiting for all the details. With best wishes for everyone, includig some wonderful birthparents. Paul and Beth

Hello Fab 9 (and everyone else) What wonderful news for Shane and Cathy on the arrival of Amaya Michelle! We are so very very happy for you! Can't wait for the pics! Take care for now, Paul and Beth.