[INQUIRY]

Do you have your profile done already as well? I'm not entirely sure of everything to include in ours yet. How long should it be, how should it look, etc?

Nichole, the girls at Abrazo will send you some sample profiles in your Orientation packet. I'm sure they would be happy to fax one to you or perhaps send you a copy prior to then.

In short, think of it as about 5-6 pages (3 sheets/duplex), color copied, and a scrapbook kind of feel with some possible 'theme'. Then the FUN part...trying to condense your life into 6 pages of pictures and text.

--Adam

[INQUIRY]

* a floor plan* showing every room in your home and noting the purpose of each;

This was not a requirement when we were PIW 8 1/2 years ago....but I bought my home new from the builder (19 years ago!), and just always kept the builder's brochure showing each of the homes for sale at that time with their floor plans (so I have all my neighbor's floor plans too!)

So if you are in the process of buying a new home, or have recently purchased a new home, ask the builder for a floor plan. It's just an idea I wanted to pass on!

I'm not sure you even need anything Formal. I mean, a hand drawn diagram might work and I'm sure doesn't have to be to scale. You can write in the room dimensions. The pictures of various rooms already show a lot as to what the house layout might be. I did not see this requirement in our packet of information so we have not yet submitted one.

We are from the Green Bay area...GO PACKERS!! hehe

The Pack will be watching the Big Game from the same place my Cowboys will be....the comfort of their own home.

Favre went to college and has a farm in my hometown. He's big down there too. I'm personally not a fan of his, but I do give credit to all he has accomplished.

Congrats to the Packers on finishing 8-8 (especially on taking out the Bears in the last game). I think that surprised most everyone based on how the season started.

There is a place in the Hall of Fame for Mr. Fav-ree.

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We are so happy to have Arianna....

Arianna is a beautiful name.

A couple from our orientation group ( Holy Flying Fish ) Sept. 2006 was placed with 2 beautiful sisters that same weekend. They were obviously well prepared with homestudy, FBI clearence, and profile complete. Good luck and keep posting.

Char

This story has become 'legendary' as to how quickly things can move in the process once you have everything complete. The first couple in our Group (the H3's --Happy Holiday Hopefuls) matched with their birthmother 3 weeks after Orientation and are expecting the newest addition to their family in April. Several of us (who had their home studies complete by Orientation) received our first Birthmother calls within days of leaving Orientation.

It is an amazing ride and you truly will meet some amazing, fun, kind, and genuine people through the Abrazo program.

-Adam

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I wish we were one of those couples that could possibly attend the end of January orientation, but we haven't received our packet yet. I'm sure the holidays and the mail delays did not help that at all.

I'm getting nervous at all the mounting paperwork though! Yikes! It just seems very overwhelming at this point. We've gotten all our home study papers in the mail and i try to do a little every night after work.

On pins and needles till we hear back from Abrazo.

Nichole & Joe

Nichole and Joe,

Just one more friendly welcome to the Abrazo forum. It's always great to see new people joining in and working with Abrazo to make their dreams of a family come true!

-Adam

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Oh and BTW there is NOTHING WRONG with liking the forum a really whole lot

It only gets worse after orientation!

TELL ME ABOUT IT!

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I HOPE we are in San Antonio at the end of the month...it sounds like that is not a very strong possibility if others do not get their stuff in... oh well. I had a question about fingerprinting...the website says that "your operation must first go to the DFPS website to request an online background check" is "our operation" Abrazo? I thought that our home study agency would initiate this for us but they said "no". Any help would be appreciated Oh and BTW there is NOTHING WRONG with liking the forum a really whole lot

Of course one of the Abrazo clan would best answer it, but I can tell you here in TN, the prints are done through a contractor for the state & the TBI (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation). The contractor's site says the background check request (fingerprinting) must come from the Agency as the results cannot be released to the individual. Our Social Worker (who works for an agency) is going to set it up. We just need an update since we did ours last year, but it is the same process as having it done for the first time.

So, it seems very odd to me that your Social Worker could not set it up. Surely they work for someone that does them up. Strange.

So, sorry, I know this doesn't help much, but I'm sure one of the Abrazo staff will be on before long to answer your question. If not, just give them a call.

[INQUIRY]

Whether it be in January or February, it is a great, fun, informative, whirlwind weekend. All the people involved from Abrazo to the attendees, are wonderful people.

Congrats on getting your Profile done already. Others will be very jealous of you at Orientation as that is a huge step.

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Guess what?!?!? Our application and profile are done and we are mailing them tomorrow (well, FedEx-ing them since it's a national day of mourning for Ford)...either way... And our friends emailed us a copy of the letter of reference that they wrote for us and it is AMAZING! I am so lucky to have friends like them This has been an wonderful (but extremely busy) weekend and a fantastic beginning to 2007! We cannot believe how fast everything is moving! How exciting!!!!!!!! Best of luck in 2007 to everyone in our new Abrazo family Kristin

Kristin, Congrats to you and Rich. Having the Profile completed already is a huge step forward in the process.

Happy New Year to you both!

--Adam

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Just got my packet from Abrazo, welcoming us to the process! I am SO excited!!!! Called Rich at work immediately and the goosebumps have not subsided yet!!! Pretty sure that I am going to have trouble falling asleep tonight Thank you all for your support in my wait to hear back. So, are we officially "PIWs" or do we have to send in our full application packet for that? Either way, I am sure I'll be posting somewhere!!!!!!!!!! Kristin

You are certainly on your way to not only being PIW's but also great forumites as you seem to have this posting thing down

After Abrazo receives your formal application (lots of paperwork, but really good & important stuff) then you will be invited to a Parents of Tomorrow Orientation. After you complete Orientation, the Abrazo crew gives you a certificate officially welcoming you as a Parent In Waiting (PIW). Of course you also have lots more paperwork, a homestudy, and profile to complete, but it's all part of the process and the best thing about this process is that you will soon be a parent

Have a very Merry Christmas,

Adam

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We've had the opposite problem. More than enough pictures so WHICH ones do we use. Think we have made good choices thus far, but working them into 8.5"x11" pages really limits what you can fit on a page. Doing lots of photo shrinking and reprinting on the printer lately.

Most of all, make sure you feel good about the profile. If you feel good about it, then it will convey who you are to the birthmother and the right one will click. You only get one chance to make a 'first-impression', so make it one you are proud of.

-A

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Well, our check was cashed on Tuesday. I am taking that as sign that things are moving along in TX. I have spent the past week looking at pics and trying to "plan" our profile. Rich is upset, he thinks he looks "like a nerd" in the pictures. I think he look great! I have found him, at least twice, staring at the pictures. After asking him numerous times, why he keeps looking at them, he finally replied, "I am trying to pretend that I do not know us and figure out if I would like us." He's so cute! He's a lawyer, so he's very analytical and looks at everything from all sides. This is going to be a very interesting ride!!! Kristin

You two sound like a really fun couple. Enjoyed this post. I'm sure the girls at Abrazo will have you so busy with paperwork soon, you won't know which way is up

[FBI checks]

I can't speak of any specific state laws, I just know in TN we had to do the electronic fingerprinting. The other posts I saw in this thread seemed dead on to what we had to do in TN. We used Identix for the electronic fingerprinting as well and it was about $50 per person. Did it Summer of 2005 as we were pursuing a private adoption. I never followed up regarding receipt of the results as I figured I would only hear if there was a problem. Had the receipts to prove we had done them. I know our homestudy specifically mentions the FBI check was run and all came up clean so they got them (all this is in regards to our adoption agency in Memphis). Our homestudy has been sent to Abrazo so I think they have everything they need at this time. I know they'll let us know if that is not the case. In the short time I've known them, they seem like really great folks. Looking forward to getting to know them better with our Orientation in a few weeks.

Best wishes to all in getting all the "fun" paperwork and things out of the way.

--Adam