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APPLICATION


linlacor

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Thanks for the input! I can't wait to get the packet in the mail. I've been having a ball fixing up the nursery. This will be my first child...(my husband has a seven year old from previous marriage who lives with his mom) and I still can't believe that my dream is on it's way to coming true! My husband and I have agreed on our wants and needs as far as a child goes, and we talk about it all the time. We agreed to be very open with the agency about what we are looking for. Any other way would not benefit US or the adoption, itself, so I don't think that will be a problem.

In the meantime, I am really suprised at how patient I have been through this all. I guess that after so long in trying to have a baby and feeling out of control in that situation...finally I know that this is in my control and that we WILL have a baby. My heart is at peace and I am just patiently waiting for God to guide our child to us.

Enough of my rambling. I appreciate and am open to ANY and ALL input on all of this!!

Have a great week, everyone!

Amanda

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  • 5 months later...

I was reading this post as we have sent our INQUIRY in a couple weeks ago. I am assuming we will hear back with info and an application if accepted. Which is where this post below picks up. I just assumed if you received the application and sent it back in and it was approved you would be up for either the next or the next next orientation.

So, I guess it's safe to assume that you might not even get into an orientation for quite a while. Can anyone share the longest they've waited to get into an orientation. 6 months...a year? I am just trying to get an idea of what to realistically expect. You read these great stories of people who move along so fast and you can't help but hope your one, so I am trying to be realist here. Imagine that! ha ha Also, would the agency tell if you are accepted what the time frame is for you to expect to be able to attend an orientation?

So many questions.... :unsure: Sorry

Jenny

Amanda,

Congratulations on your inquiry victory! That's step one. Now you fill out the application along with all the other things you have so dilligently completed and the agency will review your file. They will then accept or deny entry into one of the two programs they offer for adoptive couples. Read and consider the questions carefully. Respond from your heart. Then if Abrazo feels that you are a good match for their philosophy and agency, you will hear that you have been accepted into one of the programs. Then you are ready to be invited to an orientation. The orientation invitations are based on of the needs that the agency sees for the next twelve months. For example, if you are a couple who already has a child and want to return for number two and they already have 8 couples in their pool with the same type of situation, they may schedule you for an orientation further down the road because they don't want to accept more than they can reasonably expect to place within 12 months. I do know that upon occassion, if you have all your paper work in and there is a case or birthmom that the agency feels would be a perfect match, they might share your profile or information with that birthmom ahead of orientation. So, no, the application completion is not an automatic invitation to orientation, but it is the only way to get there if you are indeed going to partner with Abrazo to realize your dreams of parenthood. Also, realize that some couples, not many, but some, complete the application, attend orientation and then opt not to go with Abrazo because of differences in philosophy or whatever. So, not to be a downer :ph34r: , but to give you the real head's up, FILL OUT THAT APPLICATION! BE HONEST AND SPEAK FROM YOUR HEARTS, then HAVE FAITH THAT GOD WILL LEAD YOU TO WHATEVER IS BEST FOR YOU. Isn't it great how that works? And, who knows? There have been a few very lucky/blessed couples who have gone to orientation on Friday and ended up as parents before the weekend was through. AND some who never even made it to orientation, we call them the "tweeners" (I am one of those). So....if you haven't already, think about your limitations--what are you looking for, dreaming of, able to handle......discuss it, research it, and then get it on the application! I wish you the best of luck. And you and your husband look fabulous! Savor that. It is one of God's blessings to you as well.

Okay, enough rambling.......

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I was reading this post as we have sent our INQUIRY in a couple weeks ago. I am assuming we will hear back with info and an application if accepted. Which is where this post below picks up. I just assumed if you received the application and sent it back in and it was approved you would be up for either the next or the next next orientation.

So, I guess it's safe to assume that you might not even get into an orientation for quite a while. Can anyone share the longest they've waited to get into an orientation. 6 months...a year? I am just trying to get an idea of what to realistically expect.

You really just never know. From what I've seen, the 'average' wait for an orientation seems to be about 2-3 months. Ours was one of the really quick ones. The November Orientation did not develop (not enough confirmed candidates) so we were shocked when we sent our application in early November and were told we had a spot available in a December Orientation (3 weeks away). It was crazy (for us). We thought it would be February-March before we were invited.

I haven't heard of anyone waiting 6 months, but I guess it is possible.

Best wishes to you,

Adam

Edited by Adam & Beth
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You really just never know. From what I've seen, the 'average' wait for an orientation seems to be about 2-3 months. Ours was one of the really quick ones. The November Orientation did not develop (not enough confirmed candidates) so we were shocked when we sent our application in early November and were told we had a spot available in a December Orientation (3 weeks away). It was crazy (for us). We thought it would be February-March before we were invited.

I haven't heard of anyone waiting 6 months, but I guess it is possible.

Best wishes to you,

Adam

Thanks for the help and insight. I hope we are lucky enough to follow in your footsteps. Hope for the good, right? Right!

Jenny

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I think we sent in our inquiry sometime around May. We were hoping to go to the July orientation, but that was only for those without children (I think...I might be wrong). We were so fortunate to get in to the September orientation where we met the most amazing people who have become lifelong friends!

Congrats on starting the process!

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Hi,

With our first Orientation (we were childless at the time), we sent our application in sometime in July 2002 and were confirmed for the August Orientation (so, a little less than a month) (funny sidenote - there was a December Orientation scheduled in 2002 and we figured we'd get confirmed for that one, not the one in August....as it turned out - we were called and asked if we could make it to the August Orientation - we went and the weekend of the December Orientation was the weekend we received the call about our daughter......talk about divine intervention and timing! Whew!)

With our second Orientation (we are againers, we have one child now), we sent in our application in late February 2006 and we attended Orientation in September 2006, so we waited 7 months to attend Orientation. But - that was more because we had issues with our schedule than anything. My husband had to attend a conference in April so we couldn't attend the April Orientation even if Abrazo had invited us to join that one. There was a July Orientation we were scheduled to attend but at the last minute, my hubby had to make a trip to China so we had to back out of that Orientation. The next one that came available was in September and we were confirmed for that one and we went......

-Lisa

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Hi Jenny,

Abrazo is very practical about the invitations for orientation. They look at their pool of expectant birthmoms, their pool of adoptive parents, and their projections for both in the upcoming months. That is how how they determine the types of families they can reasonably expect to place within a 12 month period. The best way to get the most correct answers to your questions is to call and talk to Angela at Abrazo. She can give you all the most up to date information. Adoption is totally a case by case situation. One never knows where the journey will take you. (Fast track? Detours? Scenic route?) Just keep the faith and know that you have selected the best agency in the country.

Hugs,

Jean

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Just to re-iterate what Garden of Hope is saying, I'm copying a post that Elizabeth did not long ago under the thread "Waiting for a future Orientation". She explains very well (in my opinion) in that post all the factors that go into deciding who gets an invitation to which Orientation.

One thing I can definitely attest to, the least restrictive you are, the more available you allow yourself to be to birthparents contacting Abrazo.

I've taken the liberty of changing this topic title, because we won't know for sure whether there's going to be a March orientation (or what type of clients it'll be geared towards) until we see what kinds of families get placed and what kind of homes we're needing in the next six weeks; this is also why we don't confirm anyone for upcoming orientations more than a month in advance.

For example, if we got most of our current "Againers" placed in the next month and a half, then the next orientation would need to include more families-with-kids, in their place. If most of our couples waiting on Anglo-only babies continue to wait, there would be less need for the agency to admit more Anglo-only couples. If in the next six weeks, the majority of our birthparent intakes are expecting children of African-American descent, then the next orientation would necessarily be geared to couples open to such placements.

By doing so, we try to ensure that we are only accepting as many parents-in-waiting as we can generally anticipate placing with, within a year's time, and that we have appropriate families available to meet the needs of the birthparents who are placing with us at any given time.

But we're looking forward to seeing you whenever we see you! ;)

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Lisa, Jean...thanks so much. I was curious how they worked or what the longest wait normally was. I know it will happen when it should. Plus, my husband has kind of been asking and I don't really know too much, so I got to posting about it.

I don't know if and when we'll get accepted or when we'll get to plan for an orientation, but we are pretty open with race. Our daughter is hispanic so we know we would love another hispanic or multi-race baby.

Thanks for the info and help!

Jenny

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  • 2 months later...
Our daughter is hispanic so we know we would love another hispanic or multi-race baby.

Jenny

Jenny,

I love the photo of your daughter--cutie, cutie :D

Cathy

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Is it best to call Angela to find out if one of our references has been received? Our reference e-mailed me and wanted to make sure it had arrived. I've been voiceless these past two days with a pretty bad cold so I haven't been able to call.

Cathy

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I'm not sure where to post this question, so I thought I'd post it here since it relates to the application. Can someone tell me if the floor plan should have windows and doors included in the drawing? Hoping someone can answer this for me. Thanks, in advance!

Cathy

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I'm not sure where to post this question, so I thought I'd post it here since it relates to the application. Can someone tell me if the floor plan should have windows and doors included in the drawing? Hoping someone can answer this for me. Thanks, in advance!

Cathy

Not sure what the "official" answer is, but yes, we included doors and windows to demonstrate exit points of the floorplan.

-A

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Not sure what the "official" answer is, but yes, we included doors and windows to demonstrate exit points of the floorplan.

-A

Thanks, Adam. That's what I thought Abrazo might want to see as well. Doors and windows it will be or should I say it will include :P Thanks for your quick response from way over there :)

Cathy

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Hi Cathy,

Yes I would call Angela about that question. She's the one who keeps your file in order for the most part.

Hope you're feeling better!

Nichole

Is it best to call Angela to find out if one of our references has been received? Our reference e-mailed me and wanted to make sure it had arrived. I've been voiceless these past two days with a pretty bad cold so I haven't been able to call.

Cathy

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Hi Cathy,

Hope you're feeling better!

Nichole

Thanks, Nichole I finally am. Three days without a voice during our busy season at work is a challenge!

Cathy

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Good to hear it Cathy (no pun intended). :)

Hi Cathy,

Hope you're feeling better!

Nichole

Thanks, Nichole I finally am. Three days without a voice during our busy season at work is a challenge!

Cathy

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Final application question. . .

Should we include a separate check for the orientation with our application? I know we send a check for the application, but I'm unsure if we also send the other check at the same time? Or, do we await Angela's call before sending the orientation check? I'm hoping to mail this off today since I have the day off.

I left Angela a message, but understand she is out until Monday.

Cathy

Final application question. . .

Should we include a separate check for the orientation with our application? I know we send a check for the application, but I'm unsure if we also send the other check at the same time? Or, do we await Angela's call before sending the orientation check? I'm hoping to mail this off today since I have the day off.

I left Angela a message, but understand she is out until Monday.

Cathy

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Final application question. . .

Should we include a separate check for the orientation with our application? I know we send a check for the application, but I'm unsure if we also send the other check at the same time? Or, do we await Angela's call before sending the orientation check? I'm hoping to mail this off today since I have the day off.

I left Angela a message, but understand she is out until Monday.

Cathy

Cathy, as always, the final and official word will come from one of the nice ladies at the Abrazo office, but from my memory, the Orientation check is definitely a separate payment and you would not submit it until you have been approved/invited to attend an Orientation session.

-A

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Cathy, as always, the final and official word will come from one of the nice ladies at the Abrazo office, but from my memory, the Orientation check is definitely a separate payment and you would not submit it until you have been approved/invited to attend an Orientation session.

-A

Thanks, Adam. I will go ahead and submit our application today since I'm off and put a note about submitting the separate check (if approved--hopefully when approved).

Cathy

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Cathy, as always, the final and official word will come from one of the nice ladies at the Abrazo office, but from my memory, the Orientation check is definitely a separate payment and you would not submit it until you have been approved/invited to attend an Orientation session.

-A

Thanks, Adam. I will go ahead and submit our application today since I'm off and put a note about submitting the separate check (if approved--hopefully when approved).

Cathy

I could be wrong, but if you want, you might just ask whoever answers the phone at Abrazo as I would think your request is a common question (what to submit and when).

Have a good weekend,

Adam

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Cathy and Brian,

I am so excited for you guys! I remember the beginning of our journey when we had a million questions to ask about everything adoption. You certainly are in the right place for great answers. I can't wait to hear that you have been accepted and are heading to orientation! :D

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Cathy and Brian,

I am so excited for you guys! I remember the beginning of our journey when we had a million questions to ask about everything adoption. You certainly are in the right place for great answers. I can't wait to hear that you have been accepted and are heading to orientation! :D

Hey I see you are at an even 1,000 posts with this post above, CONGRATS!

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I could be wrong, but if you want, you might just ask whoever answers the phone at Abrazo as I would think your request is a common question (what to submit and when).

Have a good weekend,

Adam

I was impatient this afternoon and mailed our application off with a note. Things are so crazy at work right now and it will be very hard for me to get to the post office during the daytime this month. If I find out a check needs to be sent, I will have no problem in getting it there overnight if need be.

Cathy

P.S. Hope you and Beth also have a good weekend!

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