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Guest Julie&Rick

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Welcome to the forum, Pam. Amanda gave you some perfect advise in my opinion. Learn about the open adoption process and experience by reading the forum and recommended readings that you will find listed in the forum and from your friends who have adopted through Abrazo. Do some soul searching and challenge self regarding resolution of infertility issues, what you are open to in regards to adoption situations you would accept. Research who does homestudies in your area.

The basic, abreviated process is: Inquiry, Application, Orientation weekend, homestudy, more paperwork, initial fees, create a profile, talk to potential birthparents, share process with your forum friends, birthparent chooses you, you recieve a case assessment that includes estimated expenses and other info, choose to match with potential birthparent, continue to develop relationship with potential birthparent, take placement of child beyond 48 hours after delivery after relinquishment is completed, spend more time with birthparent, raise your child in an open adoption relationship, monthly reports to Abrazo until finalization and quarterly homestudy updates, adoption finalized 6-12 months after placement, continue in open adoption relationship, annual reports to Abrazo.

While this list has the "tasks" involved, it really doesn't capture the emotional ride you are considering entering into (even beyond the one involved through fertility treatments). The forum would better capture that side of things.

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Welcome to Abrazo Pam! :D

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Hi, I am new to the forum. Currently my husband and I are on the last couple of treatments for infertility. I have contacted Abrazo and received some information. We have to wait 6 months after we end treatment before we can apply. Why is that I wonder? Anyway, we have some friends that adopted through ABRAZO and have a beautiful child now. This is definately the agency that we decided to go with when we end our fertility journey (has been a long road). I am looking for any information anyone can give about this process, final expenses, how long before placement, what should we be doing during the next 6 mos while we wait to apply, etc. My husband and I are physically and emotionally exhausted from the long years of fertility treatments and are both now at peace with adopting rather than giving birth to our child. We know that there are many children that need good homes and the love that we can provide. So any information would be helpful. thanks

Welcome to Abrazo Pam (and husband)!

I wish you all the best as you finish your infertility journey and prepare your broken hearts (and body) for an adoption journey, if that is how you choose to proceed in growing your family.

It's important for you both to feel as whole as possible before adopting and before entering into relationship with an expectant Mom, so she never has to worry if her choice is the right one. Your child's future depends on you being "who" you say you are and knowing "why" you have come to adoption. All of this takes time, sometimes lots of time. Adoption is a new personal journey unlike no other, beginning with a special Blessing that's truly mean't to be yours.

Again welcome!

Karen

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Hi, I am new to the forum.

Welcome to the Forum, Pam and husband (name?) :)

Cathy

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Thank you all for such a welcome. I have been browsing through the forum and have found a lot of helpful information. I know this will be another roller coaster ride that we will be entering. I look forward to taking some time off from the ferility treatments and preparing for adoption if this is what we choose. It will be nice for a while not to worry about what cycle day I am on, taking medications, appointments, etc. So, in a couple of months we will be geared up for this journey. Thanks for all the responses and helpful information. Look forward to continuing to chat with you all.

Pam & Chris

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Welcome, Pam and Chris!!

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Welcome, Pam and Chris!!

Welcome to the forum Pam and Chris!! You are in for the ride of your lives!! These ladies (every one of them) ROCK!

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  • 1 month later...
Thank you all for such a welcome. I have been browsing through the forum and have found a lot of helpful information. I know this will be another roller coaster ride that we will be entering. I look forward to taking some time off from the ferility treatments and preparing for adoption if this is what we choose. It will be nice for a while not to worry about what cycle day I am on, taking medications, appointments, etc. So, in a couple of months we will be geared up for this journey. Thanks for all the responses and helpful information. Look forward to continuing to chat with you all.

Pam & Chris

Pam,

To answer your question on why wait 6 months following treatment, there is a good explaination by Elizabeth under adopting after infertity and I have bumped up the thread for you. Best wishes to you on your journey. Traci

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Here's a link to the thread Traci bumped up for you: Adopting After Infertility.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well I have been learning a lot of information reading through the forum. I do have a question about the home study. Do you find a local social worker to do the home study, or is the social worker appointed to you to do the study. My husband and I are both in the medical field and know several social workers. So how does this work and what type of social worker needs to do the study?

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You use a local homestudy worker. You will probably be advised to use one that does homestudies regularly so that things go more smoothly. Depending on where you live Abrazo may know some names of people in your area. You want someone that understands Texas adoption requirements. We started our homestudy a little before attending Abrazo's orientation. Getting your homestudy done earlier can speed the process sometimes. :)

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You can also contact a local adoption agency who can provide homestudy and post-adoption visits for you.

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Before hiring anyone, please reference the TX/Abrazo homestudy standards, which can be found (here) under Professionals' Corner; any homestudy worker authorizing a family to take placement through Abrazo must be a licensed M.S.W. with a minimum of three years' supervised experience at a licensed child-placement facility.

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  • 6 months later...

Hi everyone,

My name is Erin, and I've been lurking on the Abrazo forum for a long time :) My husband and I have a wonderful 2 1/2 year-old daughter whom we adopted from Guatemala. We visited her twice before moving to Guatemala to become her legal foster parents when she was eight months old, and we ended up having to stay there for nearly two years. (The adoption process itself was a nightmare, but we wouldn't give up our experience living in Guatemala for anything!)

Within the next year, we very much want to adopt another Latino child (or small sibling group) from the United States. When I first started researching American adoption agencies more than a year ago, Abrazo was one of the first I came across. We considered going through the state (we live in Tennessee), but they told us that they very rarely have children under seven or eight years old available for adoption. (We would consider adopting a child up to around age four.) After researching a lot of different agencies, we've identified Abrazo as the one we would most like to use. Its commitment to ethics; belief in open adoption; commitment to exploring *all* a woman's choices with a pregnant woman/potential birth mother; and the fact that half of all its placements have Latino ancestry are the biggest reasons we feel Abrazo is a great match for our family.

My question for you guys is about family income. When I moved to Guatemala, I left my very good marketing job at a Fortune 100 company. Now that we're back in the US, the economy is terrible (as I'm sure you noticed!), and our income is less than half of what it used to be. That income will hopefully increase in the next few months as either I find a job (I've submitted several applications) or my husband gets another part-time job, but in your opinion, is our decreased income likely to prevent us from being accepted into Abrazo's program? If so, we will wait to mail the initial inquiry form until our financial situation improves. I just hate to delay beginning this process because we truly want our daughter and future child to be close in age, and I know it almost always takes longer for "againers" to be matched.

Thanks for your help, and I'll continue reading the forum. I've found a lot of good adoption-related links through posts by Elizabeth and others.

Erin

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Hello Erin!!

I will have to say that I think every family is different, one income could mean something entirely different to another family (based on debt, payments, etc). So 60,000 could mean one thing to one family, and poverty to the next.

I think if you have a way to pay for childcare when needed, and all the needs of a child you should be fine. Plus if you are really worried about it you can always wait until you get a job, then send in the inquiry.

I think there are many families here who do not make a fortune, especially those with one income, but they are great parents & have been approved. So don't worry too much. Oh yes - and WELCOME!! :)

Natalie

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Erin,

I don't know the answer but I would call Abrazo and ask them right away.

Welcome to the forum!

Domestic adoption sounds like it will be easier.

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Welcome Erin!!

I am not aware of specific income requirements, as long as a family is able to demonstrate they have the means to take care of another child, including covering the costs associated with adopting.

Check with Abrazo if you're not certain.

Good Luck, I hope you find this forum helpful to your next journey.

Karen

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Hi Erin and everyone!! We sent our inquiry in 3 days ago and are just SOOO excited!! I want to do whatever I can to get the ball rolling, I know its out of our hands right now and we just need to wait and see if we are accepted. Im so glad I came here, I honestly cant see us being anywhere else and we looked at many. I love the forum its so good to actually here everyone's success and their stories. I cant wait to attend the orientation weekend(I know Im getting way ahead of myself) but Im just so happy. I have felt so hopeful ever since finding Abrazo and when I put that envelope in the mail I said a little prayer so here we are just waiting!! I have read alot of people's inquiries were never recieved which scares me b/c Im thinking I should have gotten a tracking number, I do not trust the postal system but I was so eager to get it in the mail. I wonder if it would be okay to call and just make sure it was recieved. I hate to bug the busy ladies though. I live in South Texas so hopefully it will make its way there with no problem. Just wondering, is there anything I should be doing in the meantime or should I really wait till we get our application. I just would like to have as much information together as I can but then again I have no idea what I will be asked to submit. Should I be looking for someone to do out homestudy, I have no idea how to go about doing that, does Abrazo have someone special they work with in the area I wonder. Okay Im babbling on just wanted to say hi to everyone and I cant wait to go through this experience with everyone else!!!

Edited by mgarcia2411
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Hi Erin & mgarcia2411... hope your inquiries find Abrazo real soon. You will gain lots of information out here. Enjoy :D

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Welcome mgarcia2411.

It's good to be proactive and there are lots of things you an do while you are waiting . . . most of them involve learning as much as you can! If you haven't already, you can check out all the topics under the "wanting to adopt" section of the Forum. Here you'll find all sorts of good information, there's also a "suggested reading" thread -- choose a couple of books that sound good to you and start reading. Especially read some of the books on open adoption. ISeveral of these books are encouraged reading before orientation -- you'll be ahead of the game if you have them read already. You can also make calls to find out about agencies or independent social workers who do homestudies in your area-- while it may be early to start, it's not too early to investigate the possibilities and find out the policies/procedures/timeframes/costs of the available places.

I know there's more, but I just looked at the clock -- I'm going to be late--oops.

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Thanks everyone so much its so welcoming here, I love it. I have been reading some books on open adoption but will check out the suggested reading thread. Thanks so much. Have a great day everyone!!

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Welcomemgarcia2411! Mary Helen's suggestions are great! I've thought of a few other things to get you going:

  • Begin thinking about who you want to write letters of recommendation for you and hubby
  • Ask your doctor for a letter stating your diagnosis of infertility
  • Talk with your spouse/research what you are open to as far as race, age of child, special needs, etc. Those questions will be on the application.
  • Write a rough draft of your profile letter...the letter that potential birth parents will read...and gather photos of you and your spouse that give a glimpse of who you are/your lives.
  • Think about/work out financing your adoption
  • Get recommendations/interview agencies/social workers to do your homestudy
  • Get ready for a wild but wonderful ride!
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Welcomemgarcia2411! Mary Helen's suggestions are great! I've thought of a few other things to get you going:

  • Begin thinking about who you want to write letters of recommendation for you and hubby
  • Ask your doctor for a letter stating your diagnosis of infertility
  • Talk with your spouse/research what you are open to as far as race, age of child, special needs, etc. Those questions will be on the application.
  • Write a rough draft of your profile letter...the letter that potential birth parents will read...and gather photos of you and your spouse that give a glimpse of who you are/your lives.
  • Think about/work out financing your adoption
  • Get recommendations/interview agencies/social workers to do your homestudy
  • Get ready for a wild but wonderful ride!

And schedule a physical!!! Those things can take MONTHS to get in for! :)

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