Family

Completing Their Forever Family Through Adoption Networking!

Josh and Kelly took placement of their beautiful baby girl Ansley in late January this year.  The also took the networking challenge as waiting adoptive parents.  They signed up and participated in the online courses through My Adoption Advisor, created a profile, website, Facebook page, and YouTube video!  Not to mention getting the word out to family and  friends that they were looking to adopt!

Through a  friend of a friend who knew they were looking to adopt, they connected with their birth mother. Once they established contact with their birth mom, they found it was extremely helpful that they were able to refer her to their website, where she was able to learn more about them and their family.

Since their placement, they have learned that waiting parents are indeed putting themselves out there and networking in an effort to shorten their wait time and best of all… it really works!!!  “Networking brought us to our birth parents who gave us the gift of completing our forever family!”, said Kelly.

A big thanks to Josh, Kelly and their family  for allowing us to tell the story of their adoption journey.

Do you have a story you’d like to tell?  Email us at blog.ach@foryourlife.com.  Visit us at www.AChildsHope.com, or call our Birth Mother Hotline at 1-877-890-HOPE (4976) so one of our adoption counselors can answer your questions confidentially.

Please remember that this is a public site open to anyone; therefore, anything you post can be seen by anyone.

John & Laura’s Networking Adoption Journey

John and Laura took home their newborn daughter Anna Claire from California in March. They call how they found her a miracle, but it’s really an example of how getting the word out to friends and family that you want to adopt can lead you to an adoption situation.

“We took the courses through My Adoption Advisor, had a new profile and webpage created which was posted to Facebook and we also let friends know we were looking to adopt,” said John.  “A coworker who knew we were looking to adopt located a distant relative on Facebook who had recently adopted via an agency.  In their brief conversation, she shared that she had friends at work who were looking to adopt.   That was it; that was the extent of the conversation. The very next day, the agency’s social worker happened to email the adoptive mother and said that she had two birth mother situations, and was looking for potential adoptive families.  Our friend’s relative forwarded the email to her who sent it to Laura who called and spoke with the social worker.  We shared our profile webpage with the social worker who showed it to the potential birth mother.  Within 24 hours we were matched!”

John and Laura had been waiting since January of 2010 with A Child’s Hope. They had previously worked with another agency for four years prior to signing with A Child’s Hope. “We had already waited for so long for a child, when the opportunity came along to create a new profile and to increase our advertising on a national level, we knew we had to put ourselves out there and give it a try.  So we did everything we could – Facebook, advertising, networking, etc. to get the word out – and it worked. Our daughter is everything we had prayed for”, said Laura.

John and Laura will be attending the April 17th Hopeful Parents Support Group to talk about their adoption journey.  They have also invited waiting parents to contact them at JohnandLauraadopt@gmail.com if they have any questions.

A big thanks to John, Laura and Anna  for allowing us to tell the story of their adoptive family.

Do you have a story you’d like to tell?  Email us at blog.ach@foryourlife.com.  Visit us at www.AChildsHope.com, or call our Birth Mother Hotline at 1-877-890-HOPE (4976) so one of our adoption counselors can answer your questions confidentially.

Please remember that this is a public site open to anyone; therefore, anything you post can be seen by anyone.

Birth Mom’s – The Testimonial of An Adoption Counselor

“I love working with birth moms because they are essential; ~without them, there is no adoption process!”

“It is such an honor to have a pregnant woman share her journey with me and talk through her thoughts, feelings and experiences that have brought her to the decision that adoption is the right choice for her and her baby.  Every woman is an individual and I am reminded of that in working with birth moms because no two women’s journeys are ever the same.  I also love hearing why they feel drawn to certain adoptive families and watching the process of birth moms feel a sense of control over the placement of their child.  It is a wonderful, unpredictable and always unique experience with every individual, expectant mom.”

– Leslie, A Child’s Hope Adoption Counselor

A big thanks to Leslie for allowing us to share her experience!

Do you have a story you’d like to tell?  Email us at blog.ach@foryourlife.com.  Visit us at www.AChildsHope.com, or call our Birth Mother Hotline at 1-877-890-HOPE (4976) so one of our adoption counselors can answer your questions confidentially.

Please remember that this is a public site open to anyone; therefore, anything you post can be seen by anyone.

What is the adoption tax credit?

Congress recently passed a bill to avert the “fiscal cliff,” with the bill signed on January 2, 2013. The bill made the adoption tax credit permanent. However, it is not refundable. This has many adoptive parents asking questions like, what is the adoption tax credit, who’s eligible and what does it mean that the adoption tax credit is permanent?

To view this entire article and all of it’s adoption tax credit FAQ’s go to: http://adoptiontaxcredit.org/faqs/

Do you have a story you’d like to tell?  Email us at blog.ach@foryourlife.com.  Visit us at www.AChildsHope.com, or call our Birth Mother Hotline at 1-877-890-HOPE (4976) so one of our adoption counselors can answer your questions confidentially.

Please remember that this is a public site open to anyone; therefore, anything you post can be seen by anyone.

It’s a Family Affair!

Cindy was joined by her sister on the most special occasion – Placement Day! This photo was taken on Dec. 21, 2012 with the birth mother, birth father and the birth mother’s mom. Ella was 7 days old.

Single mom Cindy will never forget the Christmas of 2012.  Her newborn daughter was placed with her for adoption just four days before Christmas. “The fact that Santa brought me a stork for Christmas was the best gift of all,” said Cindy , who herself is adopted. Cindy’s sister, Janet, joined her at the office on placement day to meet Ella. “No matter the journey, the waiting process is the most difficult to manage,” Cindy explained.  Cindy, an advocate for open adoption, looks forward to having a relationship with the birth family.

A big thank you to Cindy and baby Ella for allowing us to tell the story of their family!

Do you have a story you’d like to tell?  Email us at blog.ach@foryourlife.com.  Visit us at www.AChildsHope.com, or call our Birth Mother Hotline at 1-877-890-HOPE (4976) so one of our adoption counselors can answer your questions confidentially.

Please remember that this is a public site open to anyone; therefore, anything you post can be seen by anyone.

Sisters!!

Alexis, now age 12, Meghan 10, and Savannah 6, all share the same last name but each has a different biological mother and father.  Their parents, Steve and Beth, used adoption through A Child’s Hope to help them grow a family.

“The girls are as close as sisters can be,” said Dad Steve, who stayed home with all three until returning to work full time last year.  They each know they were adopted and each have different birth parents, but except for the fact that they all three share different biology, they are sisters.”

Alexis was on hand to greet each of her new siblings when they were newborn. Each adoptive placement was a family affair.  Alexis first in 2000, then her sister Meghan in 2002, and their sister Savannah in 2006!

A Big thank you to Steve, Beth, Alexis, Meghan and Savannah for allowing us to tell the story of their family!!!

Do you have a story you’d like to tell?  Email us at blog.ach@foryourlife.com.  Visit us at www.AChildsHope.com, or call our Birth Mother Hotline at 1-877-890-HOPE (4976) so one of our adoption counselors can answer your questions confidentially.

Please remember that this is a public site open to anyone; therefore, anything you post can be seen by anyone.

Hopeful Parents – Are You A Waiting or Past Placed Family with A Child’s Hope??

Are you waiting or past placed family with A Child’s Hope? If you would like to be a part of a support group for waiting parents and for birth parents we invite you to join us at our upcoming 2013 organizational meeting!

Hopeful Parents was started in 2001 as a support group for waiting adoptive parents, past placed parents and birth mothers.

Waiting to adopt can be stressful, but support through others waiting and those who have adopted is a great way to deal with the stress!  When the group first started, activities were limited to an annual Holiday Celebration held in November, National Adoption Month, and for those families that had adopted that year lead a swearing in and adoption oath.. There were quarterly grab bag showers or “celebrations” for those who had placed in the last four months,  and there was a spring fund raiser which was a tea, featuring all babies and their mothers from the last year. For awhile the tea was held at the home of Parker Herring, and then tea was moved to a historic home in Raleigh.

In 2004, one of the placed adoptive families asked for help in forming the group as a nonprofit and in that year the first slate of officers were elected and programs were held every year through 2012. In November 2012, the officers of Hopeful Parents asked that they be relieved of their positions so they could form another group, NC Adoptive Families.  This group is for families who have adopted and live in NC and plan to have play dates for kids as well as support meeting for parents.

Over the years in Hopeful Parents there has been other activities including: gift bags for birth mothers at the hospital; a birth mother fund, an annual CPR class, and a maternity clothes closet in addition, each year there was either a “Cookies with Santa” or “Potluck with Santa.”

There is interest in the existing non-profit Hopeful Parents being revived in a version of what existed before, and the most interest has been expressed on a monthly support group for waiting families and other ways to support those waiting.

PLEASE CHECK HOPEFUL PARENTS & A CHILD’S HOPE FACEBOOK PAGES FOR DATE AND TIME.

Michael and Katy – zip line anyone?

Large families, zip lines, and snuggly puppies!  That’s what life is like with Katy and Michael – along with sci-fi/fantasy books and movies and the Big Bang Theory on TV.

Katy is a special education teacher, and Michael is a mechanical engineer who loves to take things apart to see how they work.  Time for a baby to share the fun! They long for the day when they can introduce their adopted baby to their niece Ella and do all the fun things they like to do, from playing football and ultimate Frisbee in the back yard, hikes through the woods, read lots of books, and eating hot dogs while watching a baseball game. They have so many fun things in store for the child they’re hoping to adopt soon!

A Big thank you to Michael and Katy for allowing us to tell their story!

Do you have a story you’d like to tell?  Email us at blog.ach@foryourlife.com.  Visit us at www.AChildsHope.com, or call our Birth Mother Hotline at 1-877-890-HOPE (4976) so one of our adoption counselors can answer your questions confidentially.

Please remember that this is a public site open to anyone; therefore, anything you post can be seen by anyone.

Have you ever been late for a date?

Hunter almost blew his first date with Laura when he was late on their first date, but he finally made it, and neither one of them ever wanted the night to end!  Hunter and Laura’s friends had been trying to set them up for months, but Hunter got impatient and took matters into his own hands and called Laura. After talking for several hours, SHE asked him out!

When their dogs met the next day and became best friends, the handwriting was in the cards, and their friendship grew into marriage in 2008.  They walked down the aisle to “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles instead of the traditional wedding march – that is how they roll!

Now they like to fish at the beach and work and play in their 10-acre back yard.  They are waiting to adopt a boy or girl to share the fun!

A Big thank you to Hunter and Laura  for allowing us to tell the story of their family!  You can also visit their Facebook page at: http://on.fb.me/SDPkoa

Do you have a story you’d like to tell?  Email us at blog.ach@foryourlife.com.  Visit us at www.AChildsHope.com, or call our Birth Mother Hotline at 1-877-890-HOPE (4976) so one of our adoption counselors can answer your questions confidentially.

Please remember that this is a public site open to anyone; therefore, anything you post can be seen by anyone.

Ever wondered what you would be getting into if you stayed at home with the kids?

Mike wasn’t sure what he was getting into when he decided to stay home with the kids, but he loves it!  Mike is a stay-at-home dad, and Sheila is a Certified Public Accountant.  So he is a “Mr. Mom” and Sheila goes to the office each day.

The list of what the family enjoys is very long.  They enjoy music, sports, board games, traveling, amusement parks…the list goes on and on!  Mike and Dylan (age 9) take guitar lessons, and Summer (age 7) is starting piano lessons.  And Presley (age 2), who knows what instrument she’ll decide to pick up, but whatever it is, her family will be right there to help her along.

“Being a family is about the people who love and support you no matter what.”  That’s what Mike and Sheila believe, and along with Dylan, Summer and Presley, they are ready to love and support their next child no matter what!

A Big thank you to Mike, Sheila for allowing us to tell the story of their family!

Do you have a story you’d like to tell?  Email us at blog.ach@foryourlife.com.  Visit us at www.AChildsHope.com, or call our Birth Mother Hotline at 1-877-890-HOPE (4976) so one of our adoption counselors can answer your questions confidentially.

Please remember that this is a public site open to anyone; therefore, anything you post can be seen by anyone.

Birthmother Hotline: (877) 890-4673

Envia Un Texto: (919) 218-6270

Text: Pregnant to (919) 971-4396