It is starting to look very spooky outside! The staff at A Baby Step Adoption Agency wishes you and your little ghosts and goblins a very Happy Halloween! Check out these helpful tips from safekids.org to ensure that everyone enjoys a safe and spooktakular night - www.safekids.org/halloween. There are some that might surprise you!
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Friday, October 31, 2014
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Come see us this Saturday!
Visit us this Saturday, November 1, at the 5th Annual Family Matters Conference sponsored by Philadelphia Family Pride. The community event is for LGBTQ parents and prospective parents to network, share information and get their questions answered by professionals. We will be there to answer any questions you may have on LGBTQ adoptions and how we can help you create your forever family! The event runs from 9AM-2PM at the Philadelphia School in Center City. For more information, check out: http://philadelphiafamilypride.org/family-matters-conference/
Monday, October 27, 2014
Happy birthday !
Happy birthday to Hillary Rodham Clinton, former U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Senator, First Lady of the United States and recognized adoption advocate. Hillary played a leading role in advocating the creation of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), and the Foster Care Independence Act. Her role in campaigning for the ASFA was particularly influential and is considered the most sweeping change to the U.S. adoption and foster care system in some two decades.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Maternity Clothing
If you have an excess of maternity clothes taking up space in your closet, we would love to take them off your hands! A Baby Step Adoption is accepting donations for gently used maternity clothes for our birth mothers in need. Thanks to our friends at the Play Cafe, you can drop off your donations to the Bryn Mawr kid play center anytime before December 1, 2014 and label them: Taryn Ferst, A Baby Step Adoption. Your kids will love it if you stay and play too! It's a win win!
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Tuesday Tip!
Single parent adoption is on the rise. In the 1970’s, a mere .5% to 4% of people adopting were single, whereas today, the number is more like 33% and is steadily rising. Some research shows that these parents have a harder time adoptiong a child, but in the case of A Baby Step Adoption, that is simply not true. We can help prospective adoptive parents from any situation and can match a single parent with a baby in under a year, often even faster.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Curious about adoption but not sure where to start?
Thank you to those who joined us at our free information session on October 16th in Rosemont, PA. Curious about adoption but not sure where to start? If you missed the session you can still learn about your adoption options by emailing annie@ababystepadoption.com. We look forward to talking with you! Photo credit: Pinterest.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Buy this cute little guy for your little one! Raise funds for breast cancer:
Grants
The cost of adoption can be daunting on families, but there are so many more funding options out there today than ever before. Social media has helped the cause with sites like Gofundme.com, which allows people to donate to your fundraising goals. If you are considering adoption but concerned about the cost, please contact us to help you find the resources that will work best for you. Our agency has taken the lead and partnered with the nationally recognized program - Your Adoption Finance Coach. This program helps, with grants loans, creative fundraising and activities including a gift registry. This program is free to all ABSA families. Ask your ABSA caseworker about out in house grant spreadsheet for requirements - we are ready to get started today!
Monday, October 13, 2014
Happy Columbus Day!
Happy Columbus Day! If you have school-aged children who are home today in recognition of this national holiday, there are many fun and educational activities to keep little – and big –minds busy! We like Scholastic.com’s selection of Columbus-themed games and activities. Enchantedlearning.com also has a number of fun printable coloring pages and crafts. Whatever you do, we hope you get to make lasting memories and enjoy some special family time today!
Thursday, October 9, 2014
John Lennon
Today we recognize the life and accomplishments of musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, artist and adoptee, John Lennon. His maternal aunt, Mimi, and her husband,George, raised the Beatles superstar, who would have celebrated his 74th birthday today. Mimi and Georgewere named John’s official guardians when he turned five, and reportedly enjoyed a loving and close relationship with the future Beatle.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Monday, October 6, 2014
Health!
Did you know that today is Child Health Day? As part of the annual presidential proclamation for the day, all agencies and organizations interested in child welfare, including A Baby Step Adoption Agency, unite today to increase people’s awareness of the need for a year-round program to protect and develop children’s health in the United States.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Teachers
Today marks the 20thannual celebration of World Teachers' Day! This special day commemorates teachers’ organizations worldwide and represents the awareness, understanding and appreciation displayed for the vital contribution that teachers make to education and development. We at A Baby Step Adoption salute teachers worldwide today, and particularly our special adoptive parents who are teachers (we have a number of them!)
Thursday, October 2, 2014
ABSA Family Profile – Cole and Heather
As
part of our ongoing series, ‘Miracles in Adoption,’ in which we introduce you
to some of our incredible families who have adopted with us in the past, we are
excited to share the amazing story of Cole and Heather.
Meet
Cole and Heather from Pittsburgh, PA
Cole and Heather
knew they wanted to start a family, and the couple was ecstatic when Heather
became pregnant in 2012. With no
previous health issues, the couple was blindsided when Heather suffered heart
failure during her pregnancy and was forced to undergo life-saving treatment.
The treatment saved her life, but tragically, they lost their baby. Since her condition may have prevented her
from safely becoming pregnant again, she and her husband, Cole, decided to turn
to adoption and began exploring their adoption options.
As Heather
recovered, they began talking to family about their plans to adopt. Cole’s
mother mentioned she knew Barbara Casey, an American Academy Attorney who
specializes in adoption and runs a successful agency with an office in Reading,
not far from their hometown of Pittsburgh. She suggested contacting A Baby Step
Adoption Agency to learn more about her adoption options. The couple was
intrigued and contacted the agency to learn about what available adoption
situations could work best for them. The
couple signed on with A Baby Step Adoption Agency officially in February 2013,
expecting the process of being matched with a birth mother to take about a
year, which is the norm among most adoption agencies. Heather and Cole couldn’t
have been more wrong. Within a month, the couple was matched with a birth
mother who was almost four months pregnant and due in August, 2013. Their
dreams for a baby of their own were coming to fruition faster than they could
have ever hoped.
One of the
adoption options offered to them was to have an open adoption where the birth
mother and adoptive family maintain contact throughout the pregnancy. Heather
and Cole had the opportunity to experience the special moments of the
pregnancy, receiving sonogram photos and getting regular updates on prenatal
appointments from the birth mother. They got the call she was in labor in
August 2013 and rushed to the hospital where their beautiful daughter was born.
Named Maida for Heather’s
grandmother, they chose the birth mother’s last name to use as her middle name
to make sure she always has a connection to the woman who birthed her. Heather
and Cole were so impressed with how streamlined and seamless their experience
of adoption was with A Baby Step Adoption. Out of all of the available adoption
situations out there, their adoption of their daughter couldn’t have gone more
smoothly.
The couple, who co-own
a natural pet supply store called Petagogy, live in Pittsburgh, PA with little
Maida who turned one this past August and their two dogs.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
ABSA Blog
Enjoy our latest blog post about the Miracle of Adoption on our website. In this post we feature Heather and Cole from Pittsburgh, PA, who overcame tragic circumstances and went on to adopt a little girl, Maida who recently celebrated her first birthday. A Baby Step Adoption is so grateful to be a part of so many small miracles through adoption.
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