December 2003

Happy Holidays from San Antonio!

Everyone’s favorite time of the year is here, and our hope is that this month’s message finds you all enjoying a joyous holiday season – try to cherish each special moment, even when the hectic pace of the month drives you a bit crazy! A.S.A. will be closed for the New Year holiday Wednesday, December 31st through Friday, January 2nd.

Because you’ve now “met” every member of the A.S.A. staff over the past year via the semi-monthly newsletter, we’ve taken a break from the “Meet the Staff” segment, but will resume in the New Year so that all of the newer families to the program may begin to become better acquainted with each of the individuals ready to serve you as you pursue the growth of your family through adoption… In 2004, we’ll work toward including photographs in this section of the newsletter so that you can put a name AND a face to the voice you hear over the phone whenever you call in!

Congratulations!

We’re so excited for Chuck and Eileen on the arrival of their first child, a little boy they’ve named Daniel Alexander…

Michael and Colleen welcomed their first child, a sweet little girl named Chloe Rose – congrats!

Michael joined his family in October, and his parents Victoria and John couldn’t be happier…

Forrest Benjamin joined his forever family last month, and his elated parents, Mark and Cynthia, are just thrilled…

Quinton Thomas joined his family in October, and mom Kelly couldn’t be happier!

Christine and Lex welcomed their second child, a son they’ve named George Alexander…big sister Nina is as proud as can be!

Domenique Lee was warmly welcomed by her new parents, Chong and Andy…

Maria and Michael welcomed their second daughter, Sarah Marie this month…big sis Briana is so happy to have a little sister!

After a long and difficult journey, Michael and Maria welcomed their sweet baby boy, Nicholas Edward into their loving arms…

Kathleen Mary joined her parents, Mike and Theresa, and made of big brother out of their son, John!

Matthew and Angela welcomed their first child, a daughter named Aleksandra Farida…we’re so happy for them!

One Family’s Story

This month, I have an extra-special story to share….I think you’ll find it especially moving because its one family’s adoption journey shared from two different perspectives; from the adoptive mother as well as from the proud maternal grandmother’s perspective – enjoy!

As a little girl, I would spend hours playing with my dolls imagining they were my children. I dreamed of the day it would be real and Prince Charming would arrive on a white horse and sweep me off my feet. We’d marry and have a house full of children. Well, Prince Charming did arrive, except he had a Harley Davidson instead of a horse, and the children, well that was a whole other story.

Like so many other couples, we took a journey down the road of infertility. The trip was hard emotionally and physically. We wondered if it was meant for us to have children. We imagined life without tiny “I love yous” and sticky, grape-jelly kisses. This was something I couldn’t bear. I refused to believe that being childless was my fate. I knew in my heart that God would provide a way for us to become parents. I left it up to Him and through a series of events, we would soon learn there are angels among us. They are alive and well and living in the San Antonio area. They gather each day at a place called A.S.A.

I still recall the first time I found the courage to dial the A.S.A. phone number. I couldn’t make it through the phone call. Half way into speaking to Debbie Guzman, I broke down and cried. Here was this sweet, angel’s voice reassuring me that it would happen for us. It’s not that I didn’t believe her, it was that after all we suffered and lost, I couldn’t believe it was coming true. My hands shook as I tried to scribble down some notes. It was the first of many conversations I would have with Angel Debbie. It was in those conversations that I knew God had led me to the place I would find my children. We hurried to file our papers and set everything in motion.

As the weeks and months passed, I began to know all the A.S.A. angels. They were never too busy to take my call whether it was to ask a question I’d already asked a million times or just to talk. Each Angel played a special role in our journey and they were always there when we needed them.

It wasn’t long before the phone rang with the news we had been chosen by a young couple! In A whirlwind, plans were in motion. Our A.S.A. angels were there every step of the way. Our birth plan was such that we agreed to come to Texas prior to our baby’s birth. We spent precious, precious time with our birth family – two more angels who would give us the most special gift of all. I began wondering if everyone in Texas was an angel, because everyone I met was truly heaven-sent.

In the spring of 1999, our son Jesse made his debut into the world in Austin, Texas. He was everything I had ever dreamed of and more. Our birth parents were truly angels who unselfishly included us in everything. I even had the privilege of standing at our birth mother’s side in the delivery room. I saw my son take his first breath and heard his first cry – truly the sweetest sound I’d ever heard.

Soon after, there were bittersweet goodbyes to all our angels in Texas. Even as our new life as parents began back home, our A.S.A. angels were still there for us. They, like our wonderful birth parents, were part of our family now. My life began anew and was better than ever imagined. Even at those 3AM feedings, I was still the happiest person alive. My son, my sweet prince, was a dream come true. I had everything I had ever wanted in this little brown-eyed boy!

As the months turned into years, we dared to dream of a baby sister for Jesse. We longed for the day we could return to our A.S.A. angels to add another child to our family. Again, life’s challenges were there, but we again placed it in God’s hands and asked for His mercy.

Earlier this year, our prayers were answered in a way more wonderful than I could ever have imagined when baby Angelica entered the world. This was truly a miracle baby. Not only were we blessed with a second child, but this baby was a biological sister of our son. I have been the recipient of a miracle not once, but twice in my life.

Returning to Texas for our daughter’s birth was like going home. Being reunited with our birth family and the A.S.A. angels was incredible. Without both of them, I might have gone through this world without ever knowing the joys of motherhood. The A.S.A. angels led me to my precious babies and their wonderful birth parents. My children have a legacy of love and special people that heralded their arrival into this world. When they are old enough to understand, I will proudly tell them all about the angels who helped us become a family. I know without a doubt that I am the luckiest woman alive because I am Jesse and Angelica’s mommy. I can’t imagine how empty my world would have been if I had never had the courage to pick up the phone four years ago and make that call to Texas.

San Antonio is a beautiful city rich in history. Travel books list it as the location of the Alamo, the Riverwalk and many other interesting spots. To me, it will always be the place where angels walk and families happen. Some people leave their hearts in San Francisco, I left mine in San Antonio.

Jamie

And Jamie’s mother writes…

Several years ago, I gracefully accepted the passage of time by celebrating my 50th birthday. I looked at myself and thought about wrinkles, crow’s feet and Botox. I heard other women talk about mid-life crises, middle-age spread and long-term care insurance. I attended seminars on wellness and menopause, and amid all this “awareness”, I wondered how well I would handle this new place in my life. I asked God for wisdom and direction and He in His greatness cured my mid-life anxiety attacks with a little boy named Jesse.

Jesse James came into my life through my beautiful daughter Jamie and her partnership with the angels of A.S.A. You see, as I worked my way through mid-life crisis, my daughter and her husband struggled with infertility. Jamie longed to be a mother and we all prayed for a child to join our family. Soon, I was to be commissioned to a new and greater purpose and my life would never be the same. I held my first grandchild in my arms in Austin, Texas. I watched my daughter hold her son to her breast as tears of joy rolled down her face.

All of a sudden “mid-life” became “new-life” and through my body new energy flowed. I was complete at last! I held this little boy more dearly than my own children and I knew I would be there for him forever! I bonded with the social workers, hospital staff and had the pleasure of meeting my grandson’s wonderful birth parents. And finally, I had the chance to meet the faces of the angels at A.S.A. Without them guiding our Jesse to us, all this joy could never have been!

3 ½ years have passed and Jesse and I are closer than ever. He has turned frown lines into laugh lines. He tells me he loves me at least a dozen times a day and I know I am the most blessed woman alive. If you thought it couldn’t get any better – it did. Early last year, God worked another miracle through the A.S.A. angels. In February of 2002, my grand daughter was born in San Antonio, Texas. Jesse’s birth sister, his own flesh and blood joined our family and life could not be any sweeter. I could spend hours telling you about Angelica and how I cannot believe the miracle of her life and how she came to us. She is everything I dreamed of and more. She has my name, she shares my heart and all that I have will be hers and Jesse’s.

So goodbye mid-life crisis, this Grandma is immortal! I see my life coming full circle. I have understood the true measure of a woman and it is what’s in her heart. The secret to life is this – “if your cup runneth over, spill a little”!

Fondly,
Grandma Angela

Thanks to both Jamie and Grandma Angela for these beautiful stories!

On behalf of the entire A.S.A. staff, Happy New Year! We are excited about the coming year ahead and privileged to have the opportunity to continue to work with each and every one of you as we together endeavor to build your family through adoption.

As always, please feel free to reach me with your thoughts, concerns, or questions via e-mail at dgaribay2000@yahoo.com or by telephone at (210) 699-6094.

Denise Y. Garibay, M.A.
Director of Social Services