lub

ClUb\ . BRUCE WEBERMAN'S CLUB ELITE ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
PRESENTS
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The couple spoke with many agencies
and selected Adoption Network Law
Center, based in California. They were
asked to decide what they would accept
in terms of race, family health history
and potential exposure by the birth
mother to drugs and alcohol, etc. They
completed the paperwork and began the
process in June 2008.
"Six weeks later came the call we were
waiting for," Lisa says. "A birth mother
had picked us and was on her way to the
hospital to deliver 'our' baby."
But, the situation quickly fell through.
While the mother had signed off on
the adoption, it turned out the father
had not. The next two potential adop-
tions also fell apart. (In one case, the
Bronsteins discovered the birth parents
had lied about being arrested on drug
charges; in the other, the mother, having
her sixth baby, had apparently illegally
promised the child to a couple she met
over the Internet.)
"Finally, in February 2009, we
received another call that we'd been
picked by a birth mother," Lisa says.
"After speaking with her, we knew we'd
found the right match."
They met the woman the day be-
fore their son, Evan, was born. He was
placed in their arms just a few minutes
after his birth. The couple had to remain

in California for 8 days before they could
legally bring their son home.
"We felt right away that he was part of
our family," Lisa says.
The Bronsteins' story also has a sur-
prise ending. Two months after return-
ing home to Michigan, Lisa learned
she was pregnant. It was a high-risk
pregnancy, but their third son, Benja-
min, was born in March 2010.
"People ask me all the time if I feel
differently about any of our children,
and the answer is a resounding 'No,"'
Lisa says. "Each child joined our family
in a different way, and we love them
all the more for the challenges and
surprises we encountered trying to have
them. I cannot imagine our family with
any different children, but I do wish I
would have come to terms with my situ-
ation and had been willing to embrace
adoption sooner instead of looking at it
as a last resort."

E ite

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Editor's Note:

To learn more about the adoption
services cited in this article and
links to adoption resources,
visit us online at
redthreadmagazine.com

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Berkley couple waits for the phone call
that will make them parents, too.

"Dear Birth Mom, We cannot imagine how hard it is for you to consider the
option of adoption and taking this path. We want you to know that we do not
take this opportunity for granted, and our sincere compassion and blessings
go out to you. Since we have been married, we have been very eager and ready
to start a family. We have always wanted children and cannot wait for the day
when we are blessed with the opportunity to adopt."
Thus begins the heartfelt letter Erika and Rick Jones of Berkley have written to
prospective birth mothers. It's part of their adoption profile, filled with colorful
family photos, wedding pictures, a snapshot of their home and even Oscar, the
family dog.
It's all on file with Morning Star Adoption Center in Southfield, where the
couple hope someone will see the letter and choose them to become adoptive
parents. It's the route they've decided to go after trying unsuccessfully for five
years to have a biological child.
"It could take three months, it could take two years," says Erica eagerly."We
were just put on the waiting list in January (2011):'
In order to be cleared by the State of Michigan, the couple got fingerprinted,
provided birth certificates, employment records and tax records, and had three
home visits by a social worker.
They've placed classified ads in six or seven
newspapers. Erika, 36, is a fundraiser at the Detroit
Zoo. Rick, 39, is a paramedic/EMT and firefighter
at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. He
was on-call Christmas Day 2009 and was the one
who treated accused "underwear bomber" Umar
Farouk Abdulmutallab.
In their letter, the couple describe themselves
as "country boy meets city girl." She grew up in
suburban Detroit; he was raised on a farm in a
small rural community north of Saginaw. She likes
to ice-skate, bake, run and talk politics; he loves to
work out and watch and play hockey.
"Erika was born and raised Jewish and is half-
Russian, while Rick was born and raised Catho-
lic and is part Mexican,"the letter reads."Their
ancestry and traditions are very important to them;
that's why they celebrate holidays with both sides
of the family, which include Chanukah and Christmas. They love having a cross-
cultural and diverse family life and feel it is important to honor, respect and
celebrate where they came from and who they are.
The couple says they've been around children of all ages and know they'd be
great parents regardless of whether their child is biological or adopted.
"There is no difference in our eyes, and we guarantee we would love the
child unconditionally and be the very best parents he/she deserves," the letter

continues.
"We just want the joy of being parents; Erika explains. "It's a very emotional
thing to go through. Every time the phone rings, I think maybe it's someone
calling about the adoption. This is just about loving someone and having a fam-
ily and passing it down from generation to generation!'

The wait continues ...

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