Adoption Consultants, Inc.
Birth Parent Line:
1-800-605-4588
(1-800-605-4LUV)
Adoptive Parents:
(818) 766-2222
Testimonials
Adoption Consultants, Inc.
E-mail: info@adoptionconsultantsinc.com
April 14, 2008
On July 25, 2006, just 6 months into our adoption pursuit, we became parents to a beautiful baby boy named Ethan. My son is almost two years old now and when I look at him I know he is a true blessing from God. This wonderful miracle is in our lives because of a dear person named Cathy Mantell and her company, Adoption Consultants, Inc. Cathy’s compassion, intelligence, patience, and knowledge are truly extraordinary.
We learned of Cathy through our home study social worker, who spoke very highly of her and the work she does. She had referred several of her families to Cathy, with much success for her clients. We contracted with Cathy in February, 2006. Shortly after Cathy had helped us create our birthmom letter, she called us to tell us about a possible situation. We could not believe we were getting a call about a possible placement so quickly! Cathy explained the situation to us and we were very interested. She put through a conference call between herself, us and the birth parents and the call went great. After the call, Cathy called us to let us know the birth parents wanted to us to adopt their baby! We were so excited! The birthmother lived in a state where adoption can be very difficult, which Cathy had pointed out. The state we lived in was also very particular about how things needed to be done. Cathy was wonderful in getting us in touch with attorneys in both states so we could try to figure out what needed to be done in order for us to move forward. I remember during this time the information we were getting from the attorneys was very confusing to us. If we weren’t on the phone to Cathy sharing what we had been told, she was on the phone to us checking to see what the latest information was. I remember there were lots of phone calls between us and Cathy during this time and throughout all the calls, Cathy was always available to us and helpful in any way she could be, and anything that didn’t make sense to her or she wasn’t clear on or questioned, she would call the attorneys back herself to check on. She was very hands on in helping us gather and make sense of all the information in order for us to be able to make a decision as to whether or not to accept this situation. It turned out because of the two states involved, in order to adhere to all the specific rules and regulations between the states this would have been a prohibitively expensive adoption, so it was with heavy hearts we came to the decision we had to turn this situation down. We felt so badly in disappointing the birth parents, but Cathy did let us know she was able to match them with another family for a successful placement of the baby, which was great to hear!
Having come so close to matching with a birthmom so quickly, it was much harder waiting for the next call to come. I would call Cathy often to check in with her and share the fears I had that with a larger family with older biological children, would another birthmom ever choose us again or had we just passed on the only birthmom who would ever like us and want us to raise her baby? Cathy was always very reassuring and wonderful in lifting my spirits back up during this time. Just a couple of months later, Cathy called us again with another possible situation. She explained all the circumstances to us and then put together a conference call. I remember it was a weekend evening and Cathy wasn’t in the office, so she had to put together the conference call on her cell phone! Even though it was the weekend, Cathy didn’t rush us off the phone so she could get back to her weekend. She let us talk just long as we wanted to, getting to know each other a bit and getting a feel for each other. The call went great and we matched!
Our birthmother was already 8 months pregnant, which meant there wasn’t a whole lot of time preparing! Cathy was once again wonderful in helping us line up legal counsel to take care of all the legals. We drove to California with two of our daughters once we got word the baby was coming! It was so fantastic to meet our birthmother and her children at the hospital. I even had the amazing experience of being able to see our son Ethan come into this world, which was an unbelievable experience. Throughout our stay at the hospital, Cathy kept checking on us and our birthmother to be sure everything was going okay. When there was a glitch with the attorney in locating a notary to come to the hospital so our birthmom could sign her termination papers, Cathy was right there helping us straighten it out. As complicated as this process can be, Cathy was always there checking on us and helping to guide us through, listening to our frustrations and always giving us helpful advice and suggestions.
Cathy was a source of security and strength from day one. Anytime we had questions or fears, even on the weekends, she was only a phone call away and always very warm and understanding. She was also very honest with us throughout our whole process. She would always give us the pros and cons to all situations that could possibly arise. I wonder if we would have another child today if not for her. Our attorney was good, but we would not have the knowledge we needed if Cathy would not have taken time to explain everything to us. (We had chosen to go with a CA attorney our TX attorney had recommended instead of Cathy’s recommendation since he was a little less expensive. It retrospect it probably would have been a good idea after all to go with Cathy's suggestion because the attorney she had recommended was very hand holding and informative, while the attorney we chose was really not that way.) Because of Cathy's experience and expertise, she was always one-step ahead of the game. Even at the hospital after my son was born, she was instrumental to us in guiding us through the essential next steps.
Months after my son was born, Cathy continued to give of herself. She made sure our birthmother was taken care of and continuously contacted us to make sure we knew what to expect and that our fears were normal. Occasionally I receive emails from Cathy even after twenty-one months asking how “Baby Ethan” is doing and my heart swells each time I read them.
I think of Cathy often and wonder what our lives would be like today without her. “Thank You” will never be enough for what she gave to us. We will forever love her and think of her as our guardian angel! Cathy, I truly feel without you we would not have our little man and I can't imagine what our lives would be like without him! You will forever have a place in my heart!!
Kimble and Jeff
Keller, Texas
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