The Esquivel Family Story:

We adopted our son, Elias from Guatemala.  He was 11 months old when we traveled to pick him up.  He was  home for his first birthday.  Elias is a happy, healthy, active 19-month old boy.  The pediatrician was pleased with the health care he received in Guatemala. Elias is growing and developing at his age-appropriate level.

 We selected Happy Families International as our adoption agency.  After filling out all the paperwork necessary, we received notification that a baby boy was born.  Included with the notification were his picture and statistics like birth weight, head circumference and height.  We accepted the referral and the “real” waiting began.  We continued to receive pictures and updates. 

 Sandy Destrampe from Children’s Hope Network came into our lives to update our home study,  which was started with another agency.  Sandy and the staff at CHN were incredible.  They were professional, efficient, and so kind and patient.  Sandy responded quickly to phone calls and e-mails.  She was able to ease some of the anxiety we were experiencing during the waiting.  Since Sandy has lived through the process, she is an excellent resource and support person.  She was always proactive.  She anticipated our needs, sent us all the forms necessary, helped us fill them out, and checked up on us often.  We never felt alone.

 Our son Elias is truly a special gift.  It is like he has always been part of the family.  Each day brings new explorations, new learning and new joys.  We are grateful to the CHN staff for helping us create our new family.

 The Esquivel Family