AutoCAD VB :: Converting AttributeDefinition Objects To Text Objects On Same Layer

I have several .dwg files that I use as templates. I run find and replace VBA routines on the template .dwg files, ie find $Flavor$ and replace it with "Grape", and then I save the .dwg to another directory with a new name. 

These VBA routines work well for acdbText and acdbMText objects, but I have a bunch of AcdbAttributeDefinition objects in the .dwg templates as well.

After much research about the AutoCAD object model (I'm mostly a Microsoft Access VBA programmer), I have come to understand that these AcdbAttributeDefinition objects are actually "remnants" of a block that no longer exists in the drawing.

Anyway, I'd like to convert all of these orphaned AcdbAttributeDefinition objects to acdbText objects in the templates and then delete the AcdbAttributeDefinition objects. I have some code that does just that.

However, the issue that I am having with the code is that the newly created acdbText objects are not on the same layer that the original AcdbAttributeDefinition objects were on. I don't know the syntax to identify what layer the AcdbAttributeDefinition object is on or how to specify what layer on which the acdbText object is created.

how to keep the acdbText objects on the same layers as the original AcdbAttributeDefinition objects during the conversion and deletion process?

Here is the code I am using currently:

Sub AttConvert(dwg as string)Dim oDocument as AcadDocumentDim ent as AcadEntityDim aa as objectset oDocument = Documents.open(dwg) For Each ent In oDocument.ModelSpace If ent.ObjectName = "AcDbAttributeDefinition" Then' DO SOMETHING TO IDENTIFY WHAT LAYER THE ACDBATTRIBUTEDEFINITION OBJECT IS ON
' DO SOMETHING TO SPECIFY THAT THAT IS THE LAYER TO CREATE THE ACDBTEXT OBJECT ON Set aa = ThisDrawing.ModelSpace.AddText(ent.TagString, ent.InsertionPoint, ent.Height) End If Next ent For Each ent In ThisDrawing.ModelSpace If ent.ObjectName = "AcDbAttributeDefinition" Then ent.Delete End If Next ent End Sub