[blessedbybug]

Your first step is to contact an adoption attorney and/or agency in your area. The expecting mother has the right to make a parenting plan which could include an adoption plan with you. You can discuss the legalities/procedures of the situation with a professional in your area. I know this is vague but each state/province has different laws. Texas, as far as I can tell from the experience of others, is an adoption friendly state.

A professional would tell you the best way to handle this. MOst likely what they would do, if you are interested, is encourage you to start homestudy work, to be ready if the expecting mother chose adoption and then chose you. Most places are willing to speed up the process in order to be ready. SOme states will allow for temporary guardianship of a child if the homestudy is not done. I would think the last thing she would want would be to have her child "abandoned" and put into foster care when right now, she has the opportunity to choose her child's family.

For us, this type of "independent" adoption would mean that we would encourage the expecting mother to get counseling from an attorney or agency regarding her decision, so she knows all her options, where she could get help if she chose to parent, what her rights are as the placing parent. She would also receive counseling regarding her decision for a closed adoption. Most are open these days and she would need to consider if this was an option for her. It is also important to understand the expecting father's role in the placement as well.