[ScrapMonkey]

I was SO excited to see a Vegas thread that I jumped right in to reply... only to realize how OLD this thread is. Oh well, hi!! I am in Vegas but we have gone the foster to adopt route. We have adopted two sons already, one a newborn we brought home from the hospital. We have had other newborns placed in our care, one went to adoption quickly but we transitioned him to another family. One is swinging next to me as I type, a happy, cooing 5mo girl.

We "gave up the dream" of a newborn when we decided to foster/adopt and after our first placement, we would have been thrilled to take another toddler. Turns out we got a phone call for our son's newborn half brother and we were in love. His adoption was never a sure-thing since they had different birthfather's and our second son's bf did everything right. He appealed TPR and, in an unexpected move, gave up his rights on the day of the trial.

Anyway, I really just wanted to say I agree with pp that we shouldn't have to miss out on all the stages of development but adopting a toddler is not... a concession. It's a joy to find your child, no matter their age. Foster to adopt is NEVER a sure thing, I have a friend who is losing a 4 year old soon that she thought would be her forever daughter, but it is so rewarding and a very valid way to adopt here in Las Vegas.

That said, I'd recommend going through the state to anyone looking to foster/adopt. Some local private foster agencies don't "do" infants or specialize in older, harder to place kids, though their websites and information do not reflect that!!

Hi to all the Vegas moms!!