[goin'batty]

I know what you mean. I know that other people have adopted on their own but it isn't for me.

I look at the cost of my agency as me paying for someone else's expertise. I've never adopted before, but my social worker has been involved in tons of adoptions. If nothing else, she knows what's legal and how the process works. She also knows what red flags to look for and how to mediate problems that might arise. She knows the common fears that both adoptive and birthparents have and lets us all know that what we are feeling is normal and how to handle our feelings and the situation in general.

She was present the first time we met the pbirthparents which was a great relief to ALL of us. She was the one person we all knew. She helped break the ice and make sure that we all asked the right questions. She has helped the pbmom with getting all the welfare and medicaid that she qualifies for, which has saved us a ton of money.

When the baby comes, she will be there to help us with the surrender paperwork and to make sure that this is what the pbmom really wants. I think it is really important for her to be there during this time to be the person whose calm and collected. The rest of us will be going through a lot of emotions at that time.

So, there's my spin on it. I personally wouldn't dream of doing this without an agency.

L