[shanzelka]

I think there are, but you need to be contacting the right people. We were offered two AA little boys (we were looking for an older caucasian girl, so they weren't a fit for us) a few months ago. In Arizona, we choose an agency, and they locate a child for us (free of charge). I'm not sure how you would go about it since you're in another state. Good luck!

[heidi and co.]

Hey Little Mama, that's my baby girl's nicknameThere's a restaurant also here in Phx that is called just that.Are you listed on the adoption registry for Arizona? We were for awhile but as it happened, our fosterchildren will be our adopted children so we went off the list for now. I hear that Sierra Vista is pretty~we were just talking about that area. Does anyone know of foster/adopt playgroups that get together?Heidi

[mina2u]

I'm also in Mesa!
In June we had a 9 year old boy placed with us. The honeymoon is most definetly over...he is right on target. He has begun to form an attachment to us and is very affraid and is fighting it tooth and nails!! The therapist says that things are going great...it sure doens't feel that way some days

It is good to hear from people in AZ. Do you by any chance know of any support groups in the area? I could really use one right about now.

[heidi and co.]

I just joined a local support group for the valley through Yahoo. Feel free to pm me!

[Overwhelmed!]

Hi everyone! I've been reading the posts on here and thought I'd share my story.

My husband and I currently live in Albuquerque, NM, but we're moving BACK to Tucson very soon. We've been chosen by a birth mother to adopt her unborn son, due in December. A friend of ours in Tucson works in a bookstore. The birth mother came in one day asking for books on adoption and our friend managed to get us connected with her. After several phone conversations and one in-person meeting, this young woman chose us!

Now we are feeling a bit overwhelmed by all we have to do to get licensed in the state of AZ.

1) I've just given notice at my job here in Albuquerque and on 9/24 I'll be moving back to Tucson. I'll be staying with friends while I try to find a job and a rental house. (I'm currently a Systems Administrator, does anyone know of any job leads in the I.T. field?)

2) My husband will stay here in Albuquerque until closer to the baby's birth, we need his income during this adoption process. He'll be searching for a Mechanical Engineering job in Tucson in the meantime. Does anyone know of any job leads for Mechanical Engineers?

3) We're trying to pick an adoption attorney and an agency to do our home study for us- any ideas of good ones in Tucson?

4) We somehow have to get licensed BEFORE the baby is born in December. Not sure if we can swing this, but we're going to try. 3 of the agencies that we've talked to over the phone have said that they can probably make it work for us, if my husband is willing and able to fly back to Tucson on certain weekends to interview for the home study requirements.

5) I'll be looking for a good adoption support group when I get back to Tucson as well. Any ideas on good ones? Are there any families in Tucson now in the process of adopting?

Well, that's our story. Any advice or guideance would be appreciated. We're very new at this process, as it's our first time.

[afdonn]

Hi Overwhelmed,
I can't help much with #1thru#4, but I know of a couple good groups that are foster and adoptive parents in Tucson. I'm in Tucson too, and I have adopted in the past, and I'm currently in the process of adopting 2 kids(maybe January?). I have lived in Tucson for 32 years so I can help you with Tucson related questions (I'll try anyway). Good luck, and feel free to email me. Anne

[MrsCinderella]

I finally found a form just for those in Arizona!
I'd like us to keep in touch, get together and be there for support.

We did our training classes last year. Got to the last class when we found out we had to be married for one year. Forget that we've been together for 7 and living together for 6 lol Well, our wedding was one week after our last training class, so here we are... waiting!

We're starting our home study soon.
How long does the home study take after you fill out the paper work?
Does anyone have a list of everything that needs to be done to a home to child proof it? We're doing foster -adopt and are looking to adopt a 2 year old girl and a 7 year old boy.

Any help would be great!

I live in Gilbert.
Anyone else in the sourounding area?
Anyone else at the same place in the process as us?

[Overwhelmed!]

GKAC,

When my husband and I first starting looking into adoption, I ran into the issue of having to be married for at least a year (at that time we had only been married a few months but we had been dating for 7 years and lived together for 3...that didn't count I guess). Well, now we've been married for a year and a half and we've been matched with a baby due in mid-December. We didn't go through an agency to find the baby, a friend found our adoption situation for us.

As for baby-proofing the house for a home inspection, it really depends on the agency that you are working with for the homestudy. For our home inspection, which we just passed this month, I went through and put plastic plugs in all the outlets, I made sure we had an updated fire extinguisher, I had a carbon monoxide dector in the baby's room, I made sure all the fire alarms had new batteries in them, I had a protective screen in front of our fireplace, I temporarily filled in a small pond that we have in the backyard (the agency said they'd have to treat it as a pool if the baby could fall into it- meaning a locked fence would have to be around it unless I turned it into a garden bed), I made sure the house was spotless. All these things I did and when the social worker came in to our home to do the inspection, she literally just walked in to each room, scanned the room with her eyes, walked out and was done with the entire house within minutes. Her only comment was, "very nice," and we passed inspection. She didn't even ask us any questions. I thought it'd be much tougher.

Hopefully, we'll be approved by the AZ courts by the first week of December (it usually takes up to 2 weeks to get licensed by the courts once the agency sends their report recommending the adoptive parents).

Hope this info helps. Good luck with your process!

[MrsCinderella]

omg! Thank you. lol Where are you located? Want to help me baby proof my house. I hope it goes that well with us.

We havent started looking for children so I dont know how long it'll take us. Hopefully it wont take long.

If you'd be willing to help me baby proof, I'd sure appreciate it. I'm terrified! lol

I know they will want a lot from us. Then again, maybe thats how you felt too. lol

What agency did you go through?

[LorraineHauser]

Im also in Yavapai County, except im a birthmom well actually will be in a month. I am adopting to a private family. Az has totally confused me when it comes to the laws. If anyone has any experiences with a private adoption and the rights of the father and his family please let me know. I am a recovering drug addict and participate in the drug recovery scene and i encounter girls that are pregnate, using drugs and keeping their babies when all they want is the posession of a child. I get so angry that they are being so selfish but then i just have to remind myself that I dont have to be like them and im doing the right thing for myself and my son by giving him a chance. I know its going to be hard when it comes time, and i know the family is scared that im not goin to be able to go thru it. Im sure the only thing to reassure is when the day comes.

[MrsCinderella]

Congratulations to you on your recovery. You have no idea how I wish someone like you would just come my way and tell me their story and ask if I want to adopt their child. I pray every day that would happen.

As far as I know, what we learned in our classes is you have to put an ad in the paper for 30 days asking for the father. If he doesnt come around, he is now out of the picture and his rights are also severed.

If you know the father, or he comes around, they have the right.

I dont know your relationship but a piece of advice, hope you dont mind.

I personally dont talk to my birth mom (lol she's the only one I have) and I havnet seen her in 8 years. Although I choose not to have my son be around her, its not my choice to make. I've allowed them to stay in touch, but she gave up 2 years ago and he knows of her but doesnt know her.

My real father commited suicide when I was 5, but left us when I was 1. I later learned the truth and found a card he gave me. He tried for years to see me, but my mother refused. I cant help but think what if... My advice to you and to anyone else, please dont make the decision for your child not to have contact with their other family. If the situation is bad, trust the adopted parents to take control of the situation and as your child gets older, he will see the truth. Trust me on that! Going through that now with my 10 year old son and his dad.

Best of luck to you.. You give me chills and tears of happiness for you!

[LorraineHauser]

Thank you so much for your kind words and support. Not everyone thinks the way you do. I know who the father is and he is currently in his addiction. He knows im pregnate and im afraid his family is going to contest the adoption for the wrong reasons. I dont want my son to live the life i lived with drugs and negativity. I know the only way my son has a chance with a mother and father an addict is to place him with a family. Im stuggling right now because the family i have chosen is totally against an open adoption and as my due date is coming closer im afraid im not going to be able tgo thru with it or i am and then just lose it afterwards. I had allot of the same issues with my father and my mother lied my whole life. If I had known who my real father was my life would of be so different. Im so afraid im not making the right choice at the same time i know its the only choice i have. It feels like everyday i get more confused about what im doing.

[MrsCinderella]

Boy! Do I know what you mean about your father. My father died when I was too young to know him and I feel like a part of me is missing.

I always think maybe my life would have been better with him here. Growing up I was convinced it would have been, but then I hear these scary stories and I'll never know.

It sounds to me like your wanting an open adoption, and I can not blame you! If you think about your life in the future, what do you see?

You are doing the right thing by giving your child to a new family, but giving them up is something totally different in my eyes.

Follow your heart and do an open adoption. There are so many of us out there that would actually prefer open adoption rather than closed, but know we dont have many choices and most are closed.

Just because you go into labor and delivery doesnt mean you have to make the choice right then.

You've already done the hard part and thats thinking of your child first and doing whats best for your child.

Now, whats best for you? It kinda goes back to what I was saying earlier about not having the fathers family in the picture. I totally support you 110% if you choose to have an open adoption. My son is 10 and just tonight he said mom (as we watched a movie and a teenager delivered a baby) wasnt all that pain worth it? You'd do it again wouldnt you? We joked about the things that we went through as he's grownn up, as most kids do, lying.. ect.. and then I held him close and I said, of courseI would!

However, my husband now (we've been together for 7 years) had cancer when he was 13 and can not have children. This is why we've chosen to adopt.

Unfortunetly, going through the state, we can not do newborns. Too long of a wait list. Unless we get lucky and someone says, I am pregnant, do you want to adopt my baby. My husband hasnt cried since his cancer days and I can bet he would if we got a new born!

Best of luck to you! I am here and I'll continue to support you with any decision you make.

Just remember! Open adoption, doesnt mean you have to keep in touch with your child if you feel it'll hurt too much, but it gives you the option. I've also heard horror stories where the adopted parents say they will do it, then later dont allow the mother or father in their life. Thats just horrible!

I am a founder of a non profit charity, where we help low income families and if you'd like to ever talk, the best way to reach me is through this address because my private one, may get lost.
Casie@givekidsachance.net

Keep me posted. Are you having a boy or a girl?
We're adopting one of each

[todd11]

we to live in AZ and have just been blessed with a wonderful baby girl. She was born on Aug 25th and turned over to us on Aug 27th. Our life has become so filled with joy. We had been trying to have children for 8 years. We decided to adopt about 8 months ago and were so lucky to go through the process very quickly.

[MrsCinderella]

Wow! Congratulations!

How did you get through it so fast?
Did you go through private adoption?

Is yours open or closed?