[melandtroyus]

Hello! I am glad I found this website! My husband and I had been trying to have a baby for 4 1/2 years and just had our 6th miscarriage. We have been talking about adopting for about a year now, but I just needed to grieve the losses I had experienced.

Now we believe we are truly ready, and I have been looking in to websites requesting information from anywhere I can find. What were the first couple of steps that everyone had to go through?? I have a couple of agencies here in Illinois sending me info, but it seems like soooo much, it's a little overwhelming. We want to do domestic adoption. Anyone here do domestic adoption???

Also, in regards to a homestudy, are they strict with whether you own the home?? WE own a home, but are renting it to someone else, and are renting a home in a different city, about an hour away from the one we own.

Thanks so much in advance for any info you can share!

Mel

[adoptakid2day]

take a deep breath.lol.... when i was new at this i requested info, when i got it i got some paper and a pen called people with questions i already had written down,etc...If you use county DSS expect older (school aged) kids.I am using a private agency which got me a placment in 2001,a 2 month old special needs and i have been waiting almost 3 years for another placement.so the time can vary, (i waited 13 months for my son.) most states dont care if you rent or own,gay or straight,work or stay home..good luck to you, i wish you all the best.best advise is write down questions and call different agecies to get your answers, then you will know which agency to use! its not as hard as it seems, although there is alot of paperwork,medicals to be done, fingerprints,MAPP...its not as bad as people can make it seem...GOOD LUCK

[akcskye]

I have recently started too, but I am a tad bit ahead of you, so let me share with you so far, what I know.

I am adopting through DHS. The child we hope will still be available when our homestudy is done is 8, and classified as a special needs child.

In our state, we have to have:

1. Safety inspection of the home (and the application is given then).
2. Return the app.
3. Homestudy comes for a visit (background check starts).
4. Parenting (DHS) classes start. Our classes are 27 hours.
5. Homestudy comes again for another visit.
6. Homestudy is approved or denied. We know it will be approved.
7. Start looking for a child (that's already done).
8. Travel to see the child if we're accepted for him.
9. Adoptive placement
10. Adoption finalization.

I seem to remember our CW saying we might need to have a physical. I am going to ask her this when she comes for the inspection.

She said it doesn't matter if the house is owned...as a matter of fact, we could live in a house, trailer, or apartment. As long as there is a bedroom for the child.

Because we are wanting to adopt this particular child and he's out of state, our CW will help us, as the child out of state is also in DHS custody in his state.

Because we have lived in our state for 10 years consecutively, we don't need to have finger prints done, and our background check should be relatively easy to complete...so from where we're at now to homestudy approval, they don't expect to take more than 90 days.

Well, for length concern, I'll close for now, but I just wanted to share my experience so far.

Good luck!

Kristi

[baby2luv]

Hello!

I adopted 14 months ago through a domestic adoption. We wanted an infant and it actually went fast for us. (9 months from application to birth of our daughter. If you are really open to age, race, special needs, etc. it can be sooner. Some places will tell you the standard "2 year" but really it depends on what Bmom's are looking for.
The home study is basically to make sure you are who you say you are and gives the agency and bmom's a better idea to who you are. It is really not a hard process. The biggest part of all the adoption process is the paperwork (well, second to the emotions!!!)
We requested info from a few agencies then attended 2 that we thought seemed the best. We went with the one that just "felt right". Once you decide on an agency they will walk you through the steps you need to take.
Good luck!! You can pm me if you would like more information.
We also ttc for about 5-6 years with a few losses (one on our own and another through IVF)

Kathy

[melandtroyus]

Thank you all! It just all seemed like so much, and I appreciate your replies, they've made me feel better !

Mel

[tomandcate]

We are adopting through a private agency in Ohio. I too was overwhelmed by the first step - selecting an agency. Then, a friend adopted and highly recommended her agency, and that's who we're with. So I would suggest, if you don't know adoptive parents you can ask, then ask the agencies for references from their clients. As another poster mentioned, you should feel completely comfortable with whichever agency you go with because these people will have a lot of influence over your life in the coming year!

You didn't mention whether you are adopting through the state or private agency, but I agree with having questions prepared to ask the agencies. The questions you ask will depend on what type of infant/child you're hoping to adopt as well as your own particular circumstances. I'd ask what their average wait time is, as well as how long it takes to complete the home study...and once complete, how long does it take to get approved. Also if you have any concerns (for instance that you're renting, or in our case that we have a big dog) then ask about those up front.

As for the process, it is different from agency to agency, and private vs. state, but for what it's worth, here's what we did:

*Downloaded the pre-application from the agency's website and sent it in
*Upon acceptance, the agency invited us to the first seminar (overview of adoptiong and the process)
*We sent the seminar acceptance and initial application fees
*We attended the seminar and started the paperwork and meetings/interviews/etc. in early August:

-Marriage certificate
-Divorce decree (this is my 2nd marriage)
-2003 Income tax returns
-Financial disclosure
-Letters from employers
-5 non-relative references including physician and priest
-Local criminal check
-State criminal check
-Proof of residency
-Fingerprints
-BMV records
-Physicals
-Medical statements
-Letters from our insurance co.
-Child care class
-Infant CPR certification
-10 copies of written autobiography
-Picture of family
-Website (online autobiography and picture album)
-Agency forms and agreements (approx. 6 of these)
-Order/read two books
-Complete an 8-question written interview
-Complete an 18-question "book report"
-Fire inspection
-Safety inspection
-State forms and agreements (approx. 4 of these)
-Final seminar (adoption issues)

Our safety inspection was done on our first home study visit, which came one month after our first visit to the agency (the first seminar).

Our second home study visit was 12 days later (this past Monday!) and since all of our paperwork is done, we are already on the waiting families list.

So the timeline can vary. If you're going with a private agency, it can happen as fast as you can get everything together and accomplished. If you're going through the state, it usually takes longer because classes can be stretched over a longer period, and state workers may have more of a case load (taking longer to complete the home study).

Hope this helps,

Cate