[TiffanyW]

My husband and I are thinking of adopting next summer. We would like adopt domestically and would like an infant. We are in the process of saving money to buy our first home this winter. Is there anything we should be doing within the next year to get ready for this? Any good books we should read? Any advice would be great.

[hopetoadoptblogger]

Hi! I am the blogger for the Hoping to Adopt blog over at adoptionblogs.com. I will be starting an "Adoption 101" series soon, which will answer a lot of your questions.

Just so you know -- the adoption process can take a long time. It took us a couple of months to complete the application, which includes running a criminal background check and getting your physicals completed. The home study took a couple of months. After that, it took us 17 months to match with an expecting mother. So, you might want to think about looking into adoption professionals now just because of how long the process can take.

Feel free to check out my blog for more information. I have a lot on there about the adoption process, including the home study and the application.

Good luck with your adoption!

- Faith

[jmsa]

Tiffany -

Definitely check out Faith's blog. It's incredible.

My husband and I have almost completed our home study (our final home visit is on Friday, then we'll wait for the report) and we're currently filling out agency applications, so we're still early on in the process. But since we're in the thick of things here, I have a few initial thoughts.

A few months before you are ready to start your home study, here are some things I'd recommend doing:

(1) Gather official copies of all important legal documents, such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, etc.

(2) If your doctor's schedule tends to book up early, schedule complete physicals to coincide with the start of the home study process. The home study application will likely have specific forms that the doctors need to complete.

(3) Line up people who will write letters of reference for you. We needed 2 non-relatives and 2 relatives (one from each side), but I've seen other agencies require 3 from non-relatives. Again, the home study agency will have the requirements for the letters, but it wouldn't hurt for people to start thinking about what to write early on...

(4) Gather letters from your employer verifying how long you've been working at your place of employment and your salary.

(5) Gather copies of your tax returns for the past year or two (even though some home study agencies do not require these, some adoption agencies do).

(6) Schedule your pets for vaccinations so that you have up-to-date vaccination certificates when you begin the h.s.

(7) Gather information on how to put an adopted child on your health insurance. While our h.s. agency didn't require this, two of the agencies we are using did (one required a photocopy of our health card, another required a letter from the insurance co.)

(8) Start gathering photographs for your adoption profile book (which you'll submit to the adoption agencies). If you're finding that you don't have many good ones, then you'll have time to take new photos!

If I think of anything else, I'll write more!

Jenny

[TiffanyW]

Thanks for all the good info! I will definitley check out Faith's blog.

[hopetoadoptblogger]

Definitely check out Faith's blog. It's incredible.

Thanks, Jenny!!

- Faith

[intladoptionblog]

Faith is great!

Also, you might take a look at the book I wrote on US Domestic Infant adoption:
Adoption.com Guide to US Infant Adoption (e-book) :: E-books :: Books :: Adoptionshop.com - adoption books, gifts, announcements, scrapbooking, jewelry, cards, art & other adoption products

You can buy it as an ebook, or read it in sections for free as an online guide here:
Online Guide to US Infant Adoption - Table of Contents - Newborn Adoption in America -

Good luck, and enjoy your journey. It's amazing!

[rbporlando]

Tiffany - It sounds like my husband and I were in the same part of the plan that you are now, a little over a year ago. I recommend taking one major life change at a time. Saving and searching for our first house and applying for the financing was very stressful, not to mention moving. We'll be starting the application process shortly.. we made the choice to add a pupy to our family first to push us into a more parental mode (it was a great decision, by the way!). We couldn't have done the adoption applications, home study, house paperwork and move all at once.

Hope that helps.

Rebecca

[HBV]

I would also recommend reading Lois Melina's books on open adoption---THE OPEN ADOPTION EXPERIENCE and RAISING ADOPTED CHILDREN.