[fullahope]

Hi, my name is Sharon and I'm new to the forum. My husband and I are a hispanic couple suffering from years of infertility while trying to expand our family. I have 2 children from my previous marriage 10/15 girl / boy. We are in the beginning stages or researching adoption and are very interested in the Guatamala program, we would love to adopt an infant son. We are primarily interested in Guatamala as I am Puerto Rican and Mexican mix and my husband is Mexican and the baby boys I've seen in pictures look exactly like my husband, they are so precious, the Guatamalan babies, how could we resist. We are finally moving forward with our plans and trying to see how we can pull this off, most especially financially.

We finally decided on international vs. domestic as the thought of domestic open adoptions really scare me, I have some issues with the whole concept of interacting with the birth mother so we decided that international is the way we should go if we are to proceed.

Does anyone have any recommendations on an agency in the San Francisco or Sacramento Bay Area in California that they've worked with?

What is the average time start to finish for Guatamala adoptions for baby boys?

What is the usual age of the infants once they are finally home in your arms?

What is the approximate costs, they seem on the high end is this typical of all states or is it just the CA agencies?

Thank you all so much for your help and any responses, like I said we are very green here and are just in the beginning stages of our international adoption journey.

Thanks so much. Sharon Torres

[Amykk]

Hi Sharon - I'm not sure I can answer all of your questions, but for one thing remember you don't have to use a placement agency in your area (you will need a homestudy agency). Research agencies carefully and find out who you feel most comfortable with before rushing into anything.
I think most agencies say 6-8 mos. is the normal timeframe after referral of a baby (for a boy you probably won't have to wait on a referral)
The costs are close to the same for most agencies, because of the fees that the Guatemalan attorneys charge, but shop around and make sure you look at the contract that you will be asked to sign to make sure there are no hidden costs.
Good luck with your decisions - if you have a specific agency in mind you can always post to this list and ask people to email you with their experiences.

[mcidas]

We finally decided on international vs. domestic as the thought of domestic open adoptions really scare me, I have some issues with the whole concept of interacting with the birth mother so we decided that international is the way we should go if we are to proceed.

I would suggest an agency that teach you and guide you about your issues with open adoptions and birth mother dealings.

We met our son's birth mother and it was a very moving experience. We are so glad that we did.

Yes the thought is scary at first but after leaning about it that fear goes away.

As for costs expect to pony up about 30K when it's all said and done.

Good luck.

[Lilac girl]

Sharon,

Welcome and congrats on your decision to adopt! I am relatively new to the process myself, but I'm sure the veterans will chime in and correct me if I'm wrong!

You do not have to choose a placement agency in your state, however, the home study needs to be done by an agency licensed in your state. For example, I am using a placement agency out of Texas, but I'm using a home study agency from my state of Maine. Geography should really only factor into your home study agency decision (in my opinion only).

Do your homework thoroughly. Check references. Talk to people. This forum can be an excellent resource for agency info (but you need to PM as we can't openly discuss agencies by name...read the sticky on that one).

Guatemalan adoptions are not an inexpensive option. My tally is approximately $35k (that's soup to nuts, if you will).

Typically referrals occur at a young age (days/weeks old) in Guatemalan adoptions, yet the wait to get the baby home is months...sometimes many. Check out the different wait lists and timelines, and you'll see it varies greatly. Be aware of agencies who promise to get your baby home under 3-4 months old. It's practically unheard of. There are many steps to the Guatemalan adoption process and each step can be time consuming.

Guatemalan children can be of mixed heritage. Some are of Mayan heritage, some are Hispanic. There is a wide range of what the babies look like (although all beautiful )

Hope this helps somewhat. Best wishes in your journey!

[sandeebear]

email me at work I can help you with recommendations.....I live in Marin....

sandeef@callandtitle.com

[Janette Monteil]

I PM'd you.

[jshuell]

I would agree with others who say that picking a placement agency is VERY important so don't limit yourselves to one in CA. The Joint Council for International Children's Services (www.jcics.org) is a membership org for international adoption agencies and has a list on their website of members. That's a good place to start since those agencies have been in business for awhile and submit themselves to a self-assessment process that is pretty stringent.

I would agree with the others on cost as well.

[WaitingforJacob]

If you haven't done so already, find an adoption attorney. It's best to find an attorney that specializes in adoption. He/she will be able to recommend several local homestudy agencies along with placement agencies. His/her recommendations along with your own research will bring you to the agencies that are best for you.

Good luck on your adoption journey!!!