[.Kendra.]

Hi everyone! My husband and I have been contemplating adoption for well over a year. However, I have only done basic research because we want to adopt in the United States and are currently stationed overseas. Luckily, we will be back early next year and can start our homestudy then. We really think adoption is the right choice for us and hope we will get approved. We are a young couple, at the time of hopeful homestudy we will be 26 (me), 25 (husband), and (5) daughter. We would love to adopt a 4 year old girl or boy. We are still deciding what would be best for our family. Oh, also we will probably, we find out next month, be living in VA. Neither of us are VA residents, MS & MD, so we know we will run into a few problems. ANY advice will be helpful! Have a wonderful day everyone!

[hneely]

Kendra,
We live in VA. I just posted about my husband being a non-resident and we're starting the adoption process. I didn't get any response here, but I did contact my caseworker. I'm doing a private adoption (with lawyers, not agency). She assured me that we wouldn't have a problem.
What I had read online is that non-residents of VA could adopt if through an agency. I had also seen somewhere about non-residents able to adopt if child is VA resident. So honestly I don't know the answer! I decided to leave the legal issues with the legal people. There has to be SOME consideration for military I would think??

Good luck on your move next year and your decision to adopt! We're in Northern Virginia right now.

Heather

[.Kendra.]

Heather,

Thanks for the reply! Do you mind sending me the name of your agency? Is it terribly expensive? I get overwelmed with all the agency and don't really know where to start. Good thing I have a year to figure that part out. Most of the private places I can find are for infants and we perfer a 4 year old.

[devildogwife]

DH and I were a young couple (started process at 22), stationed in California, were Nebraska residents and adopted in Iowa, no problems at all.

Also, for the age you're looking at, foster care might be the way to go. There generally aren't a lot of kids that age available for private adoption.