[shannobananno]

Hello everybody! DH and I have been considering adopting from Russia for quite some time. I understand that in some provinces it is possible to adopt two children at once. We are interested in adopting one infant and one toddler--ideally one girl and one boy. It would be great if they are siblings but unrelated would be great too. How long do you think we would wait for such a referral. For those of you who have done this, how long did it take you in total from beginning of homestudy until the time you brought your babies home?

Is it becoming harder in Russia for such a placement? It seems that its becoming more difficult to adopt as more and more people decide to adopt. Is this a feasible pursuit? Thanks so much. Also, feel free to PM me with agency recommendations. Thanks so much!!!

[beckyww]

Infants are very tough now. Our agency considers 18 months a baby.

Good luck!

Becky
This Reminds Me

[TweetyMom04]

It would be great if they are siblings but unrelated would be great too.
I read a Couple Adopted 2 Children. A stranger asked "are they siblings?" They responded, "they are now."

How long do you think we would wait for such a referral.
Depends on your acceptance criteria of the children, ie medical acceptance, specific regions or open, etc. There can be many factors that can affect the time of getting 'The Call.'

For those of you who have done this, how long did it take you in total from beginning of homestudy until the time you brought your babies home?
See my signature for timeline. In 03, we had a one trip region.

Is it becoming harder in Russia for such a placement?
Depends on the criteria. But someone who has gone through this w/n 1-2 yrs would be better to answer than an 'old-timer' of 5 yrs ago.

It seems that its becoming more difficult to adopt as more and more people decide to adopt. Is this a feasible pursuit?
It is feasible, but not cheap. As for difficulty, adoption paperwork is not easy. The waiting will be a test of your patience. But in the end.....seeing your child's face, their smile, their eyes and feeling their arms around you and yours around them, makes all the problems melt away, like snow.

Best O' Luck in your decision(s).

[GCS]

We adopted an infant and a toddler in 2004. Today that request would be more likely an infant (under 18mths) and a preschooler (under 4).

Our children are not bio sibs. Even though they are small they do know this. We've always been very open (age appropriate) with their story to them.

Two at once is still very possible in many regions and I know the agency we used has current clients waiting on two.

International adoption is not for the weak of heart. Russia is especially tough. I think the wait for two could easily be as long as the wait for one. I think if you are open to boys your wait will be shorter. I also think if you are going with an agency that will only give sibling referrals for someone looking to adopt two and not consider un-related referrals your wait will be longer.

Good luck!
Christina

[kretzklan]

We adopted two children almost four years ago. We got our first referals the day we turned in our paperwork - for sibs age 6 and 3. We lost them to a relative and received new referals within one week. I've heard this fast can still be true for older kids. The younger the child you are waiting for - the longer the wait (in general). Our region did allow unrelated children to be adopted (ours now are non-bio), but many regions didn't allow that then and I believe they don't now! Our process was 7 months to the day from application to landing back home.

[votemom]

bottom line: there is just no way to predict.

you might end up waiting 2 years. you might not.


we adopted two girls in 2007. start to finish - six months. they were both 23 months old when they came home.

fast stories do happen, but are not the norm.

again - NO way to predict.

[Purdue]

Your request is exactly like ours and we are in process right now. It still is possible and can be done...its all timing of what children are available and to what degree of "healthy" you are capable of handling.

You can read our timeline on my signature. We had 2 children referred. We accepted 1 but not the other. Received a 2nd referral and accepted...yeah! They called us 2 weeks later and said our 2nd referral was no longer available. We waited again for the 2nd referral...long story short, we didn't want to loose our first little guy and wanted to get him home so we decided to go thru with the 1st referral only, be home for some time to bond, and then start over for referral # 2 next year. Its definately been alot of up and down times and sleepless nights wondering if you're doing the right thing. It can be done, but go in knowing that it can change at any moment. We've been home from our 1st trip since the 4th of July and are still waiting on our court date. Some adoptions go quicker than others so just be prepared for that also.

Good luck!

[Jpride]

We came home almost 2 years ago now with a 3 year old boy and a 12-month old girl. We had a great experience and from the time we started our homestudy to the time we came home was only 10 months! We were in Moscow City region. Both kids are happy and healthy. I would recommend you check with different agencies to find out what they allow and what you are comfortable with.

Our kids were unrelated but in the same orphanage.

I will also PM you our agency.

[shannobananno]

Thanks so much for all of your advice. Purdue, did you go to Purdue?

[jeannecr]

I sent you a PM.

[AtlMommy]

Well I will say that if you are open to 2 boys your wait time would be significantly less. I know that in Russia the times for boys versus girls is significantly less. I believe this also applies to siblings groups. From what I have been reading, girls in the 4-6 year old range are the longest waiting times for referrals. If you are open to boys instead of one of each, you might be surprised that your wait time may be far less.

[Shark01]

Originally Posted by Purdue

its all timing of what children are available and to what degree of "healthy" you are capable of handling.

Looking at this from a statistical view, our agency (and a few adoptive parents) say 50% of referrals are turned down. So the odds of getting two successful referrals at the same time are:

0.5 X 0.5 = 0.25......or 25%

So not impossible, but is a harder road than one child, and certainly so since babies and toddlers are mentioned.