[klaypigeon]

I am the birth mother of an 8 year old beautiful girl. I have been married for a year and a half now. We all want this adoption to happen, however we aren't really sure of where to start. If anyone has any advice on how to get started and what to do with a step-child adoption in Ohio, I would greatly appreciate any and all information.
If it helps, here's a little background info:
the biological father isn't in the picture and hasn't been for years, however he was doing child support payments through withholding up until last december. he is terribly behind in payments and owes almost $20k in back support. he didn't bother to show up at the last hearing which was for a motion to impose and now has a warrant out for his arrest. i do not know how to contact him, but i do know how to contact his parents as i do allow them to see her every few weeks. however they will not give me any contact information about him and he has given the CSEA his parents information as his own (i know he doesn't live with them.)
so, how do i go about getting rid of him completely? my daughter desperately wants to be adopted by my husband as he is the only father she has ever known. we've been together since she was 2, however we didn't get married until october 2005.
is there a specific amount of time in ohio that you must be married before you can do the adoption? if the biological father consents, do you have to do the in-house visit? if i don't know how to serve him with the info... do i have to send it to his parents house?
please help me understand this process if you can...

i am greatly appreciative for any and all assistance that can be provided.

thank you for your time and effort.

[stepadoptionblog]

Your best bet would be to call an attorney, they will know where you should serve the papers to. Usually the papers must be served to the actual person, and not just their address.

the homestudy process for stepparent adoptions is interesting. Some states do not require them, and some that do require them, will waive them since the family has been living and functioning as a family.

Most lawyers offer an initial consultation for free. Be sure to write down all your questions, as well as a bullet form time line summary of your situation before you go. That way you will have all of your questions answered, and have all of your information on what happened and when it happened sitting in front of you in case you get flustered and cannot recall the information on the spot.

Stepparent Adoption Blog