[Julie L]

Hi Everyone,

We are just starting this process (actually more researching it).

We are adopting a baby boy from Guatemala right now and he will be home ....well hopefully around the first of the year. We wanted to have a sibling around his age and adopt another baby from Guat, however, it is tooo expensive.

So we thought we would go ahead and do either foster to adopt or adoption through CPS or agency (I am very new to this) Oh, but I figured out I am in Region 3 now.

If we start doing the classes and get licensed now (we are thinking before baby #1 comes home) can we wait a while before accepting a child(ren)? We want to do all the 'legwork' before we have to worry about a babysitter while we do class etc.

Any words of wisdom out there? Are we crazy for doing it this way and planning way too far in advance?

[MarMad]

I know that if you have a biological child, you must wait at least 6 months before placement of a child through CPS. Most likely, the same rule would apply to a non-CPS adoption, too, since the rule is said to be there to give people time to adjust.

Call agencies and ask. Personally, I'd wait, since there'd be so many changes to the homestudy after bringing your baby home and the waiting period would only give you 3 months or so before having to renew your verification (classes, inspections, appointments, etc) anyhow.

[TexasJingles]

With our agency, it's a year after a major life change before placement of foster or adoption.

You can do all your classes before, but you'll still have classes afterwards. We're required to have 30 hours each (that's a married couple ... single is something like 50 hours) and there are some classes that have to be done in person (we can count up to 15 hours of on-line classes). And the state prefers these classes to be done over the course of the year, not all at once.

Most of the classes at our agency have child-care services (not PRIDE classes though).

Are you sure you want 2 kids about the same age? I've got 3 all 1 1/2 years apart. It's a topsy-turvy world here sometimes!