Adoptive Parent Thread

EDIT JANUARY 2012 - UPDATED RESOURCES

This thread is to provide support for adoptive parents or parents hoping to adopt! Prayers for eveyrone in this process as it can be so painful, frustrating and well...sometimes exciting!

Resources for Adoptive Families

2011 Adoption Guide - This is a great up-to-date resource for people looking to get started with adoption.
Adoptive Families Magazine - I like this magazine and their online forum. There are some excellent resources and encouraging articles.
Adopt US Kids - Foster kids waiting for adoption. Children whose parents have lost their rights. These kids are looking for permanent homes. This is typically the lowest-cost adoption.
The Dave Thomas Foundation - Dave Thomas was adopted. This is the foundation he started to bring awareness to adoption, provide grants etc .
Parent Profiles - This is a great site to use if you're trying to adopt domestically and are in search of a birthmother. This is what we used when we adopted our oldest daughter.

Also consider registering with DSS... Websites vary by state.


PLEASE USE CAUTION WHEN COMMUNICATING WITH PROSPECTIVE BIRTHMOTHERS. USE CAUTION WHEN BEING ASKED TO HELP "FUND" PROSPECTIVE ADOPTIVE PARENT'S HOPING TO ADOPT.

Watchforscams.com - An excellent overview on the types of adoption scams.
Myths about adoption - A nice article about the truths of adoption.

*I'd love for us to have one....It would be awesome too if someone matched here on BG...Still hoping 2010 is our year to become mommies*

Well cool then! How long have you been waiting? Are you hoping for a boy or a girl? We just started the process for #2. We had such a fantastic experience the first time and I hope the second one goes as smoothly.

Quoting Adoption is Awesome:“ Well cool then! How long have you been waiting? Are you hoping for a boy or a girl? We just started the ... [snip!] ... just started the process for #2. We had such a fantastic experience the first time and I hope the second one goes as smoothly. ”

We have been trying for a year and a half..we do not care about the sex..we just wanna be mommies. We are also willing to adopt special needs. We both work in the Mental Health/Mental Retardation field so we are knowledged on certain special needs. Im glad that you had a good experience the first time. I hope you find your next child just as easy.

Quoting Kat17201:“ We have been trying for a year and a half..we do not care about the sex..we just wanna be mommies. We ... [snip!] ... on certain special needs. Im glad that you had a good experience the first time. I hope you find your next child just as easy.”

Good luck!

Quoting Brown-Eyed Girl:“ Good luck!”

*Thanks Sweetie*

Quoting Kat17201:“ We have been trying for a year and a half..we do not care about the sex..we just wanna be mommies. We ... [snip!] ... on certain special needs. Im glad that you had a good experience the first time. I hope you find your next child just as easy.”

I've seen a few of your posts on here before..... I hope you guys get to adopt soon, you sound like you would both make great Mummies  

Quoting Jess, Amelie & Charlie:“ I've seen a few of your posts on here before..... I hope you guys get to adopt soon, you sound like you would both make great Mummies  ”

Aww thanks sweetie..We are hoping we are blessed very soon...the nursery closet keeps getting more and more clothes put in there lol...We need to adopt soon or Im going to have to start explaining to my wife how we have accumulated so much lol...

Oh Kat - I know what you mean about the stockpile. I kept getting those coupons for Similac before we adopted our daughter. So I kept stocking up. It was getting crazy near there the end.

Are you looking to adopt a baby or are you also considering older kids? I know in MI, there are a lot of special needs kids in the foster system.

I originally wanted to adopt from the foster system but my husband wasn't on board, at least not now.

Quoting Adoption is Awesome:“ Oh Kat - I know what you mean about the stockpile. I kept getting those coupons for Similac before we ... [snip!] ... in the foster system. I originally wanted to adopt from the foster system but my husband wasn't on board, at least not now. ”

We really don't care what age. I mean I would be lying if I said that we didn't want a baby...just based on being able to see a childs firsts..but we are also registered foster parents and so we have also been trying to adopt that way too. So far no luck.

Kat - What are you doing to market yourselves? The agency we are using does no marketing to birthmothers so that is left to us. We use www.parentprofiles.com. We also had business cards made which we're leaving everywhere, like laundry mats, college campuses etc that drive people to our profile.

One thing that our agency told us is that every birthmother is looking for something different. After going through this process twice, I truely believe that.

Quoting Adoption is Awesome:“ Kat - What are you doing to market yourselves? The agency we are using does no marketing to birthmothers ... [snip!] ... is that every birthmother is looking for something different. After going through this process twice, I truely believe that. ”

We are not using an agency. We decided to do an independent private open adoption. We do have online profiles as well as we basically are just telling every person that we come into contact with lol. I have thought of posting at local pregnancy centers as well as with high school counselors. I feel weird about that though. I don't want people to think we are begging for a child, but I guess to some it may look like that. We just want to be mommies. & your right about every firstmom looking for something different. I have seen some PAP's put on a front and make everything seem perfect and that their lives are perfect. My wife and I are NOT at all like that. Our lives are not perfect. Do we disagree sometimes yes...but that does not mean that we stop loving each other. To me you do not have to have a 6 figure salary to be a good parent. We do make a good living and we both love our jobs. To me that is what is most important.

Quoting Kat17201:“ We are not using an agency. We decided to do an independent private open adoption. We do have online ... [snip!] ... 6 figure salary to be a good parent. We do make a good living and we both love our jobs. To me that is what is most important.”

That's funny that you mention a 6 figure salary becuase whenever I look at the parent profiles and try to put myself in the shoes of a birthmother, the people who seem exceptionaly wealthy turn me off. I don't know if it's because I came from a blue collar family or what but they just seem less down to earth.

I think you should run a copy of your profile to planned parenthood. I took mine up there and they left it in with their magazines for quite some time.

I don't feel bad at all telling people that we're searching for our next birthfamily because I think God uses people in so many cool ways. You just never know who you will meet and where.

Quoting Adoption is Awesome:“ That's funny that you mention a 6 figure salary becuase whenever I look at the parent profiles and ... [snip!] ... our next birthfamily because I think God uses people in so many cool ways. You just never know who you will meet and where. ”

If you don't mind me asking, how did you come to adopt your child? I mean I know it was through adoption but how did you find the birthmom/firstmom?

Our birthfamily found us on parentprofiles.com. I talked to our birthmother right before Mother's day last year and we really clicked. My husband and I met her shortly after and within the first 15 minutes she says..."So do you guys want to be in the delivery room?" I was thinking to myself...I think she just picked us! We later met the birthfather who is also just awesome. It's hard to describe but it's like we all had known each other for a very long time and now they feel like family to us.

All 4 of us were in the delivery room when our daughter was born.