Adoption

[muledeerarea33?]

In the very beginning stages of looking at the beginning stages of adoption. We would like an American child but again we're in the extreme beginning stages of just looking at the option. I know several guys here have adopted so We're just looking for places to go, what to expect, what we need to do. And the important taboo question..... what's the total cost and start to finish time? I know folks will PM but please post it public if you can, it may help others too. Thanks in advance.

[muledeerarea33?]

I guess I have to say "I'm not looking for honey holes or secret spots!" Haha!

[AZkiller]

Good for you! I think it takes a special and selfless person to adopt. A friend of mine adopted 13 years ago. He told me all attorney fees and state fees were around 10k. My neighbor adopted a year ago. They were foster parents and it was around 12k. I think they got most of it sponsered thru their church. My friend who adopted 13 years ago, his wife worked at an obgyn office. That's how they met the mother.

[muledeerarea33?]

Thsnks! That's what I've been seeing, if your not with a church or know someone then you have a hard time.

[dcshorthairs]

Boy, I could write a book on this subject. We were in the same boat about 7 years ago. We adopted our first one and he is now six. We got him at birth. It was a roller coaster of a ride. We adopted our second boy about 3 years ago, also at birth. A bit easier, however still stressful. I can say that without God right next to us, we would not have made it. Prepare yourselves and your hearts. There are extreme highs and lows, but in the end i wouldnt have it any other way. Our first adoption was around 11k and the second was 8k. DO NOT USE CHRISTIAN FAMILY CARE ASSOCIATION in Phoenix. We had a bad experience with them. We went the private lawyer route the second time and felt better with it. Either way, pray and pray more for guidance.

 

Wih all that said, here are my boys now 6 & 3. Blessed man right here

[cactusjack]

We have been foster parents for 10 years. We adopted my 4 year old son, who was a foster child. He came into our care at 2days old. The adoption happened when he was 19 months old. It was stressful but be is awesome. We now have 5 kids and 2 foster kids. The 2 foster kids are native American and have been with us 6 1/2 years. We would adopt them but we are not native....my rambling is basically to suggest foster kids.

[AZkiller]

We have been foster parents for 10 years. We adopted my 4 year old son, who was a foster child. He came into our care at 2days old. The adoption happened when he was 19 months old. It was stressful but be is awesome. We now have 5 kids and 2 foster kids. The 2 foster kids are native American and have been with us 6 1/2 years. We would adopt them but we are not native....my rambling is basically to suggest foster kids. 20170722_164645.jpg

I have heard that adopting native kids can be difficult because the tribe can come stop the adoption as long as someone from the tribe is willing. They have to notify the tribe as well. Any truth to that?

[cactusjack]

 

We have been foster parents for 10 years. We adopted my 4 year old son, who was a foster child. He came into our care at 2days old. The adoption happened when he was 19 months old. It was stressful but be is awesome. We now have 5 kids and 2 foster kids. The 2 foster kids are native American and have been with us 6 1/2 years. We would adopt them but we are not native....my rambling is basically to suggest foster kids. 20170722_164645.jpg

I have heard that adopting native kids can be difficult because the tribe can come stop the adoption as long as someone from the tribe is willing. They have to notify the tribe as well. Any truth to that?

That is true in most cases. Our situation is different, the kids are in the tribe's system and have been from the start. The law governing native children is called ICWA. Indian child welfare act.

[CatfishKev]

Good for you! It makes me sick how much it cost to adopt a kid when there's so many of them that need saving.

Personally, I think I would also look at fostering.

[dcshorthairs]

When we started out, we were fostering and pursuing adoption. We were told that it was easier to do that way just in case you found a child that was in the system you could foster until the adoption process was complete. The bad part was is that we wanted a newborn and they were hard to come by. Having a church really does help in the long run. Sounds like the first thing you guys need to do is find an agency and get a homestudy done. They usually run around $1500

[Lucafu1]

I cannot believe that it cost that much to adopt a kid. That is pretty dang sad.

[TwoGuns]

Good for you guys thinking about adoption. I hope you can go through with it. I would encourage you to go the foster/adopt route as there are about 18,000 foster kids in AZ right now. There is a huge need for adoptive families.

 

My wife and I have 2 biological children, and 4 adopted children, with one more in the works. Our first three we adopted through foster care, which we did for 7 years. There might not be anything more challenging and rewarding at the same time.

 

If you adopt through fostering, costs are covered by the state. Also, the kids get a monthly adoption subsidy until they turn 18, and free health care. They also get help paying for college. If you go straight adoption, the costs are on you to cover.

 

Here is a link to my wife's blog if you want to see what she has written about. A lot of it has to do with our international adoption. http://www.ransomforisrael.com

 

Here is a link to a segment Fox10 News did on our family.

http://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-news/215456447-story

 

We are very active in helping other families adopt, so if you would like to hear our experiences, or get help navigating the system, let me know.

[cactusjack]

What 2guns said. It's an emotionally rollercoaster and there are no guarantees the kids will be "normal", (I was warned by a friend). I responded with Thank you for the warning, but what is normal and what guarantees did we get with our birth children?
This journey has forever changed us for the better. It hasn't been easy, but when has life ever been easy? It has taught us compassion, understanding, gratitude, and unconditional love.

One of the biggest things I gained, is gratitude towards my parents. They weren't perfect parents, but they made sure I was fed, clothed, housed, went to school, did my homework and followed the rules of our home. If the street lights were on, my butt had better be inside our house. A lot of the kids in foster care, have parents that were in foster care. It can be a viscous cycle. We do our best to love the kids and keep them safe for as long as they are in our care. We can not control when they go, but each day is a blessing to us and hopefully to the kids.

Btw, my wife is the amazing one. She has been the force behind us being foster parents.

 

missing one. My oldest is in Peru.

[codyhuntsaz]

We adopted our daughter in February of last year. We went through Catholic Charaties in Phoenix. I couldn't have better things to say about them! Only negative is their cost. $22,000 with the home study. You can find cheaper out there, but the service we received and the communication was first class! I called one other local adoption agency twice and never even got a returned phone call. Also tried a private adoption lawyer and that wasn't a great experience . Catholic charities says their average wait time is 18 months. Our results were much faster though. We were approved to adopt by the state of Arizona on December 14 and had our daughter and our hands on February 11.

 

Pictures are the day we got her home and last Saturday

[Saguaro]

What is the home study you guys talk about?

 

Good job guys, the world needs more of you.