Adoption - Saint Robert,MO

Contact the local adoption agency. If you go through the state your cost, if any are low. An adoption agency, and depending on domestic or international, your cost are high.

Meet with several agencies. You want to like the people you will be dealing with. After you determine which agency you want to use, they will provide all the necessary paperwork to fill out. We used Bethany Christian Services. They were great, and our adoption took 8 weeks.

Afterwards you will need to gather all your financial records, get medical exam & blood work completed, fingerprints, and you will need to create a family album. You will need to get recommendations too.

Also, decide what "type" of child you are looking for...special needs, cultural (race), gender, age,. etc.

I wish you well in this endeavor. It is WELL worth whatever expenses. You might think you are doing a "favor" to "save" a child, but believe me, we are the blessed ones because of our daughter. She has enhanced our lives tremendously.

I wish you and your husband the best of luck going through what is a very tough and heart-renching process.

BUT I beg you to look into your hearts and ask yourselves truly why you are doing this.... You mention you wish to have children of your own .... whose will the adopted children be? The neighbours? No, they will be yours too. So, please, please take a time out to discuss and deliberate very very honestly whether you will not be creating a two tier system, one rule for ours and a not so easy rule for the "others".

First you need to make some decisions about what type of adoption you want. Do you want an infant or are you open to an older toddler/child. You also need to decide if you want domestic or foreign. You also need to know exactly what you budget is. Once you have answered these questions, then you can start the process.

Regardless of what you decide, you will need a home study. This has to be done by a licensed social worker. If you are going through a state agency to adopt, this will be done for you, free of charge. If you choose the foreign or private route, the adoption agency you pick will help to set you up with someone.

Foreign adoptions require a LOT more paperwork, so you must be very organized and prepared for this. Also remember that with foreign adoptions, you are at the mercy of third world countries. The waits can be long and tedious, and the situations can change with the wind. I waited for 2 years (and spent $10K) on a foreign adoption and had no child to show for it.

My best advice is to start researching on the internet based on what type of adoption you have decided on. If you choose domestic/private, please contact me as I can highly recommend a wonderful woman who puts adoptive parents together with babies, and does it fast!! I commend you on choosing adoption to create your family. I will warn you that is an emotional roller coaster, but in the end, it was the best decision I have ever made. I have a beautiful daughter who I adore. I could not have biologically produced a child as perfect for me as she is. We even look alike! Best of luck, and enjoy the ride.

Contact your local adoption agencies and they will guide you through the process. The process of adopting a child is long and can be very arduous. Are you both going to be in the country for an extended period of time? I see that you are both military. I only ask this b/c in many cases you will need to be interviewed over a period of time by numerous "levels" of individuals. You will also likely have to go through a series of training sessions and informational sessions depending on what avenue you take.

Taking the steps necessary to adopt a child can be very rewarding, but only if you are both available ot help and support. The social worker assigned to you will talk with you about the commitments. Make appointments and see what it's all about!

Adopted children ARE children of your own.

Look for an agency near you and ask them how to start the process. You'll need to decide what age you're looking for, what country and you'll have to go through a home study through an agency - unless you do a private adoption. It's best to ask a good agency for help.

I do not know much about the adoption process, but I do know that there are a LOT of older children eligible for adoption. If you can, consider this route, they need someone to love and parent them just as much as a baby. It does amaze me though that when someone wants to adopt a baby, they have to go through a long ardous process of interviews, home evaluations, etc, yet anyone genetically endowed can get pregnant, show up at a hospital to deliver the baby and then take the baby home without any questions asked. It seems a bit backwards to me. I do realize that we are all entitled to our privacy, yet it amazes me that hopeful adoptive parents eager to love a child of their own have to go through so many hoops that the rest of us do not. Best wishes and I hope that you get your addition to your family soon!

I would say call your local child services office and ask about foster care, many times children in foster care are up for adoption and they really need good homes. Otherwise an attorney who specializes in adoption would be the next step.

Contact Love Basket. They are awesome!