I thought I'd be the first

[Isla]

Hello!

I am in the process of an international adoption and would love to chat with others who are thinking of adoption, going thru it, or have adopted.

I hope that this subforum will see some action!

[nuthinbutpink]

I am so happy you posted! I am the site owner and I would love for you to post your story, as much as you are comfortable sharing! I think people sometimes don't know where to begin with adoption and any guidance would be wonderful! Welcome!

[Isla]

I'd be happy to talk about my experiences so far. I don't have much yet because we aren't very far into the process...we are waiting to hear about when our homestudy will begin. I did create a post at IG that gives some basic information on what to consider when thinking about international adoption. It's very broad but it may give some food for thought to someone. I can copy and paste it here in a new thread if you'd like.

[deb]

I would love more info on adoption. My computer doesn't seem to agree with the IG site so if you could copy and paste that would be great
Thanks

[Isla]

Done! I hope it might give you some things to think about. :-)

[nuthinbutpink]

Thank you!

[michaela]

How exciting!!! Good luck in your process and I hope all your dreams come true!

[ashkash]

We're talking about the possibility of adopting too. I'd love to have another girl, and DH would like to adopt, so we may be headed in that direction. I'm trying to read as much as I can about all of our options. Good luck to you!

[Think Pink]

Isla,
Where are you hoping to adopt from? Are you considering an older child or an infant? I am starting to research adoption and am very intersted in following you journey. Good luck!

[Isla]

Hi Think Pink!

We are adopting from Honduras. We submitted our applications, had medical exams, fingerprints taken, psych evals (specific for Honduras), and just started our homestudy today! We have a 15 month old son so we will be adopting an infant girl. Our agency has a rule that the adopted child is required to be at least 6 months younger than the youngest child already in the home, so we have no choice and must adopt an infant.

Do you have any idea of where you'd like to adopt? Domestically or internationally?

[Think Pink]

I am leaning toward international... maybe Ukraine. But I am not sure as I have just started exploring this route. I look forward to following your journey. What made you decide on Honduras?

[Isla]

I am leaning toward international... maybe Ukraine. But I am not sure as I have just started exploring this route. I look forward to following your journey. What made you decide on Honduras?

We chose Honduras because it seems like the best fit for our family. Some countries we didn't qualify for, or their travel was too extensive for what we could manage, some countries only allow older children to be adopted or only ones with special needs, etc.

I recommend reading the boards at http://forums.adoption.com/international-adoption/. They have it broken down into countries and there's a wealth of info on there. Also, if you haven't, look at the official government website for adoptions. You can review each country individually. http://adoption.state.gov/. I know you are still exploring, but these are places you'll want to check out when you're ready.

[Isla]

Update on our international adoption....

Our homestudy is finalized, and that as well as our petition to bring an orphan into the U.S. as an immediate family member has been received by Immigration Services! Now we wait for a confirmation letter and a request from them to be fingerprinted. This process can take up to 75 days. During this time, we will be completing our dossier. It is very feasible that all of our paperwork will be in Honduras this fall! It will then take a few months for the Honduran government to translate and review everything.

Wow!!

[nuthinbutpink]

It is amazing to me how many steps it takes to help an orphaned child! I hope time passes quickly and everything continues to progress!

[4devochki]

Isla, it's been quite a while--do you still come here? Hope all went swimmingly and you are happy with your new daughter at home and thriving.