[sarah16]

My friend is signed up through the Cradle too! She is still waiting for a birthmother to pick her.

[MamaSoon]

Parker_john, Yep! We went to see the Cradle. They are supposed to be a top agency in Illinois. Their presentation was very nice and they seem to be very organized. I liked the format.

After having gone to a second agency last week, I can say I am a little dismayed with the misinformation we got about the China program at the Cradle. We attended a meeting in November and they gave us outdated information. We've sinced learned that we can't qualify for that program for several more years. China updated their requirements in May, making it much, much harder for people to adopt from there. However, the Cradle didn't give us those updated requirements.

I am finding the process of choosing an agency to be very difficult. They are your guides through this process and having an ethical team with me is of the upmost importance.

Can you tell me what you think of this? Am I making a big deal out of nothing? Honest opinion, please. :-) Are you going through the Cradle? I think I remember reading once that you were. This is such a great place to come discuss these issues.

[jf5505]

I just went to see Juno and it was so sad but with a very happy twist! I also just read the baby trail and it was such a good book! I am having feelings that maybe I don't want to start IVF but rather just start the adoption process but just don't know what to do.

can anyone tell me a good agency that is near Philadelphia? Do they have to be close to where you live?

[parker john]

Josee ... we are going through the Cradle.
We went to the info meeting in December and it was updated for China. We meet with our counselor a couple of weeks ago and absolutely loved her ... she is very honest with everything. Right now we are working on our autobiography's and signed up for the adoption 101 class in Jan.

I will say one great thing about the Cradle is once you turn in your paperwork after the first info meeting, they contact you within days and assigned a counselor to us.

Are you thinking of International only?

I feel very comfortable with selecting the Cradle ... it's such a reputable agency. Let me know if I can help you in any way.

[sarah16]

Good luck with your adoption process ladies! I'm praying for you!!

[mlb]

No the adoption agency does not have to be in your state, they only have to be licenced to complete adoptions in your state. We had an out of state agency for our second adoption and we mailed everything to them.

[Anastasia]

Wow, it is so great to have a place to go, while still TTC and Fertility Treatments to start getting info about adoption. We have friends that went to Pauquette adoption agency here in WI and within 6 weeks of applying they had their son. They did say the cost of the adoption including travel to Louisiana was about 18k. Their son is bi-racial and such an amazing little boy. My DH and I have really thought about this agency because they do a lot of adoptions in the south with AA and Biracial children. As we are an interracial couple, this works great for us and they say their match time is 1-3 mo for the program.

I agree with Josee though the ethical issues are difficult. Especially when you are not sure if the b-moms feel forced into it.

I have been watching the Hallmark Channel.com Adoption series (online) and also adoption stories on TLC. It is really good to see different families and their experiences, it makes it more real for me.

Good luck to all!

[sarah16]

That's a great idea. I never thought about watching about adoption on tv. I'll have to check into it.

[auburn girl]

How did you guys even begin to find an agency?

While I was waiting for my 1st u/s they had an adoption magazine there that had information but is that they way we search?

It looks like this pregnancy may be a m/c and DH know we have love to give so adoption may be our route, we just don't know how to pursue.

[mittons]

auburn girl,

Adoption is a strange and beautiful thing. Once you are certain that is the route you want to take and you start to talk about it you will be amazed at how many people know someone who adopted. They will let you know who and ask if you want to talk to them about their experience.

[MamaSoon]

Hi Parker_John, we haven't decided on adoption and I am about to start an IVF cycle. However, we are leaning towards domestic or Asia. Are you a resolve member? I am not but I saw they had an upcoming general IF meeting and didn't know if you attended them. They also have a preadoption one in February. PM me if you are or want to chat about that. :-)

AuburnGirl, I hope you don't miscarry. About selecting agencies, DH and I have three to choose from in essence. We asked a few people who have adopted to recommend agencies they've heard good things about and cross referenced them with ones that were listed in one of the books that DH had. We want someone who has been around and is reputable. Good luck to you.

[mondk]

Anyone considering domestic...I highly recommend the adoption attorney in Florida that we used. It costs nothing to be placed on his list of situations...his name is Mark Miller...email him at miller@fordmiller.com he sends situations out as he gets them and has a counselor who comes to his office and counsels the birthmom/birthdad. Our adoption total for domestic biracial newborn was around $16k. He charges less for biracial and full AA situations because sadly, they are harder to find families for.

If you would like more info please feel free to ask me here or PM me if you'd prefer....

Blessings, Michelle

P.S. The adoption laws in Florida are really great...TPR is signed 48 hours after birth and finalization within 90 days of that.

[sarah16]

I found a state adoption association website which I then contacted agencies. I am currently on three waiting lists because they only deal with 10-13 families at a time. A great book to look at is "Adoption: the essential guide to adopting quickly and safely" by Randall Hicks

[jf5505]

I am also doing my 3rd IVF and also looking at domestic and Russian adoption. I just don't have a clue where to go or look first. I live outside of Philadelphia and wonder if I should find an agency in my state or just look for the best agency.

Does anyone have any advice? Or know where I should start looking???

Mamasoon when are you doing your IVF?

[sarah16]

You need to decide what is best for you. We picked an adoption agency close by because they were thousands of dollars cheaper and you don't have to travel as far to interview, pick up your baby, or go to the agency. I would definitely look up any agency you are going to work with on the BBB and make sure there aren't any complaints. You also need to decide if you want to go with an attorney, agency or find a birthmom yourself. Good luck!