This is a preview of a movie on adoption that is set to come out this Fall



You can see more info on it at AdoptedTheMovie.com

This article is from the latest newsletter from the American Adoptions newsletter.

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For the past few years, international adoption has basked in the celebrity spotlight, as one after the other, stars like Madonna and Angelina Jolie have gone across the big pond to adopt. Combine this with the fact that adopting a baby domestically is fraught with myths, untruths and outdated ideas, and it becomes easy to see how international adoption might initially seem more enticing than adopting a baby from the U.S.

The reality about contemporary, domestic adoption is far from what most people understand, but ideas are evolving - just not as dramatically as the reality of domestic adoption has! If you have decided to speak with those around you about your decision to adopt, you will find that many - if not most - people have very inaccurate understandings about the adoption process. Learn the facts, and take it upon yourself to serve as a proponent for contemporary adoption.

( Read about the myths here )

Here are answers to a few questions from various people, also taken from the Adoption Agency site

What laws govern the release of parental rights?

* Laws vary by state. For example, in Ohio, you must wait 72 hours after the birth of your child to end your parental right voluntarily. Our adoption agency can guide you through the process within your state.
* If you are a minor, you DO NOT have to tell your parents. We will provide an attorney to represent you. This fee will be paid for by the adoptive family.
* Once you sign the permanent surrender, your rights as the birth parent are terminated and you can not change your mind about the adoption in the future.
* In the event that the Birth Father or his whereabouts are unknown, or, he is denying paternity, A Child's Waiting will explain the legal aspects and your options.

This is what we are raising the money for:


Program III: Domestic Infant/Toddler Adoption

Description

Children in this program can be of any race from newborn to 36 months of age at time of referral. These children are being placed voluntarily by the birthparents into the custody of ACW or is a birth parent who has worked with ACW for adoption planning.

Requirements

Before being considered for placement of these children, a family must have a completed valid homestudy and an approved photo profile and birthparent letter.


( read more details here )

taken from the agency site: A Child's Waiting

A Hundred Years From Now
...it will not matter what my bank account was,
the sort of house I lived in, or the kind car I drove ...
...but the world may be different because I was
important in the life of a CHILD

Written by Robert

Elizabeth Swire Falker, The Ultimate Insider's Guide to Adoption (Warner, 2006)

Thinking of adopting? Elizabeth Squire Falker has made an attempt to write the only adoption book you’ll ever need. Whether she succeeded or not, I can’t tell you; we haven’t gotten far enough along in the process to tell you from personal experience. She does certainly seem to have covered as many of the bases as possible, however, and has created a solid, easy to read adoption guide here.

Two possible caveats from the prospective reader: first, while Falker’s writing style is mostly an asset here, there are some times where she goes overboard. (Someone confiscate the woman’s exclamation point key before she writes another book.) Second, if you haven’t yet decided whether to go domestic or international for your adoption and read both sections, be prepared for a good deal of overlap in the material. (For “a good deal” here, read “eighty to ninety percent”; if you’re leaning towards one type, read that section, skim the other.) Other than that, though, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to prospective adoptive parents, and I’m sure I will be in coming years. *** ½

Taken from A Child's Waiting's web page

Successful Adoption Indicators

There are several factors that can predict the possibility of a successful adoption as well as the possibility of an adoption disruption. Having a good understanding of your family and the dynamics that it presents can help circumvent any possible problems before and after a child comes home.

( read the indicators here )

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have not yet applied to A Child's Waiting. We hopefully will do so in the next month (by Father's Day we hope). We held our fund raiser yard sale last week and raised over $400, Rob sold computer parts on ebay which netted us almost $200 more. We are well on our way to passing the $10,000 mark.

We still welcome your good wishes, prayers, and crossed fingers. Hopefully the next month will fly by and we'll be heading through the process before we know it.

Thanks to everyone that has shown their support so far. We greatly appreciate it.

~Allison

This weekend, we will be applying to the adoption agency. I can't help myself in being over-prepared for such life changing events, so I wrote one of the workers there.


( Here is her e-mail back: )

Megan's Column

Hi there, Congratulations again on the adoption of your sweet baby girl. We are all very happy for you! I am so glad you brought up this question. We are approaching Mother's Day and with Mother's Day also comes a less known holiday, Birth Mother's Day. Birth Mother's Day is held on Saturday, the day before Mother's Day. It is a special day set aside to honor your child's birth mother's role and is becoming more celebrated and more known each year. Many birth mothers do not even know that this special day exists to honor them.
( Read more... )

Rob and I went to A Child's Waiting Adoption Agency on Wednesday night for their information meeting. It was educating, eye opening, uplifting, encouraging, and just what I needed to kick my butt in gear. Afterwards, we went to dinner to reflect on everything and came to the decision that, yes, we are indeed going to start the adoption process. It's right for us. There will never be a "perfect" time, so why not now? My mom convinced me that what better Mother's Day and 5th Anniversary present than to turn in the adoption agency application? She's right.

Sometime mid-May, we will have taken the first real step on the adoption journey. With all fingers crossed, eyes to the sky, and hearts open to possibilities, we will be well on our way by int he process by this fall.

I'm scared, excited, nervous, jittery, frazzled, nauseous, giddy... I can't believe it's begun.

I'm taking off work on May 18th and will be holding a huge garage sale that weekend to raise money for the fund. We're halfway there, but need about another $8,000 to be able to complete everything. I also have a ton of stuff still to get on ebay. Again, if you have anything you aren't using / don't want and it's in good condition, we will gladly take it off your hands, and any passing on our ebay info would be greatly appreciated.

I appreciate everyone's continued support. This will no doubt be a roller coaster year, and your love and friendship means a lot to us. We thank you.

The last round of ebay sales, which was all clothing, netted us roughly $60.00 after shipping costs and fees. Not bad, especially since 90% of the clothes were donated so it was pure profit. Thanks to anyone who helped spread the word.

Also, Rob and I will be attending an information meeting on adoption at the adoption agency in Akron that has really caught our eyes. It's called A Child Is Waiting , and I've spent a lot of time browsing their site and going over their info packets.

That's about it for now. Thanks for checking in!

~Allison

This is a glossary of terms related to adoption, taken from A Child Is Waiting

( Read more... )

Below are things to consider before adopting domestically:
( Read more... )

I'm considering candy as a fundraising option. My coworkers are candy freaks. One of my coworkers brought in 2 cases of candy (close to 100 packages of candy, chocolate bars, snickers, m&ms, etc) for his granddaughter and they were gone within two weeks.

Our local candy company, Malley's, does fundraising. You can buy cases of their chocolate bars for a discounted price and you keep the difference. I LOVE LOVE LOVE their chocolate. It's very yummy. Those of you that have never had it are missing out.

So, I browsed their site today, and am no seriously considering contacting them about fundraising options. I think there are 30 bars in a case, and each bar sells for $1.00. If I buy 15 cases, that's $450 worth of chocolate. According to their website, if I undserstand it correctly, I'd essentially keep 40% of that which is $180. That's not a HUGE amount, but it's something...and if it goes well, maybe I could increase the amount of bars bought and try again.

Just a thought. You can see their site here: Malley's Chocolates

(Adoption Article) Why does adoption cost so much?

Below is an itemization of possible expenses for many adoptions. There is much more involved with the adoption process than many people initially realize. This is provided as a breakdown to give couples an understanding of the services involved and costs accumulated for adoption services. It may not include every possible service needed for a particular adoption and it does not mean that every adoption will require every service listed. This itemization serves as a way to explain normal, typical adoption services.

**Books that are in bold are one's I've completed or are in the middle of reading:


List of books to put on hold at our library:

1) Dickerson, James. The basics of adoption : a guide for building families in the U.S. and Canada

2) Mary E.Williams, book editor, Adoption

3) Sara Holloway, editor, Family wanted : stories of adoption

4) Allen Verbrugge, editor, Adoption

5) Caldwell, Mardie M. Adoption, your step-by-step guide: using technology and time-tested techniques to expedite a safe, successful adoption

6) Beauvais-Godwin, Laura. The complete adoption book: everything you need to know to adopt a child

7) Hicks, Randall, Adopting in America: how to adopt within one year

8) Barr, Tracy; Carlisle, Katrina Adoption for dummies

9) Mintzer, Richard. Yes, you can adopt! : a comprehensive guide to adoption / Richard Mintzer.

10) Adamec, Christine A., There are babies to adopt : a resource guide for prospective parents

11) Elizabeth Swire Falker, The Ultimate Insider's Guide to Adoption

Elements of Adoption Home Study

While adoption home studies vary slightly from agency to agency and state to state, there are several key elements that are almost always included in every home study. These elements stem from requirements of the state in which the adoptive family resides, the type of adoption the adoptive family is pursuing, and the agency conducting the home study.

Home studies are utilized for every adoptive family in the United States whether they are adopting a child domestically or internationally.

There are several key elements that are included in every home study.