Adoption Updates

[skoi]

This is our update. We're adopting again- from Kazakhstan- barring any horrible things happening. We're planning to adopt an older boy- around 4 or 5. We must be crazy given the cost and time in country, but this is something I wanted to do from the start.

We're hoping to put a website up. I'm thinking using freewebs as the server this time. Anyone use them before?

Happybratpack- are you still hung up with INS/BCIS or whatever they're called? I've been hearing they're just generally slow now. Hopefully you'll travel to China when the weather is nice- unlike us and our trip in January.

Has anyone adopted older children?

Julie

 

[happybratpack]

Happybratpack- are you still hung up with INS/BCIS or whatever they're called? I've been hearing they're just generally slow now. Hopefully you'll travel to China when the weather is nice- unlike us and our trip in January.

Has anyone adopted older children?

Julie

Congrats Julie!!

I'm out of INS hell, it took about 9 weeks to get my 171, then another couple weeks to get through Austin and Houston so I was DTC on March 2nd. Now I'm just hung up waiting for travel approval from China. It never ends!

There is another family at her orphanage today so I'm hoping they get a glimpse of her, an update would be great. She's starting to seem like some far-away dream if that makes sense. Like it's not real.

How old of a child are you considering? Lily will be 4 in July (already!). I've been following some of the journeys for older kids, 9 and up and think that's something I might be really interested in some day. Maybe. Possibly. Who knows.

Congrats again and good luck!!!

 

[Snoopymom]

This is our update. We're adopting again- from Kazakhstan- barring any horrible things happening. We're planning to adopt an older boy- around 4 or 5. We must be crazy given the cost and time in country, but this is something I wanted to do from the start.

Has anyone adopted older children?

Julie

Congratulations! Our ds came home to us at two, he's 5 now. He has needed lots of one on one time, discipline and speech therapy, had some unexpected problems adjusting to Kindergarten this year, and now we visit with a psychologist once a month, mainly just to have someone for us to call if ever needed, but overall he has adjusted extremely well, very resilliant kid! He's the light of our life! His adoption will finally be final at the end of the month. Let me know if you have any questions. Follow your heart. Good Luck!

Prayers and baby dust to all of you who are waiting or still trying to conceive!

 

[skoi]

Thank goodness you're moving forward, happybratpack. Our wait for TA was EXACTLY 60 days from LID. Our agency's policy is to send SN families with the next group that travels, so we had ten days to get visas, make arrangements, etc for all 4 of us. Not that I'm complaining! No one has traveled since then, so we'd have our TA, bu still be sitting around waiting. That would make me nuts!

We're thinking of a boy 4-5. Madalyn's adjustment has been pretty easy so far- though I foresee speech therapy in her future (due to the cleft issues). I think part of this is due to the fact that she lived with a foster family most of her life. This will be our first experience with a child who has been in an orphange for a long time, so we're doing a lot of reading. DH is a social worker, so it makes things easier somewhat.

Here's hoping for quick paperwork processing for everyone!

Oh- we're taking Madalyn for her first trip to WDW in September. Two days at BCV then our long planned cruise to Mexico! And the great thing is- since she'll only be two, Madalyn will be free- just port charges- and she eats a lot so DCL might be sorry they don't charge something for little ones by the time she gets off the ship.

Julie

 

[Sandy22]

Any updates from anyone?! I don't have anything new and exciting to share but was hoping someone else did. Sandy22, anything on the girls?

Still waiting That's adoption...hurry up and wait.

 

[Kim in TN]

Thank goodness you're moving forward, happybratpack. Our wait for TA was EXACTLY 60 days from LID. Our agency's policy is to send SN families with the next group that travels, so we had ten days to get visas, make arrangements, etc for all 4 of us. Not that I'm complaining! No one has traveled since then, so we'd have our TA, bu still be sitting around waiting. That would make me nuts!

We're thinking of a boy 4-5. Madalyn's adjustment has been pretty easy so far- though I foresee speech therapy in her future (due to the cleft issues). I think part of this is due to the fact that she lived with a foster family most of her life. This will be our first experience with a child who has been in an orphange for a long time, so we're doing a lot of reading. DH is a social worker, so it makes things easier somewhat.

Here's hoping for quick paperwork processing for everyone!

Oh- we're taking Madalyn for her first trip to WDW in September. Two days at BCV then our long planned cruise to Mexico! And the great thing is- since she'll only be two, Madalyn will be free- just port charges- and she eats a lot so DCL might be sorry they don't charge something for little ones by the time she gets off the ship.

Julie

Congrats on your pending adoption, we adopted our son from Kazakhstan,when he was 4 years old. He learned English well in about 3 months. And he adjusted better then we could ever have expected him too. We adopted from Almaty in 2004.

 

[skoi]

We're looking at only a slightly older child- 4-6. Not a teenager or anything.
Kim- you're son is adorable. We're hoping for a child about 4 like I said, so it's good to hear a positive story.

We're signing a contract with an agency this week- I chickened out on the independent route though I got a few contacts with great lawyers in Kazakhstan. I'm worried about getting the paperwork done right here. I don't want to have it sent back and forth, etc.

Hurry up and wait- that's adoption for you. Wait until you have to travel!

Julie

 

[happybratpack]

Hi Everyone

A family visited Lily's orphanage last week when they picked up their son and was able to see her. They didn't allow any photos, but here is what the Dad said about her:

"I saw Sun Ying as well, she was in another room with the younger children. She is small and very cute. She gave me a big smile, reached up to me and said "baba?" (baba = Daddy) The CWI said she is a very loving child and is waiting for her family."

Not a huge update, but I'm so happy someone actually SAW her. There's another family going there in the next two weeks so hopefully I'll hear from them too.

I rec'd my Dossier Log-in Date - March 24th. On the Waiting Children group the TA's are ranging anywhere from 38 to 126 days right now, no rhyme or reason.

Hope everyone is doing ok!

 

[mom2grace]

Okay, I have a nosey question.

I have always wanted to adopt, I have two bio kids, they are 2 1/2 and almost 5. Somewhere down the road, I would like to adopt an older child who would be younger than my kids (did that make sense?). (Like in 4 years adopt a child who is 3 or 4)

But, DH & I are 35 now, are there age limits to adopt?

 

[skoi]

Congrats happybratpack! It's good to hear she's doing so well, and great that you have an LID date. TAs are as low as 38 days? Wow. Like I said- we were the classic case- 60 days from LID to TA. You'll have better weather than we did for travel.

Julie

 

[skoi]

Not a nosy question- a good one. It depends on the country if you're adopting internationally. China's upper age limit for healthy infants is 50. I think Kazakhstan is mother can't be more than 45 years older than child, father can't be more than 50 years older. I don't know about other countries or even rules in the US because these are the only countries I looked into.

Julie

 

[RUDisney]

In Russia, there can't be more than 50 years between a child and parent. So, a 60 year old could adopt a 10 year old, if he or she wanted to do that.

I was 35 when we adopted our kids. The judge kept asking us, (DH was 36) why we would want to adopt when we are so young? I don't know if she meant, in general, or why we wanted to adopt a 5 and 6 yo.

We went into it thinking we'd be on the older side. The people who traveled with us were all in their 40s... so maybe 35 was on the young side. Who knows?

 

[scarlett873]

Yay, HBP!!! Keeping my fingers crossed that you will get your TA soon...

For China adoptions, you can't be younger than 30 when your dossier goes off to China. So DH and I are on the young side as we're 32 and 33 right now. I do know that the older a person is, the more restrictions there are on what age the child is that you can adopt...

 

[AnaheimGirl]

Okay, I have a nosey question.

I have always wanted to adopt, I have two bio kids, they are 2 1/2 and almost 5. Somewhere down the road, I would like to adopt an older child who would be younger than my kids (did that make sense?). (Like in 4 years adopt a child who is 3 or 4)

But, DH & I are 35 now, are there age limits to adopt?

Not nosey at all! Domestically, I don't know of any age limits to adopt. As with most adoption laws, it probably varies by state, and with the type of adoption. I don't think there were any upper age limits for a private agency adoption in my state. Dh and I were 38, and pretty close to the average age. There was one couple in their upper 40's that was chosen almost immediately! State adoption/foster-adopt may have some limits, but I doubt you have to worry about them, if you plan to begin the process in 4 or 5 years.

IMO, the best thing to do would be to start researching soon, decide what route you want to take, and see what the limits are for that route. Then you'll know whether you can wait a while longer or not.

Good luck!

 

[ZachnElli]

In my adoption classes (domestic) there was one couple at least in their sixties! Their children were grown and gone, they were retired, but not done being parents yet!

 

[kdibattista]

Ugg... Ugg... Ugg

Can I ask a question for anyone adopting from China? Has anyone heard anything about wait times increasing? We recently planned on switching to China because it is definitely a more stable program however now I'm hearing that the wait times were just increased to 12 months with the potential of 18+ months . We can't submit our dossier until the end of October (when I turn 30) so that means (if correct) that we are looking at 2+ years from now . I'm wondering if maybe we should just stick with Kazakhstan (1 year completion) and hope the program stays in tact.

Why does it have to be so hard . Maybe this was God's way of telling me we should have stuck with Kaz from the beginning. I always had a nagging feeling that that's where we are a suppose to go but I just don't know anymore

 

[happybratpack]

I heard that rumor too today on some of the Yahoo Groups. I haven't seen it actually verified anywhere though. There's always the Special Needs route which is "supposedly" expedited. (as I sit here tapping my foot)
Hang in there.

Ugg... Ugg... Ugg

Can I ask a question for anyone adopting from China? Has anyone heard anything about wait times increasing? We recently planned on switching to China because it is definitely a more stable program however now I'm hearing that the wait times were just increased to 12 months with the potential of 18+ months . We can't submit our dossier until the end of October (when I turn 30) so that means (if correct) that we are looking at 2+ years from now . I'm wondering if maybe we should just stick with Kazakhstan (1 year completion) and hope the program stays in tact.

Why does it have to be so hard . Maybe this was God's way of telling me we should have stuck with Kaz from the beginning. I always had a nagging feeling that that's where we are a suppose to go but I just don't know anymore

 

[skoi]

Hey Kim-

When we started our China adoption last April- the wait from DTC to referral was like six months. Now it's up to about 11 for our former agency. Their clients who sent in dossiers in April just got referrals at the end of last week. Ours was fairly quick- less then 10 months total, but we did a waiting child adoption.

I'm having a backslide on Kazakhstan and am currently looking at medicals for a little boy from India, but I don't know. It doesn't look good even to my untrained eye.

I think the Kaz program with an agency that has good in country relations will be okay. I'll say this again too- I don't think the laws are changing that much, just that they're being enforced now. Did you hear about the big blog controversy? Someone over there apparently was blogging their trip, mentioned their potential child's real name, orphanage name, staff at the orphanage, etc and posted pictures. Somehow the authorities found out and they are steamed as that is highly illegal. My friend is over there now waiting to bring her son home, and told me it's a big controversy. International adoption is one of those times when we as Americans need to shut up and remember we're guests in another country, and do what they tell us, because we depend on the host country to give us what we want.

Off the soapbox now!

Julie

 

[kdibattista]

Hey Kim-

When we started our China adoption last April- the wait from DTC to referral was like six months. Now it's up to about 11 for our former agency. Their clients who sent in dossiers in April just got referrals at the end of last week. Ours was fairly quick- less then 10 months total, but we did a waiting child adoption.

I'm having a backslide on Kazakhstan and am currently looking at medicals for a little boy from India, but I don't know. It doesn't look good even to my untrained eye.

I think the Kaz program with an agency that has good in country relations will be okay. I'll say this again too- I don't think the laws are changing that much, just that they're being enforced now. Did you hear about the big blog controversy? Someone over there apparently was blogging their trip, mentioned their potential child's real name, orphanage name, staff at the orphanage, etc and posted pictures. Somehow the authorities found out and they are steamed as that is highly illegal. My friend is over there now waiting to bring her son home, and told me it's a big controversy. International adoption is one of those times when we as Americans need to shut up and remember we're guests in another country, and do what they tell us, because we depend on the host country to give us what we want.

Off the soapbox now!

Julie

Thanks Julie!!!! I do think we are going back to Kaz. We are going with an excellent agency so we are just going to sit back and not worry too much. If something happens, it's gonna happen. I didn't hear about the blog controversy... did you read that online? I'm curious to check that out.

 

[kdibattista]

Hey Julie - do you already have a physician you are working with who specializes in International adoption? I want to start to gather some info and be prepared when we get our "referral".

Thanks!!!