international adoption

juliad2010

Hello!
DH and I are interested in learning more about international adoption. We already have an amazing toddler boy.
if anyone has any personal stories, website recommendations, or other info to get started that would be fantastic.
Thank you!

perumom

We are in the process of an international adoption from Peru and so far things are going great.  We are waiting for our dossier to be accepted and approved by the Peruvian government at this moment:).  I guess it would depend what country you are interested in but I have a blog of exactly what we have gone through, money spent and where and month by month happenings:).  Good luck in your research!

Jess

Adoptperu.com

juliad2010

Thanks @perumom‌ !
I'll check out your blog.

CaptainSerious

Hello, and welcome!

I have two sons who we adopted separately, coincidentally, also from Peru.  This is especially odd, since Peru does very few adoptions to the United States each year.  I am always happy to answer questions.

I usually suggest that people considering adoption should check out an introductory book on the subject, because there are so many different kinds of adoption, each with its own process. I think books like Adoption for Dummies or The Complete Idiot's Guide To Adoption (which I used) are a great place to get started. They provide lots of basic information on adoption, the different types, the processes, and how to research an agency. Other good books areThe Complete Adoption Book and You CAN Adopt. Any of these will help you decide which type of adoption best “fits” your family.

If you then decide that international adoption is right for you, you’ll then need to pick from which country. The US Department of State's website lists the requirements to adopt from each country (https://adoption.state.gov/). I always recommend you find a country that you wish to adopt from first, and then chose an agency that has a strong program in that country. There are some great agencies that have some really strong programs in countries they've been working in for some time...and some fledgling programs in countries that are new to them. Even though these agencies are generally highly recommended, their newer programs may not work as well as those that are more renowned, because they haven't had the time and experience to figure out all the kinks, establish strong contacts, and become aware of all the pitfalls. It's also a good idea to find an agency that has a strong program in more than one country you are interested in. Adoption programs can be very volatile, as they are dependent on the laws of multiple countries/compacts, diplomatic relations, public perception, etc. It's not unheard of for a country to drastically slow down their process or close entirely, and if your agency specializes in more than one country you are interested in, you should be able to transfer to another program with limited difficulty or cost (you should make sure of this when interviewing agencies).

Good luck!

Wish Upon A Star

Just wanted to welcome you to the board and wish you luck on your journey!

oliv0026

I wanted to share here about a friend of mine who is adopting 2 toddlers from China right now ( I mean it, right now they are in China) and she writes every single detail of her process on her blog. Now she has been posting everyday her experience in China and I must say, when I wake up, first thing I do is check the new post. Check it out as she has a lot of details from day one of her decision making with her husband.https://talkinboutthenextgeneration.blogspot.com/?m=1