Our Adoption Referral Story

Isolde Motley and Susan Caughman - January 17, 2016 - Real Adoption Stories, Referrals & Matches, The Process

Our Adoption Referral Story

Isolde Motley and Susan Caughman - January 17, 2016 - Real Adoption Stories, Referrals & Matches, The Process

AF readers share how they reacted when they received their adoption referral.

Responding to an Adoption Referral

Isolde Motley and Susan Caughman - January 16, 2016 - Referrals & Matches, The Process

Don’t agree to any match or referral on the spot. Before moving forward, ask yourself these questions.

Webinar Replay – Creating Your Adoption Profile

Editorial Team - January 11, 2016 - Adopting, Domestic, Resources, The Process, Webinars, Yours Free

View the replay of the “Creating Your Adoption Profile” webinar. An adoptee and adoption expert offers guidance on the most important elements of creating the profile your agency or attorney will share with expectant mothers considering adoption.

Avoiding Home Study Problems

Isolde Motley and Susan Caughman - January 7, 2016 - The Home Study, The Process

If you have a medical, financial, or criminal record that you fear might result in an unfavorable home study, don’t wait to mention it.

Questions to Answer Before Your Home Study

Susan Caughman and Isolde Motley - January 6, 2016 - The Home Study, The Process

Your home study will not only assess your ability to parent a child through adoption, it will also help you understand more about adoption and parenting.

Home Study 101: Everything You Need to Prepare

Susan Caughman and Isolde Motley - January 5, 2016 - Adoption Parenting Essentials, The Home Study, The Process

A home study is a document that says you can be a parent. What does that mean?

Your Adoption Budget Checklists

Susan Caughman and Isolde Motley - December 25, 2015 - Adopting, Cost & Timing

All adoptions, wherever from and via whatever method, include a home study, the process where a social worker checks that you are eligible to adopt. After that, budget items vary.

What Happens if my Agency or Attorney Screws Up?

Susan Caughman and Isolde Motley - December 21, 2015 - Building Your Team, The Process

If your adoption drags on and on, or if you keep getting birth mother matches or child referrals that don’t come close to your requirements, you’ll have to think about making a change.

Questions to Ask Your Potential Adoption Attorney

Susan Caughman and Isolde Motley - December 18, 2015 - Building Your Team, The Process

“Niceness is not typically a concern when you are looking for an attorney to litigate a case, but in an adoption, when the attorney is going to have direct contact with the birth parents, you need your legal representative to be a likeable person!”

Where to Start When Choosing Your Adoption Team

Susan Caughman and Isolde Motley - December 14, 2015 - Building Your Team, The Process

Should you choose an agency or attorney? Where should you start? Answers to these common questions, and more.

“Our Stages of Labor and Delivery”

Sandi van Everdingen - November 19, 2015 - Preparing for Parenthood, Real Adoption Stories, Surviving the Wait, The Process

Although I did not endure physical childbirth, I know every emotion that pours in when motherhood begins.

Webinar Replay – “Imagining Your Future Child”

Editorial Team - November 16, 2015 - Adopting, Decisions, Referrals & Matches, Resources, The Home Study, The Process, Webinars, Yours Free

View the replay of the webinar “Imagining Your Future Child,” with Lauren Jiang, LMSW, to learn how to decide on the age, racial identity, and medical history of the child you will be best equipped to adopt and parent.

Ask AF: Are Homestudies Transferable?

Vicki Peterson - November 1, 2015 - Expert Q&A, The Home Study, The Process

Answers to your parenting questions.

“Each Stage of Adopting our Miracle ‘Rainbow Baby'”

Owen Griffith - October 20, 2015 - Real Adoption Stories, Referrals & Matches, The Process

Sometimes life doesn’t live up to your hopes; at other times, it surpasses them. When my wife and I got the call, life went beyond my wildest dreams.

Webinar Replay – Adoption Paperwork

Editorial Team - October 19, 2015 - Decisions, Resources, The Home Study, The Process, Webinars, Yours Free

View the replay of the webinar “Adoption Paperwork, Explained,” with Ketiwe Boahene, to learn about all the documentation required for your adoption home study, why you need it, and how to obtain it.

Selecting Gender in Adoption

Susan Caughman and Isolde Motley - October 2, 2015 - Adopting, Decisions

What prospective adoptive parents need to know if having a boy or a girl is important to them.

Share Your Story: Must Pack Items

Editorial Team - September 26, 2015 - Preparing for Parenthood, The Process

We asked our readers which items no adopting family should leave home without.

“My Endless Summer of Waiting”

Tricia Bonnema - September 21, 2015 - Real Adoption Stories, Surviving the Wait, The Process

This was to have been my first summer as a mom. Instead, we’re waiting for the clearing of one final hurdle.

Ask AF: What’s Typical in Adoption Agency Contact?

Editorial Team - September 8, 2015 - Expert Q&A, Surviving the Wait, The Process

Answers to your parenting questions.

Ask AF: Adopting an Acquaintance’s Baby

Peter J. Wiernicki, Esq. - September 7, 2015 - Expert Q&A, Referrals & Matches, The Process

Answers to your parenting questions.