has anyone adopted a foster baby here?

Foster Care's main goal is REUNIFICATION. In my state only 1/4 of the children in foster care are adopted. I think you should go for it but plan on some new holes in your heart along the way. We had one fd for eight months before losing her and she will always be our first daughter and forever in our hearts. Even though we did not get to keep her she blessed us in so many ways and hopefully we touched her life as well. Although we are pursuing infant adoption we are also still signed up with the state. We want to adopt but also want to help children who need a family even if only temporarily. I am also LDS and I know that God will send us our children when we are ready for each other and in whatever way he chooses for us to receive them. My foster/adoption process has taught me a great lesson in Faith and in following the promptings of the Holy Ghost. My heart and prayers go out to you.

We have adopted twice through foster care but both were older children. But from my experience with contact with other foster families, I can tell you it is possible to adopt a younger baby/child through foster care but don't count on the baby being in infant when you adopt them. More likely, you will have the child placed with you as an infant but by the time they go through all the attempts to reunify the baby will probably be at least toddler age. There are some cases where they will have infants placed in specific placements knowing that they will almost not likely be going back to birthparents but those instances are rare. The wait time for adoption placements as infants are longer than if you are willing to do foster/adopt and take them as infants and go through the process of waiting it out but having them with you during that time. It will also probably help to be open to different races, especially where you are in the east but I realize that is your personal preference. Good luck in your decision. Kathleen

We already put down we are open to any race or special needs child. I know my first priority will be reunification. It sucks to think about it, but I am agreeing to it, so I know I will have to make efforts to have that be the child's first priority. After that, if reunification doesn't work, I hope we'll be able to adopt. I don't care if the kids is a toddler or older by then. Thanks for your input! Melissa

My daughter has 5 foster children. (Through the state, not through LDSFS) Two of them she has had since they were a couple of weeks old. She gets her babies from a "baby detox" center. The first time she held the first of the two, the spirit told her that this little girl would be a permanent part of their family. She is now 20 months old, and her bio parents have just relinquished their rights, and now the adoption paperwork begins. My daughter has been told that it would be 4-8 months before finalization of the adoption. We expect it to be longer. We were also told by the social worker that parental rights would be terminated months ago. Things take time. Courts take time. GO BY WHAT THE SPIRIT TELLS YOU. And don't be afraid to take "drug" babies. A good pediatric detox center will pretty much have taken the baby through withdrawal before releasing it. Give the angel a priesthood blessing, then love it, love it, love it. My little granddaughter is smart, bright, talking, singing, dancing, and pretty much ruling the roost. The second baby she got (the two babies are only 9 months apart in age), she has not has the same "feeling" about. Although she is now over a year old, and is loved just as much as any of the children, reunification will bio parents, should it happen, will not be as painful, because they have felt that it will happen one day. While the children are in your home, make sure that you sing LDS songs (I am a child of god, etc.), so that after they leave your influence, it will be in their memory. One day down the road, when they are far from you, something will feel comfortable and familiar to them, that your initial efforts will be rewarded in their lives. I'm so proud of you for wanting to do this!

Dear Melissa, I just wrote a very long reply to you, but my internet timed out, and I lost it :(. I just wanted to very STRONGLY caution you about trying to adopt an infant through foster care. My husband and I are in the process of adopting our 19 month old foster daughter who has been in our home since the age of 10 days. We are thrilled to finally be able to make her legally ours and have her sealed to us. It does happen, but it is not common, and it is usually a very long, hard road when it does. I would not recommend that anybody try to adopt through foster care. If you want to do foster care, do it for the sole purpose of giving a child in need a good home, and if that child happens to become free for adoption while in your care -- GREAT! Harden your heart now, or plan for many, many tears. You have to learn to love these children as your own because that is what they deserve, despite the fact that they will most likely be taken from you. (I recommend keeping that attitude -- that they WILL most likely be taken from you). Be prepared to deal with the system, I know that some states are better than others. We had a terrible experience with our baby's case worker (she was eventually fired, and we found out later that the County Attorney had actually accused her of being a bigot, and prejudiced against us because of our religion). Bparents have unbelievable rights, and foster/adoptive parents have to jump through so many hoops. Expect that anything that can hold things up, will. Be prepared to deal with biological families, because with reunification efforts you will most likely get to know them -- decide now how you feel about maintaining contact if you are to adopt. Also remember that if you do adopt through foster care you don't have the nice story of "your biological parents loved you and only wanted what was best for you, and that is why we have you". If you want an infant, I would also strongly recommend that you educate yourself on drug and alcohol exposure, because that is pretty much the only way you will get a young baby through foster care. I have learned that drug exposed babies tend to have problems in the beginning, and may develop slowly, but usually catch up. Alcohol however, may effect them for life -- no amount of love or proper care can cure them, although it may help. Our baby is alcohol exposed and so far -- so good, but many of the effects may not show up until she starts school, or even into adolescence, and some even into adulthood. I feel that even though it has been an extremely difficult year and a half, we have been very blessed to finally be able to keep her. If we are to adopt again it will NOT be through foster care. Lastly, remember that your plan is not necessarily the Lord's plan. (That was a hard one for me to accept). I wish you the best of luck in whatever you do, Ragan