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We would like someone to help us. We have contacted the foster care system and really don't want to adopt that way. We have a four year old boy and don't want to put him through the lose that goes with foster kids. We really want to go with a toddler age or younger. Finding the right help, and the cost is all very over whelming. We would love to have some guidance from real people. So if anyone has any suggestions on the steps or who to contact please we are open to anything. I feel like I am walking around with one foot in place and don't know how to stop the circles.
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Are you open to international adoption? I have a beautiful daughter from Bulgaria, and am pursuing a second child, either from Russia or Bulgaria.
All countries are different in their requirements, cost, age of children available for adoption etc. From what I can tell, the easiest and fastest country right now for infants (4 - 12 mos) is Guatemala.
If you are open to international, let me know and I can try to give you some areas for guidance.
Kay
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Didn't you have to go to the other country to adopt? We aren't sure about where we are going to be able to pull the kind of money we will need too. It is so sad for it to be so discouraging when you have to look at money as a major decision maker. We have a son and he keeps looking at the pictures of children trying to pick one out he wants. He doesn't understand. Which is another reason I don't want to go the route of foster care. I guess we are open to most anything right now. We are just trying to pull together all the information we can get in order to make the best decision.
There are some countries that you do not need to travel. Korea, India for sure, and I am pretty sure Guatemala. International Adoptions do run around $20,000. I think Guatemala is cheaper, you would have to post to that site to be sure. Also, you do get a $10,000 refund from the US Government, and around $1,100 from Michigan. So, this is a straight reduction in your income tax. If you pay over $11,000 a year in income taxes, that would be $11,000 less taxes you would pay that year. If you pay less than $11,000, then you could take the deduction over several years. So, lets say you pay $4,000 a year in taxes, you would pay nothing the first 2 years, and $1,000 in taxes the last year.
So, what you could do is to take out a loan, and use your reduced incomes taxes to pay off the loan. That is what I did. I increased my deductions on my W2 to 28 to lower my monthly tax payment.
The tax credit starts the year the adoption is final.
If you consider international, you might want to post to the "General International" site, and ask for recommendations for a less expensive, no travel, infant adoption countries. I am sure you will get a response.
Kay
This thread just occurred in the General International Adoptions forum. It is a bit confusing to say the least!
[url]http://forums.adoption.com/showthread.php?t=194560[/url]
But here is a bit more to think about. International adoption has some pros and cons. With International, once you are matched, you are almost certain to bring the child home. there are not birthparents coming back, etc. For me, this was a great stress reliever. International does have its own stresses. Timeframes can go much slower than anticipated for no known reason. Countries can all of a sudden close and you have to start over. Most of the time it goes great, but you have to be prepared for it to take a while.
I really think the best place to go for infants is Guatemala. The country is very stable right now, and overall it is faster than most countries. If you call a few agencies, they could give you a total cost number. I know that escorts are available so you do not have to travel.
if you want, I could PM you with the name of my agency. They do Guatemalan adoptions, and you could call them just to get an idea of the cost. I am sure there are a lot of others that are reputable also, and the Guatemalan forum could help there.
Kay
Kay, thank you for all your ideas. I did go to the website you suggested. Everything is so overwhelming. I am going to talk with a judge that does a lot of adoptions in her court and see what ideas she gives us. We just don't see that we can add more debt to our plate right now. It just wouldn't be far to our son to limit things for him. It is just so frustrating to not be able to take a child into your home that you can provide for day to day and in the future without going into such an extra amount of debt. We will keep looking into things and see what we feel comfortable with in our budget. If it is meant to be we will find a way otherwise we will just be happy with what God gave us.
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