just wanted to introduce myself

it all depends. i have seen people on this board who have waited 2 years and are still waiting. my match has been quick. the wait depends on a lot of things. how long your homestudy takes to complete, how open you are to race/gender, what your adoption budget is. mostly it means finding the baby that is meant to be in your arms. its a tough rollercoaster. but well worth it. just be ready for the ups and downs, and be ready to be impatient when it doesnt happen as fast as you think it should. remember you are waiting for YOUR baby, not just ANY baby.

Thank you. I have been on many rollercoasters so I can handle that, not a problem. What is an estimate of how long it takes to fill out the forms and all the other stuff that goes along with that. Weeks, months, year(s)??? Like I said, I am completely clueless. I couldn't find much information on the LDS Services website. I don't know what a homestudy is or any of this stuff. I just know that emotionally I cannot handle another child dying b/c my body cannot protect a baby in my womb but I want more children... I don't mind waiting for my baby either I just wasn't sure if there was an average. I think the website said 6mos - 2 yrs. I was just curious of what y'all's experiences have been b/c dh and I just don't know what we're doing. Sorry for being so ignorant. I know most of youhave been sleeping, living, and breathing all of this information and it must be so annoying for me to want to do this and know nothing. I do apologize but I didn't know any other way to try to find out. Thank you for being so understanding, Linda

We too are in the process of adopting through LDSFS. WE have been "waiting" for almost 2 years. Although the first little bit was while we were going through fertility stuff! Anyway, there is a lot of paper work that you have to do! Also there is the background check that has to be done in your state. (this includes fingerprints, etc. ) Regarding the quickness of the process, that depends on how fast you are with your paperwork, how fast your homestudy gets done, how fast your agency works, how fast your background check clears, etc. Anyway, ours was done in a few months. If you have questions let me know! Gwen

I'm similar to gdaisy... we've been "officially" waiting for just about 2 years. We first walked into LDS FS to start the process March 2004. Did the 4-5 week workshop of classes May 2004. Finished most of our paperwork by the end of August 2004 (a big chunk of that time was trying to get the photos right for our collage). The several weeks after that was just waiting for a few final papers that the caseworker needed, I can't remember now but I think the background check, proof of employment, stuff like that. The official day we started waiting was November 11, 2004. We have done absolutely everything they have suggested to make our adoption happen--we truly *want* a totally open adoption, we are open to any race and most disabilities or drug exposures, etc. We are online with both the LDS FS website and Parent Profiles, we have had presentations by LDS FS at our former branch and the ward we just moved into. We've included our desire to adopt/information in our holiday newsletters and in conversations with friends and families. We had one match last November that fell through when she changed her mind after giving birth. We've had a few brief contacts from Parent Profiles, but nothing serious. I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining, but I am a bit frustrated. :grr: I don't think that the "6 month - 2 year" statistic is fair or accurate. It is totally up to the placing parents to choose a couple. By now I'm starting to believe that we are "undesirable" as adoptive parents because of our hearing loss. For all the talk of the "Spirit" guiding things, birthparents are only human, they want adoptive parents who are like them and therefore our chances of being matched--I think--are very slim. I don't mean to get you down at all--I just want you to be realistic and not have expectations that it will be months for you. It might be. But it might not. There is no way to really know. Sorry, I just had to vent a little bit. :o --L.

Thank you for being honest. That is what I was hoping for -- honesty. I am sorry that you have been waiting so long for your baby DeafSiren. I am sure your day will come when you are able to adopt your baby. It will happen. I haven't experienced all of this yet but I am sure that it is extremely stressful and an emotional rollercoaster. I have ridden an emotional rollercoaster before -- when my first son was in the NICU. I know how it feels to be hopeful that something incredible and lifechanging is about to happen and then it turns into something completely devastating and heart wrenching. I feel for you and I hope that it gets better soon. It will all be worth it when it does. Linda

my experience was 10 months from application drop off, to acceptance and activation....basically officially waiting....then it was 13 months from waiting to first contact...then 2 months later we had a 3.5 yr old girl....maybe next time we'll get an infant...i really knew we wouldn't this time...it was odd how confounded we'd get while trying to prepare for an infant....both of us would lose intrest and wander over to the little girls dresses section......so it wasn't a shocker when HF told this mom that we were the ones who should parent her 3.5 yr old girl....by the way, she isn't LDS...and we weren't listed anywhere else...it truly was a miracle how it all happened.....and she's the one who said, "God told me you were the ones"....

How long the homestudy takes depends on what your state requires. Background checks especially can very by state. Our homestudies took us about 4 months both times and the thing that took us the longest was getting our collage and birthmother letter ready. Our first cw said she can do a home study in less than a week if she had to. The first time (four years ago) it was exactly 2 months from when we were approved to when we were announced to and then two weeks after that, we were parents. This time, we've been "waiting" two years next week for our baby. Good luck to you!

We worked with LDS FS for our first adoption and are now working approved for a second. There is a fair amount of paperwork, but it's not nearly as much as I had originally envisioned. It took us about 4 months to complete the paperwork for our first one and a little less for the second one, since there's not quite as much paperwork the second time around through the same agency. We could have done it faster if we'd really focused on it, and I'm sure it varies depending on what's required in your state. You can always start the paperwork and not go "active" until you are ready, although if you do it too early, you end up having to redo some of it. Because the birthmother chooses the family, though, I wouldn't recommend going "active" until you are actually ready to adopt. Some people get chosen in a few weeks and others it takes a few years. Averages really don't tell you anything about what your personal situation will be. You will be chosen when the right adoption situation is available. Note to Deaf Siren: I think I've seen your profile on Parent Profiles when we were getting our site ready and I was browsing other couples sites for ideas and such. I thought you'd done a really excellent job with it. When we adopted our little girl there were so many things that just fell into place that confirmed to us that she belonged in our family. There will be a baby out there for you too and when it happens you will know that it was worth waiting for the child Heavenly Father is preparing for you.

We had our two year *waiting* anniversary on Dec. 6. It took us two months to get our homestudy done. We had been trying to get pregnant for two years prior to contacting LDS FS, so it feels like we've been waiting a lot longer. I'm very tired of waiting and not hearing anything. Sometimes I need a pick-me-up, and this message board is a great place to come for it!