We finally started the process

Congratulations on starting the adoption process! While it tends to be a roller coaster ride of emotion, it is all worth it in the end! I hope everything runs smooth for you and your family! [url=http://stepparent.adoptionblogs.com]Stepparent Adoption Blog[/url]

Thank you for that. I could imagine the roller coaster we're are about to experience and I'm trying to explain that to my daughter. She is very excited but I explained to her that we might have issues along the way and that I'm not sure how long this will take. We were hoping to get it done before she starts middle school but I'm guessing that's not going to happen. The filed petition was faxed to me yesterday (finally) and it was filed on 3/7/07. According to Atty - the probation will be handling the investigation. She said they'll try to contact the bf and get his consent and if they can't they'll contact her to file the other petition to terminate his rights. I am constantly picking apart everything that might come up in the interview. I worry all the time about the interview.

The process is quite slow.....annoyingly slow in fact. Quick adoptions usually take about 4-5 months, and that is usually if everything goes well, and there is no homestudy required. One with a homestudy could be that 'short' but it all depends on how backlogged the court system is at the time you are trying to complete the adoption. I wish you the best of luck, and will keep your family in my thoughts. Please be sure to update us along the way. So many people forget to do that, and I believe many of us (like myself) are left wondering what happened, how things went, and how things are going after the fact. It is my hope that these boards will become a place for support in general with stepparent adoptions, not just questions about the process! Let us know how the investigation goes, I am sure you will do fine, but I know it can be nerve wracking to have someone come and investigate your family! [url=http://stepparent.adoptionblogs.com]Stepparent Adoption Blog[/url]

The Riverside County Probation Dept called yesterday and need DH birthdate so they could complete file and send over to probation dept. closer to my home. She said I'll get a letter stating this and also a list of documents I need readily available. I am getting so excited. I'll keep you all posted with what happens. Janet

Just a lil update - I spoke with the probation dept that received my file because the letter I was supposed to receive never came. The P. officer told me that she has my file under many files and that she'll get to it when she can. She said she'll mail me the letter at that time which will be another month or so. Just will sit tight and wait patiently I suppose. Janet

I'm not sure about the exact laws in California or the process they use but I imagine its similar from state to state. Our adoption process (in TX) honestly was not all "that" bad. It did take a "lot" of work on my part as we used no attorney. I researched online and got some very helpful advice and forms from people who had done this before. All in all the process was really rather simple in retrospect. Our case, which we had been thinking about since the middle of last year, but didn't actually pursue until march this year, took approximately 3 months. And to be honest it would probably have been done in about 1 month if it was not for the ridiculous FBI background check taking nearly 2 months to complete. The home study was done about 2 weeks after we filed our petition. Waiting on that dang background check took forever it seemed like. Once we had the FBI check and the home-study was complete (along with all our petition & various required affidavits) we set a date with the district clerks office to be on the docket for termination & adoption hearings. Good luck with everything.

Wow - I wish ours would go that fast. We are still waiting on the homestudy. I would have done the adoption ourselves except I'm not sure if BF would fight us on it and I felt if he did that I'd end up getting an attorney anyway. Maybe in July we'll finally hear something from the probation dept., hopefully before our vacation. July 7th marks four months since our petition was filed. They do have my file because I contacted the probation dept. and found out the P.O.'s name that has our file and she did confirm she had the file and she'll get to it when she can. We are all very excited but we'll be patient. I'm still waiting on the so-called letter that I was suppose to receive a long time ago.

Update on our adoption: The PO came and visited us on Monday - Oct 29th - and the PO interviewed me, my husband, and then my daughter. I rambled on I guess because this whole thing makes me a little emotional. We spoke about the BF and Mine relationship and then moved on to the relationship between my husband and I. I then went to a child support hearing on 10/31 that the county was holding against the BF. We were going to serve him papers for the Termination hearing and also ask him to sign consent. BF never showed up but the worker for child support called me in and let me know what city he was living in and that he is now getting general relief so they will set his child support to 0.00 each month. They took the hearing papers and said they will serve BF via mail. I contacted the PO with that information and she gave me an address that she has in that city. According to the internet, the address she gave me doesn't exist. BTW - we do have an atty but it doesn't seem like it. The PO has been more help to me. The PO is going to get a different address for me and my husband and I will drive WAY up there to serve him and to get his consent. All this needs to be done in one week before PO submits her report. The termination hearing is set for 11/21 but if we have to advertise for the hearing than that will postpone that hearing. I will keep you posted with whatever happens next.

WOOHOO The PO called on 11/8 and said that the bio father called her and was signing consent!!! We are soooo happy. The PO then called on 11/9 and said that she did received the consent and that she did file it with the court and canceled the hearing on 11/21 for termination of rights. We then met with the PO yesterday 11/14 to sign papers and to pick up the original documents I had sent her. She then interviewed us all again because my daughter was with us. She said that she'll complete her report and she'll send it to us and the our atty or us need to file it with the court for the adoption hearing. I had always thought that the adoption hearing was just a formality but she was saying that the judge could still deny the adoption?!?!? Anyways - we are trying to think positive and just anticipating the hearing.

We received the PO's report - she did recommend this adoption go through. It was so touching reading her interviews with each of us. I know we all love each other very much but to read it on paper in someone else's words was like - WOW!!! At this point I wish I didn't have an atty because I would have filed out the "Request to set adoption hearing" paperwork immediatly and took to court the same day. But instead I let her do it and now the court said yesterday they hadn't received it yet - they have everything else. My guess is she mailed it because she says it's out of her hands now. I want to get the hearing date ASAP because I have an adoption announcement that I'm putting in my Christmas cards for my friends and family. I am sooo very grateful that this has started to conclude and that the end is near. We will no longer have to worry about the bf popping into our lives. Thank you all for this message board it has been a tremendous help to me. I will still keep you posted when the adoption goes through. Thanks Again and good luck to you all!!

The day is finally near - Our adoption hearing is set for 9am on December 26th!!! We are all so very excited. Before I had been looking for more excitement from my husband and my daughter but now they are totally excited over the adoption. I guess they were reserving thier emotions till they knew that it was indeed going to come together. Thank you all for all your support. I will post this on my other post so that people will see by reading the one post how are adoption went from beginning to end. Thanks again and Merry Christmas to you all!!