Polish adoption questions

[FONT=Arial]Hmm . . . so it sounds like you are US citizens?[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]Wow your situation is different. I wouldn֒t worry about the home ownership issue, as I believe the home study is simply trying to confirm that you currently have a home and are capable of having a home in the future.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]As for where to find an agency if you are already in Poland, I֒d strongly suggest contact a lawyer that does independent adoptions. The agencies basically hold your hand to get you across the Atlantic to Poland. If you are already there I֒d skip that cost! There are a few here that have gone independently and may be able to share some resources.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]Children ages 2 and up seem to be the most available, with sibling groups usually being a quicker referral.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]We were told that our boys (twins, ages 7 at the time of referral, May of last year) had winged scapulas requiring therapy, digestive/ulcer problems, severe ADD/ADHD, speech problems and undeveloped grammar. They were also repeating 1st grade when we arrived and were bed wetters. Their scapulas are not winged, the digestive/ulcer problems are gone with being home and getting off processed foods and pork, they do not have ADD or ADHD, the speech problems and grammar are shoring up with their family members actually talking to and working with them. Only one wets at night now, managed with an all-in-one cloth diaper - and even that is down to maybe once a week.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]The unexpected surprises we had once home consisted of a bunch of dental work (7 cavities, 1 extraction in one son, 7 extractions, 1 cavity in the other), some undeveloped neuro transmitter issues (off to the ND later today to get those results) and Cumulative Cognitive Deficit (once you read about it, its easily managed by attentive parents purposefully filling in the gaps).[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]So Җ I dont know that there are universal health problems for which to prepare, but I would read every book you can get your hands on about internationally adopted children, the baggage they bring, RAD, CCD, and the like. If that doesnҒt scare you then go for it, because your child/ren will probably come to you with way fewer issues than youve researched and will seem like a cake walk compared to what youҒve read.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]Keep us posted what an interesting situation to work through![/FONT]

Most young children and babies in Poland who are healthy are adopted by Polish citizens. However sometimes there are younger children preschool age available. There are also sibling sets available. Good luck.

My husband and I adopted 3 kids from Poland a year and a half ago while living in Germany (I work for the DoD), so living abroad is not a problem. We used a facilitator from the States, but an American social worker living in Germany. Our housing situation was explained in our Home Study. US Adopt Europe ([URL="http://www.usadopteurope.com"]Home[/URL]) is a website for military members adopting while living abroad. There is a list of home study providers in the "Resources" section. You may wish to contact some of them, and there is also an e-mail for the site itself. Our three kids were 10, 4, and almost 3 at the time of the adoption (now 11, 5, 4). The only "medical" problem is that the oldest had a few cavities (one tooth pulled recently), and the middle one had only a few good teeth. Academically, our 11 and 5 year old are within the average range, and our 4 year old is above average (I was most worried about him in Poland and thought he could be low average). Our two youngest speak English and German. We really never had any adjustment/behavioral/emotional issues with any of them:) All three have distinctly different personalities! Send me a PM if you have any questions (or my answers) that shouldn't be posted here.

Thank you all so much for the helpful information. I am going to check out all the resources you reccommended. And your successes are inspiring. I'm also hoping I can pull it off in the time I have left in Poland. We only have a year left and once we leave Poland, things could get really sticky, with home study updates etc. That's what happened to us on our first adoption--it took them so long to find our baby that things kept changing and the home study actually expired. Thanks especially for directing me to the information about home study providers! Once again, if anyone would like information about Poland, I'm happy to oblige.

Hi - we're also living in Poland/adopting from Poland. Glad there's another one out there! I'll PM you about our experiences so far.

We also had to have our home study updated because we moved, though it was just from an apartment to a house and I kept my same job. We had already been "approved" to adopt, so the update was no big deal - just a one page update on our house and changes in finances. You noted that you hoped everything would be done in a year before you leave Poland. First - good luck on that! Second, if that doesn't happen, it might be a good thing for your children. You will be settled in a new place, rather than they live with you for an extremely short time in one place and then they have to already move again, which could cause more adjustment problems.