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Hello! I am completely new here, and am looking for any information you can give me. My husband and I are expecting our first child, a boy, in April. I've worked with children for years and am very excited to be having one of my own, and we definitely know that we want more than one, however this pregnancy has been rather difficult for me, both physically and emotionally. I love little girls and would love to have one, but the thought of going through who knows how many more difficult pregnancies in order to have a girl is very hard for me, especially since the majority of the children born in my husband's family in the last few generations have been male. My little sister is adopted and I've always known I wanted to adopt at least one child, so we are considering trying to adopt a little girl next, rather than getting pregnant again and seeing what happens.
I love the idea of adopting from Columbia. My brother-in-law is Columbian and so my twin nieces are half Columbian. I thought it would be nice for an adopted child to feel a cultural connection with someone else in the family. My search for info about Columbian adoption has given me general statistics, but I hoped you all could give me a better idea of the realities!
For instance, is it more difficult to adopt a child from Columbia if you already have a child and are not infertile? Is specifying a gender allowed, and does it take longer? We would like an infant or very young toddler (my husband's preference)... how long do such adoptions generally take? We are currently 26 and 28 years old, but will probably wait a year or two before trying to adopt: will we still be eligible to adopt an infant? About how much should we plan to spend on adoption fees? Are there any restrictions we should know about? (I know in certain Asian countries it would be difficult for me to adopt, since while in college I had seen a psychologist and been put on medication for anxiety... a common story here in the US, but some countries seem to take a very negative view of this). How long does it generally take to bring a child home once you have finally been connected with one? Are there any specific agencies you would recommend?
We really just want to get an idea of what we would be getting into. Any help you all can give us would be very much appreciated! Thanks so much!
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Congratulations on your pregnancy and also thinking about starting an adoption. Colombia (spelled with 2 "O's") in an amazing country to adopt from. Anyone 38 years old and younger is allowed to adopt an infant, but by Colombia's definition, that is any child 0-35 months. However, you could definitely request that you do not wish to adopt out of birth order, and that would probably help you adopt a younger baby/ toddler depending on the age of your son at the time. You do not have to prove infertility (usually), so having a biological child is fine, and you would be able to request a girl since that would be the opposite gender of the child in your home. Adoptions for a healthy infant can be a little lengthy (3-4 years) although some of the private orphanages may have shorter wait times. Colmbia requires that you have a psychological evaluation done, but they don't seem as strict as some of the Asian countries about anxiety meds and such. Once you get a referral you usually travel very quickly (within 2-4 weeks). However, the adoption is finalized there, and most people end up having to stay for 4-8 weeks (only 1 parent has to stay the entire time, and your child stays with you the whole time the adoption is being processed). As far as cost, there are a lot of variables. Adopting through a private Casa is more expensive than going through ICBF, and the length of time that you are in the country will also figure in as well. I would say expect to spend at least 25K when it's all said and done with, give or take a little. Good luck with your research. This forum is a great place to ask questions and get info.
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