I’ve been chosen to adopt a friends baby help

Recently a friend found out she’s pregnant again. And knows she’s already struggling with the infant she has. She said I was the first to call if she was far along enough to carry it full term. She knows how loved our kids are and is a good friend of ours. The father has just terminated his rights to his other children. My question is. What’s the difference in permanent legal guardianship of a minor and independent adoption? She reallly is confident this child will be going to us. She knows how unstable she will be. She knows she will have to give her up but wants no one to raise the child more than us. What steps do we have to take to make this painless. Where do we start. And she wants to know where she starts.

With adoption, you'll get a birth certificate, stating you as the parent. It basically nullifies your friend as the mother. With Guardianship, your friend can come back at any time and take the child back, at any time. There is no permanency.