My Story

The story of Landan and Stephanie from then to now

All three of my babies are from Alabama. We went through an agency called A Angel Adoptions.
Infertility

We decided to adopt about 6 years ago. After seeking fertility treatments and being told they found no great reason why we couldn't conceive, we decide to do the intrauterine inseminations. We did one that was unsuccessful and we were getting ready for the second try when Hubby and I decided this way wasn't for us.

Next step adoption
It didn't take us long to decide to adopt. The process for us was deciding the how, when and who's about adoption. I am hoping this blog will help people who are deciding to adopt know what resources are available and what to expect. We had help from a friend SP,who ran an agency for a while. She told us good agencies to work with, about the adoption laws, and how they vary from state to state and walked us through the process. She was wonderful and we are so grateful we had her as a support. She was the one who told us about A Angel Adoptions.

The homestudy BCI's and other intimidating stuff
This is the hard part. For anyone who has adopted before you know how overwhelming this process can be, especially the first time. We lucked out with social workers. B, Our first one was fabulous. she made us feel so comfortable. She didn't try to intimidate, or scare us. She was a real sweetheart.

After our first adoption she moved and we called a new social worker, CLC when trying to adopt our second. She was a bit tougher on us, but kind. Because she is a black woman she had a different perspective than our first social worker. She wanted to make sure we were aware of all the potential problems in having a transracial family. She did a wonderful job for us and I respect her and think of her as both a friend and teacher.

The homestudy is basically a three hour meeting where the social worker asks questions about your life (present and past) and then a quick look around your home to make sure it is a safe environment for a child.

The BCI is a background screening to make sure you are not a criminal. Also required is a physical from doctor or nurse practitioner and lots of paperwork each agency has their own paper work they require.

Then We have the letters of recommendation from friends and family and finally a profile. The profile is a assortment of pictures of you with your friends and family and a letter to the birth mother.

Our Agency

A Angel Adoptions in my opinion is an A+ agency. They are the kindest people and they really know their job. what I loved about Suzanne (owner)is she did not sugar coat anything. She told us upfront the statistics and what to expect. I think they are reasonably priced. One of the best priced agencies I have found.

Another bonus is this agency has volunteer foster moms who take the babies into their homes and care for them until the birth mothers rights have been terminated(14 Days after signing in Alabama) We have been fortunate enough to have the same foster mom for all three kids. L is the most fantastic person. We love her ! We still keep in contact with her.

The good news

For us, Our first baby came quickly. Three weeks after doing our homestudy, we received a call from the agency saying there was a baby girl waiting for us! That made the whole process worth it! through our agency the average wait for a baby is 2-6 months.

A Angel Adoptions contact information

website: aangeladoptionsalabama.com

phone #: 205-621-0316

Director: Suzanne Peden

Another good agency

No Greater Gift adoptions

website: nogreatergiftadoptions.com

phone: 801-796-1063

This blog is set up for those who have adopted to tell their stories and share their resources to those who would like to adopt.