fter makingthe deeplypersonal, and often difficult, reality check generally "comes as a shock to a generation of people

decision to adopt, parents must choose a path to lead who havenevernof been able to dowhattheywish."
them to their child. In zoo9, economic, political, and
Iegal changesaffected everythingfrom cost andtim-
ing to long-standing notions about who can adopt
whom from where. International adoption enperienced a downturn,
while domestic adoption is on the rise.
Prospective adoptive parents may find their options limited,
but, with a flexible mindset and carefirl research, they can find the
right path. We spoke with experts and recent adoptive families across
the country to do some of the legwork for you. Here we present an
overview ofrecent changes,data fromAf"s zoo8-zoo9 Cost and
Timing ofAdoption Survey,what'sexpectedin zoro andbeyond, and
up-to-the minute profiles of ro pathways to parenthood.
2oo9:AYearof Change
After peaking at zz,99o intercountry adoptions to the U.S.,in zoo4
numbers havefallen eachsucceedingyeartojust 12,753in zoo9. The
Joint Council on International Children's Services(JCICS) is pro-
jecting a further decline in international adoptions in 2oro.
What accounts for this downturn? In shon, international adop-
tion is costing more and taking longer, and the processis becoming
more difficult. TYavelcosts are often an unknownvariable, and, in
some countryprograms, these can nearlydouble the bottom line.
Many sending countries have re'irorked guidelines to meet require-
ments of the HagueConvention on IntercountryAdoption or to add
further protections against comrption. Such overhauls translate
into slowed processingofadoptions, and, in some cases,program
closures.Somecountries have imposed more stringent applicant
requirements, ruling out manywould-be parents. Finally, many
sending countries are encouragingtheir citizens to adopt domesti-
cally. The youngest, healthiest children are being adopted first, so
the profile of children available for intemational adoption is shifting
toward older children with specialneeds.
During zoo9, the recession forced many families to change or
delay adoption plans. Keeping your finances in order and working
with a reputable agenry are more important than ever. '.\Mehelp fam-
ilies run their financials early, to seewhether
adoption is realistic. For an increasing num- The NextStepFindfulldetailsaboutthecountry
ber, it's not," saysJudy Stigger, Director of programs profiledhereandmanymoreroutesto people with health problems within the U.S. "I
Intemational Adoption for The Cradle. This parenthood attheadoptionguide,com.
AStableHomefront
As international adoption underwent drastic changes in the last five
years,domestic adoption has remained a stable option. In zooz (the
most recentyear for which the National Council forAdoption has
statistics), families adopted 33,o65infants through private agenry or
attorney adoptions. Anecdotal evidence suggeststhat interest-and
adoptions completed-continue to rise.
"I've absolutelyseenan increase[in interest]," saln Michele
Zavos,a D.C.-areaattorney,who's focused on adoption for r5 years.
"People who would have thought very seriously about international
adoption in the past are now turning to domestic adoption."
A-Freader Elizabeth Brown is one such person. "I think we held
some misconceptions about domestic adoption," saysBrown. "But
leamingabout the longwaits and changinglaws in intemational
adoption led us to look at domestic adoption more seriously." She
and her husband are current\ in the process to adopt within the U.S.
The averagedomestic newborn adoption costs roughly
$ro,ooo less than an averageintemational adoption, sayA-Fsuwey
respondents. The relatively lower cost is a factor for many families
who are switching routes. Jo Laws, Domestic Adoption Supervisor
for Love Basket, confirmedttris shift: "So manycountries are clos-
ing, and domestic adoptions are expanding slightly as a result. I do
think the economy is having an impact."
Efforts to recruit families forwaiting children in the U.S. are also
making headway in zoo8, the number of adoptions from the foster
system grew to an all-time high of 55,ooo. For many, the low- to no-
cost aspectincreasesits appeal.Otherfamilies considerthis route
after gaining confidence in their parenting skills. Kris Peters,with the
Gift ofAdoption Fund, adoptedher daughterfrom Kazakhstan. But
now that this single mom is ready for a second child, she's hoping to
adopt a school-agechildfromthe U.S."I'm older,hopefirllyabit
wiser, and at atime in mylifewhen Ifeel preparedto dealwittr any
issuesthat might arise." As AdoptUsKids' recruitment slogan says,
'You don't have to be perfect to be a perfect parent."
Zavos is heartened by the greater accept-
ance ofsame-sexcouples,older parents, and
seemore appreciation for anyone who wants to

28 adoptivefamilies.com
 U.S.NEWBORNADOPTION
Average time from preparation of
portfolio to match with birthmother
(includes time spent in false starts):
3 monthsor l ess. ..........33%
6 monthsor less ..........49%
'I2 monthsor less...........................................8%

/ru ,cr\ Time from birthmother match to

birth of child:
l monthorl ess...
3 monthsor l ess.
..........39%
...........68%
matchedafter birth .......................................2O%

Time between birth and legal

finalization:
3 monthsor l ess. ...........17o/o
6 monthsor less. ..........58o/o

"fi5* *
12 monthsor l ess ........93o/"

#, SOURCE: AdoptlveFamlr?t2oo8-2o09Costand
Timingof Adoption
Survey

Alexa,3 mos., U.S.

be a parent, and a broader definition of who will make a good one. As
many countries are becoming more restrictive, the U.S.is moving in
the oppositedirection."
Nelv Horizons
Although the balancebetween domestic and intemational adoPtion
is shifting, international adoption is by no meansa thing of the past.
Somecountries, such as Bulgaria,that had slowdowns while working
toward Haguecompliance,are graduallymaking comebacks.Others,
like Nepal, that closedwhile instiruting reforms, are once again
accepting applications.
At the sametime, professionalsalso expect new adoption pro-
grams to open. "Many countries in Africa arejust being 'discovered'
by families and agencies,"saysMaryAnn Curran, Vice President of
SocialServicesand U.S.Adoption for the World Association for
Children and Parents (WACAP). SarahMraz, Director of Programs
for Wide Horizons for Children, cites Rwandaand the Democratic
Republicof Congo as small, "emerging" programs.
Given the climate ofcontinual change,experts caution parents
to vet their agencycarefully. "Find out about the staff, how long the
agencyhasbeen in service,what kind ofexperience their staffhas
had," saysDenieseDillon, Director and Co-founder of Dillon
International. "And be swe to askwhat they offer in post-placement
services.You need to think about the long-term, about being home
with your child." Awelcome piece of advicefor any hopeful parent, if
we ever heard one.

l0 Programsfor 2OlO
U.S.Newborn
You maybe surprisedto learn
that approximately3o,ooo new-
borns are adopted domestically
eachyear.About halfofthese
adoptions are facilitated by
adoption agencies.The other
half are completedwiththe
assistanceof adoption attorneys.
AJthoughthere are differ-
encesin the two approaches,
andvariationsin states'laws,a1l
domestic adoptions involve the
samebasic steps.After selecting
an agencyor attorney, all par-
ents-to-becompletea home-
study. Couplesor singlesthen,
typically, create a profile, which
presentsinformation about
themselvesto prospectivebirth-
mothers. In most cases,a birth-
mother choosesa family, but
some agenciesmake matches.
Matching usually happensdur-
ing the binhmother's pregnan-
cy,but zo percentofdomestic
adopterswho respondedto AF s
surveywere matched after the
babywas born.
Families adopting in the
U.S.shouldbe open to some
birthparent contact, because
identified adoption hasbeen
commonplace for years.With
adequatepreparation, families
learn that opennessis not to be
feared. On the contrary most
embracethe opportunity to stay
connectedto their children's
first families. Studieshave con-
sistently shown that openness
benefitsadoptedchildren. "It is
best for a child to know the real-

M AR c H /APR T L 2o1o 29
ities of his birthmotJrer's situa-
tion, so she won't be either
romanticized or demonized,"
says Stigger.
Becausefamilies are cho-
senby, and matchedwith, a
birthmother, rather than a
child, parents generally cant
specif gender. The wait may be
shorter for parents open to any
race. "our fl exibility nlbant ttrat
our profile was shown to many
birthmothers, which resulted in
a shortwait," sa;n Heidi
MacVey, who waited less than
three months for a match.
>> FASTFAGTS
U,S.NEWBORN
I Who can adopt marriedcouples
andsingle womenandmen;birthpar-
ent preferencesandagencyguide-
linesvary
r Pro'fileof children: infants;
parentstypicallycannotspeciry
gender;approximately 5o%
Caucasian,5o%AfricanAmerican,
Hispanic,or multiracial
I Averat€ tlme frame: 6 months
to zyears(varieswidely)
I AveragEtotal cost: $z7ooo-
$35poo(varieswidely)
U.S.Foster
The latest figuresreleasedby
the U.S.Departmentof Health
andHumanServices showa
surgein adoptionsfromthe
public system.The number
held steadyaround5r,ooofrom
zoozto zoo7,then shot up to
55,oooin zoo8.
"The dramaticandcontin-
uing declinein international
adoptionsmayhavea positive
impact on adoptionsfrom U.S.
foster care,"saysKathy
Ledesm4ProjectDirectorfor
The Collaborationto
AdoptUsKids."The economy
mayalsobe a factor,sinceit
costslittle ornothingto adopt
a childfrom foster care,and
manychildren adoptedfrom
foster carequali$for an ongo-
ing monthly governmentsub-
30 adoptlvefamllles.com
sidy."Althoughfiguresfor
2oo9will notbe availableuntil
mid-zoro,Ledesmasees"indi-
cationsthat adoptionsfrom
foster caremayeither staylwel
or increasein zoogandzoro."
The experienceof adopt-
ing from the foster system
variesgreatly,dependingon
whetheryou areadoptinga
child whoseparentalrights
havebeenterminatedor are
fosteringa child in hopeof
adoptingwhenhe'slegallyfr ee.
Amber Bakerandher husband
arein the latter group,fostering
two children."Lifehas not
beeneasy-we haveweeHyvis-
itationwith the biologicalpar-
ents-butwe lovethesechil-
dren asour own,andhopethat,
somedaysoon,we'll be ableto
legallycall them ours."
>> FASTFACTS
U.S,FOSTERADOPTION
I Who can adopft marriedcou-
ples,unmarried couples,single
men
andwomen;guidelines varybystate;
mustobtainfoster-Darent license
r Profll€ of chlldren:average age
6;individualchildren
andsibling
groups,equal numberofboysand
girls;wideraciafethnic
distribution
CHINAADOPTION
Average tlme from completion of
dossler to refernl:*
18monthsor less ........49%
25to 36months. ..........31%
36monthsor 1onger............................
..........20%
*hmilies who completed theiradoptions in 2oo8 and 2oo9
fimefrom referral until child
camehome:
3 monthsor less. ..........54%
6 monthsor less. ..........95%
Total l€ngth oftftne spent In chlna:
3 week or less... ...........95%
SOURCE:Adoptftle Familiel 2oo8-2oo9 Cost and
Timing of Adoption Survey
r Waltfrom placementto country,"saysDeniseSchoborg
adopion: varieswidely ChinaProgramDirectorfor
I Averagetotal cosft $o-$rqooo;
Dillon International.
89%receiveongoingsubsidies
Chinaofferstnvocharurels:
its u?ditional program,for
China healttryinfants,andthe waiting-
Chinaregainedits statusasthe child prograrn,for olderchil-
drenandthosewith special
top sendingcountryin zoo9,
with 3,oor children adoptedby needs.In zoo9,half of adoptions
U.S.families.Yetthat number from Chinawent throughthe
is a far cry from the 5,ooo to waiting-childprogram.'\lVeVe
Tooo adoptedannuallyfrom hadfamiliesmatchedwith a
Chinaearlierin the decade. special-needs childwitlin
Severalfactorsare months-or days,"saysCurran.
believedto accountfor this Ifyour dossieris already
change.ltre processingof adop- loggedin, '"theprocessof
tions bythe ChinaCenterof switchingis simple,but the
AdoptionAffairs (CCAA)has decisionto adopta childwitfi a
slowedsignificandy,leadingto special-carecondition is deeply
waits of sixyears-and climb- personal,"cautionsSchoborg.
ing-for healthyinfants.(At Specialneedsrangefromminor
presstime, CCAAwasmatching problems,correctablewith sur-
dossiersreceivedin April geryto seriousconditionsthat
zoo6.)Requirements for requirelong-termcare,
prospectiveparentsweretight- Somefamiliespursue
enedsignificandyinzoo7.And China'sprogramandother
expertsbeliwe that domestic avenuessimultaneously.A
adoptionisonthe risein China" recentrwiewbyDillon
While the wait is hardfor fami- Internationalfound that dmost
a third ofwaiting familieshad
lieshopingtoadopt,'tt is heart-
eningto know that manyof adoptedttrough anotJrerroute
thesechildrenwill find their or werein the processof doing
foreverfamiliesin their birth so.Other familiesin the radi-
tional program just staythe
course-and new families are
still signing on. "Despite the
long wait, we continue to
receiveapplications forthe tra-
ditional program," saysDillon.
f_f_FAST FACTS
C HIN AADOPTION
(informationin parentheses
refers
program)
to waiting-child
r Who canadop$ married couples
only,ages29.5-49; strictcriteria
regarding mentalandphysical health,
noarrests or alcohol-related incidents
inprevious royears; bothparents high
schoolgraduates or equivalent (age
limitsextended to 30-55; otherexcep-
tionsmadeonacase-by-case basis)
r Profile of children: 8-24months;
parents mayspecifyage andgende6
moregirls, butboysareavailable (all
ages withmildto significant special
needs; healthychildren
5andolder;
moreboysthangirls)
I Averagewait from dossier
to referral: 6yearsandincreasing
(o-5months);fromreferralto
travel: 6-roweeks$-6 months)
I Thveli 1-2weeks in-country;travel
ingroups
r Average total cost: $z9poo
(withoutcost-saving grouptravel,
costmaybeslightlyhigher)
Russia
Adoptions from Russiapeaked
at 5,862children in zoo4 and
havebeen declining since.In
2oo9, r,S85Russianchildren
found forever homes in the U.S.
Alla Lakov, Executive Director
ror srorK Aoopuon ASency,says
ETHIOPIAADOPTION
Averagetime from completion of
6 monthsor less ..........54%
tz monthsor less ......-...89"/o
Time from referral until child
camehome:
3 monthsor less. ............3t')/o
6 monthsor less ..........8f/"
Total length of time spent in Ethiopia:
z weeks or less.... ..........9o/o
SOURCE: Adopfive Farn,'/ieJ20o8-2oo9 Cost and
Timingof Adoption Survey
the reasonis simple: "The rules revisions to policy
becamemore complicated." In guidelines,we don't
many regions,parents' physical foreseemajor changesin the Ethiopia
and mental health are now near future," saysIrina Adoptions from Ethiopia have
being screenedby specialistsin- Shytova,RussiaProgram Case risen dramatically, from 41" in
country. Russiarequires two Manager for Dillon Internat- 2OO5, lO L,254in 2OO7,tO 2,277
trips to adopt,but a lo-daywait- ional. With a realistic outlook,
in zoo9. As numbers increased,
ing period, following the coun
"Russiais a viable option for wait time has lengthened
date during the second trip, families."
slightly, but the program
means a lengthy stay or a third remains attractive to prospec-
round-trip. Either scenarioadds >> FA-STl_4CT9,
tive adoptive parents for many
substantialtravel costs. RUSSIA
ADOPTION reasons,including the relative-
With domestic adoption lylow cost and undemanding
I Who can adopt: marriedcou-
increasingin Russia,Russian ples,nomorethan45yearsbetween paperwork. In addition, repons
children eligible for intercoun- youngest parent andchild;single of quality orphanage care, with
try adoption tend to be older womenz5andolder; strictguidelines
support from U.S.agencies,
and/or have specialneeds. for physicalandmentalhealth
I Profile of children:ro months-r6 appealto families, as do
There isn't a separatewaiting-
years;moreboysthan girls Ethiopia's progressiveviews on
child program; families indicate I Averagewait from dossier openness.when in-country
the agerangeand degreeofspe- to referral: r-rzmonths,shorter some parents have the oppor-
cial needsthefre preparedto for boys;from referral to travel:
tunityto meet their child's
parent, and shou-ldbeaware l week-1month
r T?avel:firsttrip:5-7daysin-coun- birth relatives. "Most families
that requests for younger,
try;secondtrip (r monthlater):3-4 see it as an advantage that they
healthier children will lengthen weeksin-country or thirdtrip afterthe didn't expect to find overseas,"
theirwait. 1o-daywaiting period says Curran.
"Althoughthere maybe I Averagetotal cost: $5o,ooo+
Ethiopia's historically
flexible guidelines have become
slightly more restrictive in
RUSSIAADOPTION recentyeafs, asthe country
Average time from completion of imposed quotas on single par-
dossier to referral: ents. Singleswill probablybe
l monthorless... ..........23%
ruled out entirely in the near
3 monthsor less. ..........51%
I2 monthsor less ........91Vo
future. Accordingly, many
agenciesdo not accept applica-
Timefrom referral until child tions from single women.
came home:
3 monthsor less. ..........41%
l,l F_AS_I_lAGrS
6 monthsor less. ..........79o/o
ETHIOPIA ADOPTION
Total length oftime spent in Russia:
3 weeksor less..... ..........40o/o I who can adoPt: marriedcou-
4 weeksor less.... ..........70Vo ples,
nomorethan4oyears olderthan
6 weeksor less.... ........1OO% child; stillaccepting
someagencies
SOURCE:Adoptive FamilieJ2oo8-2oo9Costand
Timingof AdoptionSuruey
applications from singles
I Profile of children: allages;
parentsmayspecifyageandgender;
siblinggroupsavailable
r Average wa:t from dossier to
referral: 6-ro months;from refer-
ral to travel:4-6 months
r Tiavel: 7 daysin-country;escort
allowed,but agenciesencouragepar-
entstotravel
t Average total cost $z5poo
South Korea
South Koreawas one ofthe first
countries to establish a system
enabling its children to be
adopted intemationally. Its
numbers have held steady,from
r,o65 children in 2oo8 to l,o8o
in zoo9, but there's a chance
that change is on the way.
The Koreangovernment
announced its intention to pro-
mote domestic adoption and
eliminate the need for interna-
tional adoptions by zorz. While
this is an admirable goal, some
predict the deadlinewill come
and go with little change.
Namyi Min, Korean Program
Coordinator for Spence-
Chapin Adoption Services,
says,"Realistically, Korean offi-
cials don't havethe resources
orthe structure in place forthis
to happen within two years." If
Korea enforces the zorz dead-
line, experts worry about the
prospects for harder-to-place
older children and children
with special needs.
Families often chooseto
adopt from South Korea forthe
quality ofcare children receive.
Min cites anotherbenefit: "Due
to the longhistory ofinterna-
tional adoptions from Korea,
post-adoption programs, such
as homeland tours and formal
mentoring programs, are
alreadyin place."
?>-_F_As_rFAgfs
KOREAADOPTION
I Who can adopt: marriedcouples
only;agesz5-44stringentph)sical
andmentalhealthrequirements;no
32 adoptivefamities.com
arrests;both parentshighschool
graduatesor equivalent; applicantsof
Judeo-Christian laithsencouraged
r Profile of children:8-rz months,
both genders;toddlersandolder
childrenwith specialneeds
I Average wait from dossier to
referral: 3-ro months;from refer-
ral to travel:4 months
I Ti-avel: one trip of about r week;
escortsallowed,but agenciesrecom-
mend (or require)that parentstravel
r Average total cost: $33,ooo
Ukraine
With 6ro adoptions completed,
Ukraine was sixth on the list of
sending countries in zoo9.
Ukraine uses a "blind" referral
system. Rather than referring a
specific child prior to travel,
ProspectiveParentsreceive a
referral in-country and then
meet the child. If they have rea-
son to decline the child, they
may rePeatthe processtwice
more. The more open the par-
ents are to gender and age,the
more likely they are to receive
an acceptablereferral.
Ukrainian officials can refuse a
dossier if they determine there
are no eligible children to meet
afamily's criteria.
Like several other coun-
tries profiled, Ukraine is pro-
moting domestic adoption,
and, for a time, placed a quota
on the number of dossiers
acceptedperyear. There was no
quota during zoo9, but, accord-
ing to Iryna Yagilnicky,
Love Cradle Mission, "no one
can sayif there willbe a quota
for zoto."
I who can adopt: marriedcouples
only;no morethan 45yearsbetween
child and oldestparenqboth parents
in good physicaland mentalhealth;no
criminalhistory;no historyof sub-
$anceaDuse
I Profi le of children: officialssay
childrenare4and olderbut,in practicg
childrenmaybeasyoungas18months
(boys)to z4 monthsGirls);maystate
preferencefor ageandgender
I Average wait from dossier to
referraftravel: z-6 months;one
longtrip (4-8weeks)ortwo short
trips (7-1odayseach)
I Averagetotal cost $3opoo
Nepal
Nepal re-opened for interna-
tional adoption onJanuary t,
zoo9, after closingfor nearly
two years for system reform.
Approved agenciesmay process
ro adoptions peryear. No indi-
cation has been given asto
whether orwhen Nepal will
raise orliftthat quota.
Althoughthe U.S.State
Deparrment warned that pro-
ceduresmay remain unpre-
dictable,'"tle regulations have
not been difficult to under-
stand, andwe have not received
negative feedback about our
families' dossiersso far."
reports the Gladney Center
for Adoption's Intercountry
Social ServicesManager
WendyStanley.
Stanley summarized the
Nepal program as follows:
"One ofthe biggest advantages
is the fl exibiliry regarding
adoptive parent requirements.
The challenges are the instabil-
ity and the unknowns as the
orocessunfolds."
>> FASTFACTS
N#il;oprioN
I Who can adopt: married cou-
plesages3o-55;singlewomen 35-55;
at least30 yearsolderthan child
r Profile of ch:ldren: both boys
andgirls;adoptedchildmust be
youngerthanand oppositegenderof
childalreadyin the home
I Average wait from dossier to
referral: unknown,Gladney'sfirst
familyreceivedreferralin 7 months; f,
from referral to travel: unknown I
F
I Ti-avel: one trip of z-4 weeks;one o
parent required to travel, but both
F
parentsencouragedto do so )o
I Average total cost: $z8,5oo
p
o
I
d
I
ts
Bulgaria
After a four-year slowdown
J
I
while becoming Hague-compli-
ant, Bulgaria is making a strong
=
-
comeback as a sending country
for international adoption. Kay o
o
I
Montes, International Program
I
F
Coordinator for Ttee oflife
Adoption Center, saysthat her o
F
o
ro
agenryhas 47 families in-
process."I anticipate that more
families will commit asmore
families complete," she adds.
Montes,who's adopted
three children from Bulgaria
herself, speakswell ofthe
oppornrnities to bond offered
bythe system.To supplement
orphanagecare,parents can
hire a "grandmother," or
"Babba," to playwith their chil-
dren at the orphanage.
Bulgaria has both a tradi-
tional program and a "Referral
by Request" program for chil-
drenwith special needs.As
with most programs, families
open to adopting children with
special-careconditions will
receive a referral more quickly.
Montes cites the brevity and
easeofthe two requiredtrips as
an advantageofBulgaria's pro-
gram, aswell as its transparent
process."That is very reassw-
ing, not onlyforus, as an
agenry, but for our families,"
she says.
>? FASIIACTS
q!l!9ffrAADoPr-oN
I Who can adopt: marriedcouples
z5andolder,no morethan45years
olderthanchild;singlewomen;flexibil-
ityfor parentsadoptingolderchildren
or childrenwith specialneeds;no
medicalor criminalissues
r Profile of children: averageage
4-5;r8 months atyoungest;more boys
thangirls
I Average waitfrom dossierto
referral: o-r8 months;significantly
shorter for older boys;from referral
totravel:r month
r Travel: first trip: t week;second
trip (about4 months later):t week;
one parent requiredto travel,but
U.S.Newborn
(nsency)
$2,437
$27,3.23
$s;t43
$35,503
both are encouragedto do so
I Average total cost: $z5,ooo;
$zr,oooforspecialneedsprogram
Haiti
Economic conditions in Haiti,
one ofthe least-developedand
poorest countries in the world,
had created an enonnous num-
ber oforphaned children even
before the January12earth-
quake dealt the country a dev-
astatingblow.
Americans immediately
began contacting U.S.adoption
agenciesin droves,but, as in
the caseofanynanrral disaster,
new adoptions from Haiti halt-
ed for an undetermined length
of time. A Januaryr4 State
Department notice explained:
"It can be extremely difficult in
such circumstancesto deter-
mine whether children who
appear to be orphans truly are
eligible for adoption. Children
may be temporarily separated
from their parents or other
family members." At press
time, most agencieswere not
accepting new applications and
were advising families wishing
to adopt from Haiti to wait and
seehowthings develop.
Due in large part to advo-
cacy on the part ofJCICS, how-
ever,the U.S.grantedhumani-
tarian parole to Haitian chil-
dren who were in the adoption
processor had been identified
as orphans at the time of the
earthquake. Families with
referrals beganwelcoming
their children home on January
U.S.Newborn U.S.Foster
(Attorney)
$3.172 $1,800
$17,665 $3,562
$4300 12,964
$27,137 s8,326
SOURCE:AdoptiveFamiired2o08-2oo9 Cost and TimingofAdoption Survey
r9, and are completingthe
adoption processin the U.S.
Dave and Kim Rhodes,
from Greenville. South
Carolina, are one such family.
Kim visited Haiti during high
school, andthe experience
changedher life. "Since that
trip, my heart has always been
drawn to Haiti," she says.The
couple was about ro months
into the processofadopting,
and had receivedtheir referral
for the little boy they had
alreadynamed Frankie,when
the earthquake hit. Amazingly,
they knew within zo minutes
that Frankie was OK-an
employee at the orphanage,
Heartline Ministries, updated
his Facebook status-but wor-
ried that their processwould be
stalled for years.Kim j oined
with the families and organiza-
tions pushing for humanitarian
parole, and, u daysafterthe
earthquake, the Rhodes were
able to bring Frankie home.
'nV'ethoughtwehad
anotheryear in the process,so
there are a lot ofbooks we
haven't read," saysRhodes.But,
China Russia
$3,356 95,394
$12,589 $28,455
$10"586 fl9,853
926,531 $s?,702
ofcourse, shewouldn't trade
having Frankie home for any-
thing.'lMe're not so naive that
we don't expect some hurdles
down the road, but we'll take
them as theycome."
The transition has been
smoother than they anticipat-
ed. "It's almost as if Frankie's
always been here," saysthe new
mom of three. "I think it has a
lot to do with the waywe
involved our daughters in the
process.There hasn't been a
daysince we've known about
Frankie that we haven't prayed
forhim ortalked about him.
The onlydifference is that now
he'shere."
As this issuewent to press,
the Haitian govemment had
imposed new requirements for
children leaving ttre country
under humanitarian parole,
which added time to the
process."Our storyhas ahappy
ending," saysRhodes,"but we're
very aware of the many families
who are still inlimbo." 0
KAYN,lARNER isaf reelancewriter.A mother
by birth andadoption,sheliveswithherfami-
lvinAmes,lowa
Ethiopia South
Korea
$3,613 s2,688
$1?,617 $24'8/e2
$7,747 ,7'820
$24pr| $35,400
M AR C H /APR T L 20r 0 33