Details about the Adoption

Cole's adoption cost more than the budget due to last minute travel from Dallas to Los Angeles, expensive hotels (17 days in Palm Springs the week of Christmas and New Years), Louisiana attorneys, additional attorneys because of Louisiana laws, additional Social workers because of Louisiana laws, and incidentals.... like food while we lived in California.   Exactly six weeks after I prayed to God and turned over control of our dream of becoming parents to Him (and my everything in my life), Cole was born and within 24 hours I was holding my son at the hospital.  Cole was born five weeks premature and on December 23^rd so the earliest we could get a flight out was on December 24^th… what a great Christmas present.  How the Lord was so faithful to us by giving us the blessing that is Cole.  
 We had to choose between a Louisiana format adoption or a California format adoption.  The California adoption finalizes after one year but allows the birth mother up to  (at that time) 60 days to change her mind after she leaves the hospital and does not require any counseling for the birthmother prior to the adoption and even if she signs before she leaves... she can still change her mind. And you have to return to California for the finalization.    The Louisiana format won't let the birth mother sign the baby to you for 5 days (but at that time her rights are revoked and she cannot change her mind)  and requires two counseling sessions during those 5 days and requires the birth mother to have her own lawyer in Louisiana (this is a lawyer that your attorney in Louisiana sets up and all they do is read to the birth mother the Louisiana laws so that she can understand that once she signs the papers... that is it for her... no more legal rights).  

At that point you become the legal guardians and all you do is wait for the ICP to come through (that is the Interstate Compact signed by both the state of Louisiana and California... saying that you have permission to take the baby from California and into Louisiana and saying that the Louisiana Child Protective Services will be responsible for the baby if something happens to the adoption)... this took us 2 weeks as we were in the middle of holidays... but it normally takes 4 days for California/Louisiana. Then you go home with the baby and wait for paperwork and court dates.   And after 30 to 45 days, the birth father's rights are severed (this is done in Louisiana).  Then you have three to four more home visits by the home study social worker.  And after 1 year and 1 day from placement of child, you go to court and become the legal parents.  (ours  took 14 months due to holidays and vacations... timing is everything).  And you finalize in your local town big enough to have a judge so limited travel.