Adoption For Dummies

Part I: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Adoption but Didn’t Know Whom to Ask.

Chapter 1: Adoption Basics.

Chapter 2: Sorting It All Out: Types of Adoptions.

Chapter 3: The Adoption Process from Beginning to End.

Chapter 4: The Gasp Factor: What You Can Expect to Pay.

Chapter 5: Who Can Adopt?

Chapter 6: Building a Family through Adoption: Is It for You?

Part II: Getting Started and Moving Forward, One Milestone at a Time.

Chapter 7: Getting the Ball Rolling: Finding an Agency or Lawyer.

Chapter 8: Thinking about Your Future Child.

Chapter 9: Applications, Home Studies, and Other Really Fun Stuff.

Chapter 10: Doing Hard Time: The Wait.

Chapter 11: A Child’s Available! Now What? Placement and Follow-up Visits.

Chapter 12: Here Comes the Judge: The Court Appearance.

Part III: Birthmothers and Birthfathers.

Chapter 13: God Bless the Birthmothers.

Chapter 14: Birthfathers and Their Role in Your Adoption.

Chapter 15: Keeping in Touch: Meetings and Contact with the Birthmother.

Part IV: Issues Adoptive Families Face.

Chapter 16: All in the Family: Issues You Deal with at Home.

Chapter 17: Beyond the Family: Dealing with Outsiders.

Chapter 18: What Can Go Wrong and What You Can Do.

Chapter 19: In Search of . . . Birthparents.

Part V: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 20: Ten Great Books to Read to Your Kids.

Chapter 21: Ten Support Groups for Adoptive Families.

Chapter 22: Ten Helpful Web Sites.

Index.