how it works or "what are we waiting for"

Ok, so while we are waiting, I thought I'd try to explain how it works, or at least how it works ideally...

We will hear of an adoption situation from one of you, our attorney, our social worker or whomever.

When a situation arises that we are interested in and can afford, we will submit our adoption profile. (That's why our profile is so important, it is someone's first impression of us, it is why I made myself crazy :D

The potential birth mom will look over profiles (or if she doesn't want to perhaps her parents will or even the birth father). She may have something specific she is looking for like a couple with no biological children or a couple living in a certain geographic location. So I think her attorney or social worker will screen out some profiles before the birth mom views them.

She will decide which prospective adoptive parents she wants to meet. It's like being a finalist in a contest.

After she meets everyone, she chooses who she wants to be the adoptive parents of her baby. Some birth moms allow the adoptive parents to be in the delivery room, some don't. Every situation is unique.

Some birth moms want no contact with the adoptive parents or the baby. Others want photos and letters, some want annual visits, it just depends on what everyone wants and agrees on. Any contact between the birth mom and adoptive parents is called an open adoption. There is no contact in a closed adoption.

We are open to an open adoption and would like our child to have the option to get to know their birth parents when they are older, the decision would be theirs to make at 18 or something.

standard lingo:
BM = birth mom
BF = birth father
APs = adoptive parents