Catching up, part 1

Here's some info on what we've done so far in the adoption process:
1. Gather information, and lots of it: We spoke with an agency in Grafton that had been recommended to us and looked up info online regarding different agencies, the process, and the various countries from which we could choose to adopt. We then contacted several different adoption agencies for more information about their particular programs, fees, etc. At the same time we were narrowing down the countries we were most interested in adopting from, comfortably deciding on Guatemala.
2. Decision time: We decided on Guatemala for several reasons. The fact that the children are mostly raised in foster homes was a very positive factor for us, as this helps the children to develop appropriately and helps them learn to form attachments to other people. We like that it is not that far from the US; visiting again later in life with our child should be relatively easy and inexpensive. The time that we must be in the country when we go to pick up the baby is short; only 3-4 business days are required. Some countries, like China, require 2-3 weeks of travel. I figured, we can only take 4-6 weeks off of work.... I don't want half of that time to be in a hotel. The culture of Guatemala is fascinating, too. Geographically it's beautiful, historically it's interesting.... The people are for the most part very poor. The majority of the children that are placed for adoption cannot be cared for by their mothers because the mothers can't afford it. It's very sad. Thank goodness they care enough to bring the babies into the world and then give them (and us) a chance to have a family.
We chose an adoption agency in Medina Ohio that handles Guat adoptions and used the agency in Grafton to do our homestudy.
All of this took place in Feb/March 2006