Gary Stocklaufer, the man who made national headlines after claiming that he had been denied the ability to adopt his cousin's baby boy because he was overweight, and even went so far as to undergo gastric bypass surgery, losing close to two hundred pounds, in an attempt to regain custody of the little boy that he had been raising as his own, is once again back in the news.

While the courts denied that Stocklaufer was not granted the adoption due to his weight, but rather for his failure to follow proper legal procedures, stating that he and his wife took custody of the baby and brought him into the state,... more

Madonna can breath a little easier these days as she is to be granted full custody of the little boy that she has been trying to adopt from Malawi for some time now, David. In his glowing report, the social worker who visited Madonna, described the famous singer as "the perfect mum for David" and " a confident and able parent".

The social worker, Simon Chisale, also cited in his report that Madonna's husband, Guy Richie, has formed a strong bond of "warm, playful interaction," with little David. David's biological father, Yohane Banda, still in Malawi, says that... more

One of the biggest factors that inhibits couples and families from adopting children, is the high cost involved in the adoption process. While adopting children from the foster care system can be completely free( after reimbursement from the state at the end of the year,) to relatively inexpensive, few looking to adopt turn towards the children waiting in foster care, for a variety of different reasons.

With some adoptions costing upwards of $20, 000, many families who would love to bring a child into their hearts, lives, and homes, find themselves at a loss when it comes to how to finance an adoption. Seeing this issue, one company has stepped up and created a new home equity loan... more

Back in February, two small Kentucky children were outside playing when they happened upon a shoe box. Inside the box they found a small newborn baby, wrapped up in a blanket as well as a plastic shopping bag for warmth. The little boy was full term, and weighed more than five pounds, and was estimated to be about two hours old.

Kentucky does have a Safe Infant Act, allowing parents, or someone acting on their behalf, to leave an infant younger than three days old at a safe place, such as a hospital, police station, fire station, or... more

In a recent interview with United Kingdom's Elle magazine, Angelina Jolie revealed that she feels more for her adopted children than she does for her biological daughter, little Shiloh, whom she had together with partner Brad Pitt. Since Jolie adopted her other children when they were already out of their newborn stage, she was not used to having an infant, until giving birth to her daughter. Commenting on how her other children had already arrived with personalities in tact, she ... more

For years the only way for those who were adopted in the state of North Carolina to receive any kind of identifying information about themselves prior to their adoption, was to go through the court system, but starting January 1, 2008 that will all change. North Carolina has set a new law into place, which will allow those who were adopted, including those adopted through the Department of Social Services, access to their records, or even to their birth parents, through the licensed agency that performed their adoption.

Adoptees who are 21 years of age, or older, will be able to contact the agency which handled their ... more

Just after Thanksgiving the gossip world was all abuzz with the news that America's favorite celebrity mom, was planning on adopting two children from China. It was reported that the pop star, who recently lost custody of her two young boys, to their father, Kevin Federline, had decided to adopt 6 year old twin girls, and began the process to do so with an adoption agency. Yet the plot, as always it seems with good old Britney, continues to thicken.

While there were some reports in which readers are told that close friend's of Britney's reveal that she has stated she was in the final stages of paperwork with an... more

Just when you thought that you have seen and heard of everything imaginable, this story, about a baby being advertised for adoption on the popular website craigslist.com breaks out of Texas. It would seem as though someone decided to either trade their little one for cash, or to yank a lot of chains with a truly tasteless prank, either way no one is laughing.

The ad claimed that the baby was between 9-10 months old, as well as reporting that he or she was also healthy and calm. The ad also stated that families... more

Since we're coming to the end of National Adoption Month, also known as National Adoption Awareness Month, the news is full of related stories, many local reports of adoptions finalized in group ceremonies marking the occasion.

Adoption stories strong on the positives dominate ... stories like this one, "Adoption gives children loving, stable homes", aimed toward getting the word out that Missouri has about 2,000 children waiting for adoption.

One family's happy encounter with... more

I'm deep in thought this morning, and rambling more than a bit, but would like to put some of the news leading the week on the table and invite everyone to pull up a chair.

Lanette's writing today on the Foster Care Blog strikes a chord as I compose posts, since much of the recent news ties into her thoughts and makes the questions she poses very timely.

I had written last week about a report into abuse by partners of mothers that results in terrible consequences... more