Counting the Cost

I've been wanting to write this post for a while and break down the cost of our adoption for you. When we tell people how much adoption actually costs, eye brows raise high with astonishment and we're usually given the question, "Why on earth does it cost so much to give a baby a good home?" Good question. Here's the answer:

Adoption Break Down

 Gladney Adoption Fees:

$150 Application Fee
$14,900 ABC Program Fee (more on what ABC actually means and why we chose it later)
$500 Home Study Review Fee (because we live out of state and need a VA agency to do the HS)

"Wait, hold up...where does the $14,900 go??"

The program fee covers any and all birth mother expenses that may be needed such as medical and living expenses if our birth mother chooses to stay in the Gladney maternity home. It covers the time our child may need to stay in transitional care. This fee also covers lifetime counseling services that Gladney offers to us, our child and for the birth mother, both before and after placement.

Datz Foundation Fees:
$1500- Home Study Fee
$1050- 3 Post Placement visits by our social worker

Attorney Fee:
At Finalization, 6 months after we have our baby, we will travel again to Texas for our court date to finalize our adoption and a minimal fee (we're approximating $500) will be due to our attorney at that time.

Travel Expenses:

We approximate we'll travel to Texas a total of 3 times during the course of the year to meet birth moms and finally to bring our baby home!
Plane tickets- $1800-$2000 (we plan to try to score tickets for $300 a piece like we did our first time traveling to Texas. Feel free to donate flyer miles to us if you'd like!
That would help SO much!

We are hoping our stay in Texas will be free since my Aunt has good friends only 45 minutes from Gladney that said we are welcome to stay with them during our visits. Praise be to Jesus!

Total Adoption Expenses:

$20,600

God is able.