Looking for Texas and Michigan Advice/help.. Relative Adoption

Talk to a family lawyer. Even adopting within the family will require at least three attorneys. When my husband adopted my son we had our attorney, one that was to represent the father and other that was my son's. We had to do the home study with the social worker, the background check for my husband and all the stuff you would do if it was not my child. I just didn't have to have the back ground check. Good luck!

Welcome to mamapedia!

You need an adoption attorney. PRONTO.

You need to ensure the boundaries are SET - how you are going to raise this child - are you going to tell her that her biological mother is her aunt? Is your sister going to be involved in the raising of this child?

There's a LOT to consider with this adoption. I hope you have talked it out and thought it out.

Good luck!

Speak with your local adoption agency. Even kinship adoptions require homestudies and background checks - no one can just "give" their baby away. I don't know that it is "easier" since many of the same things need to be done as a non-kinship adoption.

The adoption agency will almost certainly also require family counseling and require everyone to attend as interfamily adopting can create some pretty stressful situations down the road.

Good luck.

I think I would speak to an adoption attorney and find out how expensive it is in your state. It might be cheaper in one or the other.

It can cost $10K or more with legal fees and court costs. I suggest you think about how much you can afford to put towards this.

I also think it's wonderful of you guys to do this. I don't know if you were looking to adopt or not but she must have a lot of faith in you and know you'll love her child.

You do need to think how you're going to address this child's lineage later on. I know some that have open adoptions and the kids grow up knowing they have brothers and sisters and are okay with that. Some that grow up never know their siblings and then in adulthood find out. Those other kids know mom is pregnant and they're going to want to know their sibling. They are going to remember.

My husband's mother was married before to a man and she had a daughter then a son. The daughter she kept and raised. The son she gave to an aunt to raise. It was just found out in the last 10 years that their cousin is actually their brother.

After she divorced the first husband she and the daughter lived on their own for a while then she met my father in law. They married and had my husband. She had another son a couple of years later. She left California one day to drive a couple of days to go visit family. When she got home a couple of weeks later she no longer had the second son, told everyone he died and she buried him. Never, not even when she was going to die, never told anyone where he was buried or where he was pronounced dead.

So the family thinks she gave him away too, but to a stranger some where along her route.

Some people can't handle more than they have.

I am happy you will get to raise this little person. Congratulations.

Get a specialized attorney for adoptions and family issues now.

Do not do anything or sign anything with proper legal advice.

Best wishes.