Delaware Adoption Story

The adoption option
John and Jo-El Azato of Wilmington took a different adoption route and went through a private agency to find an international child. "We had seen an ad in the newspaper about a seminar on domestic and international adoptions, so we went," recalls Jo-El. "We knew we wanted an international child who was about 1 or 2 years old. And after doing research, we decided to go with a child from China."

During the 14 months the Azatos waited for their daughter, Nina, they busied themselves with preparations. "We had a baby shower and got her room ready," Jo-El says. "We also read a lot about parenting and asked friends who had kids lots of questions."

Waiting, experts say, can be the hardest part of the adoption process, whether it's waiting for the paperwork to go through, or waiting to receive the referral, or waiting to welcome the child home. But while families are on hold, there are things they can do.