Birth Mother wants to give me her baby girl

[kathryn72]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Arkansas

I'm currently caring for a eight month old baby girl that belongs to my fourth cousin. She is 23 and unwed, unemployed & homeless. She is a drug addict/alcoholic and she realizes that she can't properly care for the child. She asked me to take her baby last month then I went two weeks ago and picked her up and now she wants to sign over custody and allow us to adopt to my husband and I. I've been researching documents that I can print online that will be legally binding. So I'm needing to know if they will and if we go to a notary public and sign in front of them will that be sufficient? If not, what other steps will we have to take it to make it legal? Thank you for your time.What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

 

[Isis1]

First. Where is dad? You will need to get his permission.

 

[Banned_Princess]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Arkansas

I'm currently caring for a eight month old baby girl that belongs to my fourth cousin. She is 23 and unwed, unemployed & homeless. She is a drug addict/alcoholic and she realizes that she can't properly care for the child. She asked me to take her baby last month then I went two weeks ago and picked her up and now she wants to sign over custody and allow us to adopt to my husband and I. I've been researching documents that I can print online that will be legally binding. So I'm needing to know if they will and if we go to a notary public and sign in front of them will that be sufficient? If not, what other steps will we have to take it to make it legal? Thank you for your time.What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

None of that is sufficient.

If you want to adopt. you absolutely must have a lawyer do it for you.

If she just wants to give you custody, you have to go to court and have a judge order that.

If you never go to court and never get an order of any kind, the baby is still her mothers baby, and her mother can take baby, toddler, kid, tween, teen back at any point of the progression I just mentioned.

 

[momofrose]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Arkansas

I'm currently caring for a eight month old baby girl that belongs to my fourth cousin. She is 23 and unwed, unemployed & homeless. She is a drug addict/alcoholic and she realizes that she can't properly care for the child. She asked me to take her baby last month then I went two weeks ago and picked her up and now she wants to sign over custody and allow us to adopt to my husband and I. I've been researching documents that I can print online that will be legally binding. So I'm needing to know if they will and if we go to a notary public and sign in front of them will that be sufficient? If not, what other steps will we have to take it to make it legal? Thank you for your time.What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

First, you need to slow down - The fact that youa re using the words "custody" and "adoption" in the same sentence shows that you much to learn about the adoption process.

If she wants to sign over custody (and where is dad?) - you should have this done through a court order and have an order of support established as well.

if it is to be a formal adoption, a plan should be discussed and agreed up on utilizing an adoption attorney - this is a MUST for all legal adoptions. There are many details that you would never know about to make sure the adoption is done legally and once the adoption is finalized that you are legally the mom.

You would pay the adoption attorney - since this would be an identified private adoption the cost should not be more than $10,000.00 (uncontested).

Good Luck

 

[nextwife]

Have you completed a Home Study?

 

[NellieBly]

Your heart is in the right place, but listen to the other posters.

Good luck!

 

[cbg]

Just to clarify, I was a notary public for six years. Signing something in front of a notary does not automatically make it legal and binding. A notary's stamp and seal proves the identity of the signatories and very little else. If the document is not binding in and of itself, signing in front of a notary does not make it so.

This is absolutely not a DIY project.