Where can I adopt an African Grey in MD?

I just remarried and my new husband wants to adopt my son . We live in Montgomery county, MD. Please help?

• I just remarried and my new husband wants to adopt my son and give hime his last name. We live in Montgomery County, Maryland. Please help with the proper procedure and estimated amount of time it would take Thanks for your help

• Answer:

  Congratulations! I am an adoptive parent and a step-parent. Here is all I know about step-parent adoption. State laws on stepparent adoptions vary. Most States have a streamlined process for adoptions by stepparents whereby the judge hearing the adoption petition has the ability to dispense with the requirement in State laws for an adoption home study. Some States, however, will not approve a stepparent adoption unless the custodial parent has been married to the stepparent for 1 year or longer. When a stepparent wishes to adopt a stepchild, the child's parents (the stepparent's spouse and the noncustodial or absent parent) are usually both required to consent to that adoption. In consenting to an adoption, the noncustodial parent relinquishes all parental rights and responsibilities, including child support. If the noncustodial parent objects to the proposed adoption and refuses to consent to it, State laws may prevent the adoption from proceeding. Some State adoption laws specify special circumstances under which the noncustodial parent's consent is not required. Other States have made special provisions in their adoption laws to allow stepparent adoptions to occur, even over the objections of the noncustodial parent, in cases where the noncustodial parent has failed to maintain communication with the child for a specified period of time. Here's a link to more info about stepparent adoption http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/f_step.cfm Here is a link to search statutes by state for issues related to child adoption. Results will provide summaries of State statutes (and full text of laws, in some cases). http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/legal/statutes/search/index.cfm Best wishes and God Bless