One thing I did was started talking up our interest in adopting all over the place, Suddenly, A ton of people I knew were sharing names of people they knew who had adopted. I then spoke directly to lots of families and they were more than willing to share their feedback. And share names of other adoptive families with whom I also spoke. That helped me narrow down programs and countries. And then I researched the best thought of agencies for those country programs. For example, an agency may be well connected for China, but not as good a choice for Guatamala. That is why you need to know what direction you are going BEFORE selecting an agency. Some are a better choice for domestic, some international.
READ READ READ. Be aware of FAS/FAE and other prenatal exposures that can have an impact.