Adoption question

[gjsailor]

I'm living in Wisconsin and I'm trying to adopt a four-year-old child through an agency in Mississippi. The mother of the child is willing to give up her parental rights, but the father is in prison until 2010 and so far is not cooperating. He has never seen the child or asked about him. I've been told by the adoption agency that I will have to go through the courts to get the birth father's rights terminated. How long does this process take? What are the potential financial costs to me? Do I have to file parental termination papers immediately? During the time the I have custody of the child before the father's rights are terminated, what legal rights do I have as far as making decisions for the child?