[DeNaJa]

That is sad. I am sorry your family was less than enthusiastic about your plans to adopt. We have 2 bio childrena nd adopted our 3rd and among strangers we tended to get a reaction that surprised me. It was as if we had no right to adopt and should give our daughter to some more deserving, infertile couple who may be wanting or waiting to adopt. It stunned me because in many ways, people talked about my daughter as if she was a puppy...a posession. Who were we to adopt and take away a child from an infertile couple? How could we lessen the amount in the pool for them to be matched with? It hurt. Eventually, people have stopped with their ridiculous comments. I'd say to give them time and space. Don't feel you have to talk about your adoption and bring it up to them all the time. They know what you are doing. Drop it. Let them come to you. You have offered to give them information...wait to see if they want it. Let them lead on this one. Regardless, this is YOUR family and you have decided to open your home and more importantly, your heart to another child. You have decided that child doesn't ahve to be from your DNA. You do what you know is right and don't feel one bit bad about your decision. You are doing nothing wrong in wanting to grow your family through adoption. It is a beautiful thing. Their emotions are their own and they have to deal with them. It has really nothing to do with you, your family, or even the child you will bring into your family...it has everything to do with them coming to terms with their fertility issues and their desire to have a family and the decisions they need to make in order to make a family a reality. They have a lot of thinking to do and feelings to sort out. My guess is your announcement brought much to the surface and they didn't know how to respond.

I'll be praying for your, your family, and your extended family.

Blessings and good luck as you begin the piles of paperwork!