[dragonfly1234]

Tell us What lead you to adoption? Was it an easy decision to make? Was there a defining moment that helped you make your decision to adopt?

[ocracoke]

The easiest decision ever! I always wanted to adopt. As it turned out I was single when I made the decision to become a parent. Because of work, home, an marital status I thought it would be easier to get pregnant then pass a homestudy so I abandoned adoption for trying to get pregnant through artificial insemination. It was also cheaper then adoption because I lived in Massachusetts at the time and my insurance covered almost everything. But the universe had other plans for me. Turns out I can not get pregnant. After years of trying I moved to North Carolina. My insurance and benefits changed and that freed me move on to adoption. Within 8 months of that move I had signed with an agency and 11 months later I had my daughter. 8 years of fertility treatment and 11 months of the sure thing. No regrets at all.

Samantha

[anivan]

I had a very long path to adoption. DH & I tried for 7 years to get pregnant and I wouldn't even talk about adoption. I am ashamed to even type this, but I remember saying that adoption would be a 2nd choice for me.

In the 7 years we TTC, I lost 5 babies-including a set of twins. After the last loss, it was like a lighbulb went off in my head and adoption became the only thing I could think about. We researched our agency, did our homestudy and became approved in July 2006. After one failed match in February 2007, we were matched again a week later. 10 days after that, Sydney was born and life changed forever! Now I'm planning her 1st birthday party and counting my blessings every day....

[bajj]

I've known since I was a little girl I wanted to adopt, so that decision was not very difficult!

[Lilly's Mommy]

I desperately wanted to get pregnant, and give birth to our child. I was a Childbirth Educator and Doula for crying out loud! Adoption was not on my radar!

Two years into our journey of infertility, we had our lightbulb moment. We had seen friends adopt, and the transformation that had taken place for them (from desperately wanting to conceive and give birth to total love for the child they adopted). We realized that it was possible, and made the decision to pursue adoption (a sure thing) rather than pregnancy (which gave no guarantee).

This fact that my heart changed from so intently desiring pregnancy to becoming completely fulfilled through adoption was nothing I could have chosen to do, and nothing short of a miracle.

[blondeboss]

Our road to adoption was a long one as well. We married young, and I wanted children right away. Of course nothing happened. After being married 5 years we looked into infertility. All our test came back normal. We were about 27 years old then. Still renting, Deep in consumer debt, No savings. Could not do further infertility, no $ and no equity. Felt could not foster or adopt with no $, or owning of a home. Got out of $32,000 of debt in three years. Now 30 years old. Husb and I talked, either buy a house and start a family somehow, or he could follow dream and change careers.Was bread salesman, always wanted to be police officer(already had degree. but needed academy). Chose to change career. Moved in with in-laws for nine months while husband went to academy and found job.Thankfully we were able to stay in our hometown and not move. Age 31 finally bought home. wrestled with idea of spending thousands for infertility. Decided not to gamble, still did not have $ falling out of our pockets, and no equity. Also decided we could not afford private adoption. Really starting to feel call of adoption of older children in "system". Started research due to special on TV Home for the Holidays And the Dave Thomas Foundation. Started licencing for foster care Jan. 04. Got very scared of what we were getting into, put paperwork on backshelf till Oct.04. Finished paperwork, told CW wanted to foster to adopt. Waited till Sept. 05. Placed with two bio boys age 8 & 4. Special Needs (Emotionally, basically everything I was scared about)Best kids for us!Adoption final July 05. enjoyed being a family for 2 years. Decided summer 07 ready to open house for more. Placed sept.07 to bio girls age 14 and 1. Looking forward to adoption finalized in a few months. Very full house, In fact on market. We need a 4 bedroom now(who would have thunk?) Actually thinking not done yet, would like 2 more in a couple years!!!!!God has been very good to us. I feel what a waste of time I spent all those years feeling depressed and hopless, instead of enjoying our time together and trusting that there was a plan for us.

[inhiswill]

I too always wanted to adopt since a little girl. Fast forward to when DH and I came together and he wanted to adopt too! We are blessed with 3 bio children already and would like to add 2 more through the gift of adoption!

[kelceesmom]

We tried to conceive for with fertility treatments for about 3 years. That was not the plan for us. We were meant to adopt. We had thought about it lightly as my husband was adopted with his twin sister at age 18 months. We just thought we would have children then adopt. Lucky for us it didn't work out that way. I wouldn't have my beautiful daughter.

[MamaS]

When I was about ten years old I read the story of Pearl S. Buck and the foundation she started for Korean children. That was the first I had ever heard about adoption. I decided I wanted to adopt seven girls -- one for each day of the week!
Ten years later, in college, I decided I would learn to speak Korean, but the classes were closed and I ended up taking four quarters of Spanish, which I KNEW I would never need.
Ten years after that I was ready to adopt but Korea was closed to single parents, so I adopted two toddler girls from El Salvador. That Spanish came in useful after all!

[billysmommy]

I have quite a bit of adoption in my family, so when we didn't get pregnant right away, I was ready to change direction to adoption - DH was not. 4 years later, he had the lightbulb moment. We officially decided to pursue adoption July 2001. In August we scheduled to begin our homestudy, and got a call before our first visit with SW. In October our son was born. Three years later our son's first mom placed our daughter with us.

We like to say ....
To be blessed once was a gift, twice was nothing short of a miracle!

[maviskat]

Just before hubby and I got married I was diagnosed with lupus and a blood clotting disorder that sometimes shows up in lupus patients. We were not interested in starting a family for a few years so...5 years later we saw a doctor who specialized in lupus and pregnancy. He felt that with proper care and monitoring I could have a successful pregnancy but I would have to be on high doses of blood thinners throughout the nine months and that I would have a higher chance of miscarriage and STROKE!! There was the lightbulb moment....STROKE, no thanks!! Having my own biological child was just honestly not, and really never was, that important me. (It just honestly seemed easier then adoption.) My husband felt the same way...I remember him telling me that he didn't care how we became parents.
We began the adoption process a few years later...why did wait? We were truly just scared of the whole process.. It seemed so daunting!!
I think I always wanted or was meant to adopt, when I was little I vividly remember sitting with my best friend on my parent's porch and telling her I would like to adopt children one day. Funny how things work out!! We are now over the moon with our beautiful baby girl and would like to adopt again in a year or two. What a journey it has been!!

[sonia1959]

In our case it was totally different, I remember since I was a little girl I want to have a baby girl, I got married and trying to have a girl we have 4 wonderful boys, lost my forth pregnancy and it was girl, then we talked to adopt a girl. My husband was scared but he said yes, we tried international and for us was very expensive, so we didn't talk about it anymore for a long time, but my oldest son have a girlfriend that was part the system, did her master in social work and talking to her telling us how many kids need homes and families and how sad was to see them in group homes and all that, I decided to talk to my husband again, it was not easy but I know he loves to much, and he said if that is what you want lets do it, I did not waste any time and enroll in classes, we got our license to fost to adopt. We had 2 placements, the first one was a saveheaven baby, the mom came in the 13 day to claim her baby, was very painful because we went to the hospital to pick her up when she was 2 days old we, we are still in love with our little angel, but we knew she was going to be ok with ther mom, it took us long time to know that. well my husband told me he did not want to do it again, but almost a year after that our social worker call us that they a baby girl that it was going like 90% for adoption according with family records, and we couldn't say no. it was a long journey and we have our little girl now, we have her since she was 8 weeks old and we are waiting to finalize at the end of march, we are the happiest family, my boys adored their sister, and even it was a very long and painful journey we are very happy to have this little angel, this one was the one that need it to be our home. with this painful experienced if we have to this again we will do it, it is worth avery moment, now we are very proud to say we have a Daughter, our family is complete. Thanks to God.

[HopingStill]

While still dating my husband and I decided we wanted to have one child and adopt 2 more. When we found out we couldn't have any, it wasn't an issue for us. we just decided to pursue adoption. Hopefully we will be parents in April!

[Marmant]

We always talked about 2 maybe 3 kids. Two years ago I delivered our dd after just 26 weeks of pregnancy. Over the next 2 years we lost 2 sons to "unexplained premature labor".
I like to think my sons were not meant to be ours, but our little angels sent to move us to the path we were destined for.
We are just starting the research phase of finding an agency. I am anxious, excited and terrfied all at once!

[BethAF]

I was actually open to adoption for most of my life. I became a foster parent while I was still single with hopes of adopting my foster son. While he was with me (and not free for adoption yet), the state laws changed. The state no longer helped with any medical expenses or daycare expenses for children that were adopted through the state. I was not making much money at the time and could not afford and extra $400 a month for medical and $500 a month for daycare. I called the SW and told her that I still wanted to adopt him but would not be able to do so financially. I was told... "well if you can't afford to adopt him, we'll find someone who can." Very long story short, he was adopted by someone else about a year later.

About a year after that, my husband and I got married. We TTC for 1 year before getting pregnant. I had a MC at 9 weeks and then we started fertility treatments. I had to stop Clomid after the 3rd round due to visual side effects (which the MD told me could be a sign of bloodclots). I tried another med and had to stop due to chest pains. After that, my husband said, "forget the fertililty treatments, lets look into adoption."

I was SO relieved when he said that. I guess it would have been nice to give birth to a biological child, but passing on my genes was never really a big deal to me. My husband had difficult time dealing with it because he always wanted a biological child. But once he saw our son, it was love at first site. I never had any doubt that I could love any child. I just think it was a little tougher for him.

I'm so glad we made the adoption journey. We have an absolutely wonderful child. We can't imagine our life without him!!!