we've made the decision.

[waitingtobeamummy]

After much discussion we've decided we are going to start the adoption process!
We know It's going to be hard work, that we will be told bad stories and that we might not be chosen, but we are so excited that this is the beginning of our families story.

Fantastic. Good luck!

Good luck!

Good Luck - it's the best decision we ever made!

Good luck WTBAM (you user name is long!!). Agree with angels, it's the best thing we ever did.

Thanks all. And yes my name is too long! Hopefully, in the not to distant future I can change it!

Good luck! Adoption has been brilliant for us

Hello and welcome :)

Adopting has been the best thing in my life that I have ever done.

WTBAM good luck in the process. Hope it all goes well. How exciting. We start in two months' time.

Thank you all! We are excited! We are going to start when we come back off holiday in august. I know It's going to be,a long journey, but I can't wait! X

Good luck and it will be the best decision you have ever made! My decision is trying to sneak into my bed at the moment!

You may be surprised that it doesn't have to be a long journey - 10 months for us - just a tad longer than a pregnancy! X

Good luck waitingtobeamummy. Its a hard process but hopefully a great result.

So so nice to hear so many people saying its the best thing they have done, think I have said it before on here that I have read so many horror stories that I wondered sometimes why people bother, you lot have proved why they bother with your statement of "its the best thing I have done".
Thank you!

Adoption is definitely the best thing I've ever done. Also the most challenging thing, but none of the challenges we've faced can take away the fact that I am a mum with a family, and i wasn't before. And now I'm a grandma as well!!

Good luck WTBM! Stick around here and keep us updated on your progress :)

Lovely inspirational msgs, thank you all. Very nervous that they will refuse us because we started fertility investigation, but this has been something we have been talking about for yrs. And it just feels right. Worry they will see it as a knee jerk reaction? But will battle for it. X

Yes, adopting our 3 was the best thing we have ever done. We are now a complete family. It was also the most tiring, emotional difficult thing we have ever done.
Our younger two have SEN so have additional needs.
I am always totally exhausted but happy.
Good luck to you.

Waiting, when did you finish fertility investigations? I think they normally want you to have had a gap of at least six months before you start then adoption process, so that there's less risk of it being a rebound thing, IYSWIM.

Another one here, though, who is happy to say that adopting our daughter was one of our best ever decisions. I look at her and truly can't imagine how she could ever have grown up in any other family than with us!

Congratulations! This time 8 years ago we were approved and our 2 lovely, noisy, messy and exhausting children came to us 4 months later.

It is a truly unique thing to do and hope all goes well x

This is the thing that worries me that they won't believe. I am quite happy to wait for 6months but: I started at hospital last July. I don't ovulate. They said I needed to lose weight. I have list most of it but they want me to lose a bit more. Then start me on clomid and if not ivf. But in the 2yrs of trying and 1yr of losing weight we have been researching adoption and it is something we want to do. We would rather give a child who needs it a home. It seems like that us were we are being guided to be (in a none weird way). I work with at town children and looked after children and it makes me want to do it. Do you think if we tell them thus, go for counselling, leave it for 6months etc they will believe is that its not a rebound? I know they are going to question it, we accept its not the same as being a birth mother, but will they believe us?

We have adopted 8 best thing we have ever done sadly 3 have died but had "short life expectancy" When DS2 died DD2 arrived 6 weeks later, friends birth DD died and they had a DS placed 6 months later. It depends on the SW.
Very good luck on your journey

I think all you can be is honest and open with the SW.
We have friends who, once they realised they could not have birth children " naturally" they decided to apply to adopt. They adopted a sibling group of two boys.

I'm sure they will believe you (most people who adopt do so because of some kind of fertility issue, after all). It will depend on your personal circumstances and the SW whether they are content to accept you without you undergoing formal counselling etc. The best thing is to have a frank discussion about any particular policies in your LA etc.

Thank you all so much. You've really helped me. I'd started to get mopey and pannicky. Thank you x

The best advice I can give you is to take lots and lots of care of yourself during the process. Eat well, sleep lots and build up some reserves for when the roller coaster starts. It's a journey like no other but so worth it

What loflo said. And go out loads and take good holidays. Cos it will be a while before you can do those things again after you've been matched.... :)

I think they will believe you about stopping fertility treatment - why wouldn't they? Try not to worry, if you are honest you will be fine. Counselling is generally seen as a good thing by SS as well. I also agree with loflo and Families, take care of yourself :)

Thank you, I really appreciate all your advice. I'm impatient to get going now as this could be the start of our family! X