_______About Adoption

After we had Isaac I realized how much love and energy it takes to raise a child.  I loved Isaac so much and it just killed me to think that there were kids out there who didn't have that kind of commitment and love.  So Adel and I began to talk about the idea of adoption during those first few months of parenthood over four years ago.  After we had Abby I knew for sure I did not want to go through pregnancy and the newborn stage again.  I was completely overwhelmed at having a toddler and a newborn.  The months passed and things slowly got easier juggling both kids but my resolve to not get pregnant again remained steady (and still does today...God willing!).  However, my longing to bring another child into my home and love them like I love my own two children has not wavered even a little bit.  In fact, as months pass and my days with my kids get more and more pleasant and easy, I am really starting to want to move forward in learning about adoption.

I can't say for sure that adoption is right for us.  What I do know is that it has been on my heart for over four years.  Any time I hear an adoption story, or a story of the pain unloved children suffer, my heart is moved to help.  I just know that it is for me.  Adel, typically far less emotional than me, is open to the idea of adopting but he is cautious about the details.  Like any good father, he is concerned about the costs and whether he can provide for another child, especially with all the expenses of adopting.  But he is far too busy with work and the three of us at home to pursue it.  So it is up to me to research everything and present my findings to him.  He needs something solid and factual that he can actually work with.  Once we have some idea of what this is going to involve, he will have to decide whether he is ready to commit to it or not.  Since we have two kids already (and they're still pretty little), we are not in a hurry to adopt, but I would like to get started on learning more about it.  I hope we can make a decision on whether to move forward or not by the end of this year.

I would love to hear stories or suggestions from any of you as we learn about adoption in the months to come.