by The Wannabe Mom
My mom bought me a Cabbage Patch doll. It was a preemie doll I had been eyeing for weeks, and she came with a tiny blanket and a Certificate of Adoption.
I can still smell her plastic-baby-powder smell. That morning before my “My Little Pony” theme party, my mom explained the concept of adoption to me. She did a beautiful job and I’ve always carried that lesson–and all her lessons–with me as I travel along my way.
Lately I’ve come to the realization that I may not birth my own children. I’m at peace with that. I know there are plenty of children out there who need a safe, loving home. And, we have that home to share.
This weekend my hubby and I sat down and chatted — long and hard — about what it means to be a family. We came to the conclusion that a family is a family, and it doesn’t matter to us if our children share our DNA. A lot of you have asked and I’m here to tell you that we are very open to adoption.
This weekend I admitted to my hubby that I only have six months of fertility treatments left in me. Then, I’m done. I don’t have the strength to put myself — or my hubby — through any more of what we’ve been through these past 17 months. Even if we do conceive, I can’t go through what we’ve been through thus far to conceive our second child.
Since we want more than one child I know we need to start thinking about taking another path to parenthood. If it were as easy as strolling down to a patch of cabbage and picking a baby, signing a Certificate of Adoption and going on our merry way, I’d have a houseful of kids right now. But I know it’s not that easy. I understand this path to parenthood may be a rockier road than our infertility struggle.
I don’t know where to start. I’ve researched adoption online, but the only local adoption contacts I find are the names of adoption attorneys in Chambana. I don’t know any families who have adopted. I don’t know the costs involved either.
So, tell me all about it! Many of you have suggested I adopt — I need your help and advice. I know there are other wannabe moms out there wearing these uncomfortable-infertility-peep-toe-pumps that would appreciate a little insight into adoption, too. Your comments will be my blog post this week — and a very special blog post it is.
The Wannabe Mom has been trying to conceive for more than a year and was recently diagnosed with unexplained infertility. She and her husband live and work in Champaign, and they desperately want to drive a Toyota Sienna minivan someday. We’ll be following her journey, so buckle up and get ready to cry with her — and cheer her on, too.