The New Beginning

I'm starting this blog on the request of my cousin.  It had never crossed my mind but the jouney I'm about to embark on will prove to be interesting, difficult at times, and so rewarding in the end that others may benefit from knowing the process... so why not?

After trying to get pregnant for almost two years, and being deemed inexplainably infertile, we have decided to pursue adoption.  We looked into IVF as that was the last option the doctors could offer me.  I was the one who decided 'no.'  I know my husband wanted to try but I also know my own sanity wouldn't survive the process.  I have battled depression for years and failure is my biggest trigger.  I know that after putting a fertilized embryo inside me (what we've been trying for for so long!) that if it didn't take I wouldn't be able to handle it.  I had a hard enough time being told I was infertile... I don't want to be that low ever again.

We began to pursue adoption through our provincial government for domestic and international adoption but the wait lists are huge and the wait times are even more huge.  Plus!  You can only apply to one country at a time and they can't give me any information as to the stats on certain countries or which have a faster adoption rate, etc.  I was very upset by this hiccup and woke up one day last week deciding that I wouldn't accept more delays or excuses.  If there was a way to get my kid I was going to do it!

We started by emailing a bunch of private adoption agencies in Ontario, as there are none in NS.  I now want to know why there aren't any and how one would get started, but that's a side project to fill in my wait time!  Two companies emailed back saying they would work with us from our location!  Finally!  A BIG FAT YES!

I feel like I'm announcing I'm pregnant!  I will be adopting a child from Russia through Caring Homes for Orphan Children (CHOC).  www.chocadoption.com  Our government has worked with them before and says they have a good working relationship (another good turn!).  I also have loved how quickly they have responded to any questions and how helpful they are.  Yes this will be an expensive venture but it is very importnat to both of us to start our family.  I have agreed to delay anymore schooling and use funds for this instead, and I have had a wonderful offer of help from a marvelous person.  We will make this happen... well, it IS happening!

As soon as we got the yes from CHOC I filled out the registration form, contacted our Department of Community Services to let them know of our pending venture, phoned a private social worker to set up and begin our home study, photographed all the rooms in our house and compiled a smattering of photos of Mike and me for CHOC to send to Russia, gathered photocopies of important documents and we will be getting our criminal record checks tonight.  All of this will be forwarded to CHOC and then we just keep preparing and complete the homestudy.  I will have more information about this when I talk to the social worker some more.

There is a huge list of steps and documents needed and I will do my best to keep up with all of them so all of you can know what's happening.  It seems like multiple steps are done in one short spurt of time and then we wait for some sort of approval from someone (it could be NS, CHOC, or Russia) and that's when we would start the next spurt of steps.

It is very exciting and I'm pleased to announce that we have requested a child aged 4 or younger with no preference of gender and we are not opposed to siblings.  To put all this in a nutshell: I'm going to be a mum!  It may take me as long as it takes an elephant (hence the background) but I know it will happen!