Hi. I thought that I'd start up another one of these blogs. It's been 5 or more years since I did this the last time. Back then, we were just beginning the quest to start a family with fertility stuff... and we let a few people in on the blog (family, mostly) to keep up with our daily news. Unfortunately, that whole process didn't work for us (we tried a lot of stuff off and on for the past 5 years) and we decided last week to begin the process to pursue adoption.

We've talked briefly with a couple we know who have adopted and the main point of advice that they gave us: don't be shy about letting people know you want to adopt. You need to put yourself out there. So - this may be a good forum for that. We'll see.



We haven't done a lot of research yet. I've been reading a book which seems to be really negative (I think I'm going to stop reading it) and I've been reading some things on the web.

Last week, we met a couple at a dinner % concert who were talking about adoption so we dove into the conversation. They gave us a couple of websites to check into. Admittedly - I haven't checked the website on their agency yet. (I don't think I'm ready to look at agencies right now.)

Tonight, we just got back from the home of another couple who we didn't know but was also really open to talking about adoption. I found Julie's contact on a website that I was searching around on. She offered to pass along some information and talk to us / answer some questions. Since she lived close, we decided to go ahead and set it up. She and Mike were very informative and told us a bit about their experiences with independent adoptions, working with an agency, working with an adoption consultant, and working with an attorney. I walked away with a stack of papers about an inch high... and I have a list of "good" books to read. (She suggested that I burn the negative book I was reading... which I will likely do!)

I'm planning on working on a flier and a website so that we can get the word out. I could probably contact 300-500 people to cast a wide net for us and be on the lookout. Todd could probably contact another 200 or more people. If you're reading this blog -- you'll likely get the email or the flier that we'll want you to distribute to prospective birth parents you may know, school principals, councelors, baby-related medical professionals, etc. Stay tuned for that important document & link!

Already, I have a great line of support. My childhood friend, Susan, is making it her mission to help us get this done. She's already sent me some great websites and some data from a social worker that she knows. (Can you imagine the flood of info we could potentially gather once we cast that net? It's overwhelming and incredible -- just thinking about the potential!)

Well, I'll stop rambling. I should crash now & get some sleep.
Goodnight.
-candice