Adoption IS okay!

I really thought the whole process of my hysterectomy was going to be more emotional for me. It is so final! It means I will never be pregnant, never give birth, never feel a baby kick inside of me. I will not have a "normal" 9 month waiting period where I can announce on FB that I am pregnant, my aunts can plan me a traditional baby shower, I can go to an ultrasound and see the baby growing inside of me. I will never look at a child and say "Aw, she has my eyes, she has my husbands nose." BUT THAT IS OKAY!

Sure there was a little while in November that I had to be sad about it but my feelings have come full circle and I am very excited about our adoption. I know in my heart that there is a baby out there for us and we will be united at some point. I finally feel like the uncertainty of our infertility has ended! God planned it this way. We were meant to adopt and I can't wait to welcome a baby into our family!

Adoption Orientation

Well, we have turned in our application for domestic adoption with a local adoption agency! We are very excited about our decision. It finally seems like there is an end in sight. I plan on kicking butt on the home study and "speeding" (as much as you can speed) through it. We are pursing domestic adoption of a newborn-12 months. That is about our only criteria. We are excited to see where this journey takes us. (and the planner in me would love to start organizing the nursery)

Money Money Money Money

I don't wish I necessarily had ALL the money in the world, but enough to not have to worry about it would be nice. I am a new homeowner, newly married, working a very "normal" office job, and I DO NOT have $16,000 laying around for IVF! I am not sure how many people in my situation would? It's depressing to go through the inner struggle of: Do I spend MORE than my life savings on a CHANCE to get pregnant? Or do we spend MORE than our life savings and go straight to adoption? My husband and I spent hours weighing the pros and cons. In our situation our decision was finally made when I found out I could get additional insurance that helped cover part of the expense. (we did, however find out that you still need to have the money up front and insurance reimburses you) I have heard of several ways that couples have financed IVF

• Loans (easier to get probably before the economy went down hill) I once had someone tell me that taking out a loan was like having an extra car payment for 5 years and it was well worth the price of being able to have their own children - she has twin girls through IVF
• Grants - there are IVF grants available depending on where you live and what your qualifications are
• Studies - some clinics may give a small discount if you agree to participate in any studies they have going on
• Mom and Dad - a lot of young couples may borrow money from a family member or receive a gift (this can be a tax write-off)
• Work your tail off - get a second job and put all the money away in a fund
• Fundraisers - I have even heard of couples holding fundraisers for themselves

My husband and I have decided that it is worth spending some of our hard-earned money for a CHANCE to have our own biological child. (and we do have parents who want to be grandparents bad enough to help out a bit as well!)

It's worth it to us to try at least once; if it is not meant to be, it isn't, but at least we will know that we tried.