An Adoption Diary: A real life account of adoption
The inspirational, real life story of one couple’s emotional journey to become a family through adoption is the first title in BAAF’s new Our Story series.
The book chronicles every aspect of the adoption process from the moment when Maria and Rob decide to adopt following years of infertility. Spanning almost four years, the diary covers the assessment procedure, the workshops, the heartache of months of waiting, and the final match with a two-year-old boy who lives over 200 miles away! The author talks openly and honestly of the difficulties of a long-distance adoption, explains what it feels like when an adoption finally happens, and charts the first few months of family life.
Maria and her husband Rob have been linked with a little boy who is not yet three, Peter. After being approved to adopt him, exchanging photos, videos and letters with him, and meeting his foster carers, they finally get to meet him…
Tuesday 21 October 2003
I catch my breath as I glimpse our son standing at the foster carers’ front door, a beaming smile etched upon his face, his hand waving madly. It is 2pm on Tuesday afternoon and we are due to take Peter to the park with his foster carer. It will be a short meeting – a couple of hours; we are supposed to act as naturally as possible, while introducing ourselves as Peter’s new mummy and daddy!
That first meeting is heaven – although no, you do not fall in love instantly, as any truthful adopter will tell you. But we do feel a rush of affection towards this child. We also feel slightly awkward, anxious and anything but natural. We have imagined this moment for years, and suddenly here we are, examining every single inch of our child’s face. We struggle to take it all in. Now we are parents. Perhaps this is akin to holding your newborn baby in your arms for that very first time. The moment will stay with me forever, of that I’m sure. It is one of those landmarks in our lives that we will re-live a thousand times over.
Tuesday 28 October 2003
Peter does not seem unduly concerned by the foster carers leaving after they drop him at our house; he probably realises that he will see them later on. We have a good time together and Peter instantly bonds with our two dogs, who become his newest playmates. He loves his bedroom and even asks if he may stay the night with us, snuggled under his Tweenies duvet. We have to say “no, not tonight” as he is not yet allowed to stay over. We make the most of the time available, playing with bubbles and playdoh and crayoning crazy pictures. Gleeful shouts of “Mummy” as we prepare tea together simply make my heart melt.
To order a copy of the book, or to find out about the wide range of books on adoption or fostering published by BAAF, please visit the BAAF website.
Originally published in the Be My Parent newspaper in November 2006.
This article is published with the kind permission of the people involved. You may download it for your own reference but if you wish to use it for any other purpose, please contact Be My Parent for authorisation: Be My Parent, BAAF, Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Telephone: 020 7421 2666/5/4.
Last updated: 16 May 08
