“Twas the night before introductions, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even Ralph. Little Man’s bedroom all ready, put together with love and care, in just a very short while, Little Man would soon be there”
This final evening of silence and calm is our last evening in which the house would be just the three of us. In just under a week Little Man will be walking through the front door into his home and to start life as a family of four!
When we started our journey in the Summer of 2018 we never imagined it would be nearly two years later that would finally see us becoming a family. We had the initial perception it would take about a year or so as that seemed to be the ‘normal’ amount of time it took most adopters to welcome their Little One’s into the family. However we soon realised there is definitely no normal. The entire process has taught us to listen, be patient and resilient, all of which are needed in abundance.
Nobody could have foreseen or predicted any of the delays we encountered along the way, but as frustrating as it has been, we are thankful for every person who has shared our journey. Whether that be Social Workers throughout the assessment process, GP’s for medicals, the local Beaver Group for allowing us to gain childcare experience, family who have listened to our endless ramblings, friends who have supported us and giving their time, work colleagues who have listened every day about something related to the journey and finally, You. For those that have read and followed our adoption journey whether that only be in the last few weeks or right from the start - we appreciate you all.
The process has made us naturally reflect and it’s only in these times that we have taken a glance at life and all that has happened. It’s been an astonishing journey. We both went into our adoption journey with open hearts and minds. We never knew it would open up an entire community of Adopters and Foster Carers to us. Whilst speaking of Foster Carers, I know we have mentioned Little Man’s Foster Carers before but it goes without saying that Little Man would not be the person he is today without their continual love, support, warmth and guidance. We have both seen how instrumental they have been in his development. We know they will read this blog so without embarrassing them, there are simply not enough words we can express that will ever be enough to explain how thankful we are for what you have done. Foster Carers like you are a very rare find and you will always be part of his life. Thank You.
Despite being told at the start of our journey at the information evening about the extent of work that is required for each adoption, it took us a while to really understand exactly how much work is involved. It’s a huge undertaking. As you know we’re huge advocates about adoption and we want to raise awareness of the thousands of children that seek their forever family. If you are considering starting your journey - don’t put it off. Reach out to others (or us - always welcome here!) to speak things through, do some research and get yourself to an information event and go from there.
There isn’t much more we can say now. Everything has happened that should have happened. We’re so happy that the end of the beginning is here - now onwards to the next chapter. There aren’t many guarantees in parenthood but we can assure you the next chapter will be a very interesting read!
Now, one final sleep….totally not happening!