What to Expect When Your Expecting (to Adopt)

Warning: This perspective of "What to Expect When Your Expecting (to Adopt)" is not sugar coated, it is raw.  However, I will choose to do it over and over again as long as God (and my husband) allows!

What to expect while you wait:

The unexpected.

Unqualified for job.

An emotional roller coaster.

Deep, unbelievably heart-breaking longing to hold my son I've never met.

A wanting to bond, but yet not.

A sense of fulfillment and purpose.

A loss of friendship/family support.

What to expect after you meet child:

Bonding love felt toward child just like when my bio babies came out of me (unbelievable!).

The hardest part begins - Grieving, perhaps taking a lifetime

Your world can be opened up, perspective changed forever (If you have opportunity to travel to child's birth country)

Unmet expectations, a need to lower expectations

Attachment difficulties (which others may not be able to understand)

More loss of friendship/family support....but yet deeper support from unexpected people

Child feeling like they are part of family....eventually