On our home page you will see a link (on the right-hand-side) to 'Adoption Diaries.'

Ann and Rob wrote one of those real life diaries from the approval process through to their child coming to live with them.

This is the first of a bi-annual update on how they are all getting on.

Six months on from Ann and Robs diary

I hope you will remember my diary and me.

How time fly's by...it is already six months since our daughter Ruth came to live with us.

To quickly recap on events in my diary...we had been trying to have a family for along time, almost 20 years in fact, and in August 2000 we applied to become adoptive parents with our local social services dept.

We were approved in February 2001, and found out about Ruth in August 2001. She came to live with us in Sept 2001. A lot of tears and stress came with the adoption assessment, but every tear and every stressful moment was well worth it, the first time we saw Ruth.

I promised that I would write the occasional update for Adoption-net readers, so here goes.

Ruth settled in well, it was strange at first, having this little person in our home, putting her to sleep at night, waking up to her in her cot in the morning.

We both kept waiting for someone to come and take her away from us, but they never did!

We were so used to looking after someone else's children, that we were convinced someone would come and take her home with them!

Ruth soon got used to all our family members, in no time at all in fact, she charmed them all! Everyone bought her welcome gifts, which was really nice, and we had loads of welcome cards for her too.

It was the best time ever having her with us. We had a one weekly review from SS, which went well, and then that followed with a one-month review, which also went smoothly.

Ruth decided that our social worker should play on the floor with her, which she duly did! Though I had had plenty of practice looking after children, the fact that this little person now lived with us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, was very scary indeed.

No one was going to come and take her home if we got tired, if we were ill etc. Our whole lives changed from one of peace and quiet to the exact opposite! It took a while to get used to, but we did in the end.

When I look back now at my 'old' life, I cannot remember how it was. How DID I spend my days? Did I really enjoy my 'lie in's' in bed that much? (Oh yes I did)

But....this has been the best 6 months of our lives. Ruth has made our lives complete.

Her smile is priceless and the hugs we get are the best thing ever. To be called Mummy after 20 years of trying to conceive is an experience I shall never get over.

Yes, things have not been all plain sailing, but then if you have a child naturally, things are never simple even then are they.

We are just an ordinary family, Mummy, Daddy and Ruth. We had the adoption order granted just before Christmas 2001, and a few days ago we received Ruth's Birth certificate. We can now apply for a passport for her!

So, you see, we are now a normal family in every sense of the word.

To say we are happy is a complete understatement here. Our lives began the day we met Ruth. And we have never looked back.

If you are considering adoption, my advice to you would be, follow your heart, and if it is what you want to do then go for it, you will never look back.

Another update will follow in 6 months.