I could summarise my love life up as being "unlucky in love", but that is another story for another day. As I approached the age of 40 in January 2011 the thing I just knew I was going to miss the most in my life was having a baby to nurture and see grow into an adult, and my biological clock was ticking.
I always knew that "adoption was an option" and my 40th birthday present to myself and to a little baby girl that I knew would be mine, and needed a loving, nurturing home, was to contact Cape Town Child Welfare to start the process.
There was paperwork to be filled out, police clearances to apply for, and workshops to attend. The process was quite stringent, but not once did I have a "no" feeling about what I was doing. In fact I got more excited as the process continued. After 4 months of this process including home visits you are usually notified that your name is successfully on "the list" as being suitable to adopt.
My "phone call" however came on the 4th of May 2011. Mommy instinct clicked into gear and I brought my darling daughter home on the 10th of May 2011. She was 4 months old.
I had become a Mommy! I can't imagine my life without her now.
My advice to any person or couple who have ever considered adoption, is start the process and see where it takes you. If you are getting a "no"feeling then maybe it isn't for you but if you are getting a "yes" feeling follow your instinct, and I promise you you will enjoy every step of the journey that you embark.
If you would like to read more details about my process you can find in on natalie-mypreciousgift.blogspot.com