For me, this was the burning question we wanted answered, so I thought I’d address it early on. Through our personal journey and experience, I have written How Long Does Adoption Take in the UK? A Step-by-Step Guide post about the timeline to simplify best I can. Whether you’re just beginning to think about adoptionRead the Post
Things I Wish I’d Known About Adoption Before We Started
Before we started our adoption journey, I thought I understood what lay ahead. I knew it would be emotional. I knew there would be waiting. What I didn’t realise was how much it would change me. I Didn’t Realise How Much I Would Change The process itself taught me how to surrender to what isRead the Post
Letterbox Contact With Birth Family: Keeping in Touch UK
There’s a part of the adoption process that isn’t spoken about very often, but weaves its way through adoptive family life — keeping in touch. You might hear it called contact, letterbox contact, or a keeping-in-touch agreement. Whatever the name, it’s one of the most emotionally complex parts of adoption. It’s also one of theRead the Post
Adoption Myths & Misconceptions: What We Learned on Our Journey
When we first started exploring adoption, I realised very quickly that almost everything I thought I knew came from films, headlines, and whispered “I heard that…” stories from people who had never been through it themselves. Even with all the reading, research, and scrolling through Mumsnet late at night, I had no idea how manyRead the Post
Pressing Pause: A Little Update From Me
It’s been a while since I last wrote here, longer than I planned, if I’m honest. I stepped back because everything was feeling a bit too much. Between parenting, our placement day anniversary coming up, navigating our adoption journey, and trying to figure out toddlerhood.. something had to pause. And it ended up being theRead the Post
Is Adoption Right for Me? The Questions We Asked Ourselves
When we first started thinking about adoption, it felt overwhelming. There’s so much information out there, and yet the real questions, the ones you end up whispering to yourself at night, are harder to find. We can’t tell anyone whether adoption is right for them. That’s such a personal journey. But what we can doRead the Post
When Burnout Hits: The Truth About Self-Care as an Adoptive Parent
Oxygen Masks & Real Life They say you should put your own oxygen mask on first. But honestly? That’s hard. When our daughter walked into our lives—a bewildered, incredibly strong little girl carrying a huge story on her tiny shoulders—our world flipped 360. Self-care for adoptive parents often goes straight out the window. Everything wasRead the Post
Our Favourite Adoption Books for Children: Introducing Life Story Work
When we became parents through adoption, one of the first pieces of advice we heard over and over was: “Start life story work early, even before they understand the words.” At first, that felt strange. How could I read about adoption to a baby or toddler who didn’t yet have the language to understand? But,Read the Post
Fatigue, Flare-Ups & Finding Grace as a New Mum with Endometriosis
When I imagined motherhood, I pictured sleepless nights, toddler tantrums, and toys everywhere. Not that I’d still be battling flare-ups that left me curled up in bed while my toddler needed breakfast. I’m a new mum with endometriosis, and it didn’t magically disappear the moment I became a mum (rude, right?). If anything, becoming aRead the Post
They Loved Her First: Honouring Willow’s Foster Carer’s After Adoption
When people ask me about the adoption process, I often talk about transitions, panels, or the emotional rollercoaster of coming home day. But there’s one part of the journey that doesn’t get talked about enough- the foster carers. The people who loved, nurtured, and protected our daughter before we ever stepped into her world. TheRead the Post
Our First Holiday With Our Toddler: What We Learned, Loved & Will Never Forget
I write our first holiday with our toddler just before our second holiday as a family of three. We booked another short UK break not long after our first one. Partly because we’ll never get this precious time back, and partly because, for the first time in a long time, we felt confident that weRead the Post