It's no secret that for the past 18 months I've been actively trying to become a single, working Mom by adopting a pair of siblings from Lagos, Nigeria. Some days I work on it for just 30 minutes, most days I spend hours on it, and some weekends that's all I do. Not a day has gone by that I haven't been hard at work on it.

I'm an open book when it comes to talking about the adoption process, and my experiences. Please don't hesitate to ask anything you're curious about. Such a tiny percentage of the population become parents through adoption, so there are many misconceptions and false assumptions out there - I'd like to do whatever I can to educate through my experience.

Current Status

It took me about 18 months to jump through the many, many, many hoops required for the State of Colorado, the U.S. government, and my two adoption agencies to give me permission to submit my box full of application materials (collectively called the dossier) to the Morgan Hill Children Foundation. They received my dossier at the beginning of July, and are looking through it. Once they feel confident that the paperwork is in order, they will submit it to Lagos's Children's Ministry. The Ministry might take 3-6 months to approve the dossier. There are a lot of variables at play in that step, so I'm told I should cross my fingers and hope they get to and through it in 3 months. After it's approved, I could be presented a "referral" to one or two children at any time. Then I'll need to quickly work out details at work, and book my travel to Lagos to meet and live with my kids (see more below).

Kids who are adopted experience a high level of trauma, and the effects stay with them their whole lives. No exception. And siblings are usually split up from each other during the adoption process, which causes additional trauma. I am asking for two children, siblings, so that I can at least keep them together and keep that bond intact for both of their sake. However, even though I'm asking for two children - they might determine that I can only have one, since I'm a single parent. So, when my referral comes through, it might be for one child even though I'm asking for, and hoping for, two children.

Why crowdfunding?

Living in Lagos