During November, many families celebrate National Adoption Month and pause to give thanks. Other families raise awareness in hopes of finding a child who will become part of their forever family.

As many as 81.5 million Americans have considered adoption. The stories of these families are heartwarming to read and eye opening to see the road to adoption has many different paths.

Officially Done Waiting

“1,599 days span from the day we started 'trying' to start a family to the day Jacobi was ours. As of this afternoon he is officially my son!

That sentence came at a great cost on many levels. The only thing that my exhausted heart and mind can muster tonight is simple: Worth It!” (@Barryhuver)

Love at First Sight

“We were brought together by adoption. Love, commitment, and sacrifice made us a family. On November 25th, 2014, we received THE phone call that all couples in the adoption process long for . . . we were matched with a baby girl due in February of 2015!

Getting the news was one of the happiest and most surreal moments of my life! On February 12th, 2015, the most perfect baby girl we'd ever seen, our Isabel Grace, was born. It was truly love at first sight for us!” (@theadventuresofbabyk)

Transitioning from Infertility to Adoption

“Nick and I started dating almost 14 years ago. We talked about adoption on our very first date. I have wanted to adopt for as long as I can remember, so it was pretty much a non-negotiable for me that I marry someone who was on board.

As painful as infertility was, I'm thankful adoption was always part of our plan and something we always wanted as much as (or maybe even more than) biological kids.

It allowed us to transition smoothly to adoption despite the pain and confusion we felt with infertility and gave us peace and excitement as we entered into the adoption process.” (@melindaann)

Adoption After Loss

“We get asked often why we decided to adopt, most people assume we can't have children, but that's not the case.

We are fully capable of getting pregnant, but in our eyes that's not the only way to ‘have children.’” (@taydigiacomo)

Never Lose Hope

“The road to adoption is long and the wait isn't easy—our nursery has actually been set up for a year and a half now! But in this room we find hope.” (@joelandmelissaadopt)

Do you have a story of adoption? We'd love to hear it! Tell us in the comments below.