'She’s an absolute whirlwind' - Leicestershire couple explain how they adopted their daughter

Laura and Rob already had a two-year-old daughter when they started talking about extending their family.

The couple, from North West Leicestershire, had always talked about adopting before having Lola and when it came to having another kid they decided against the ‘natural’ route and enquired about adopting instead.

“We’d always talked about adopting and when it came to thinking about having another child we wanted to offer a home to a child who needed one," Laura said.

“We had lots of questions but we were so well supported throughout it all we were really keen to go ahead with it."

After progressing through the initial stages and being approved as adopters, they started viewing profiles of children.

She said: “I think that was the most difficult stage for us because you read the profiles and you want to help all of the children.

“With having Lola we could only look at children who were younger than her.

“We read about Rose and opted to express an interest. Once we were shortlisted we learned more about her and her background.

"Her birth parents were young and had come through the care system themselves. They weren’t emotionally mature enough to care for her.”

The couple wanted to be Rose’s forever family but were on a shortlist with two other prospective adopters.

“When you’re pregnant you have a bump, physically people can see that you’re expecting but going through the process is different," Laura said.

“We’d tell Lola that she was going to have a new brother or sister but we really couldn’t say when they would be here.”

Once the family were matched to Rose the introductions and formalities could begin.

“When we first met her she was six-months-old, we walked into her foster carers and she was asleep in the pushchair," Laura added.

“She was just gorgeous. We spoke with her foster carer and observed her and when we left I just burst into tears."

“We couldn’t believe she’d be ours and we were just so excited.”

From signing up as potential adopters to becoming Rose’s adoptive parents took just over a year.

Rose made the permanent move to Laura and Rob’s when she was just eight-months-old.

Laura said: “It was challenging, she’d already had five placements in her short life.

“She didn’t sleep well, she didn’t eat well but eventually we got settled and worked out a routine.”

Rose settled at the family’s home well. She’s bonded with big sister Lola and is a hit with the extended family too.

“She’s an absolute whirlwind and such a character," Laura said.

“She totally changes the dynamic of our family, as second children do.

“You don’t know how you’ll feel when this child comes into your life and you just hope that you connect and bond but she’s settled so well.

“When she calls us mummy and daddy it’s just amazing.

“Our families have been great too, there are a lot of grandchildren and naturally there were worries about if grandparents and cousins would connect with her in the same way but she’s fit in so well.

“I think she’s a little favourite, she gets away with things the others don’t.”

The couple say they will be honest with Rose about her adoption.

“Lola likes to talk about when she was in mummy’s tummy and being a baby, Rose has a book about when she was a baby with photos and stories in so when we talk about being born and being babies we do have that to show to her.

“We write to her parents once a year through social services letting them know how she is and asking them to respond and we will save it for her to show her when she’s a bit older. So far they haven’t responded.”

Rose has a half sister who was also adopted. The two families meet up so that the girls can spend time together.

“We think it's important she has that link to her past.

“We’ll always talk to Rose about her adoption, we wouldn’t want to hide it from her.”

Being an adoptive parent does have it’s amusing moments too.

Laura explained: “There has been a few times when people have said she looks like me and I just nod and have a little laugh to myself.

“If we know them then of course we say that she’s adopted but if it’s just a passing comment we nod and carry on.”

*All names have been changed