Beginning at the Beginning

I'm 32 years old, healthy (generally).  My husband is about to turn 40.  We're both professionals, with excellent careers, and IMO, we have a pretty solid marriage.

Now.  Back in the day, when we were talking about moving in together, my OCD self drew up a full contract.  Rules for living together - such as we'd always have separate bathrooms, I would always have at least a biweekly housecleaner - were in there, as were some future-type clauses, like the expectation of getting married.  I was never a big one for marriage, but I could see the benefits for two people who were not citizens of the same country, anticipating living in a third (which did indeed happen).

The only thing he added to the contract was that he wanted kids by the time he was 40.  If I was ambivalent about marriage, I was less so about kids.  I could definitely live my life without them, if I'd married someone who was so inclined.  Oh, sure, I re-read my favorite stories from childhood and have brief fantasies about sharing them with my children, that sort of thing.  But I have to admit, I see so many poor examples of children and parents these days, that the idea of it is somewhat off-putting.

Anyway, I agreed.  And here we are - he's 40, we're both in great permanent jobs, settled.  Time for the next generation, then.

We've always planned to adopt.  I have health issues - minor ones, but specifically related to NOT coming off birth control hormones - in addition to a general squicky feeling about how selfish it is to insist on birth children when we have the capability to care for others who need it.  It's not enough of a philosophy for me to be malevolent toward people who do get pregnant and go through the whole thing, just more of an idea that that's not for me.  Anyway, adoption is the thing we're trying first, rather than last.

We're comfortable, but not rich, so private is out.  We're going local, with all the benefits and downsides.  As of today, we've sent out emails requesting information packets to our local authorities.  And that's the very beginning, the first step.