Adopting a family friend's baby

I'd probably take the risk, but I second Oceans' suggestion that you really give some thought to how involved you want the extended family to be in the relationship if everything works out. They may very well come around (our son's bgrandfather did, and in a pretty dramatic way) It's tempting to want to bring the opposition around by saying that the adoption can be really open and include them all, but do think about what that means for you on birthdays, holidays, etc. in the years to come. I'm not saying don't do it, just think about what the practical impact will be.