Determined to start a family, songbird Mariah Carey and hubby Nick Cannon have decided to adopt after several false alarms and more than a year of trying unsuccessfully to conceive.

The 40-year-old star is desperate to have a child with her 28-year-old spouse, a family friend spills in the Sept. 14 issue of GLOBE. In February, Mariah reportedly visited a Los Angeles fertility clinic without success. And just last month, the Grammy winner cancelled a string of appearances promoting the upcoming release of her album Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel amid rumors that she has been having trouble getting pregnant.

GLOBE writes: “One recent night, Mariah woke up sobbing to Nick that she was so sorry she couldn’t give him a baby. He was angel. He held her and promised they’d get through this together.”

Shattered by her pregnancy nightmare, Mariah has grudgingly agreed to adopt.

“She feels like she’s been hit by a truck. The bottom line is that she can’t handle the emotional trauma of any more false starts,” the insider adds.

“After seeing her dream of motherhood crumble, Mariah and Nick agreed to adopt,” says the source, who calls the decision bittersweet because Mariah had her heart set on having her own baby”

According to GLOBE, the couple is researching several adoption agencies in the U.S. and Africa in hopes of bringing home a baby girl by early next year.

“Nick told Mariah, ‘You’ll be a terrific mom. There are plenty of kids who need homes and we’ve got so much love to give. And who knows? Anything can happen. Maybe we’ll get lucky someday and have one of our own.”