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Everything You Should Include on Your Adoption Profile
Want to build the perfect adoption profile. I have compiled all the best tips advice for creating an amazing profile!
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Alexander’s Story- Part 3 : Finding his Birth Mom
Most of my personal stories that I share here have happened in the past, so it’s really fun for me to tell you about Alexander’s story because it is happening in the present! We have had a few developments in his story since the last post about his court finalization. As you know, we are BIG fans of open adoptions, and are thankful everyday for the relationship we have with Jonathan’s birth mom. She only lives a few hours away from us so it is easy to plan a few visits every year along with emailing and texting. Alexander’s birth mom lives in the Marshall Islands. We have never met…
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Jonathan’s Story – Part 1 : Meeting a Birth Mom for the First Time
I’m not sure which day I officially became a mom. Was it the day Jonathan was born? Was it the day his birth mom signed the adoption papers? Or was it the day Jeron and I brought our precious baby boy home? Which ever one it is, there was a long road that led up to that day. I had some health problems that resulted in a surgery that I almost didn’t survive, we went through a year of trying to get pregnant the “normal” way, followed by a year of infertility tests. But the story of how we became Jonathan’s parents begins with a phone call from the doctor,…
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Short History of World Adoption Day
Happy World Adoption Day everyone! As you know, adoption is something very near and dear to my heart. It is through adoption that Jeron and I were able to have children. And they are the best two boys ever! Not a day goes by that I don’t think about adoption and the blessing and miracle it has been in my life. So today we celebrate with everyone else in the world who has been touched by adoption. We adopted our first son in August 2014 and have celebrated World Adoption Day every year since then. So, I have always assumed that it was a well-known, well established, celebration that…
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Alexander’s Story – Part 2 – Adoption Finalization
Oh, Happy Day! On September 18, 2018 we went to court to finalize the adoption of Alexander! For reasons I can’t even explain, I was extremely nervous to appear in court and speak to the judge. I am pretty shy by nature, but I don’t remember being so nervous when we went for Jonathan’s finalization. But nervous or not, it was a beautiful experience and a beautiful day! We had so much support from family and friends. I am so grateful to each and every person who came with us. The judge even commented that he loved seeing so many family members present. That warmed my heart soooooo much! I…
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FAQ About Home Studies
If you have ever wondered about the process adoptive families go through in order to “be approved” for adoption you’ve come to the right place! I have other posts about home studies, but here I just wanted a simple list of questions and answers. I hope you find it helpful. Let’s just jump right in… What is a Home Study? In short, a home study is a report/document written by a case worker or social worker that says whether or not you can be a parent through adoption. A home study includes information about your family and marriage, your health, your finances, your home and neighborhood, your criminal history (hopefully…
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What You Need to Know About a Home Study
Wondering what a home study is? You are not alone! Adoption is wonderful and beautiful and NOT for the faint of heart. Once you’ve decided that you are going to adopt you are bombarded with information and choices and paperwork and course work. You will be asked to divulge your yearly income, your preference on gender and race for your future baby. You will have someone come to your home, inspect it, and question you and your ability to care for a child. That last part is what I want to focus on today. The ominous home study. What is a Home Study? Let’s start with the basics. In short,…
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Why I Named my Blog The Whispering Leaf
I often get asked why I named a blog about adoption The Whispering Leaf. So today I thought I would share some of my deepest feeling about adoption, and why I felt the name The Whispering Leaf was so perfect. But first let me ask you some questions. “Do you feel the need to whisper when talking about adoption?” and if so, “Why?” For us, it all began with the adoption of our first son, Jonathan. The minute people learned that we had adopted a baby, they wanted to share how adoption had touched their life. Some of these people I had known for a long time, while others were…
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Why We Chose an Open Adoption Plan
One of the first things Jeron and I talked about when first began our adoption journey was whether or not we would comfortable with an open adoption plan. Our first, and very uneducated, opinion was that we really hoped to have a closed adoption. We knew that open adoptions were becoming more popular (for a good reason) but didn’t know anyone who had personally experienced it. And we definitely didn’t understand it. The idea of having a relationship with the birth mom scared me to death! I didn’t want her to be hanging around and judging me. What if she thought I was a bad mom to her child? What…
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The Best Ideas for Celebrating Gotcha Day
I recently wrote a post titled, “Everything You Need to Know about Gotcha Day.” If you’ve read it, you know that after researching everything about Gotcha Day, I am still uncertain about whether or not I wanted to start celebrating it with our boys. To be totally honest, I really do love any reason to have a party. But especially since having kids join the family! It is just amazing + wonderful + heartwarming to see their faces light up for special occasions and festive events. I’m not above making up “holidays” to do something special and fun for/with my boys! You have all heard of “National go with your…
