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Everything You Need to Know About “Gotcha Day”
“Gotcha” is a word I have never liked for a few simple reasons – I don’t like the way it sounds coming out of my mouth AND I don’t like the way my mouth has to move in order to say it! The more I hear it or say it, the worse it gets. Have any of you ever had a word like that? I used to have a similar reaction to the word “scrumptious.” My Grandma always used the word “scrumptious” to describe every meal.. and it drove me crazy! Now that she has passed on, I don’t mind hearing it, because it makes me think of her. But…
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Pros and Cons of Open Adoption
If you are considering adoption, one of the first things that you will need to start thinking about is if you would like an open or a closed adoption. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept of an open vs. closed adoption, let me explain. In an open adoption, the adoptive parents and the birth parents have traded personal information and have the option of contacting one another. There are various degrees of openness. Emails, pictures, social media, texting, calling, and visits can all be factors that are included in openness. The birth and adoptive parents usually meet before the birth/placement of the baby. In a closed…
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Alexander’s Story – Part 1
Today is a big day at our house! Three months ago, our baby boy, Alexander, was placed into our arms. Because of the circumstances of his adoption, we had to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement with the attorney handling the adoption. One of the things that we were not allowed to do was post any pictures or words relating to the adoption or Alexander on any social media platform for three months. Which seems like no big deal, but it has been WAY harder than I thought it would! I mean come on! We just got a baby that we had been waiting for over 2 years! I wanted to shout it…
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A Brief History of Me
Photo by @samijo_loves_you Hi! I can’t wait to tell you about myself and my family! So, let’s jump right in. My name is Becky Larsen and I am the author of The Whispering Leaf. I am currently a stay at home mom with 2 amazing boys! Before we adopted them, I was a microbiologist. I have my Bachelor’s Degree in Microbiology with a Minor in Chemistry, and a Master’s Degree in Food Science with an emphasis in Food Microbiology – think food safety and probiotic development. I worked as a research scientist for many years before we were able to start a family. It was very rewarding and I…
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My Wishes
The past few years have been a crazy roller coaster ride – and somewhere along the way I began pondering about starting a blog…this blog. A place to share my life experiences on the amazing journey of adoption. I do this with two wishes in my heart, to connect and to help. I wasn’t sure how I wanted to approach this, but decided that I was going to speak to you all like you are already my close friends. Throughout our experience of infertility and adoption we kept everyone, even very close family members, at a distance. My goal is to talk to you the way I wish I would have…
