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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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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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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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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…
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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…
