Dear Birthparents,
My name is Heidi and I would first like to thank you for reading our letters. It is our dream to raise a family. I hope this book will help you begin to get to know us and to see the love and laughter we wish to share with your child. We have been unable to conceive a child naturally and feel that we are meant to become adoptive parents. There aren’t enough words to tell you how much I admire you. You have chosen to make one of the hardest decisions a person could have to make. I know that Kevin and I could provide your baby with a life you would be proud of.
Kevin and I met 11 ½ years ago and have been married since 2003. Kevin is not only my husband but my best friend. I am truly a better person because of him. He is always my positive voice of reason and is there to make me smile and laugh. We have been through many stressful situations that have brought us closer together. He is very caring, warm and loving and will do anything to make me laugh. He is a big kid himself in so many ways and that is another thing I love about him. He is going to be a complete “hands on dad” and I know he will make the best dad ever. I have never seen him with a child who hasn’t instantly fallen in love with him. To say we are excited to start our family would be an understatement.
As a couple we have an amazing relationship with a strong sense of support, trust and communication. Our friends are always commenting on the great relationship Kevin and I have. We are truly blessed to have found each other. We both like to think we are hilarious, even though sometimes Kevin and I may be the only two people who think we are actually funny. (And we are okay with that). We can have the best time just spending time at home together cheering on our Green Bay Packers on game day. We also enjoy traveling to spend time with my family in Wisconsin. We especially love spending time at my parent’s cabin relaxing on the deck, swimming and riding the paddle boat around the lake. We also love having large family BBQ’s with Kevin’s family. Grandma Sharon is already looking forward to the first “Holiday Baking Extravaganza” as soon as our child is old enough to pick up a spoon.
We are already so blessed to have such a fulfilling life, but there is one thing that is still missing – a child to love and nurture. We have been practicing to be parents our whole lives and are more than ready to welcome a child into our hearts and our lives. Our families and friends are so excited to do the same. I can guarantee that your child will feel completely loved and cherished for life from not only Kevin and myself, but from all of their uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents and our close knit group of friends. Everyone is already lining up to offer their babysitting services and “shopping services” of scoping out cute baby clothes. We are blessed to have Kevin’s mom and stepdad and his dad and stepmom living very close to us. Between “Grandmas Days” and our employers being very willing to work with our schedules, our plan is to have them in daycare no more than two half days per week. My parents will also be visiting from Wisconsin even more often to spend time with our child. We are so lucky to have such a great support system.
If you choose us to be the parents of your child, I can promise you that he or she will be cared for and raised in a fun, loving and happy home, surrounded by loving parents and a very large extended family. I cannot imagine what it must be like to make this decision, but I want you to know that your child will have the best life you could possibly want him or her to have. I understand the importance of openness and will do everything in my power to ensure that your child will know all aspects of his or her life story. Through photos and letters and occasional visits, my hope is that your child will be raised knowing how special and how loved he or she truly is.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to look at our Family Book.
Sincerely,
Heidi
Dear Birthparents,
My wife Heidi and I are really looking forward to becoming parents. We want to thank you for taking the time to learn a little bit about us. I can’t begin to know how you are feeling while you are trying to make this difficult decision. Please know that what you are doing by making your adoption plan is fulfilling the dream of a couple to become parents.
My name is Kevin and I have known my wonderful wife for 11 ½ years. She is my best friend and we have been married for 8 ½ great years. Heidi is so full of love and compassion and I know that will make her a great mom to our child. Our single friends jokingly call her “Mother Hen” because she is always looking out for them and making sure they are well fed and taken care of. Heidi grew up in Northern Wisconsin with her parents and two younger brothers. Her parents instilled in her the values that I know have made her such a loving wife and will make her a wonderful mom, such as her kindness, caring and just being an all around sweet person. We always enjoy time with our nephews and are so lucky to have them living so close to us. Our seven year old nephew knows about the adoption and has been asking when he is going to have his new baby cousin. Our child will also have uncles and aunts around that are so excited to be able to do activities with them as they grow up. Needless to say, all of our loved ones are extremely excited for the new addition to our family.
We are both looking forward to taking day trips to the coast, Mt. Hood or heading down to my aunt’s house down on the river. Our child will be blessed with three wonderful sets of healthy and active grandparents. My mom and stepdad and also my dad and stepmom all live very close to us. Heidi’s parents live in Wisconsin but visit often and will definitely be here even more once we have a child. All of the grandparents have so many different things to share with them, everything from kayaking, knitting, playing with train sets, cooking, playing guitar and sharing their love of traveling. We are huge Green Bay Packer fans and I am excited to have “daddy time” with our child watching them play on Sundays. Both coming from Wisconsin, we are proud to call ourselves Cheeseheads! I also look forward to taking them trick-or-treating or just going to the park close to our house. Heidi is looking forward to cuddle time, bedtime stories and sharing her love of music with them. She loves to sing and dance in the privacy of our home. We are hoping they will get your rhythm or mine, as Heidi can’t dance.*We have two very spoiled and funny pets, our dog Chloe and our cat Cody. They are extremely loving and an important part of our family. They both love their belly rubs and cuddling with us.
As you explore our Family Book, you will see that we have a large and loving support system and we love spending time with them. Heidi and I will do everything in our power to make sure that your child has every opportunity to realize their potential and dreams. We hope to provide a happy environment for your child to feel all of the love and support that we felt growing up.
We would love to meet you and get to know you and your dreams for your child. We hope you will consider us to be the parents of your baby. Please know that we are true to our word and that we will strongly protect and love our child with all our hearts. We will honor our commitments to you in terms of mutually agreed upon openness, letters and photos. Your child will always know their adoption story and where they came from.
I just want to thank you for taking the time to look at our Family Book and get to know us a little better. This will probably be one of the hardest decisions you will ever have to make in your life and I just hope we can be part of it.
Sincerely,
Kevin
Dear Birthparent,
I admire and respect you so much for making the tough decisions you have made and placing the needs of your child ahead of your own. Recognizing you are not ready to parent at this time takes honesty, wisdom, and courage. I sincerely hope you find peace with your journey and this process.
Family life is a top priority for both Chris and I. We had discussed adoption even before we were married but were surprised when I became pregnant with our son Grant. We would love to expand our family but after years of emotionally and physically difficult infertility procedures and 4 miscarriages, it was determined that we could not have more children biologically. We returned to our original idea of adopting. Grant cannot wait to be a big brother and is already looking forward to playing with a younger sibling. Please be assured there would be absolutely no difference in our love for either of our children due to how they came to our family. Our extended family is also very excited and supportive of adopting and are anxious to welcome another member with open arms.
As background, Chris and I met over ten years ago when we both volunteered through the Junior Chamber of Commerce. We were friends for a couple of years before our attraction turned romantic. We both enjoy the outdoors so Chris proposed at a wetland complete with lots of wildlife and the dogs going for a swim in the stinky pond. We have been married for over six years and still enjoy going back to the same wetland. Other than being alumnae of rival Universities, we are amazingly compatible. We both come from close families where our parents were married 48 and 52 years before one of the spouses passed away. Both of these marriages demonstrated the love, respect, and commitment to each other that we want to pass on to our children. All of our siblings truly enjoy spending time together and it does not matter if we are celebrating holidays, playing a game, skiing or just having dinner.
From the pictures in this book, I hope you can see we are an active family who truly enjoys just being together. Some of our favorite activities are hiking, biking, horseback riding, boating, skiing, camping, fishing, wildlife watching, ball games and of course traveling. Since Chris is a commercial pilot, we have been able to travel fairly extensively both internationally and domestically. Chris’s schedule also allows him to be home more days than just weekends and he devotes his time to being an amazing father. I had a demanding career before I had Grant but gladly gave it up for my favorite job of being a Mom. Staying home with him has been more rewarding than I ever expected. We think it is important for at least one, if not both, parents to be available to attend school and sports functions.
Thank you for looking at our book. I hope it demonstrates the loving, happy life we have waiting for a child. We truly believe parenting is a privilege and an honor. We would be honored if you would consider us as parents for your child.
-Cyndi
Dear Birthparent,
I am glad you get to read this, thank you for taking the time. Being the father of a five-year-old boy is a rewarding, humbling, exhausting, amazing, learning experience for me. I know I am a better person because of our son. I have learned how to be patient, how to be organized (!), and how to see the wonder in everyday, ordinary things. He gives me a proper perspective on life, and as I watch him grow, I never thought I’d be blessed like this. I don’t take any of it for granted.
I am sure a lot of things are swirling around in your head right now. It was that way for us when we found out our child was on the way. When Cyndi first told me we were pregnant, my reaction was a happiness I had never known before — combined with, I’ll admit, an anticipation I don’t think I had ever known before, either. I guess that’s how most of us guys react to such news. I am also convinced that it was the right time in my life for me to become a dad. In that I feel lucky, since I know that not everyone is so fortunate. Sometimes things happen in life that you’re just not ready for, in one way or another. There’s nothing right or wrong with that, of course. It just happens that way sometimes.
I consider it an honor and a blessing to be a dad now. I know it is my most important job in life. There isn’t an hour when I don’t think of Grant and want the best for him. Yes, parenting is a full time job. If I had a quarter for every time I watched him discover something new, or just say “I love you, daddy”, I’d be pretty rich. It’s also true that if I had a quarter for every time my parenting missed the mark, I’d have some change, too. Being a dad is, at different times, incredibly rewarding, maddeningly frustrating, completely fulfilling, or just plain interesting. Or, usually, a big mix of all four. But you know what? I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I think a part of that conviction is because I was ready to assume the role of a dad.
Please know that your little one would be just as loved and cherished as Grant is now. He or she will be joining a big family and will be thoroughly surrounded by the attention from grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and so on. I never knew what it is like to have a big family until I married Cyndi. My family is scattered all over the globe on three continents, but hers is mostly all here in Oregon. As you can see from the pictures, there is a large amount of “fun-factor” that this group believes in exercising whenever possible. They all love to share, which is good, because we want that trait to be among those our children are raised with. Grant has been able to grow up with this from day one of his life; your child would have the same experience.
We applaud your willingness to make an adoption plan for your child at this time. I hope this family book, and the pictures in it, help you with your decision.
-Chris
Dear Birthparents,
I can only imagine what challenges and personal experiences have transpired in your life to bring you to read this. I can assure you without a doubt should you choose my husband and I to parent your child it will be done with honor and respect. My name is Theresa and the love of my life is Ed.
I was introduced to Ed by mutual friends over four years ago. It was time and patience that brought us together and our love followed shortly behind. Ed is an easy going guy, very honest, quite intelligent, and funnier than a rock. He is talented with a paint brush and canvas and handy with a hammer. He is my best friend and will be a wonderful loving father. We both have established a solid foundation of who we are as individuals and as a couple. We know where we want to grow as a couple and as a family. We are both adoptee’s and never questioned how we were going to build our family.
I was born in Denver and moved to Portland with my parents when I was two. I would say I am an Oregonian through and through. I was raised as an only child with two wonderfully caring and playful parents. My mother to this day is my best girlfriend and I continue to be daddy’s little girl. They are so excited to be having the grandchild they have been waiting for. I did have a couple of foster sisters for three years when I was young. I am easily entertained and to this day stay busy finding something to do. I love making jewelry, decorating cakes, cooking, taking photographs, and talking, talking, talking. I love people and keeping updated on everyone.
After a decade in finance I realized something was missing in my career. I quit my job and returned to college to become a nurse. I have never felt more gratification from working as I do now helping people feel better.
Both Ed and I have a very large support system of family and friends from both childhood and college. Because of the size of our families we will be vacationing all over the states for everyone to get to know their new family member. Together Ed and I love going out to restaurants, movies, hiking, walking our dogs at the park, and working out at our local gym. We love having friends and family for all holidays and for no reason at all. We like to take the RV to the beach and flying annually to his family’s vacation home in Cabo San Lucas. Our child will never be without a good time and wonderful experiences.
Ed and I have a wonderful church we attend and plan on raising our child with a Christian way of life. We believe strongly in education and will promote our child to explore and excel in their interests. I believe there should be no limits to a child’s imagination and desires.
Ed and I have had such a blessed life. I can only pray that you will let us continue having one through the grace of parenting your child. Should you choose an adoption plan I hope you will include us and offer us the opportunity to meet and grow to know you. We will raise our child knowing they are loved by two sets of families and will learn this through annual visits, letters and photos.
Thank you again for taking time to read my letter and looking at our family album. I hope to meet you soon.
Respectfully,
Theresa
Dear Birthparents,
My name is Ed and I’d like to tell you about Theresa and myself. Theresa and I met a little more than four years ago. We were set up on a blind date by mutual friends. We’ve been together ever since. We were married 2 years ago in a wonderful ceremony surrounded by our family and friends.
I grew up in Southern California and attended Oregon State University. After graduation I moved to Portland and have lived here ever since, 20 plus years. I’ve worked in the food industry for over 17 years and am currently a manager with a family owned food service distribution company. I enjoy rooting for the Beaver’s Football team every fall. I’m an amateur handyman and have done extensive remodeling of our home over the past ten years.
Family and friends form the foundation and support system of our life together. Our extended family and friends are so excited for us to adopt they just can’t wait. And, as both of us were adopted we have a unique perspective and understanding of how important it will be for our child to understand where he/she came from; and to have a real connection with his/her birth parents.
Theresa and I enjoy spending time together exploring and enjoying not only what the Portland area has to offer but the entire Northwest and beyond. We love traveling abroad and have many adventures planned for the future with our child.
I married Theresa because she posses all of the qualities I was looking for in a mate: hardworking, organized, caring, compassionate, smart, loving and nurturing. All qualities that I think will make her an excellent mother. Theresa became a Registered Nurse after making a mid-life career change putting herself through school on her own. I admire her for having the strength and courage to follow her dreams and achieve her goals.
We look forward to raising our child in a loving home surrounded by family and friends. Grandmas and Grandpas, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins can’t wait for a new addition to our family. Our friend’s children are looking forward to meeting their new playmate. Theresa and I live a Christian life and attend a community church. We plan on our child living and learning this belief system from infancy. Theresa and I can’t wait to make our family complete with our new child.*We will do our best to love and care for your child. We look forward to meeting you. Thank you for considering us.
Sincerely,
Ed
Dear Birthparents,
Our names are Justin and Carly. First and foremost, we would like to thank you for giving us and other couples the opportunity to do what we have dreamt of doing all of our lives, to parent. The decision you make whether to parent yourself or choose adoption is insurmountable and we admire your courage and desire to want what is best for yourself and your baby. Without you, people like ourselves would never be able to have a child of our own and for that we are eternally grateful. We know each family is unique, as are we, but what we do share with all parents-to-be is the love and compassion necessary for a healthy, happy baby and a loving family. Regardless of your decision with us, we think it is so noble that you would think about giving someone the gift of parenting.
We first met in 2004 while Justin’s band was on tour in Southern California. We had numerous mutual friends, since we both had interest in the same music scene, and we became best friends in a matter of no time. A couple of short years later, Carly moved from New York City to Portland in a cross country drive that we made together. Shortly after that move, we were both single at the same time for the first time, and we finally realized what most people around us had already figured out; that we were deeply in love with one another and that a relationship was inevitable. We started dating and fell deeply in love and soon our relationship included marriage. We got married on the waterfront in Portland, Oregon almost four years ago and continue to live in Portland close to Justin’s family. Our house includes our best pal Ambrose, an 11 year old pug with the best intentions but the worst snoring we have ever heard from a four legged friend.
Two years into our marriage we eagerly started trying to have a biological child. Quickly, Carly got pregnant and just as quickly, she lost the pregnancy. Eight miscarriages and no answers later, we were at a loss. No Dr. was able to explain why this was happening to us and every test we took came back inconclusive. Due to the overwhelming emotions and disappointment that came with every pregnancy, we decided to stop trying to on our own and chose adoption. Justin soon got a vasectomy to ensure that Carly wouldn’t have to go through any more physical trauma, since she was getting pregnant so easily. Soon we decided on adoption knowing it was the right path for us to take. The journey to get to this point has been hard and heartbreaking but also eye opening. Through the hard times we came out with a love and understanding for each other that many couples never reach. Now we are able to stop grieving the past and are ready to move forward with a bright, positive and exciting future knowing that a child is out there for us.
Justin’s thoughts about Carly: Carly is the greatest person that I’ve ever met throughout my life, and I feel very lucky that we were able to become such close friends before we ever even started dating. She’s caring, smart and extremely passionate. I know that any child coming into our home will be very fortunate to have Carly as a mother. They will certainly be fed well too. Carly is an amazing cook (soon to be published!), and I have never eaten as well as I have during our time together.
Carly’s thoughts about Justin: Justin is an amazingly loyal, intelligent and selfless person. He always puts the people he loves before himself. His parents have been in a happy marriage for over 30 years now and that has been a great tool for him to grow up loving, respectful of others and compassionate. When I see him with our two year old Niece, I can see just how great of a father he will be one day.
We are both very close with our families and because of that we know how important relationships can be. We hope that a respectful, open relationship can be established and maintained over the course of the child’s life by utilizing a few visits a year, and keeping an open dialogue through emails and pictures. Such openness should be beneficial for everyone, but especially the child. We both eagerly want to welcome a child into our home and be the kind of loving parents that we were both blessed to grow up with. We have passions for music, food and far more that we would love to share with a child as they grow up.
We wish you the best in your decision and while we will never know what you are going through, we want you to know that we are grateful for people like you and your willingness to consider adoption. Without people like you we might never have a reason to buy that little play kitchen or child sized baseball glove, but more importantly we would not have a family of our own to love eternally.
Sincerely,
Justin and Carly
Dear Birthparents,
Hello, my name is Jessica and with my husband Wyatt we would like to give you a glimpse into our life and family.
Wyatt and I have been married for 6 years and together for 9 years. We met through a mutual friend and instantly hit it off. Wyatt is the man I had always dreamed of marrying. He is an excellent husband, father and provider. I know I can always count on him for anything. He is a very likeable, outgoing person and he makes me laugh everyday. We have a lot of fun together and no matter what it is we are doing my favorite place to be is with him. I respect him immensely and love him with all my heart.
Wyatt has two sons from a previous marriage, Jesse 17 and Jeremiah 15. They are great boys who I love like they are my biological children. They brought and still bring so much joy to our home. They lived with us for quite a few years but decided they wanted to live in the big city with their mom. I miss them every day and we always tell them we want them to move back with us but the big city calls to them. Though they live four hours away, we still see them as much as we can including holidays.
When I was 15, I found out I could not carry a baby. Being a mom has always been a dream of mine, so for quite a while I have known the only way I could become a mother was by way of adoption. Though I am a step mom and love that role, I am excited to be able to experience the other side of motherhood.
I am a dental assistant and have been for 12 years. I really enjoy working with people. There are three dentists in my office and one of them adopted his two daughters, so I have a lot of support. My schedule is very flexible, there are 5 other dental assistants that will help me out and work for me if need be. We are like one big family in my office, we all get along great!
I am excited to share the holiday traditions that my parents shared with my siblings and I and that we kept alive with Jesse and Jeremiah up until they moved. Such as coloring Easter eggs and hiding/finding them, picking out pumpkins at the pumpkin patch and carving them, making Christmas cookies for Santa, and making a big deal about birthdays with a special dinner and cake. Wyatt and I still do these things but we are excited to share them with someone again!
We enjoy family time no matter what we are doing from watching a movie, to playing board games, to going and doing stuff outdoors. All of my family live within 10 miles of us and we see them often. We are all close and they are all excited to welcome a new family member!
We have a lot of love to give and we are so excited to add to our family. Jesse and Jeremiah are excited to have another sibling as well! We have waited a long time to bring another child into our lives and we know now is the right time. I cannot imagine the love and courage you have to make an adoption plan for your baby and I want to tell you I respect you very much for your decision.
I hope you feel like you have gotten to know us a little better. Thank you for considering us as a family for your child. I wish you the best in your decision and in your future.
Sincerely,
Jessica
Dear Birthparents,
My name is Wyatt and my wife’s name is Jessica. We want to give you a look into our lives.
Here is a little information about me and our family. I am a union journeyman electrician foreman. I have worked at my job for 12 years now and I love it! Being an electrician presents many challenges and also many great rewards. For several years now I have become the hospital and medical building guy. I have got to install many different new technologies and I get to see and understand a lot of different types of machines. It is a pretty awesome feeling knowing that a new MRI or Cat scan machine will help save peoples lives. My job is also flexible so that I can attend school functions and events. In my spare time I enjoy many outdoor activities like hiking, camping, rock hounding, golf and just hanging out with my family. I also like to spend time indoors by the fireplace, playing the Wii or watching movies.
The past nine years with Jessica in my life have by far been the happiest. I love Jessica so much and I know that she is my soul mate. We laugh together a lot we both enjoy joking around with each other. She is so down to earth and fun. I love to spend time with her it does not matter what we are doing. Since we met our all time favorite place to be is at the coast. We don’t care if it is raining or sunny, we just love to go there. Because of Jessica’s ability to save money we have been able to go on fun vacations to places like Hawaii and Sea world. We also were able to buy our dream house. I know that Jessica will make an excellent mom, she has taken classes and done research on child development and care for years now. She has also been a great mom to the boys, she has helped take care of them since Jesse was 8 and Jeremiah was 6. I have to let you know that Jessica is an awesome cook. I love everything she makes.
Mine and my wife’s parents both live in the same town as does almost all of both sides of our families. My parents love and enjoy the boys very much. I am an only child and so the boys are my parent’s only grandkids and they want nothing more than to be able to have a grand daughter.
Now I will tell you about my awesome kids. Jesse is just like me, especially when I was his age. He is now 17 and is a senior in high school. He enjoys hanging out with friends, listening to music, and he is getting ready to make the big decision of what to major in college. Jeremiah is a very active 15 year old and has more energy than most people. He loves to ride his skateboard ( I taught him every thing he knows ha, ha) just like I did for most of my life. He enjoys listening to music and updating his Facebook account. A couple of years ago, Jesse decided to move up north to the big city and live with his mom and Jeremiah followed the next year. This has been very hard on Jessica and I because we love them both very, very much and they were such a big part of our lives. We do visit them every chance we get and they come stay at our house on all of their breaks and vacations.
Our entire family on both sides are so ready and excited for us and we have a huge amount of support in our decision to adopt. This has been a very happy and emotional time in our lives. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for looking at our book.
Thank you,
Wyatt
Dear Birthparent,
My name is Rachelle and I wanted to thank you for considering us as adoptive parents and looking at our family book. I very much admire your strength and courage in making this very difficult choice for yourself and your child. On behalf of myself and my family, I want you to know that you will always be honored and respected as the person who allowed us the chance to become parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. The chance of becoming a parent fills my heart with excitement and hope. I look forward to the days ahead of laughing, growing, and sharing all of the ups and downs that life has to offer with a child thanks to your selfless gift. I just want you to know that your baby will be very much loved unconditionally and cherished in our home.
I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area to immigrant parents who moved to the United States from France and Israel in order to get a better education and live the “American Dream”. I have one younger sister and growing up our family would always travel overseas to visit relatives or explore new places. My sister, parents, and I are very close where we visit each other as often as possible. My family is a loud, active bunch of people who all love to live life to the fullest. My parents taught me that perseverance, resiliency, and humor can get you through almost anything in life as long as you have loving people by your side. This is why when I met Dan, I knew that I had found someone to love and build a family with since he has all of these traits.
I met Dan through an online dating site. I figured that since I am a great online shopper, I might have better luck online finding someone to share my life with. Dan and I went out on a few dates and the fact that he loved my family and friends made me just fall in love with him. Dan and I wanted children right away and after two years of infertility treatments, we decided to move forward with adoption. Dan and I love to hike, travel, visit with friends, go camping, cook, and just hang out at home watching movies. We have two amazing dogs Olive and Nelley who are spoiled rotten and go everywhere with us. They love kids and play with my nephews whenever they are visiting.
Dan was made to be a dad. He is the most dependable, loving, and helpful person that I’ve ever met. Dan loves to spend time with his family. He is very protective of the people that he loves, always looking out for the welfare of others. I think that not having children to share experiences with has been hard for my husband. I know that his life will never be complete without having a child to cheer on through life. Being the huge Baltimore Raven’s football fan that he is, I can see Dan taking his child to football games and coaching whatever sport our child chooses to play. Even just sitting on the couch Sunday’s watching the games with his son or daughter will be a perfect day in his eyes. Dan’s calm nature will help our child learn patience and levelheadedness. His humor and love will give our child the sense of confidence to overcome any obstacle that comes their way.
Thank you again for taking the time to read my letter and look through our family book. I wish you the best on this difficult journey and hope that you find peace in whatever your final choice may be.
Respectfully,
Rachelle
Dear Birthparent(s),
Hello, my name is Dan and I would like to thank you for considering us to be the adoptive parents of your child. I know your decision to choose adoption must have been tough to make and I totally respect and admire you for it. Without birthparents like you, my wife and I would not be able to have the family we so want. You will be giving whomever you choose to parent your child the greatest gift one could ever wish for. I hope you enjoy our picture book and our story.
I grew up in the Washington, DC area with my mom and dad and our extended family (I am an only child). Holidays were very important to us and called for big celebrations with family and friends. I have many great memories from my childhood. Most of them involve family activities such as summer vacations at the beach, playing games at home, going out to dinner, going to sporting events, spending time with our friends, or just being silly and laughing about nothing in particular. I am looking forward to creating new memories with my child, wife, and family that hopefully will be cherished the same way I cherish my childhood memories.
My mother and I are really close even though she still lives on the east coast. She is so excited about having her first grandchild, she is pinging off the walls already. She will come to Oregon as often as possible to visit and we usually go back east a couple of times per year as well. Recently she asked me what Skype was and at 72 years old she is looking into technology so she can be close from far away. Unfortunately when I was 11 my father passed away. He was the best dad a child could ever wish for. If I am only half as good as he was, I will be an incredible father (I am an overachiever though so just half as good is not acceptable). I know I will make him proud.
I moved west a few years after college and spent three years in Denver getting to know my cousins and family there before ending up in Oregon 7 years ago. About 5 years ago I met the woman of my dreams, Rachelle, and married her 2 years ago. We share similar upbringings, values, and the importance of family is what bonds us together. She completes me. I feel that our relationship is built on trust, unconditional love, and great communication. We are both very upfront and to the point and work out any issues instead of letting them fester and grow.
Once we were married we immediately tried to conceive a child, but infertility issues have prevented that from happening. After 2 years we decided that adoption would be the best way for us to have a child and grow our family. We both have cousins that are adopted (5 total) so you might say that adoption runs in our family. Birthparent involvement is important to us. We want the best for our child and feel it is important that they know their life story. We are open to a couple of visits per year as well as sending letters and pictures.
We are both equally excited to have children. Rachelle is great with children. She works with foster and adoptive kids in the community and especially likes working with teenagers. She is loving, caring, and nurturing to our nephews and friends children. She loves to play with them and read to them, they adore her. Recently our nephew Aidan said he wished he lived closer to us so he could come see his Aunt Shell every day. She spoils me a lot and I am sure she will spoil our children in her special way too. I am especially looking forward to watching our children grow up and have their first experiences in life. We will encourage them to succeed in whatever they want to do and fully support them in reaching their goals. Education is really important to us and we will financially support them thru college, if that is the path they choose.
We can’t wait to share our interests with our children. We enjoy camping, traveling, playing golf, hiking, taking the dogs to the coast and playing games. Hopefully they will teach us to enjoy new things in life too.
Thanks again for taking the time to get to know us a little bit and if we are a good match we hope to speak to you soon.
Respectfully,
Dan
Dear Birthparents,
My name is Kim and I would first like to thank you for taking the time to read a little about our family. Chris and I are honored that you are considering us as adoptive parents for your child. We realize how important it is to make sure that your child grows up in a home that most closely resembles how you would want him or her raised and respects your role as the birthparent. We hope that your glimpse into our life helps you to determine if we are the right family for your child.
Chris and I have been married for five years. We met in college eight years ago in Eastern Washington and have been inseparable ever since. After a year of dating, we got engaged and were married after graduation in July of 2006. We have a strong marriage that is based on love, trust, honesty and good communication skills. I am an Assistant Manager at a family owned Veterinary hospital and Chris is an Assistant Manager in the building industry. We both love our jobs, but do not live for them. Raising a child has always been the most important part of our life plan. We highly value education and will make sure that our child has the opportunity to attend the college of their choice.
We knew from the start of our relationship that we wanted to be parents, but did not know how we would be creating our family. Chris and I have struggled with infertility and after 4 years of extensive fertility treatments, we were informed that in-vitro fertilization was not likely to be successful. We have decided the best way to realize our dream of parenthood is through adoption. We cannot wait to share our lives with a child.
I am excited to take our child to museums, the zoo, the Oregon coast, camping and fishing, but most of all; I look forward to the every day life with a child. I am looking forward to bedtime stories, helping with homework, attending his/her extracurricular activities, doing arts and crafts, celebrating birthdays and holidays, baking cookies and other goodies, and gardening with our child. Chris and I are open to cultural diversity. We plan to teach our child about other cultures and help him or her to understand and embrace cultural differences.
Chris is going to be an amazing dad. He will be extremely active in our child’s life. He loves going to the gym, playing and watching sports, martial arts, camping, fishing, clam digging, and trips to the coast. He is a wonderful husband who always finds a way to make me smile. Chris is a great support; he is always strong and has a great attitude toward life. He enjoys playing with our nephews and niece and is great with our friend’s children. Chris will encourage our child to find whatever sport or hobby he/she enjoys and will be a great cheerleader for him/her.
Our pets are a very important part of our family. We have a black lab mix named Jasmine and 2 cats named Jewel and Ryo. Jasmine loves everyone she meets and is great with kids. I can’t wait to be able to take her for walks and to the park with our child. Chris and I enjoy playing ball with her in our back yard, Chris actually made up a game of “doggie football” that she loves. Our cats enjoy playing with us and Jasmine, they love to cuddle up to us at night and when we are watching TV on a rainy day.
We live in a small rural community close to the city with a great school system and lots of room for our child to play. There is a nice park with playground equipment and a baseball field within walking distance of our house and the river is only 10 minutes away. We look forward to making many memories there with our family.
We want our child to be proud of the fact they are adopted and know where he/she came from. We want our child to know that he/she is loved not only by us, but also by their birthparents. We look forward to an open relationship with you. Thank you for taking the time to read about our family. I hope to meet you soon.
Sincerely,
Kim
Dear Birthparents,
My name is Chris and I want to start by letting you know how much I appreciate you taking the time to get to know us a little better. We realize that the decision you are about to make is going to impact many lives forever, and should not be taken lightly.
I grew up in Eastern Washington and moved to Western Washington when I was about 10 years old. I have always enjoyed many outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, camping, motorcycle riding, football, baseball, basketball, and going to the beach. Before I went to college I worked as a union laborer for 3 years. I realized that I wanted to do something different with my life, so I started college when I was 21 years old. I studied Finance and Economics and graduated Magna Cum Laude in both degrees. However, the most important thing that happened in college was meeting my wonderful wife. Some of the best memories I have of college were just relaxing with Kim watching TV in the evenings and studying by the lake on warm summer days.
Kim is an extraordinary person. She is very caring, thoughtful, and loving. She always thinks about others before herself and is extremely nurturing. She loves children and enjoys spending time with our nephews and niece as well as her friend’s daughter. She enjoys many of the same outdoor activities that I do, especially camping and going to the beach. She is going to be a wonderful mother. I can’t wait to see her holding our baby for the first time. Kim graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology and still enjoys studying about other cultures in her spare time. She is currently employed at a veterinary hospital and really enjoys her job because she has such a deep love for animals. She knows that her work really matters because she gets to help many animals everyday.
We have been trying to have a baby for four years now, with no success. After extensive fertility treatments by multiple specialists, we realized that our fertility problems would prevent us from having a biological child. It was a very difficult time in our lives, but we saw hope in adoption. We have wanted to become parents for a long time, and are excited that we will have the opportunity to do this through adoption. We can’t wait to welcome a baby into our home. We plan to introduce our child to many different activities and allow him/her to discover what he/she likes to do; we will support our child in whatever he/she chooses. Becoming parents would be the ultimate dream for us.
As Kim mentioned, our pets are a very important part of our family. Our dog Jasmine loves everyone and is very playful. We enjoy playing ball with her in our backyard and taking her for walks around the neighborhood. We also have 2 cats, Jewel and Ryo Ohki. Jewel is really sweet and shy, while Ryo Ohki is very playful and mischievous. There is never a dull moment in our house.
I am very happy that you have taken the time to learn more about us and hope to meet you in person soon. If you choose our family, be assured that we will honor any openness agreement that is mutually decided upon.
Sincerely,
Chris
Dear Birthparents
We admire your courageous decision to share your baby with someone you do not yet know. We cannot imagine how tough this decision must be for you. During this time, we would like to provide you with an honest look into our lives.
Our History: We grew up in the southern tip of South Africa. We met at college and instantly connected and fell in love. We are people-oriented. We are focused to help, support and treat everyone with respect and dignity and celebrate diversity. These mutual values are what sparked our initial attraction. During the following years our relationship grew and now we’ve been married for fifteen amazing and adventurous years. We’ve developed a deep love, loyalty and respect for each other and have a very strong relationship. While living in South Africa we both worked for extended periods doing training and recruitment (Erica) and helping growers develop alternative solutions to protect their crops (Vaughn).
During 2003 our lives took an adventurous turn, Vaughn got a visiting research position in the US while still working in South Africa. We immediately fell in love with everything the USA has to offer and represents. During this time Vaughn got an opportunity to work in the USA. Oregon has been our home for over six years. We live in a beautiful neighborhood in a city not too far from Portland.
What Vaughn says about Erica: Her loving, warm and sparkling personality is magnetic. She always has time to connect with friends and loves to entertain at home and prepares tasty and exotic meals that we have discovered during our travels over the past years. She is a nurturing, caring and patient person who has lots of energy and is a can-do practical person who can fix things in and around our house such as paint jobs. She loves to exercise in her free time. I believe that these attributes will make her a great mother, in fact, many people tell me they think she would be a great mom.
What Erica says about Vaughn: Vaughn is a very warm-hearted people person. He makes time for all people and has an adventurous and fun spirit who sees the humor in things. He is very energetic and enjoys playing games with his nephews. What I love about Vaughn is that he is a dependable and optimistic person who always sees the good in people.*What we do: We both value education. Vaughn works as a professor and his goals are educating farmers and students to implement pest management. Erica is a human resource specialist who worked for a large retail clothing company. Her focus areas are recruitment, training and development of staff members and managers. She did career guidance and counseling and loved it to develop the potential in people. Erica plans on staying home full time with our children.
Our home is a special place with enough room for a family. We live in a lively neighborhood close to large parks where it is easy to walk and bike.
We find joy in simple activities. We love spending time with our family and friends in our home. We frequently take our labradoodle Yogi for walks and enjoy going to coffee shops, bookstores and movies. Yogi reminds us of a cuddly bear and we could not resist giving him his name. In some ways we are also both bookworms. Sometimes we will spend a lot of time reading and cannot wait to share our new discoveries with each other. During winter we realized, Oregon is the perfect place to read. When at home, Erica loves cooking and helping Vaughn with landscaping and other new projects. We both have an active lifestyle and savor spending time outdoors, including biking, hiking, skiing and camping.
We enjoy traveling; we have visited multiple countries in the last few years for pleasure, work and family visits. We love spending time with our extended families and visit them often. We get together for holidays and vacations. Our parents live in South Africa. Vaughn’s parents live in a picturesque town, Montagu approximately two hours north of Cape Town and Erica’s mom lives in the wine lands close to the college town where we both studied. Vaughn’s two sisters and their husbands both live in South Africa, between them, they have two daughters and a son. Erica’s brother and his wife have two sons and they live in Brisbane Australia. We love spending time with our nephews and nieces and we stay in touch by phone calls, Skype, e-mails and texting.
Our values. We believe that we should treat each other and all people with respect and dignity and accept and celebrate differences in people. These values and our daily actions are shaped by our Christian faith.
Why we want to adopt: Our longing to have children has always been there, we want to open our hearts and our home to a baby as part of our family. We always wanted to have children but could not find a medical explanation why we could not have biological children.
We believe that we will be able to provide, nurture and love a new member/s in our family. We ideally would like to have an open adoption with regular contact, but respect your desire regarding this aspect of a future relationship.
We both have a deep desire to nurture and take care of a growing family. We were fortunate to both have wonderful parents who raised us. It is time to share these gifts by expanding our family. We hope that as we share our love with them, that our children will become productive, thoughtful, creative, caring and fun loving adults.
Our prayers and thoughts are with you as you consider your options.
Erica and Vaughn
Dear Birthparent(s),
The first thing I want to say is thank you. You and I both have reasons why adoption has become a part of our lives, and I hope to share mine and my husband’s story with you through this letter and our family book.
My name is Jenifer and I am in my early thirties. I always thought I would have children before my thirties, but things haven’t worked out that way. I met my husband, Chuck, when I was 28. We were married 15 months after meeting and started trying to have kids immediately. After almost 3 years of trying naturally and with medical help, we have chosen to complete our family through adoption.
Chuck and I both have very tight knit families that want nothing more than to share their love with a child. Our parents have shown us what it is like to take your wedding vows seriously and are both still happily married. My parents will be celebrating 40 years at the beginning of 2012 and Chuck’s parents will celebrate 34 years. I know Chuck and I are just as committed and will provide a happy life for your child. Our child will be the first born grandchild for both of our parents and they can’t wait to meet him or her. We have already been given toys and handmade baby blankets from both families. This child already has all four grandparents, and us, wrapped around its finger and it isn’t even here yet!
I know in my heart that not only will our child have a great set of grandparents, but it will have an even better set of parents. I can’t wait to be a mom, but I really can’t wait for Chuck to be a dad. When you get past the exterior of tattoos he really is a gentle giant. Chuck loves to laugh and have a good time. You would think from his background in the Marine Corps that he would be stern and cold. He is far from it. Chuck is very kind and compassionate. He thanks me almost every day for “being so good to him” and tells me “I love you” at least 30 times a day. Chuck is the husband I always dreamed of having, and will be the best dad a child could ask for. He is my best friend and I hope someday our son or daughter will feel the same.
After 10 years of working for the same company I recently left my job to stay at home. I hope to be a stay at home mom when the child is young and have it in daycare as little as possible. Now that my schedule is free I am able to do more of the things I love. I recently got into photography and am still learning. I hope our child doesn’t get too mad with mom running behind holding a camera all of the time! Photography is a perfect subject because we love to do all kinds of outdoor activities. Camping with family is the one activity we love more than anything. We have a travel trailer to stay in, so we camp all year long. Even in the snow! Anything that has to do with the outdoors, family, or animals I am up for it. My fondest memories as a child were camping in the sand dunes, getting dirty, and sitting by the campfire with my parents, sister, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I hope to share these memories with our child and create new memories of their own.
I also have a close group of girlfriends that get together monthly for coffee and can’t wait for the day a baby joins us. They have been battling infertility as well, so I hope our adoption story will inspire them to consider adoption in their future plans. I am excited to be on this journey, and share it with everyone I know. If it weren’t for people like you, Chuck and I may never become the parents we have always dreamed of being. I have nothing but respect for you and would like to have several picture and letter updates as the child grows and periodic in person meetings.
Thank you again for taking the time to look into our life and consider us as parents for your child.
Jenifer
Dear Birthparents,
My name is Chuck and the reason I am writing you this letter is to tell you thank you for taking the time to look at our adoption book. The process you are considering is a tough decision to make, and I believe that after seeing our book, you will believe that Jenifer and I are an excellent couple to choose in adopting your child.
Jenifer and I are choosing adoption because of fertility issues and we would love to complete our family with a child. We have gone through artificial insemination with no luck, and three grueling in-vitro fertilization sessions. After seeing the physical and emotional pains that Jenifer went through during these processes, I came to the conclusion that I will never ask her to endure these treatments again. Jenifer means too much to me to see her be as uncomfortable and miserable as she was during these times.
I had a great childhood growing up; enjoying activities such as camping/fishing/hunting with my Grandpa, playing sports, playing family card games and joking around whenever we could. Even though I was an only child, I spent numerous hours playing with cousins and friends from school. I can remember summers where it seems I spent all of my time outdoors getting dirty and having fun. I later carried on the tradition of being physically active by playing high school sports such as Football, Baseball and I was the captain of my Wrestling team during my senior year. Another tradition I chose to carry on was the family tradition of military service. I have had family members in every branch of the military, and I chose to serve with the United States Marine Corps as a Military Policeman.
Many years after leaving the Marine Corps, I met Jenifer; shortly after meeting her I decided that I wanted to marry her. After about 6 months of dating, I asked her to marry me on a cold December morning in a park near my Grandma’s home. We were both shaking when I asked, and to this day I don’t know if it was because of how cold it was or just my nerves. Even though this was 3 ½ years ago, I make sure to thank her almost every day for saying, “Yes!” Jenifer is a very strong woman with a very close family who I love and enjoy. I am proud of the fact that Jenifer’s parents and my parents are still happily married, and that we all like to get together for fun and good laughs.
About 5 or 6 months before we were married, Jenifer and I bought a home. We have done numerous projects around the home, to include building a retaining wall and raising the elevation of the front yard a little over a foot, remodeling the kitchen, remodeling the bathroom, knocking out a wall to make our family room larger and more inviting and removing some trees to prevent damage to our home. I haven’t had very much experience with these kinds of tasks prior to meeting Jenifer but with her dad and my dad assisting, they have been a lot of fun!
Jenifer and I enjoy many outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, fishing, outdoor photography and exploring the wilderness. On most of our outdoor adventures, our dog Magnum is right there with us enjoying the fresh air. While we are at home we also enjoy time with our three cats (Chevy, Willy and Malibu). Jenifer and I also love animals, and can’t wait to share these experiences with our child.
With her background in childcare, Jenifer is going to make a fantastic mother! She is a very loving and caring person who loves to be active and loves animals. As a child, Jenifer had dogs, a few cats, a couple of ducks and a potbellied pig. She also enjoyed playing outside and getting dirty. Every time we talk about children, Jenifer gets a little twinkle in her eye and I can tell the wheels are spinning with fun activities and laughter. I can’t wait until days like Mother’s Day when my child and I get to wake her up with breakfast in bed! I better start now learning how to make scrambled eggs and how not to burn the toast!
If you choose us to be the parents of your child, I can promise you that he or she will be cared for and raised in a fun, loving and happy home. As I stated before, I know this must be a very hard decision for you to make, but I want you to know that your child will have the best life you could possibly want him or her to have. This decision you are making is very honorable and once again, Thank You so very much!
We look forward to meeting you soon,
Chuck
Hello,
We wanted to start this letter out by sharing with you one of the songs that has touched our lives and spoken to us when we were looking to find answers about where we are in this moment in time. Found in the lyrics from a song by Rascal Flatts called “Bless the Broken Road” - Every long lost dream has led me to where you are, others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars, pointing me on my way into your loving arms, this much I know is true, that God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you.
The lyrics from this song say so much about every road we take in life. We have so many trials and uncertain paths, and sometimes we have to have faith and go through uncertainty to find the answers we have been looking for and to ultimately fulfill our destinies. Today you are faced with finding a family that will raise your child in a loving home, that will honor you as a birthparent and will always nurture and encourage the dreams and aspirations of this beautiful child.
A little about us: Brad was born and raised in Montana for all of his childhood. He was born into a large family with 6 brothers. Following his graduation from college, he moved to Portland, Oregon. He currently is working as a Sr. Business Analyst for a large energy company, where he as been for the past 4 years. Brad is young at heart and loves to laugh, but is very responsible and dependable. Brad most enjoys spending quality time with Matt and seeing his large family several times a year. Quiet nights in, playing board-games, watching a movie, or just talking are favorite ways to spend his evenings. To him, there’s no better time than the holidays, as the whole family comes together to laugh, eat, catch-up on the latest happenings, and reminisce about past activities. Brad has a big heart and is very compassionate and concerned for others, even trying for days to find a home for a lost cat in our neighborhood. Brad’s careful consideration and planning provide a perfect balance to Matt’s spontaneity and confidence.
Matt has lived in Portland, Oregon since birth. Matt has one biological brother who lives in Oregon City with his family of 5. Matt has been in the telecommunications industry for over 10 years, where he currently is a manager and helps people connect to those who matter the most to them. Matt truly has a generous and loving spirit that radiates happiness and joy. The moment he walks into a room, people naturally gravitate towards him and enjoy being in his company. His optimism, humor, and kindness endear him to his many friends and family. Being around Matt, you can’t help but smile! Fortunately, Matt is able to use these wonderful qualities across all aspects of life including with his career. He is able to effectively coach, train, and mentor his employees, providing encouragement, support and a strong sense of camaraderie. Luckily, our flexible schedules, the ability to work from home ensure that we are able to give as much attention, care and love to a child as possible.
Some of the great things we do during the summer are going camping, hiking, and biking. We go to California and Montana during the summer. In the fall, we take walks with Bella (our dog) or take a bike ride around the neighborhoods watching the leaves change color, take pictures, and get ready for pumpkin carving and Thanksgiving at our house. During the winter we tend to stay near our home, enjoying snow days, the warmth of our fireplace, and reading books. Of course, there is the holiday time where the tree goes up, dressing the house in lights and decorations, and seeing family. In the spring, we enjoy returning to our back yard deck for barbeques.
Through open adoption, it is important to us that the child know their birthparents throughout their life. The more people who can love this child and positively shape his or her future, the better! A common thread that we all share in this journey, is that we want the absolute best for this child and are willing to put his or her needs above all else. For that we are so grateful for your selfless and noble consideration. We welcome the opportunity to continue on this journey along this road together with you.
Sincerely,
Matt and Brad
Dear Birthparent:
My name is Annabelle and I want to thank you for reading our letters and considering our family for your child. I am deeply touched that you have made the decision, which I can only imagine must have been very difficult, to bring a child into this world and give someone the gift of parenthood.
I grew up as the youngest of three children in a loving and supportive home in South Africa and moved to the United States to attend graduate school. When I met John, I was immediately attracted to his sense of humor and as I got to know him better, I fell deeply in love with this honorable, loving and faithful man. We were married 13 years ago, moved to Colorado for a few years, and have been living in the Portland area for the past seven years.
After it became clear that we would not be able to conceive, we decided to build our family through adoption. I like the fact that, through an open adoption, our children will have the opportunity to know their biological roots and heritage, and that you as birthparent(s) will have the benefit of knowing that they are well cared for. We had the wonderful experience of adopting our daughter, Hannah Marie, into our family four years ago. She has brought so much joy! Hannah Marie’s birthmom preferred a more closed adoption, but we were able to meet with her once and we are open to more visits if she requests them. As parents we are committed to providing a loving and secure environment for our children to grow, learn and explore.
We were both raised in Christian homes and our faith forms the foundation of our marriage and our daily lives. We are part of a large, multi-cultural church with outreach activities in our local community as well as in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. We met many of our closest friends at church. We value our relationships with friends and family and we love hosting them at our home for dinner or a BBQ in the summer. We don’t watch much TV, but we enjoy board games and movies, especially action or drama.
We enjoy being active and exploring the outdoors. I love to hike, swim and bike and took up running about ten years ago so that I could do triathlons. In the winter I enjoy cross country ski trips, and I prefer ungroomed trails where I can experience the natural beauty and stillness of a snow covered landscape. I am an avid reader and hope to pass on my love of reading and learning to my children, as well as an appreciation for music. I have been playing the piano since I was six years old and I love to play with Hannah. Finally, I also like to travel and explore new places.
John also enjoys outdoor activities like hiking and biking and while he prefers summer activities, he goes on snow trips with me since I enjoy it so much. He is not much of a reader, other than the newspaper, since he likes to stay up to date on the news. He enjoys working with his hands, which is great for me since he can make or fix just about anything. He is an introvert, so seems somewhat serious when you first meet him, but once he gets to know people, he loves to joke around with them. He is very dependable and faithful and he takes his commitments very seriously.
Hannah Marie is a sweet little girl. Her favorite activites are dancing, playing at parks, drawing and being read to. She attends preschool a couple of mornings a week, a weekly music class and we rotate through gymnastics, dancing, soccer and basketball classes. She is very excited about becoming a “big sister.”
Thank you for reading my letter. I am very excited about the prospect of welcoming another child into our home.
Sincerely,
Annabelle
Dear birthparent,
My name is John and I admire you for making what must be a very difficult decision. Thank you for taking the time to read our letters. Annabelle and I look forward to welcoming another child into our family. Our desire is that, as they see our love and commitment to each other as well as to them, it will provide a safe and stable environment for them to grow up in.
We have been greatly blessed to have adopted our daughter Hannah, and she has brought so many joys to life. It has been fun to help her learn to ride a tricycle, teach her to count, do puzzles, and play with her toys together. She likes to pretend that she’s a princess and I either have to be “the good king” or “the prince,” but often times I end up being the horse so that she can take a ride on my back. We anticipate being able to do the same things with our next child along with encouraging the kids to enjoy being with each other.
Something else I look forward to is teaching our kids about life. As they grow up they will make many important decisions in their lifetimes and I want to help convey things I’ve learned from my parents and others to them. One of the most important things in my life is my faith in God and it is important to me to teach them about how He loves them and what we can learn about Him from the Bible and the world we live in.
I grew up in Southern Oregon, the second of four kids, and my parents and siblings all still live in Oregon. Hannah loves playing with all her cousins. I enjoy sports, especially running and biking, spending time outside and woodworking. I also enjoy sharing my interests with Hannah and we’ve explored several bike trails together with me pulling her in a bike trailer, and more recently on a tag-along. It’s also important to me to be aware of what interests my kids so that I can encourage them in those activities.
It is very important to me as a parent to spend time with my children. In today’s hectic world it seems schedules can quickly fill up. I plan to have ‘dates’ where I spend one-on-one time with my children doing something they choose. I will also include them when I do everyday activities such as working on projects around the house, getting the mail together, riding in the jogging stroller when I go on a jog, and joining us for errands when we go to the store.
I’ve been very blessed to have Annabelle as a wife and she has been a great mother for Hannah. Hannah is her little shadow and likes to help with everything she does. Annabelle has a zest for life. She loves to get involved and participate in things and meet new people. She volunteers to help with various events, signs up to join ski trips, researches our next outdoor adventure or vacation, and organizes outings for our friends to join us on. Something that she has done for Hannah and will continue doing with all our kids has been to sign her up for classes such as gymnastics, soccer, and music. This wouldn’t have even occurred to me but I’m amazed at how much Hannah has enjoyed it and comes home showing off the new things she’s learned.
Again, thank you for reading through our letters and considering our family as you make this challenging decision.
Sincerely,
John
Dear Birthparents,
We are not sure how to express in words the absolute gratitude that we feel for you at this moment. Making an adoption plan for a child is one of the most selfless things a person can choose to do; we know that it takes immense courage and love. We understand that you have many choices to make, and we hope and pray that you find peace in whatever decision you make. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for considering us.
My name is Tinujei and I am 34 years old. My name is pronounced Tee-new-hay. Many of my family and friends call me “Tee” for short. I have known since 2002 that I would not be able to have biological children. I was diagnosed with cervical cancer and had a hysterectomy a week before I turned twenty-five. This was crushing news, as I have always wanted to be a mother. Luckily, we now have the opportunity to build a family through adoption, and are so excited to bring a little one into our lives. I have the utmost faith that this is the right path for us, and look forward to every step of the adventure that is parenthood!
My husband Jesse is my favorite person in the world. He is my best friend, my partner-in-crime, and the love of my life. Jesse is the most compassionate and openhearted person I have ever met, and he always seems to bring out the best in people. He will be a loving, present, and involved father.
Hello, my name is Jesse, and I am 33 years old. Tinujei and I have been together since 2003, and married since 2006. Over the last eight years, our love has grown and strengthened. One of the things I am most proud of is that I get to raise a child with Tinujei. Since the first time we met I knew that being a mother was Tee’s primary goal in life. I cannot imagine a woman more suited for motherhood. I have witnessed her patience and her grounded nature and I am in constant awe of her strength and determination. We have been through so much together in our 8 years and I cannot wait to embark on this new adventure. She is my best friend and my mate.
Together we have a respectful, nurturing relationship with a strong sense of support and communication. We often find ourselves saying what the other is thinking. We both feel very fortunate to have found each other and built the wonderful marriage that we have.
We are also blessed to have an incredible community of friends and family. Many of our friends have young children, and we frequently spend time with them. We both enjoy reading books with them, exploring the outdoors, and just playing with them. We share similar views on parenting and have spoken in great detail about the way we want to raise our child. We believe that education is extremely important and we plan to give our child the best opportunities to learn. As parents we will teach our child to respect and love lifelong learning.
Choosing us as your child’s adoptive parents means a world where they will be surrounded by love and kindness and family. In our house we do not yell or call one another names. We know that we will provide a loving and nurturing environment that will allow our child to grow happy, healthy and strong. We will always honor and celebrate your place in their life and respect whatever level of openness you are most comfortable with. We are choosing an open adoption because we believe in raising a whole child, one that knows their story and that they are loved by all of their parents, adoptive and birth. We believe that a child cannot have too much love!
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
We look forward to knowing you!
Sincerely,
Tinujei and Jesse
Hi there!
We are Alicia and Nick, and thank you for taking the time to look at our family book. While we know that we might not be able to meet each of you that read this letter, please know that our prayers are with you. You are on a very brave journey and we can only imagine the emotions that you must be facing. Please know that we respect your decisions, and we understand that you are making them not for us as hopeful parents, but for the best interest of your baby. As we ponder what to write in this letter we are filled with a sense of awe and amazement at your strength. If adoption is the path that you choose, and our family is who you select, please know that in our hearts and minds adoption is a very sacred exchange. We will always let our child know their true identity. We are open to open adoption and looking forward to our journey as a family!
I am sure you are wondering why we have chosen this path to grow our family, so why adoption? While we believe that each person’s journey is unique, we feel that ours is uniquely special. From an early age adoption is something that God placed on my heart but I did not know why. No one in my family had adopted or was an adoptee, and at the time I did not have friends who had adopted. Early in our relationship I spoke to Nick about my desire and he agreed that it was something we would look at when the time was right for our family. As the years past, little things kept pointing us in that direction. After we were married we decided that we would like to have one biological child first and adopt our second child. To our surprise, when we decided to try to become pregnant we ran into fertility issues. After months of tests and 4 years of trying to become pregnant we found that we have unexplained infertility. Rather than further pursuing infertility treatments, we decided that the time was right to adopt our first child.
That being said let me tell you a little about my wonderful husband Nick! I am often in awe of the husband that I have been blessed with. I believe that not many people get the chance to meet and marry their soul mate and I truly believe that I have. We originally met in high school through mutual friends and were friends for a couple of years. We started dating after graduation and have been together ever since. Nick is kind, compassionate, hardworking, and most importantly has a huge sense of humor. There is not a day that goes by where he does not make me laugh! He is the type of guy that is quiet in large groups and unknown situations but the minute you get to know him he is an open book. He loves sports and has played them most of his life. He is happiest when he is working outdoors doing yard work, camping, boating, fishing or hiking. He loves family! Although Nick was raised as an only child, the minute he met my three younger brothers he fell in love with being a big brother. Seeing Nick with my two youngest brothers teaching them baseball, playing outside, and being goofy I knew I was going to marry him. He is wonderful with our goddaughters and our friends’ children. Nick even coached my brother’s little league team. I cannot wait to see Nick as a father. He is going to love our children unconditionally and be an amazing parent!
Hello from Nick! Now I get the chance to say a little about my amazing wife. When I first saw Alicia in high school I knew she was a girl I wanted to be around. She was gorgeous, always smiling and laughing and had tons of friends. Three and a half years later I finally built the courage to talk to her, and we have been together ever since. Alicia is my rock. She plays an enormous role in my life. She is always there when I need her, dropping whatever she is doing to help me. She is extremely selfless. When you first meet Alicia she will instantly make you feel that you have known her forever. She is very caring, loving and understanding, and an extremely hard worker. When Alicia sets a goal or says she is going to do something she always conquers her dreams. Watching her with her kids in her class is very impressive, they understand what her goals are for them and she knows their needs. A huge part of Alicia’s life is family and friends. She is constantly involved in her brother’s lives. She talks to her mom nightly and enjoys shopping, hiking and camping with them. You can ask anyone of Alicia’s friends and they will tell you immediately that she is the most reliable and caring friend they have and she asks nothing in return but friendship. She is always there for her friend’s whatever it may be, a shoulder to cry on, some help hosting a baby shower or even cooking for friends during hectic times. Without a doubt in my mind I know Alicia will make an unbelievable mother to a lucky child.
Thank you again for taking the time to get to know a little bit about us.
With love,
Alicia & Nick
Hello, I am writing this letter in the hopes of sharing a little bit about me and my journey with Irena, and that it is helpful to you at this time in your journey. You and your unique story are unknown to me, but I am grateful that you are looking at our family book. And I hope that where ever your journey leads you, it is your desire.
First a bit about me: I grew up in Los Angeles with my Mom, Dad, brother and sister. My siblings are quite a bit older than me (9 and 11 years) so I feel like I had an only-child experience growing up. However, we are close now that we are all adults and I value them tremendously. While my parents divorced when I was 11, they remained amicable and I stayed living in the same house and had an otherwise very stable childhood. I loved soccer and played from age 6 – 16. I also loved music and art and played the piano or made crafts/art whenever I could. I still love sports/being active, music and art! In my early 20’s I even made a go at becoming a rock star and was in several bands. While I had a lot of fun, none of them were very successful.
After a career in the Human Resources field for several non-profit agencies, I again decided to pursue a creative career and put all my time and resources into learning how to tattoo. I had always loved tattoos and already had a bunch, so merging my love for tattoos and art was a naturally good fit. I have been tattooing ever since and now co-own a shop with a business partner and work with 4 other awesome artists. I love what I do and hope to tattoo until my hands fall off! Some of my other favorite hobbies and likes are restoring and riding vintage bicycles, running (I am training for my first 1/2 marathon!) and other fitness activities, cooking, my motorcycle and most of all, spending time with my family.
Now about Irena and our relationship: She is the love of my life and I am very lucky to have such an amazing partner in the world! She is smart, funny, caring, loving, responsible, patient, honest and genuine. We have gone through big changes like relocating to Oregon, changing careers/jobs and buying a house with ease and grace: we have a very easy way and calmness about us. I am so excited to grow our family together and see her parent! I have no doubt that she will be an attentive, nurturing and fun mom. I have such a wonderful home and life with her, our furry family and friend “framily” that I can’t wait to share with the right little spirit.
Together, we decided early on in our family building process to consider adoption. We were both already committed to openness in family building, so an open adoption is right for us. I would not have it any other way. There will be challenges, but with love, communication and honesty those issues can be navigated. I see it as a benefit that our child’s unique story will include an extended family rooting for them through life.
Lastly, I would like to express to you that I am very ready and excited to be a parent! One of my greatest strengths is my duality of being a big goof ball who loves to joke around and have fun, while also being very stable, grounded and strong. I have an endless well of patience and love ready to give our child.
I wish you peace in making whatever decision is best for you and your child. Thank you.
-Mikal
Hello! Well, I don’t think it’s going to be possible for me to tell you everything that I want to say to you in the next few paragraphs, so the best I can hope for is that you get a little bit of a sense about me, our family, and our ideas about adoption. I hope that you have all the support and love you need and that you feel empowered, honored and at peace with whatever choices you make along your path.
It’s easy for me to talk about Mikal, so I’ll start there. By the end of our second date in early 2006, we were both pretty sure we’d found our “person in the world,” and we were right! You would not think that someone with so many tattoos and who loves riding vintage bicycles would also be a successful business owner and have what our loan officer described as the “second best credit score she’d ever seen,” but it’s true. So not only is she fun, funny, smart and cute, but it turns out she is also incredibly stable, steady, and dependable – a combination so rare and precious that I often joke how I married a unicorn! Watching her in the world – with kids, with animals, at work, with our two rescue pups – fills me with so much joy, and I can’t wait for the opportunity to parent with her.
Some things that I like include: Mikal, our two small dogs Lucky and Fifi, science, my career supporting low-income families in their financial goals at a local non-profit, gardening (after almost four years in our house I think I am finally growing more vegetables than weeds!), tidepools, a good cry over ridiculous sad music, learning how to be a better person in the world every day, our home, laughing, being honest even when it’s hard, photography, easy summer hikes through the woods, and not taking myself too seriously.
As a family, Mikal and I bring a lot of strength, self-knowledge, and respect (for our selves, each other, and others in our lives) to the table. We will not be perfect parents but we know how to be accountable when we mess up, how to learn from it, and how to do it better next time. I have learned so much about myself, about honesty and commitment and communication, about how to listen, and about authenticity and love from Mikal, from my friends and family, and from learning to listen to my own heart that I am truly ready for the adventure of being an adoptive parent.*We both have flexible work schedules, and both plan to be home (full or part time) for at least the first several months. My work is extremely family-friendly, and allows babies up to 6 months to come to work several days a week. After that, we will transition into a regular work schedule of 4 days a week each and plan to have in-home care for about 15 hours a week. We have family in the area who are excited to be a part of our child-care plans too.
Openness is extremely important to me. I believe that a truly open adoption is the best way to support an adopted child in growing up with an integrated sense of self that honors their unique identity as a child of many families. I welcome our kid’s family of origin as an important part of our own extended family, and look forward to continued contact and sharing the experience of loving and supporting our kid as they grow up. A member of my family was placed in the era of closed adoptions; we still have not found them and the sadness that I feel about this definitely confirms my commitment to an open and connected adoption.
I hope this letter can help you figure out if you want to know more about us. Thank you for reading our letters and taking a look at our book. Thank you.
-Irena
Dear birthparents,
My name is Alicia and I want to thank you for looking at our family book. I cannot imagine what you are feeling right now, but I know this must be the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make. I want you to know how much I respect and appreciate your choice to help us create our family.
I’d like to help you get to know my husband, Chris, and I a little better. My favorite pastime is spending time with my family and friends. I spend a lot of time with the people I love doing anything from hiking, fishing or shopping to just hanging out and talking. I make jewelry (mostly for myself or friends and family), I love to paint (oils or acrylic) and I love to read (usually memoirs but sometimes I like a good mystery). I work downtown in Portland as an IT Supervisor.
Both Chris and I believe in the importance of helping to build a stronger community through volunteerism. We are both members of nonprofit organizations in our community and we volunteer our time when possible to the Oregon Food Bank and to provide services for the homeless in our county.
Chris is my favorite person in the whole world. He makes me laugh all the time and is extremely supportive. Chris is truly a good guy; he is honest, generous and caring, he goes out of his way to help others, he is strong and supportive and he is fun! Chris and I have been married for five years. We joke that we are psychically connected because we always seem to know what the other is thinking or feeling and frequently say or do the same thing at the same time. Chris is my best friend, and I cannot wait for him to be a father, he is going to be the best dad!
We have so much love and fun in our home and we want to share that with our child. We look forward to teaching our child about the world and about life. We look forward to family dinners and helping with homework, seeing our child’s first school play or little league game. We know that parenting is not all sunshine and rainbows, it can be hard, but we even look forward to working through the hard times and teaching our child to learn and grow from those experiences.
Chris and I have tried, unsuccessfully, to have biological children for the past four years. While this has been emotionally difficult at times, we have been open to adoption throughout. We would be so honored to be blessed with a child and we will work every day of that child’s life to make sure they know how much we love them and how lucky we are that you made the selfless decision to allow our family to grow.
We both believe that openness in adoption is the best approach. Chris was adopted and it was not open, he was always curious about how it came to be. As an adult Chris located his birthmother and they’re developing a relationship, which is a wonderful thing to watch. We want our child to always know where they came from and for you to always know that your child is being loved and given the best life possible.
Thank you and I wish you strength as you make this difficult decision and I hope that we have the opportunity to meet.
Alicia
Dear Birthparents,
My name is Chris and I want to thank you for taking the time to read our letters and get to know us through the pictures and information in our book. I hope that learning more about us and how much love we have to share can help ease the weight of this very difficult and important decision. Alicia and I have tried to have biological children over the last four years without success and have talked about adoption from the very beginning. We are very excited to start a family and talk about it every day.
I was adopted by my Grandparents when I was a year old, along with my older brother, and feel I was very fortunate and loved by my adoptive parents. My brother and I were raised by wonderful role models who provided us with a great education and a loving home. My adoption was closed and as I grew older there was a need within to address the many unanswered questions I had about the circumstances surrounding my adoption. Even though I had asked while growing up, these questions were never answered and this left me with feelings that perhaps I had done something wrong. My adoptive family members have all passed away and as a result, left my brother and I with those same, unanswered questions. A few years ago I located my birth mother, began talking to her over the phone and finally met her in person. This was a very special and meaningful event in my life and I felt as if a large void in my heart was beginning to fill. We are still getting to know each other and have started to talk about the events surrounding my adoption. From the beginning, I understood this is a very emotional and painful subject for her and knew it would take time for her to open up about my adoption.
My own adoption as a child provides me with the unique experience to talk to our child about what a wonderful blessing they truly are and what kind of selfless act it takes for a birthparent in helping us create our family. Alicia and I are both committed to ensuring you are updated and have the opportunity for contact with our family, if this is your wish.
I was born in Southern California and grew up in Las Vegas. I have lived in Oregon for the last 16 years, not far from my brother and his family. I have worked for the same company for the last 15 years and enjoy my work very much and find it very rewarding. I met Alicia at work and found we had many things in common and seemed to connect immediately. She is my best friend and I love the fact we are so close and share every aspect of our lives together. I enjoy acting silly around Alicia, making her laugh and seeing her smile. We spend a lot of time with family and friends but most of our time is spent together. Alicia is very outgoing and I am amazed at her artistic abilities and love to watch her paint or make jewelry. We love to have fun, going fishing and hiking and spending lots of time with our dogs and our cat (who thinks he’s a dog by the way). We are both very involved in our community through several volunteer groups and activities.
Alicia and I look forward to sharing all of this with our child as a family. I can promise you we will provide the most loving, fun and safe home possible. Our family is one of love, nurturing and open communication. Our home is place for us to share our lives and teach each other about life and the world around us. We have so much to teach our child and so many things to learn from them as well. We are excited to take this journey together the rest our lives. We look forward to meeting you and sharing more about ourselves and hearing your story.
Chris
Dear Birthparents,
My name is Sarah and I have struggled trying to find the correct words for this letter. I want to thank you for taking the time to read my wife and my letters and looking at our photo book.
I am 29 years old and work as a police officer in Oregon. I really enjoy reading, and doing outdoor things, such as hiking, camping, backpacking, and gardening. In my wife Karen I have found another person to do all of these activities with. Karen and I met about 2 years ago through a friend and went out on our first date a couple days later. She is the spontaneous side to my structured side. We dated for about 14 months before we were married. My parents were so excited about our wedding that they invited almost everyone they knew and we were worried that we were going to run out of room, and food.
My parents and grandparents have been a large part of my life. My parents were very active in both my little sister and my life. They attended all school and sporting events, and even went as chaperones to some away events. I intend to be as active in my child’s school and extracurricular activities as my parents were for me. Currently Karen and my schedules work out so that we will only need daycare on the weekends and my parents are looking forward to being our weekend daycare. Karen’s family lives in Southern California where she is from, and we try to go there at least twice a year. Both of our families are very excited to welcome a new member into the family. My little sister moved to Europe, and so our child will get to experience different cultures when they go there to visit.
Once we learned that neither Karen nor I could carry a healthy pregnancy we knew right away that adoption was the path we were met to take. We have friends who have adopted, and I grew up with other children who were adopted. We both feel that it is important for a person to know where they come from and therefore are excited for an open adoption. We are open to yearly visits and letters and pictures.
I know Karen will be a wonderful mom. I have seen Karen with her nephews and nieces and I know from experience that she is going to be a very patient and supportive mom. Karen always encourages her young nephews and nieces to work towards becoming their very best and is always there for them to share their successes and heart breaks. She talks to all of them on the phone at least once a week. Now we are able to Skype regularly with all of our family members.
Karen and I spend our extra time with each other, our friends, family and our dogs. Once the weather is nice we take our two dogs, Remi and Jack, out camping or hiking. We want to share all of these activities with our child. Karen and I also spend our extra time coaching a girls soccer team. I have been coaching them for almost 4 years and Karen joined in when we first met. Coaching has shown how wonderful it is to see a child happy and proud when they succeed. I am definitely looking forward to being an active member in my child’s life.
I want to thank you again for taking the time to read our letters, and wish the best for you in the future.
Sincerely,
Sarah
Dear Birthparents,
My name is Karen and I want to thank you for taking the time to get to know us through our letters and pictures. I want to let you know how much I admire and respect you for making such a tough decision and considering an adoption plan for your child.
Growing up I was primarily raised by my grandmother, aunt, and uncle. I considered myself a lucky child for having such strong positive role models in my life, especially my grandmother. She was originally from Central America and worked very hard to give her children and grandchildren the life she never had but always wished for. My grandmother taught me many things but she always stressed the importance of being humble, honest, and of course treating others with respect. There were so many stories and life lessons that I learn from her that I want to share with a child.
I met Sarah through a mutual friend over 2 years ago. I am very lucky to have found her. We are in a committed, healthy, loving, and respectful relationship and want nothing more but to add to our small family. Since the day we met Sarah and I have been very open about our desire to become parents. Currently it is just us and our two dogs. Their names are Remington who is a 5 years old Shar-pei and Jack who is a 6 years old Chow Chow mix.
Sarah is a selfless, funny, and loving person who puts her family and friends above herself. As a parent I see Sarah being very hands on in our child’s extracurricular activities. Currently we volunteer and coach a girls’ soccer team. We both played soccer growing up and we find it important and influential to coach soccer in our community. We have grown very close to the parents and children on our team. When at practice our soccer girls see Sarah as a positive role model. I have had some of our team moms come up to me and just rave about Sarah and how much their children look up to her.
Sarah and I are very outgoing people. We enjoy camping anywhere water is present, hiking in the mountains with our dogs, and traveling to visit family around the world. We are very excited for our child to be included in these activities especially traveling. Claire, who is Sarah’s sister, lives in Spain so we plan visiting every chance we get. We think that it is not only important for our child to know their family but to be able to embrace other cultures.
Sarah and I both have small tight knit families who are very supportive. We both grew up spending a lot of time with our grandparents and we hope that our child can do the same. My family currently lives in California where I grew up and we visit them a couple of times a year. We have lunch a couple of times a week with Sarah’s parents, attend weekly family dinners, and go on family vacations. We have arranged our schedules so that we will have the child with us during the week, and Sarah’s parents will be daycare when we work on the weekends. Which they are very excited about!
We are lucky to be surrounded by a great group of friends and their children. We have many friends who have adopted as well as friends who are adopted. I feel that I am lucky to have them in my life to help understand the needs and thoughts which our child might experience. We also feel that it is important for the child to know their birth parents and have a positive relationship with you.
Again I want thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I hope that it gave you some insight as to who we are as a family. I look forward to getting to know you during this journey.
Thank you,
Karen
Hi. Our names are Heidi and Jason. We know the choices in front of you are difficult. If you decide adoption is the best decision for you and your baby, we invite you to read further and get to know us. We hope you’ll see that we will be loving, devoted parents for your child. We also hope the life we long to offer matches the vision you have for your baby.
We met while working together at the hospital where Jason was doing his nursing internship. It was friendship initially that turned into romance. We wanted a small wedding but our parents invited 300 people! It was awesome—everyone we cared about was there for our wedding that took place in Jason’s mom’s yard at her cabin on the lake.
The child we adopt will have lots of adoring grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins as we are very close to our families! Our parents are healthy and happily married. We have two brothers and one sister who are also married. Right now we have three nieces (ages 6, 2, and 1) with another coming soon. We have a brand new nephew (there aren’t any photos of him yet in this book). We have two goddaughters we dote on. Of course, we can’t forget our three loved and spoiled kitties.
We have wanted to be parents for a very long time. We weren’t successful having a child ourselves. We talked about adoption prior to our marriage as Heidi always thought she’d adopt—even as a child she had two baby dolls and she would explain to friends when asked that they were her adopted babies. Adoption isn’t unusual in our families: my stepdad is adopted and so too is one of Heidi’s aunts.
Jason is a very caring, warm, sarcastically funny man who will be a great and much involved dad. He is a family nurse practitioner who loves kids and sees lots of children in his practice. He is fun-loving, witty, and he will do anything to make our nieces laugh. They think he’s a jungle gym the way they crawl all over him when we are visiting. It’s so cute—the girls yell, “Uncle J” to get him to chase and tickle them. He’s a big kid himself in many ways. You’ll see in our book how silly and unexpected he can be—love him for that!
Heidi is the energizer bunny and a woman of many talents. She likes to stay busy by volunteering in our town and she also creates large mosaic pieces, paints murals, sings, and bakes. She is truly a nice person that loves with her whole being. Our child will get exposed to so many cool fun things since Heidi is such a doer and willing to dive into new experiences. We’re lucky to have a home that smells so good all the time with her treats baking in the oven! When I get home from work each day we hug and I say to her, “Hey, love of my life.” We both think we’re the lucky one. We have an abundance of love to share with a child.
We’d like the chance to meet you and get to know you and your dreams for your child. We hope you’ll consider us to be the parents of your baby. Know that we are true to our word—we will strongly protect and love our child. Our child will always know their adoption story and where they came from.
You’re in our thoughts,
Heidi & Jason
Hello,
We are Susie and Maddie. We can’t begin to imagine what you are going through as you decide the best future for your child. We wanted to thank you for taking the time to read this letter and learn a little about our family. You might have concerns about giving your child to a same sex couple, but we hope that as you learn more about us you will find that we are in a committed relationship and are ready and able to provide a good home to a child. Our relationship isn’t so different from other couples and you will find that at the center of our small family is our love for one another.
We have been together roughly 6 years, having met on the job. Besides ourselves, our household includes two dogs, one Maddie got from a breeder before we got together and the other we rescued from a local shelter. Ari was socialized with children aged 2-6 as a puppy, and Tucker joined our family from one who had a little boy the same age as Tucker. As you will see from our family book, these little guys are a cornerstone of our lives. They’re excited to have another “puppy” in the house although they are confused by the lack of hair.
We were both lucky enough to grow up with parents who were loving and supportive. Susie is an only child and has a close relationship with her parents today. They come from Mexico to visit us regularly. Maddie has one sister, Jenny, who recently moved to Australia with her son, Darren. Their mom lives with her sister in California. We are trying very hard to talk her into moving up here. In spite of the distance, she is close to them as well as her extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins who are spread out between California, Idaho and Massachusetts. She was close to her father until he passed away several years ago. Both sides of the family are excited about the idea of adoption and ready, willing and able to spoil the new grandbaby.
In addition to our family, we have a support circle of close friends—some of whom we have known most of our lives—who are ready with help, advice and support. A few of Maddie’s closest friends moved here from California at the same time she did, and one of them just had a baby girl. Little Zoe can hardly wait for a new “cousin” to play and grow up with.
Our time is spent on a variety of activities, from working on house projects (which Susie in particular loves), to short trips to the coast or the mountains (typically with our two dogs in tow), to museums, to longer trips to the east coast, Mexico etc. We like to hike and explore new places. We like doing new things and look forward to the idea of sharing those experiences with a baby.
Music is important to us both- playing and listening (or pretending to play on the Wii). At one point in her life Maddie managed a music store, and we have a wide range of tastes from pop punk to blues, and hip hop to country. Actually, the list of music we don’t like might be shorter than the one of music we do like. Growing up Susie played piano and Maddie played violin. We both feel that learning music as well as listening to it, is an enriching and important experience for a child. Additionally, we both came from families who cared about education and we feel it’s an important and lifelong experience. You never stop learning and it doesn’t just come from school—it’s everywhere.
Both of us believe that an open relationship is important and are willing to work to make sure we achieve whatever level of openness is best for the child. We hope that this letter has given you an idea about who we are, and that this book helps even more. Thanks for taking the time to read this and please let us know if you have any questions.
Dear Birthparent,
I’m Caprice and before I get too far into this letter, I want to thank you for considering us in your adoption plan. I truly can’t imagine what you are going through right now. All I can say is that I have such respect for you and the decisions you are making and I promise to always remember and share your strength, selflessness and generosity.
Fergal and I are a happy and loving couple who live in Portland, Oregon. Our current family includes us and our 2 dogs, Cooper and Tayto, but we dream of having a child join our family. Very early in our relationship, I told Fergal that I was unable to have children and he was so incredibly gracious about it. I remember him telling me that all he knew was he wanted to be a father and it didn’t matter how a child came to us. Needless to say, I was more than relieved and my love for him grew even more.
Along with being such a supportive partner, Fergal is simply my best friend. We met online and chatted over email for the 1st month, which was great because we got to know each other before we ever met in person. Once we did meet it was like we had known each other forever. We share so many interests and yet are also quite different in personality. We balance each other really well. Fergal is very outgoing and social. He loves meeting new people and has an uncanny ability to find something in common with everyone he encounters. He’s very approachable and genuinely likes people for who they are. Fergal can make most anyone laugh and I have to say this is one of my favorite personality traits of his. If I am ever feeling down, he can always lift my spirits by getting me to giggle.
I could also tell immediately that Fergal would be a great father. When I watch him with his niece and nephew or with any of our friend’s kids, it’s like he is some kind of baby/kid whisperer. He can calm a baby or chat & play with a 5 year old effortlessly. Along with these abilities, he is very loving, loyal, responsible and protective.
My mom was a teacher and an artist and taught me how to draw. My dad is an engineer and he would always teach me how to build things and fix things. I am an artist myself and get to design shoes for a living! I also like to paint dog portraits. My other favorite things to do are home improvement projects. Fergal always makes people laugh when he tells them that I do all the repairs around the house and he does the vacuuming. Anyway, these are just a few of the things that I have learned over the years and hope to share with a child. We both believe education is extremely important and plan to give a child every opportunity to learn. Most importantly though, we want to provide a safe, supportive and loving home for the child who graces us by joining our family.
I hope this letter gives you a little insight into our lives. If you choose to consider us further, we look forward to meeting you, getting to know you and answering any questions you have for us.
All the very best to you,
Caprice
Dear Birthparent,
I am Fergal and above all else that I write here, I just want to firstly thank you for considering us in the journey we are both embarking on right now. It truly is an absolute privilege and gift to be offered this opportunity and I greatly respect and admire your strength and courage during this time of your life. I really cannot begin to imagine how you are feeling right now. All I can do is promise to be as supportive and understanding as I possibly can, now and in the future.
Caprice and I live in beautiful Portland, Oregon. I was born and raised in Portlaoise, Ireland and moved to the US in 2007 for my job. Man oh man am I happy I made that move. I met the woman of my dreams and it was worth the long trip! I am so very lucky to have Caprice in my life. We are such a loving and ‘destined to be’ together couple. From the day I met Caprice there was something different about her and I felt she was the one right away, something that I doubted really existed, but she does! Caprice has so many talents, she is a gifted shoe designer and paints the most wonderful dog portraits. She is also a fantastic DIY person, but has a terrible sense of direction :-)! I stick to the laundry and vacuuming! I have never met anyone who gets on so well with people as Caprice. She does not have a bad bone in her body. When she walks into a room of people and friends they are immediately drawn to her. Ironically Caprice is someone who shies away from attention but people always like to be around her! She is a great listener and being with Caprice has enabled me to make a wonderful home in the US.
I have always wanted to be a father and when Caprice shared that she could not conceive, it didn’t matter to me. I realized that being with her was so important to me, we could explore other options to become parents together and so we started on this journey. Being a Dad is something I’ve always dreamt about and that dream is so close that I can barely describe the love and passion I have waiting to be shared with a child.
My passions are sports and cars (typical guy) but I also love to travel and learn about new things and places. I also love playing with our dogs Cooper and Tayto. I like trying to train them and teaching them new tricks.
In my family great emphasis was placed on education and both Caprice and I share the belief that a child should be given every opportunity to succeed and pursue their goals and dreams. We will ensure this happens and be there along the way to offer support and guidance. I have always been around children in my life and I love playing and interacting with them. I think it’s because I’m still a big kid at heart and they enjoy seeing me as a silly big person! I hope my letter helps you learn a little about Caprice and me, who we are and what we are like. If you do decide to consider us, we greatly look forward to meeting you and sharing more about us and learning lots about you.
Kindest regards,
Fergal
Dear Birth Parent,
I cannot imagine what you are feeling, as you embark on this difficult decision. I think this is a very loving and courageous journey that you are choosing for your child. I understand this is not an easy decision for you to make, but I hope you are blessed in whatever that decision may be.
My name is Mary and I am 33 years old. I was born and raised in Oregon, and that is where my heart is. My grandmother adopted me when I was four years old. I basically had an “open adoption” with my mom, we’ve always had contact and we enjoy the relationship we have built throughout the years. A few of my favorite hobbies are, scrapbooking, reading, taking trips to the park, and just spending time with my family. I work part time for a manufacturing company, doing bookkeeping.
I met Jacob 10 years ago, and we have been married 7 ½ years. Jacob is a great support and a wonderful dad. He is the definition of a “hands on dad”. He does everything from changing diapers to taking turns with the late night feedings. He loves to get on the floor and play with blocks and cars. He has also been known to be the “horsey” or “doggy” once in a while. I feel truly blessed to have him.
We knew we wanted to have children right away, and immediately started trying. We found out early on, that Jacob is sterile, and cannot have children. At that point, we decided to try donor sperm, and with many attempts and infertility drugs for me, I had become pregnant with twins. Due to unfortunate circumstances, we lost the twins at 20 weeks. Thru support of our friends and family, we were able to survive this traumatic experience. We waited awhile and tried again with a donor, but I could not get pregnant again. We knew at that point, that adoption was the right option for us.
Haydan is the joy of our lives. It’s hard to believe that he is four years old and has begun preschool. It seems like yesterday when we were at the hospital with Christina, and first got to meet him. It was a thrilling day for us! We have an open adoption which has worked out great for us and Christina. It’s wonderful that Haydan gets to know his birth mom and she gets to watch him grow and be a part of his life too. Haydan is a great little boy! He likes building and “cooking” in his kitchen. He makes us some great plastic food. He also likes art and we wonder if he will become an artist when he grows up.
As a family, we enjoy going camping in our travel trailer. One of our favorite outings is going to the NAFA (Northwest Adoptive Families Assoc.) campout each year. We love, as a family, connecting with other adoptive parents and their children. We also love taking trips to the family beach cabin. We like to visit the aquarium and do a little taffy shopping.*We understand the importance of openness, and hope that you are open to letters, pictures, and visits. We also understand that this may not be what you are looking for, and we want you to know that we will support you with whatever path you choose.
I’d like to thank you for taking the time to look at our profile, I hope this may help make your decision a little easier. No matter your decision, you have our support as you continue your journey.
Sincerely,
Mary
Dear Birth Parent,
The difficult choice you are making is the most noble and unselfish act a parent could make for their child. I can only imagine how hard this is for you to make and I hope you can find comfort with whatever path you choose for both you and your child.
My name is Jacob and I am 33 years old. I was born and raised in Oregon. I would say I am a modest sports fan and enjoy watching football, basketball and other sports. I played baseball most of my childhood and loved the friendships it provided with teammates. I also enjoy amateur photography and graphic design in my spare time. I work for NIKE as an analyst. I have flexible hours, which enables me to take time off for family activities.
I met Mary 10 years ago! It just seems like yesterday I was driving home from our 1st date with butterflies in my stomach wondering if she wanted to see me again. She is a strong and loving wife and a terrific mother. I can’t imagine living my life without her. She keeps the house running smoothly and makes it so there is more time to hang out as a family.
We had a difficult time in our lives when Mary and I found out I was sterile. We tried going through the OHSU donor sperm program and she got pregnant with twins. Unfortunately she carried them for 20 weeks and then lost them due to complications. With lots of support and love from family and friends, we were able to get through this painful time. After trying a few more times using a donor, we were not successful. We then began exploring the adoption path which blessed us with Haydan in December 2006. I thank God every day that I can wake up and give him a kiss goodbye before I leave for work.
We have an open adoption with his birth mom Christina which has been beneficial for Haydan. As he grows up, he will have the opportunity to explore their relationship with our love and support.
Haydan is very excited to be a big brother! He talks about “his baby” all the time, and mentions about how he can help out. He’s been a good little helper in getting things ready for another addition to the family.*Our family loves to get outside. Haydan loves water, and his favorite thing to do is play in the pool and squirt the hose at anyone or anything. We enjoy camping, riding our bikes, going to the zoo and playing in the ocean at the beach (burr). We love going downtown during Rose Festival and watching the Starlight Parade. During the winter, we head up to Mt. Hood to enjoy the snow.
We have seen how openness can be beneficial but understand this might not be the right choice for everyone. We want you to know that we will be supportive of your decision regarding openness.
I thank you for looking at our profile and hope your decision (as difficult as it is) was made a little easier. No matter what path you decide to follow, I respect your decision you made for your child.
Sincerely,
Jacob