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Waiting Families

Alicia and Chris

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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