Introduction
Dear Birthmother,
As you read this letter, please know how much we greatly appreciate this opportunity to share a little about ourselves with you. We know that this must be time in your life filled with a thousand different thoughts and feelings, and we deeply admire your strength and selflessness in the decisions you are considering. We truly wish you all the best with your choices in the days ahead.
About Us
Adoption has always been our dream and inspiration for parenting. I (Elana) have known since childhood that adoption would be my path to parenthood. When I was young, doctors informed me that I was completely healthy but would be unable to bear a child. As a result, I was raised with a deep appreciation for the gift of adoption. Since the importance of adoption in my life was no surprise to my family, everyone took the time to learn about adoption and, particularly, about all the ways to help a child feel loved by everyone in their lives. After Gary and I were seeing each other for a very short time, we discussed our thoughts about family and the possibility of adoption. I was delighted to discover that Gary was as open to adoption as I have always been. We knew before we married that adoption would be our path to being parents. We are very eager to share our love with a child and help them to grow up to be as happy and fulfilled as possible.
We have organized our lives to prioritize parenting. We are fortunate that the child we welcome into our family will be cared for full-time at home by us and, for a few days a week, by grandma. Elana’s work hours as a speech-language pathologist helping children are very flexible; she can take a longer than usual maternity leave of 3-6 months, and, after that period, she will work only part time week. Elana’s mother is looking forward to be a loving grandmother when Elana would be working part-time. Gary has more traditional hours in his job working for a university, but he can also be very flexible in his schedule to attend assemblies, school meetings, or other special events; he will be eager to get home each day to be a devoted and loving father.
We would love to share some of our history with you. We grew up in the neighboring towns of Framingham and Sudbury, Massachusetts. In fact, our families knew each other for many years before we actually met each other. As fate would have it, our paths crossed approximately eight years ago, and we have been inseparable ever since! Our first date even kept going for almost 12 hours because we enjoyed our time together so much!
Our Values
One of the most important parts of our relationship is that we both share the same values. We both feel that our loved ones are of the utmost importance, and we will share with our child the sincerity, empathy, and kindness that we have always been shown by them. We dream of providing a solid foundation of love, nurturing, and security for a child to develop and discover themselves and the greater world.
We also strongly believe that everyone we come in contact with deserves our respect, honesty, and compassion. We try to be forthright in all our interactions, and we would love to share this value with a child as they learn to interact with and explore the world around them. Our child will be raised to have a belief in God, a loving connection with faith, and a sense of the balance between pursuing individual goals and helping others in the community.
Our Hobbies
On a lighter note, we are lucky to have similar interests. We both greatly enjoy nature, spending time with our warm circle of friends and family, and cheering on our favorite Boston sports teams. We even have a good-luck Red Sox banner hanging by our pretend bleacher seats that have been up since the Red Sox won the World Series! Both of Gary’s grandfathers were huge baseball fans, and their love of the game was passed down to us. We’ve been fans for over 27 years! We have visions of sharing this excitement with a child on trips to local parks, local minor league ball games, and even trips to Fenway Park!
Music also brings great enjoyment to us. We enjoy several different styles (Jazz, 80’s pop, and others), and we’d love to expose our child to the different types. We especially enjoy singing along to our song “The Never-Ending Story” as we drive down the highway!
We’re also avid readers, and would welcome the opportunity to share this love of learning with a son or daughter. A fun, relaxing story-time before bed could be a cozy end to each day! Every book, fiction or non-fiction, tells a story, and there is always something new to learn.
We look forward to larger family events as well. Our families will smile from ear to ear upon seeing our child opening up presents during the holidays. We also have a very special family dinner every spring with over 50 family members that’s always a joy! We’re all usually laughing and chatting too much to actually sit and eat. In fact, we have found every holiday to be a fun time with our family, and we are so excited about the possibility of sharing these moments with our child!
Elena About Gary
Gary is a very special, remarkable man. He is one of the kindest, most patient, and sincerest people I have ever met. Seeing him anticipate his mother’s needs even before she asks, or watching him light up with a smile upon visiting with our niece and nephew have helped me imagine these amazing qualities in him as a dad. It’s such a gift to know how surely I can count on him, and how he has always been there for me and our extended family. I can’t wait to watch him read stories to our child, help them learn to crawl and walk, and rock our child to sleep. As the child grows up, he or she will learn so much about nature from him and they will form a special relationship around the discoveries of the world. Gary will be one of those dads who children, when grown, talk about with a warm smile and recount all the tender times they shared. I know it’s already true for me and for our niece and nephew as well.
Gary About Elana
Elana is a very caring, fun person with a wonderful heart, bubbly personality, and a great sense of humor. I have loved the “Congratulations” and “I love you” balloons she has picked up when I got a new job or something special happened. Our first date continued for hours because both of us were having so much fun together. I remember thinking that this was the type of person I would want for my wife. It has only gotten better since then. I know she will be a wonderful mother and that our child will feel as celebrated in his or her small and big accomplishments, from earliest baby-hood on!
I (Gary) love Elana and can’t wait to be parents with her! We’ve always known adoption would be the way we would know the joy of parenting together. It has given us the opportunity to learn a lot about adoption. We have read books on adoption, attended conferences, and talked with other families who have adopted. We’ve prepared ourselves to raise a child with a wonderful sense of self esteem and healthy sense that adoption means love. I know we are making the best possible choice for our family. As our child’s interests develop, we look forward to sharing them together, especially around favorite toys, books, and activities. Seeing today’s world through his/her eyes will be fascinating to me as a Dad!
Our co-workers, friends and families have experience with adoption and are very excited about our plans. Our cousin adopted her child approximately 8 years ago. Elana’s supervisor worked as an adoption professional for many years. Several members of our circle of friends who have recently become parents look forward to the possibility of play dates for our children in the years to come! All of our friends and relatives have been very supportive of and enthusiastic about the prospect of our becoming parents through adoption.
Our Careers
I (Elana) am also very fortunate to have children in my life on a daily basis. I work with special needs children as a Speech-Language Pathologist at a medical center. Working with children for more than 8 years has been an incredible learning experience, as I feel that every child who has crossed my path has taught me a great deal. The clients I work with range in age from birth to 22 years old, and they present with a wide spectrum of issues. The children and their families have meant a great deal to me, as I find their positive outlook to be very inspirational and a strong reminder of what is truly important. It is also extremely gratifying to help children find their voice and to feel as though they can be better understood by those who love and care for them.
I (Gary) work at a large local university. In my work, I provide advice and assistance to various departments at the university. Assisting university staff in locating the information they need is one of my main tasks. I also help document university finances. My job has multiple responsibilities and requires a lot of patience. I have learned over time that this is one of my strengths. I have often thought that my patient nature will also serve me well as a father. I look forward to being the kind of dad our child can count on to be patient, to be a good listener, and to be understanding. I look forward to being asked for advice and guidance when they want this, and I look forward to being, above all, ready for whatever they need help with.
We have given a great deal of thought to how our lives will change with parenthood. We’ve prepared for the adjustments we’ll need to make. Elana is in an excellent situation where she can work part-time at her current facility. Elana’s mother is excited to be an active grandmother when we’re both at work. We particularly look forward to those times when we’ll both be home and enjoying every minute of our time with our child! We’re ready to be parents and eager to start sharing our love with a child.
Where We Live
Our neighborhood is a quiet, safe place to live, and has a highly rated school system. In fact, we chose our location largely because it is such a desirable place to raise a child. Neighbors we have talked to are very happy with the education their children have received, and we have no doubt it will be a terrific place to nurture a child. From its peaceful location, one would think that we’re not near anything resembling civilization. However, Boston is only about forty minutes away. We also have several convenient shopping centers nearby, which have supermarkets, retail stores, and restaurants (in addition to one of the best little ice cream places in Massachusetts only ½ mile away from us!). We even have a local park, children’s museum, zoo, and aquarium nearby that would be such wonderful fun to share with a child! The Boston Science Museum is world class and a spot we’re sure to return to so we can enjoy different special exhibits.
Our Family
Our close extended family, including our four parents, our grandmothers, aunts, uncles, brothers, and an adorable niece and nephew are tremendously thrilled and supportive about our plan to grow our family through adoption. They have been unbelievably supportive throughout the adoption process, including taking trips to adoption information sessions and assisting in child-proofing our home. All four of our parents, in particular, are extremely excited at the prospect of having a new grandchild to dote over and love. They are already dreaming of trips to parks, zoos, beaches, etc. In short, they are as excited as we are!
We would be so honored to give our love to your child as well as a stable, loving, and nurturing home. It is our hope to provide a child with a life full of love, support, and opportunity!
In thinking about your child’s growing up years, we believe that a child can benefit from knowing everyone who loves him or her. It’s also extremely important to us that you feel reassured and take pleasure in seeing that your child is growing up strong, healthy, and joyfully. We’re happy to make regular photo/letter updates available to you and to talk about any other types of communication you would like (e.g. phone calls, visits). We assume this will come up as we get to know each other. We’re very interested in learning about what would be most comfortable and meaningful for you.
We have always dreamed of having a family, and the thought of adoption had always been in our minds as an exciting possibility. Both of us are so excited to be at this point in our lives! We are both open, enthusiastic, and awed by the hope that, through adoption, we can share our love with a child!
Please call Full Circle Adoptions at 1-800-452-3678 if you would like to learn more about us or speak with us. We wish you the best in all your decisions. If we are lucky enough to be your chosen family, we look forward to learning how we can fulfill the dreams you have for your expected child. We are also interested to know how we can help you have a good experience in the adoption process. Our thoughts are with you and we send our sincerest appreciation for considering us.
With all our heart,
Gary and Elana