Introduction

Dear Birthmother,

Thank you for considering us as adoptive parents for your child.  When we decided to begin a family, we learned from our doctor that we would not be able to conceive a child. We would be so happy to be adoptive parents and to share the joys of our wonderful family and fun and loving day-to-day life with a son or daughter. We are both school-teachers and we have been in a loving relationship with each other for over twelve years now.  We have always felt comfortable nurturing children; we genuinely enjoy helping them and learning about the world through their eyes. Our schedule allows us to be free on all school holidays and vacations, including the summers, so that we are free to enjoy time at home as a family. We are excited that adoption gives us a chance to be parents.

About Us

We met in graduate school, and shortly after we met, we bumped into each other at the campus coffee shop. There was a moment that came to symbolize our ease with each other. Kathy had offered to give me a lift to class; as she was driving, she started to turn a corner and held out her coffee cup. I reached for it, without having to wait for her to ask me to hold it.  It felt so natural taking the coffee from her; it was almost as if I could read her mind.  Our friendship grew and, over time, we bought a house together and wove our families together; our home has become a center of activity for both our extended families. Raising a child together would be a dream come true for both of us.  We look forward to having a child enrich our lives and we feel we have an abundance of love and resources to offer a child.

Our Families

We both had the good fortune of growing up in loving families where we all sat down at the table to enjoy dinner together each night, and talked about the events of everyone’s day.  We continue to be very close to both sets of parents, as well as to our brothers and sister and their families.  We spend all the holidays together and continue to observe many family traditions that are now generations old.  Our parents are all retired and love spending time with their grandchildren.  They have been, and continue to be, great role-models for our siblings and us.  From impromptu visits, to summer picnics,  to pickup basketball games in the driveway, to watching Kathy’s dad play Santa Claus every Christmas for the grand kids, our families have provided us with strong values and beautiful memories.  Growing up in a family where you know you are loved–these are the values and types of memories we hope to provide to our child. Our families are excited to welcome a child through adoption and can’t wait to include our child in the family festivities.

Since we have two sets of twins in our extended families, we have had a lot of practice and have gotten a lot of enjoyment from everything from snuggling up for a bedtime story, to attending dance recitals and sporting events.  A favorite activity is sleep overs with “make your own pizza” night.  Each of our nephews/nieces has a favorite topping, and they get a great kick out of making their own personal pizzas. One night, when the kids were over, (helping Kathy’s sister have a night out alone with her husband), we were preparing the two older girls’ dinners, and heating bottles for the twins.  I will never forget the love that filled the kitchen that night.  Watching Kathy, at that moment, confirmed the hope and dream of raising a family together.  Although we did not physically give birth to these children, we love them all as dearly as if we had.  We have shared in the joy of their accomplishments,  consoled them and wiped their tears over life’s little disappointments, and delighted in every moment we have been lucky enough to share with them.  We can only anticipate and imagine the joy that spending time with a child we adopt will bring to us and our families.

Our Personalities

We hope our children will benefit from the love we have to offer. We are both very affectionate, caring people. We both have a lot of genuine patience and a good sense of humor.  We are hard-working yet fun-loving, generous, honest, and responsible.  We both love teaching, a career that grew naturally out of our love of children and our desire to do something to help make the world a better place in which to live.  As teachers and as aunts, we’ve enjoyed helping children feel capable with each new skill they develop and have treasured every scribble and attempt at a new activity.

Our Future Hopes

When we think about times we’d like to share with a child, they include cooking, baking, trying new recipes, decorating our home, and gardening.  We would like to plant a tree with our child and have them watch the tree grow as we watch our child grow.  We also have interests that we brought to the relationship individually, but that we now share and look forward to sharing with a child.  Kathy is a great athlete who loves playing and watching sports. She played college basketball, and we have both enjoyed rooting for her school over the years.

We can’t wait to bring our child to his/her first college basketball game, seeing the excitement in his/her eyes when the mascot gives him/her a wave or a “high five!”  I, on the other hand, studied acting in college and loved performing in plays and musicals.  Now, we both enjoy attending plays, from local productions, to the occasional treat of a Broadway play.  I also enjoy art, (especially painting) and music (especially singing and playing the guitar). We will give our child an opportunity to know about the arts and music and to explore his or her interests, whatever they may be.

Our Friends

We feel it is important to mention the great, supportive network of diverse friends that we have.  We treasure these friends, as they are a tremendous support to us in times of joy and sorrow.  Because our friends accept and love us for who we are, we feel they will also be very positive role models for our child.  Several of our friends are “two-mom” families, raising their children in our town.  We feel fortunate to know that our child will have the opportunity to grow up spending time with these friends and their children, sharing similar experiences, and being accepted in our community.

Our Faith and Values

Another important facet in our lives is our faith in God.  We attend church regularly and are well-accepted members of the congregation. When raising a child, we believe in loving our child unconditionally.  We believe in setting clear and consistent rules and providing lots of positive feedback and encouragement.  We will strive to show our child the importance of respecting, caring, and being kind to all people. We will also strive to provide our child with a sense of his/her culture and pride in one’s background.

We are committed to education, and have already established a savings plan for our child to go to college.  We are very anxious to have our own special moments as a new family. Hearing those first words, watching them take their first steps and reading favorite bedtime stories all snuggled in bed.  We believe all these things will help create a happy, healthy, loving, independent individual.  Our home will have the love, support and guidance that will allow a child to fulfill his or her own dreams.

Our Home

We live in a very comfortable nine-room colonial home, set on a one acre lot which is nicely landscaped.  We have a large fenced-in back yard with a secured above-the-ground pool and a wide-open area for play.  Our neighborhood is a quiet one, characterized by children playing in their yards and folks sitting on their front porches watching the world go by.  Down the road is a farm where we have enjoyed strolling our nieces and nephews down to visit the horses.  We are within walking distance to the elementary, middle and high schools, all of which have excellent reputations.  We take pride in the fact that our house is clean, attractive, cozy and safe, an ideal place to call “home.”

We hope this letter has helped you get to know us as a couple and as prospective parents.  We respect your decision for adoption because we know it is a most difficult decision and that it is made out of love.  It is our intention to keep you updated with letters and photos if you would like.  Please know adoption is a dream come true for us.  Thank you for considering making adoption a possibility for us.  We will be forever grateful.

If you would like to talk with us directly or to learn more about us, please call Full Circle at 1-888-452-3678.  We send our warm wishes your way in the days ahead.

Sincerely,

Kathy and Karen