Introduction

Dear Birthparent(s),

Hello,

Luck and opportunity brought the two of us together and we will consider ourselves lucky again when we have a chance to be considered as adoptive parents. We can’t have children on our own and we are grateful beyond words that, through adoption, we will have the joy of being loving parents. Thank you for taking the time to get to know us. We appreciate the courage and the love you’re showing for your child as you
consider adoption. It takes strength to consider this choice and we admire you. We will follow your lead about how much communication you might want in the years ahead.

We would like you to feel confident that your child is doing well and for you to have the chance for a loving connection with your child over the years, if you would like. We imagine that this could be a challenging time right now. Please know that we will be supportive during the adoption process and support your child’s understanding of your thoughtful and brave choice as well. If chosen, we will love your child with all our hearts and make it possible for them to feel supported in whatever goals and dreams they have for their life.

We consider ourselves very lucky to be able to realize two dreams we have for parenting. Having both been raised with mothers who stayed at home, we believe that this was an important part of making us who we are today. Erin is very excited to be a full-time at-home mom. She is looking forward to taking our child to music class, swimming lessons or any other activity that the child may enjoy and making special lunches for school. Matt looks forward to our child leaping into his arms at the end of the day and to reading stories at night; bike rides on the weekend and making pancakes for Mom are part of the plan. Also, education is a very strong value in our family. We have already begun saving for our child’s education so that they can attend college and be supported in whatever goals they decide to pursue. It will be our great joy to give our child the gifts we were given and to see them grow into a warm and confident adult with our encouragement and love. We live in a culturally rich and diverse community close to Boston, Massachusetts. We would welcome a child of any heritage or culture. We look forward to nurturing our child’s unique talents and interests as well as fostering a strong, positive sense of their full identity. Matt’s parents, brother & sister-in-law at a family wedding.

About Us

As luck would have it, we met one summer, many years ago, when Matt and some friends were dining at a restaurant where Erin was working. Matt mustered the courage to ask Erin for her number. Later, when Matt decided he was going to contact Erin, he found he had washed his jeans and her number was now a tiny, shredded piece of paper that couldn’t be read. But that didn’t stop him – he went to the yellow pages (internet wasn’t the main source of info back then…) and looked up what he thought was her last name and found her phone number.

Erin: I am so glad he did! Perseverance certainly does pay off! On our first date, we went to a Red Sox game. We had a great time – we ate hotdogs and peanuts and we didn’t pay too much attention to the game! Now Erin is known for going to Red Sox games and needing to get ‘peeeanuts’ as she imitates the concession sales people and she makes a mess all around our seats. Matt proposed to Erin on New Years Eve. We went to dinner at a small restaurant on Cape Cod and then Matt drove to the beach where we first met. We got out of the car on that cold night and then he proposed!

Our wedding was also on Cape Cod. We decided to get married in Matt’s family’s church where they have known the minister for decades. The church itself has a bell and it rings what is called ‘ships time’. As a special honor, we were able to ring the bell specially after we got married and we were given a wedding present of a small clock that also rings ships time in our house. We look forward to teaching our child all about ships time.

After the wedding ceremony, we took photos at the restaurant and on the beach where we first met and where Matt proposed. We passed some of our good luck on to others by deciding to hold our reception at a lovely home with a particular history. The home had fallen into disrepair and thus, the building’s caretakers were using the funds received from weddings and special events to help restore the house. As it turned out, our wedding was the last one they would ever need to hold! Our luck seemed to be ‘hiding’ when we tried to have children.

After a number of years of infertility treatments and miscarriages, we came to understand that, while medical science couldn’t tell us “why”, the simple fact was that we weren’t able to bring a child into this world. During this time, we have watched our friends and family members
have one and sometimes two babies. There were periods of time when we isolated ourselves from our friends because it was too difficult to see everyone so happy with their children. Also we didn’t want to talk about infertility.

By taking this time for ourselves, we became closer and knew our true strength as a couple. This led to the realization of how lucky we truly are – we got through a period of loss and sadness with our commitment to each other even stronger than when we began. Taking time to heal was crucial to opening our hearts to the child who will be part of our luck in the future. We took the time to really learn about adoption and how to help a child feel loved and whole. We look forward to the lucky child who we’ll love in the days ahead.

There’s a lot of fun in store for our family as we grow. When not at work or playing with our puppy Daisy, we are active people, sharing a love of the beach, the mountains and the outdoors. Beautiful hills are easy to find in our neck of the woods – taking a hike is a fun family outing in the warmer months and winter often finds us skiing in the mountains. We love all Boston sports teams, but we have a special place in our heart for the Boston Red Sox. Since our first date was to a Boston Red Sox game, we try to go to a game at least once a year. Several years ago, we bought our home in a family oriented suburb right outside of Boston, Massachusetts. The town is particularly child friendly and it boasts one of the largest 4th of July parades in the state. Our town is known for having a number of parks as well as a good school system. We believe it will be a wonderful place for a child to grow up.

Earlier this year, we added a puppy to our family. Daisy is an Olde English Bulldog and a loving companion. She is great with kids and loves to be loved. Most people confuse her for a Boston Terrier, but she is a true bulldog. She snores and loves to have her belly rubbed. She is always thrilled to see our niece Mia and loves running around outside with our nephew Max. Daisy is a great addition to our family and we have a feeling she is going to love our child – her ears perk up and her head tilts every time she hears neighborhood kids playing outside.

Family is very important to us. We both have relatively small families who are very close and live nearby – so we know we will have a lot of love and support. Both of our parents have been married for over 40 years. While we know this is not a common occurrence these days, we hope to be happily married for just as long, if not longer, and be an example for our children like our parents were for us. Erin’s parents
watch our nephew Max once a week and have done so since he was an infant. They also take Max for sleepovers just for the fun of it and to help out when his parents have an event they’d like to attend. Matt’s Mom watches our niece Mia once a week to help keep the costs of childcare low for Mia’s parents. Erin’s father made a “Max” flag to be flown at their house whenever Max is over. This is a fun way for Max to know he is special to them.

Erin’s father has already stated that he can’t wait to make another flag for our child. Also, Max is measured in their house every few months. There is a special spot right in the kitchen where this happens. We look forward to being able to measure our child there too! Matt’s parents are very crafty as well and there always seems to be a new handmade sweater or cute blanket for Mia. Both our parents are avid readers and read frequently to our niece and nephew, which we will encourage for our child as well. We know that both of our parents will be an active part of our child’s life and we are grateful that they are so excited to welcome a new member to the family.

Recently, both of our parents have been to our house to help us with projects as we prepare for a new baby. It is wonderful to see our parents so excited about adoption and their support has been unwavering. In addition to our parents, there are aunts and uncles of Erin & Matt and our siblings and their children that will be an active part of our child’s life. We both come from families of givers and we want to pass that on to you and one day our child. We will provide unconditional love to our child and hope to teach our child valuable lessons as they explore his/her life, the world and all it has to offer.

About Matt

I have wanted to be a dad for a very long time. Our long struggle with infertility has only reinforced my desire to provide unconditional love, support and guidance to a child. From the beginning, our goal has been to start a family and I am thankful for the opportunity that you will provide to us by considering adoption. I look forward to developing that unique bond that only exists between a parent and a child. Life is certain to present exciting opportunities and demanding challenges for a child and I plan to encourage them to make the most of every opportunity. I am fortunate to have a flexible work schedule that will allow me to be present when wonderful memories are created. I’m established in my career as a financial planner and can adjust my schedule to be an active parent. I look forward to the excitement of the first snowstorm, sharing my passion for skiing, coaching “little kickers” soccer, the first day of school, letting go of the seat and running alongside as our child realizes that they are actually riding a bike without training wheels for the first time! Most importantly, I look forward to watching Erin experience the joy of becoming a mother after all these years. These are just a few of the things that bring a smile to my
face when I think about finally becoming a dad – for our “luck” to have allowed you to consider us for what will undoubtedly be
the greatest gift of our lives.

Erin’s thoughts on Matt

I love that Matt is a loving, kind, compassionate, family oriented individual and a kid at heart. When we get together with friends or family, Matt tends to be off playing with the kids. I love this about him. He is known as ‘Uncle Matt’ to kids that we are not related to, because he is such an important part of their lives. The kids flock to him and he flocks to the kids. I love that Matt is going to be such an amazing father. I love that he is going to want to play with them, even after a long day at work. I love that he is going to instill core values in our children and be an active part of their lives. I look forward to being mom and dad with him – adding the joy of being parents together would fulfill a dream
for both of us.

About Erin

I always knew growing up that I wanted to be a mom. My mom was at home when we were little; then she worked part time so that she was home when we got out of school. I really enjoyed having my mom at home and always wanted to be a mom like her. After marrying Matt and buying our house, I knew immediately that I wanted to start our family. Currently I am at home full time, focusing on building our family and volunteering with different organizations. I look forward to watching our child grow and learn. I can’t wait to be there for the first time our child crawls, talks, walks; for the first Christmas, first day of school, and all the exciting days in between; for when they are older and go to college, when they get married and have children of their own. These days will be so special to me and I look forward to all the memories that are to come. I graduated college with a degree in elementary education and have worked with children ranging from ages 5 – 18 as part of my teaching career. I feel that my background has provided me with a deep understanding of children’s developmental and emotional needs. I have worked with children with developmental delays and autistic children and understand what it takes to help any child thrive in their day-to-day lives. I understand that all children learn differently – and I will make sure that our child has different methods of learning available to him/her. Self confidence is very important for a child. But most importantly, I will be there to love our child unconditionally and I can’t wait to do so!

Home

We live in a colonial house built in the late 1800’s. We love the charm of older houses – from the woodwork to the built-in cabinets. It is a 4 bedroom house with plenty of room for our family. Our town is very child friendly. There is a large lake in the town where people walk around it day and night, every season. The walk is approximately 3 miles around and there are two children’s parks on either side of the lake. It is a great place to spend a quiet afternoon. The past few times our nephew Max has stayed over with us, he stays in a tent in the house. He loves it and thinks it is so much fun. He also loves the number of playgrounds that are within walking distance to our house. We look forward to exploring the area with our child and their cousin’s Max and Mia.

Traditions

Holidays are a fun time in both our families. We enjoy getting together for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and birthdays. Although, Halloween is probably Erin’s favorite because it brings back such fun memories and seeing the kids dressed up is wonderful! We each have a thing about monkeys. May sound strange, but monkeys tend to make anything funny (at least to us!). Most birthdays, we each tend to get the other a monkey card. We also have a few monkeys throughout the house. Small little trinkets, but they make us smile. Wherever our child comes from, we want our child to know and cherish their biological heritage and culture(s). We would ask if there was a favorite tradition or holiday memory that you would like passed on – we would love to include that into our family traditions if that is of interest to you.  At Matt’s parents on Christmas Day – a tradition of getting holiday crackers and wearing the crowns that come in them.

Comfort with Adoption

We have done a lot of research on adoption. We actually started reading and attending workshops over 2 years ago. We both felt it was something that we would be really happy with and wanted to be prepared and knowledgeable before we started. We are aware that there will be questions by our child and questions from the outside world and we are prepared to answer them as best as possible. We believe that education is an important way for people to understand adoption. We have recommended our immediate family read about adoption and we will plan to talk with our child from a very early age about adoption and their story. We know a few people that have adopted and we want our child to know other adoptive children. We feel it will be important for them to know that they are not alone – but that his/her story is
similar to others. Obviously their story will be their own, but we hope that knowing other adoptive children will make them feel part of a group.

We are in awe of your strength, courage, love, bravery and selflessness. Please know that we want to meet your needs during this difficult time. We want to be able to be a support to you or to provide you with answers to questions about how we plan to raise our child. Depending upon your comfort level with communication in the future, we will follow your lead but we are open to full communication. Our understanding is that children can benefit if they have an opportunity to know their birthparents while they’re growing up – we would be open to an in-person connection with you, as well as sending photo/letter updates and Skype chats, if this is something that would be comfortable for you.

Regardless of the level of contact you’d like, we will always help our child to understand that you made a well-thought-out and loving decision. We will let our child know how much you love them and we hope to show them photos of us all together, so that they can understand how we all became a family. The most important thing in our minds is to make sure our child knows that you love them! This is one of the most selfless acts we will experience and we truly will be grateful to you for the rest of our lives.

Thank you, not only for taking the time to read our profile, but for considering us for the greatest
gift we will ever receive. If you would like to speak to us directly or learn more about us, please
contact Full Circle, toll free at: 1-800-452-3678. We would be more than happy to speak with
you.

Thinking of you,

Matt & Erin