Introduction

Dear Expectant Parent(s),

We are Ron and Laurel. We have been together for eight years and happily married for almost five. Our mutual love of all things Disney was one of the major things that brought us together, but it was not the only thing. Our comedic personalities, along with our love of books, movies, and family, also made us realize we were right for one another early on in our relationship. In addition to knowing we were soulmates from the very beginning, for as long as we have loved each other, we have known that we were meant to be parents together. After getting married, we struggled to conceive and finally became pregnant through infertility treatments. Sadly, we lost our son at 23 weeks and then had to decide how to proceed with growing our family. Ron was adopted, as was his sister, so after taking time to mourn our loss, we easily embraced adoption as our path to parenthood. In order to expand our family this way, we need your help though, so we want to express our appreciation for your courage in considering us as potential adoptive parents for your child. We also want you to know that if you select us, we will provide your child with unconditional love, along with a nurturing, magical home full of family, fun, and support.

In the Beginning

We knew in the first half-hour of our first date that we were meant to be. Laurel always says, “He had me at Disney!” We both have mutual nostalgic memories of family vacations to Disney World. In so many ways, these trips shaped us into the people we became as adults, helped us define the types of relationships in which we wanted to be, and influenced how we eventually wanted to be as parents. In addition to our early experiences at Disney shaping us, Ron met Laurel’s family for the first time at Disney World, where he was a hit with them and all of her siblings. He also later proposed to Laurel at Disney World. These experiences solidified the fact for us that every special moment in our lives would eventually be celebrated in Disney fashion. When we were married, we even had a Disney themed wedding that everyone still describes as the most loving and supportive wedding they have ever attended. We were surrounded by so many people from different points in our lives; them being there made us realize not only how lucky we were to have them in our lives, but how lucky we were to have found each other as well. Now, as we try to grow our family, we keep Disney in mind to remember that if we keep on believing our dream to have a child will come true.

Our Home

We are both from the South and have never forgotten our roots. We now own a single-family home on the North Shore of Massachusetts in the suburbs, which we love because it reminds us so much of the diverse and friendly communities in which we grew up. Our property has a huge backyard with plenty of space to breathe and enjoy our hobbies, while our home itself has large common spaces that allow us to enjoy time together (watching movies, listening to our record player, or hosting game nights/dinners/holiday parties), with those we love. We can’t wait to have a little bundle of joy so we can host playdates too!

Our town is an eclectic area that pretty much encapsulates our fun and enthusiastic natures in a nutshell. One of our first dates was in our town and we later got married in our town, so it’s also dear to our hearts. Laurel grew up near New Orleans, so our town’s history and love of Halloween is very reminiscent of her upbringing. We both also grew up near the ocean and knew we wanted to raise a family in a similar environment, so we love that our town is on the beach. We can’t wait to take our future child(ren) on spooky Halloween outings and summer walks out to the wharf or the lighthouse.

Our Pets

We have three wonderful cats who, through kismet, somehow made their way into our lives. All three of them are incredibly friendly and love people. They are also a reflection of our mutual love of music, as they are all named after Beatles songs: Dear Prudence, Hey Jude, and Rigby. We know the three of them will love having a child join our family.

Work Life

Prior to knowing each other, we both moved to Massachusetts after finishing school, as we were offered school and work opportunities here. Ron got into law school in Boston, so he traveled north to continue his education. After graduating from law school, he became a contract attorney focused on corporate and real estate law. The contractual nature of his work allows him to choose what jobs he takes, which means he has a very flexible schedule. Laurel moved north for a job opportunity at an international staffing agency. Since starting at the company, she has worked her way up the company ladder and is now a Delivery Manager, managing accounts and staff. She works remotely from home, which means she also has an incredibly flexible schedule. Both of us also have supportive workplaces, full of colleagues who cannot wait to see us become parents someday soon. We both have the opportunity to take leaves to take care of the new addition to our family. Laurel will be taking a 2-3 month maternity leave, and the nature of Ron’s work will allow him the flexibility to take time off from work whenever he needs/wants, so we will both spend as much time as we can with our adoptive child upon them being placed with us.

Our Hobbies

As you’ve probably noticed from reading our letter thus far, we both have a passion for all things Disney, but we also have hobbies outside of the Magic Kingdom – literature for one. Laurel is in a book club with a group of amazing friends who have a mutual love of fiction and nonfiction reading. Laurel grew up in her mother’s bookstore, which sparked her love of reading. Ron has also been an avid reader since early childhood, reading well beyond the average level at an early age. We also both love to travel (not just to Disney parks, but all over the world). We make yearly trips to Montreal, Canada, as it reminds us of our honeymoon where we trekked across Scotland, London, and Paris. We also travel to New York and Florida quite often, as we both have family who live there that we like to visit. Finally, both of our parents introduced us to the arts when we were younger, so we both love learning about other people through different cultural experiences. We cannot wait to visit museums, and go to live shows, plays or concerts with our future child(ren). On more relaxing occasions, we like to cook together, try new foods, and watch movies; we cannot wait to introduce our future child(ren) to some of our favorite dishes and films.

Laurel, Ron’s Partner in Life

I’d say Laurel is the yin to my yang, but aren’t really opposites. She simply compliments me in so many ways – wise when I’m not, strong where I’m weak.

In addition to being my other half, Laurel is also someone people are constantly drawn to, as I saw firsthand with how quickly my friends and family warmed up to her. She can put people at ease with just a few sentences. She can even talk to someone she’s just met, find out about their interests, and relate to them instantly, somehow never making the conversation all about her. I think part of this comes from her being part of a large family – she has three sisters, including an identical twin – so she learned to listen to other people’s needs at a young age. I also think it’s just in Laurel’s nature to care about other people, which I know will make her an incredibly caring mother.

While some people’s easygoing nature makes them pushovers, Laurel’s does not. She is strong and assertive, not letting anyone get the best of her. Throughout her life, she has been a rock for her family through tough times, so she knows when to help people and when to just give them space. She has this type of empathy that is truly special, as she emanates compassion, but still provides a firm hand when needed. I know this empathy will make her an excellent mother, as she’ll always give our child(ren) what they need, but not always what they want if it is not in their best interest.

Laurel is also remarkable in how she has affected me as a person. She has broadened my horizons in so many ways, in particular expanding my appreciation for arts and culture. She has traveled around the world, diving headlong into various cultures in Europe and Asia with grace. After each trip, she has brought back not only gifts for those in her life, but lessons about how we can all do better. I know that Laurel’s travels, along with the lessons she has learned from them, have taught me a lot and will make her an insightful parent to our future child(ren).

Ron, Laurel’s Partner in Life

Ron is not just my husband, but my best friend as well. When we first met, I told him how important finding a spouse who was also my best friend was to me, and he totally agreed – so we feel very lucky to have found each other. Now, because our love is rooted in friendship and respect, we have a greater appreciation for each other than I think we would have otherwise.

Because Ron is my best friend, it is hard for me to select only a few of the wonderful things about him, but I’ll try to mention a few here. Ron is the most intelligent and the funniest person I know. He is a contemplative person, but is also so in tune with his emotional side. His inner strength is a godsend, and he is as emotionally intelligent as he is logical. He is also very intuitive and always knows when I need a hug – a trait I know will make him a great father.

In addition to everything I just listed, one of the things that made me originally fall in love with Ron is how much he values his connections to other people. Family and friends are what are most important to Ron, so it’s not shocking to me that his ability to retain good friendships was something I noticed about him very early on in our relationship. I noticed this in how Ron radiated warmth when interacting with friends, along with how his friends welcomed me into their group and were then all so supportive of our relationship. From knowing Ron as a friend and a spouse, I know that Ron always puts the people in his life first. For this reason, I know Ron will be an amazing father and that our future child(ren) will always know he will be there for them if they need him.

Laurel’s Family

Laurel grew up in South Louisiana, not far from New Orleans, surrounded by a diverse culture and supportive friends. She was raised in a reformed Jewish home, where she learned the importance of community and heritage. Though her father passed away when she was only a teenager, Laurel is still very close to her mother and to her three sisters. Laurel’s identical twin sister, Rachel, and Rachel’s husband live very close to us in Massachusetts. They can’t wait to welcome our new addition and will be around to help us with our future child whenever we need it. As big fans of theater and games, they are itching to share these passions with our future child by playing board games with them and taking them to Broadway shows when they’re older. Laurel’s older half-sister, Carrie, lives in Kansas and, though she lives farther away from us, we are still quite close with her. Laurel’s younger sister, Allison, is on the spectrum so she lives at home with her mother in South Louisiana. Laurel’s mother is looking forward to sharing her love of reading with our future child and has already begun collecting a library of children’s books for them. Laurel has a number of close cousins in New York and Florida as well, who we look forward to visiting each year. They can’t wait for us to adopt, so we can bring a little one with us when we visit. Laurel’s whole family is looking forward to welcoming our adoptive child into the family, as our adoptive child will be the first child on her branch of the family.

Ron’s Family

Ron comes from a big Catholic Italian and Jewish family that is now spread throughout Florida and New York (just like Laurel’s family). Though his parents are divorced, he’s maintained a close relationship with both of his parents and his step-parents. Both of Ron’s parents are really looking forward to sharing their love of cooking as a family activity with our future adoptive child. On his mom’s side, he has an adopted sister and a step-brother. He also has three nieces, his step-brother’s children, who are very fond of their Uncle Ronnie and Auntie Laurel. On his father’s side, he has two younger half-sisters. They both live farther away, so we don’t get to see them often, but we still talk to them regularly. Ron also grew up close to his extended family, who we visit frequently. Ron’s family is known for large intergenerational parties that they host at least once a year; they are all looking forward to us adopting so they can play with our future child and teach them things. Everyone cannot wait to welcome our adoptive child into the family, as our child will be the first child in his or her generation on Ron’s side of the family as well.

Ron was adopted through a closed adoption at birth and has never met his birth family, as that was a stipulation they had placed on his adoption at the time of his birth. Because Ron never got to meet his birthparents, Ron and his family, look forward to us having an open adoption with our child’s birthparents, hopefully you if you are okay with having an open adoption.

Thank You

Thank you so much for taking the time to read about us and our family. We hope that showing you a little slice of our lives together, along with providing you with a vision of the supportive and happy home we will provide for your child, will give you some peace of mind in your decision-making process. Although we have not been in your shoes, having gone through the loss of a child ourselves, we truly understand how difficult deciding whether or not to place your child for adoption may be for you. As an adopted child himself, Ron also knows what it is like to be placed for adoption, so we also want to provide you with a little comfort in knowing Ron believes his personal adoption story was fate. Finally, no matter what you decide to do, we want you to know that we truly appreciate that you thought about us as potential adoptive parents for your child. If you do decide to place your child with us, we truly look forward to meeting you and to all that is to come. Please call Full Circle Adoptions at 1-800-452-3678 if you would like to learn more about us or speak with us.

With Love and Light,

Ron & Laurel