Dear Birth Mother,
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to introduce ourselves to you. We are grateful that you love your unborn child so much that you are willing to consider an adoption plan. We recognize that adoption is a difficult decision, and we want to express our gratitude that you might consider us as potential parents. We are Michael and Jennifer, and are very excited about becoming parents for the first time.

Our Story
We are coming up on our 9th anniversary. We met while taking swing dance classes, one of the things we enjoyed as individuals, and continue to enjoy as a couple. Since then, our lives have been filled with joy, laughter, and the love of family and friends.

We live in a small city, but within the larger area of Los Angeles, California. Our neighborhood is quiet, safe, and family friendly. Our city is known for its excellent school system, its parks and a variety of activities for children and families.

We enjoy many activities such as going to museums, plays, concerts, and various festivals (Irish, Greek, Italian, etc. as well as arts & craft). We are season members at the Ashland Shakespeare Festival, where we have vacationed and enjoyed many plays. Michael is a lifelong Angels baseball fan so we go to many games during the baseball season. We have even traveled to spring training in Arizona three times to see the pre-season games. Our first date was at the Hollywood Bowl, and a picnic and concert under the stars with family & friends is still one of our favorite summer outings. We also enjoy an afternoon riding bicycles along the beach or at the park. Afternoon tea is a treat we like to share with each other and family every few weeks. Each year on our anniversary, we like to do something new together. It can be a daytrip someplace new or simply a lovely dinner at a new restaurant. But probably our favorite “date” is the many times we go to Disneyland (we have season passes), which is where we got engaged (just outside the park on the spot where we first kissed). Every time we pass our special place, we kiss and remember where our life together first started.

We both adore cats and live with two who allow us to care for them. They are brother and sister and their names are Kit Carson and Kat Ballou. They bring us a lot of joy and entertainment, whether playing with them and their favorite toy mice, or watching them nap together.

About Michael
I grew up in a small family, with 1 younger sister. Some of my fondest childhood memories include swimming every summer day in our backyard pool, family trips to amusement parks, and traveling in the car on various road trips. As a baby, my dad used to sing simple melodies to me to calm me and help me sleep soundly at night. This is one thing I am looking forward to as a dad, singing lullaby’s to my child. I guess that is one reason I was always interested in music, and at the age of 9, I began playing the organ and piano. I am a musician today, playing regularly in a jazz band. For my “day job”, I work with computers for a financial investment company.

I love animals, and at one time, owned my own Arabian horse. My love for animals led me to become a vegetarian about 10 years ago. My hobbies include listening to music, reading, traveling and experiencing new places, watching baseball and football on TV, and spending time at home.

About Jennifer
I grew up in Southern California and have 7 half brothers and sisters. They range in age from 24 to 59 with me smack-dab in the middle. My parents were divorced when I was 5 and I grew up with my mother, my sister Megan and my brother Michael, both from her first marriage. Megan and Michael were on their own by the time I was 9, so in a way, I grew up an only child, but with 7 brothers & sisters. Odd? Yes, but that’s life and I like it.

As a child I had to work hard to overcome my dyslexia and move forward to achieve my goals. One of which was to be the first of my siblings to go to college. As a child I loved drawing & painting, but when I discovered the camera my senior year in High School, it all ‘clicked’. Photography was and is my art form.  I even think my dyslexia helps me be a better photographer - I see things differently than others and am able to use my “learning disability” to my advantage. I studied to be a photojournalist in college and put those skills to work as a wedding photographer for 6 years before I found a wonderful job at a museum digitally photographing rare books, manuscripts, drawings and photographs. I have been there for 7 years and it is a wonderful environment, very cultural with many educational programs for children and families.  My boss is very flexible with my hours and is happy to accommodate my family needs once our child arrives.

I am very easy going and patient. When confronted with adversity, I use humor to lighten the mood and muddle through the situation. I am looking forward to being a mom and to nurturing a little one so they can grow and experience all the wonderful things this world can offer. I want to help my child grow into a strong, caring, happy and intelligent adult.

Travel & Adventure
Our 9 years together have been filled with many wonderful, fun-filled adventures. We have traveled throughout Europe (Ireland, London, Paris, Germany, Rome, Venice) and throughout the US (California, Oregon, Arizona, Hawaii, Boston, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and driving the entire Route 66 from Chicago to LA!). Seeing and experiencing the world is important to us, and we are looking forward to continuing our travels with our child. The opportunity to meet people and experience different cultures has been tremendously exciting and fun for us. We both had childhoods with plenty of travel. Michael’s family took many trips throughout the US. Jennifer also traveled throughout the US and, as a child, visited Paris and lived in South Africa for a while. While in college she was able to live in Oxford, England while on a study abroad program.

Family & Friends
We are fortunate to have some of our family living close-by. Michael’s mom and dad, and Jennifer’s brother, Michael, and sister-in-law, Carol live within a 30 minute drive, and we enjoy getting together with them often. In addition, Jennifer’s niece and husband and their baby also live in the area. We have family in California, Washington, Arizona, Las Vegas, Colorado, Philadelphia, Florida, and Canada, and everyone is very supportive of our decision to adopt. They are looking forward to us traveling and showing our child these different places. Our close friends are also excited about us adopting a child, and will be an important part of our child’s upbringing and development.

In Closing
What makes our marriage special is how we complement each other (opposites do attract!). Michael is organized and detail-oriented. Jennifer is creative and practical. We have fun together in everything we do, and laugh all the time. We value hard work, communication, honesty, community, respect for self and others, and look forward to sharing these values with our child. As parents, we’ll provide a home filled with love, fun, faith, acceptance, education, music and the arts, travels, and life-long support for our child to pursue his or her own dreams. All children are gifts and you would be giving us the greatest gift imaginable by allowing us to fulfill our dream to become a family.

We look forward to getting to know you, and trust that whatever decision you make will be the right one for you and your child. If you’d like to speak with us about adopting your child, or have any questions for us, please contact your Adoption Advisor at AdoptHelp toll free at (800) 637-7999.

Thank you and God Bless….