Dear Birth Mom,

Before talking about ourselves, we want you to know how much we admire your decision to place your child with a loving adoptive family. We are confident that you will find the perfect one -- where the precious child you are about to bring into this world will receive the unconditional love and respect that every boy and girl deserves.

Thank you for reading our letter, and for considering whether we are that ideal family for your child.

About Us

We are Scott and Ann-Sofi and we live in Southern California. We met in 2000 and consider ourselves among the lucky couples who are best friends, lovers, and equals all in one. We share a passion for nature and spend most weekends hiking, camping or cycling somewhere in on the West Coast. Struggling with infertility for the past few years has only brought us closer, and has made it clear to us how much we look forward to welcoming a child into our lives. Ann-Sofi works as an architect. Over the years, she has been quite successful, building houses and designing offices. Yet, every time she completes a new project, she thinks about the fact that the most exciting one still lies ahead -- to create a loving and supportive home for her own family. And, of course, to design the coolest tree house in all of Southern California, next to the avocado tree in the back yard!

Ann-Sofi is creative and funny (and sometimes goofy) -- and someone who always follows through on her promises. She has already had a career and doesn’t need to prove anything. She knows that being a mother is much more important than being in the office. Naturally curious about almost everything, she is great mommy material and she can’t wait to explore the wonders of the world with a child.

She is the nurturing type and loves to cook traditional Swedish meals for friends and family, honoring the country where she grew up. Ann-Sofi moved to the United States when starting college and while she still knows a thing or two about the raw herring people insist on eating back in Sweden (we promise, no raw herring for the baby!) she takes special pride in preparing the best meatballs in town.

Scott is also an architect and has spent the last several years teaching. His flexible schedule as a professor has given him the opportunity to put his expertise into practice. Over the past two years, he has renovated their beautiful 1920s house, making it the gem of the neighborhood. It was quite a job, putting on new stucco, upgrading the plumbing and electricity, building walls, tiling bathrooms, reinforcing the foundation, and much more. (This is where Ann-Sofi will design that special tree house -- you may already have realized that Scott will be the one building it!)

Scott's flexible work hours will also allow him to be a great dad, giving him time to attend school performances, music recitals and sports events. In fact, knowing Scott, he will probably be the coach of at least one little league team! Scott was a bit of a jock in high school, playing football and soccer. He grew up in a close-knit family but moved a lot because of his dad’s work. In his late teens they finally settled in Ohio, where his parents still live. Moving around was tough at times and it has made Scott appreciate the value of being rooted in one place. He and Ann-Sofi look forward to raising their child in Sothern California where they plan to stay long-term.

Scott is a nature buff if there ever was one. He is the kind of guy you’d like to have around on a desert island. He makes a flat tire seem like fun, always managing to find that perfect solution to any problem. As a dad, he can’t wait to bring his child along on wonderful family outings. Whether fly fishing, hiking in the spectacular hills and valleys of California, or taking the time to stop and admire a beautiful humming bird in the back yard -- Scott will always be there for his son or daughter.

Our Home, Friends, and Family

In the evenings, we enjoy cooking dinner together, and talking about what’s going on in the world and about our future. There is a lot of joy in our household. We know we are lucky to have found each other, to be soul mates, and we daydream about all the fun things we will do as a family. Our child will know that he or she is the most important person in our lives, and how very grateful we are that you brought him or her into this world and trusted us as parents.

Our lovely three-bedroom home is close to some of the best schools in the country and to the beaches and mountains of Southern California. We have a great baby room and a back yard filled with blossoming fruit trees. This is the place where we look forward to years of fun, family cookouts, lazy afternoons in the sun, and whacky birthday parties.

We are blessed with a wonderful group of friends in Los Angeles, some of whom we have known since childhood. Several of our closest friends have recently had babies and one couple we know has two beautiful adopted children -- a toddler boy and an infant girl. We spend a lot of time with our friends, barbecuing or gathering for family picnics in the park. We can’t wait to have our own child be part of all the fun-filled activities and silly games.

Our extended families are fully supportive of our decision to adopt, looking forward to welcoming a new child into their lives. Ann-Sofi is a Swedish-American, meaning that our child too will be a citizen of the world. We will continue to visit family regularly, in Ohio, Sweden, or wherever they may be. Both of us have had a chance to travel extensively, within the United States and to other countries, and as a family we will continue our tradition of going on exciting vacations. Thankfully, we have a guest room, as our parents, siblings, and cousins already have declared that they will come for extended visits once the baby has arrived.

Oh, and did we mention that we have a step-dog? His name is Bob and he is a Border Collie. Many years ago someone threw him out of a car on the freeway. Our friends rescued him, and since then he has been a major part of all our lives, greeting each day with unbeatable doggy joy. We often bring him along on hikes and other trips, and when our friends are away he stays with us. We love dogs, but we have a special reason for not getting our own yet -- we want our son or daughter to get to choose the perfect dog for our family.

Raising a Child

We believe strongly that all children have a natural creativity that will blossom if nourished. As parents, we will help our son or daughter to explore that inner spirit. We believe in teaching by example and encouragement, not through harsh discipline. We know that being a parent can be both joyous and a tremendous challenge and we are ready for both. By honoring honesty and integrity in our own lives, respecting diversity and the opinions of others, and by celebrating tradition and basic family values, we will make sure that our child is given the chance to reach his or her full potential.

Our main goal as parents is to offer unconditional love and respect for our child. We recognize how lucky we were to grow up in loving families and we will continue our own parents’ tradition of always being there for us when we needed them. We are emotionally and financially ready for parenthood, and we look forward to allowing our child to pursue his or her dreams, whatever they might be.

A final thought

You can probably tell by now that we are eager to embark on the most important journey of life -- parenthood. As you think carefully about the tremendous decision ahead of you, we hope that the words and images of this letter have given you an idea of the loving, happy, secure, and family-oriented life that your child will have if you entrust him or her to us.

If you have any questions for us, or if you would like to talk to us about adopting your child, please contact AdoptHelp 800.637.7999 Warmly,