Walter & Lee

Dear Birth Mother:
Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to share our story with you, and to give you a small glimpse into who we are, and why we are so excited about bringing the gift of a child into our lives through adoption. We understand that this journey has probably not been an easy one for you. We have the utmost respect for your strength, compassion for what you must be going through as you explore this process, and wish you the very best. As you read our story, we hope that you find peace in knowing that we have a lot of fun together and have a lot of warmth in our hearts, and that we want nothing more than to grow our family by giving a child a nurturing and loving home.

About Us
We were introduced to one another in 2003 by a mutual acquaintance, who was one of Lee’s patients and Walter’s neighbor. A year later we got engaged during a trip to Tahiti. In 2006 we got married a short distance from our home in San Diego.

One of the things we most enjoy doing together is traveling to places near and far. We spent our honeymoon in Tanzania where we climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and went on safari in the Serengeti. We have an annual tradition of taking at least one trip to the mountains in either California or Colorado, which affords us an opportunity to play in the snow, which we do not get much of in sunny southern California. When we are not traveling, we enjoy experiencing all that San Diego has to offer, whether it’s relaxing at the beach, wandering around the San Diego Zoo, or working on projects around the house.

Our family and friends are important to us, and without their love, support and guidance neither of us would be the people that we are today. While our parents live far away, we make it a point to see them at least twice a year. Each of us has fond memories of our grandparents, and we hope that our child will gain the same wisdom and joy from our parents as we did from our grandparents.

We live in a charming three bedroom home, which has a fenced-in yard with room for a child to play outside, a spacious patio where we spend a lot of our time outdoors, and gardens which attract lots of colorful butterflies and hummingbirds in the summer. We have several parks nearby, along with great schools, and a library. The beach is a 5 minute drive away, and yes you can even see the ocean from our house! We have one pet, a dog named Annie who is part Labrador Retriever and part Saint Bernard who spends part of her time at our house and part of her time at our dear friend’s house down the street. Lee and her friend, Kaliko, (then roommate) rescued Annie from a shelter when she was just over a year old. Now she has the extra bonus of having two loving homes. Annie is a sweet dog with a huge heart, a wonderful smile, and loves her family. She is very social and loves children.

About Lee
Most of my childhood was spent in a small town along the Atlantic Ocean in Massachusetts. Even though I am an only child, my two childhood friends were like my sisters. We have been good friends for 27 years, and while they are still living in New England, we see each other on an annual basis. Jessica is married with four children and Dana is married with 3 children.

My grandparents were a very big part of my life as a child and young adult. They taught me to persevere, to be independent, to work hard to achieve my goals and to take pride in what I do. They owned a small business where I spent many afternoons with them. I have many fond memories of my grandparents and still treasure the time which we spent together. We took international and domestic trips which they encouraged me to do. They have been influential in the person I have become.

Since I grew up near the water, my mother and father fostered my love of sailing. I attended the same Sailing Camp where my mother and uncle learned to sail. I began this summer day camp at the age of four as a novice sailor and finished as a camp counselor at 16 years of age. In college, I worked as a Sailing Director in Connecticut as a summer job.

I attended college in New York City which was quite a change from my small town life. This was an educational experience for me, not only academically, but also culturally. I became active in student government and joined a sorority where I acted as president during my senior year. I developed close friendships with several of my sorority sisters who came from different walks of life and, we remain friends to this day. We try to get our families together regularly, but stay in contact and share pictures frequently through email and letters.

From a young age, I knew I wanted to pursue a career that helped others. I moved to Northern California in 1995 to attend graduate school to study Occupational Therapy. There is where I met my best friend, Kaliko. We have become like sisters and have travelled extensively together from the mountaintops of Alaska, to the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, to bungee jumping in New Zealand to scaling the Dolomiti in Italy.

Currently, I work as an Occupational Therapist in a small school district in San Diego County. I provide therapy services to special needs children ranging from ages 3- 14 years. Occupational Therapy is a very rewarding profession and Iearn from my students each day. I enjoy working with children very much.

My friends describe me as genuine, patient, caring, loving and responsible. I consider myself to be loyal, honest, compassionate, adventurous and fun. I enjoy being active and try to live a healthy lifestyle. I try to treat others the way that I would like to be treated.

About Walter
My family moved around a lot when I was growing up, due to my father’s job. Not only did we live all over the United States, but we also moved abroad to places like Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Zimbabwe, which provided the opportunity to visit lots of other countries and exciting destinations in the process. One of my fondest memories was a family vacation to New Zealand – it is hands down one of the most beautiful countries in the world.
As a result of moving around so much, my brother, Derek, and I were best friends and took care of one another. He is two years younger than me. As kids, we built tree-houses together and went “exploring” in the woods, where we searched for everything from leprechauns to buried treasure. Sadly, we never found any. He is married now and has a three year old son.

My father taught me to appreciate nature and the outdoors, and I cherish our camping trips and ski trips together. My mom was the glue that kept the family together, and I will probably never have a full appreciation of the sacrifices she made to ensure that everyone was happy. My grandparents were amazing people, who endured through the Great Depression, and both of my grandfathers fought in World War II.

As a child I always had a deep fascination with science. I remember being seven years old and telling my parents I wanted to be a genetic engineer. I was the kind of kid that was just as happy to get a chemistry kit or a microscope for Christmas as I was to get a He-Man action figure or a bicycle. What can I say? Years later, that passion for science led me through a Bachelors degree in biology, and a Masters in Biotechnology, and ultimately to the biotechnology industry San Diego where I would work on drugs for neurological diseases and cancer.

I am a light-hearted person who loves to laugh, but am a pretty awful joke teller… still; Lee humors me by laughing at my jokes anyway. I am a self-proclaimed geek, but am hoping that “geekiness” will come in handy one of these days when it comes time to help our child with their homework.

Our promise to your child:
Even though we have yet to meet, you are already in our hearts and in our thoughts. We promise to give you a loving home, where you will be nurtured and secure, and where you can depend on us to support you and guide you through life. We will listen to your needs, and promise to do our very best to help you grow into a strong and independent person with your own views, convictions and beliefs. We will strive to raise you to be a good citizen and to serve as a positive example to others who respects all people and creatures. We will give you the best education – both inside and outside of the classroom – and give you the access to opportunities and experience to allow you the ability to do whatever you aspire to do in life. And most important of all, we will love you unconditionally.

Closing
Thank you again for reading our story, and allowing us the opportunity to share a little bit of our lives with you. We wish you the best in your journey as you make this important decision for you and your baby.

If you have any questions for us, or would like to talk to us about adopting your child, please contact an AdoptHelp advisor by Calling 1-800-637-7999 or clicking the "Contact Us" button below.

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