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Dear Birthmother: We want you to know that we admire you for having the courage and love to consider making an adoption plan for your unborn child. We also want to assure you we would provide a safe, loving home, and a warm, supportive family for your child, and you would always have a special place in our hearts. It takes a special person to consider placing her baby for adoption, and we hope we can be of some help to you through this difficult time. Thank you for taking the time to read our letter and for getting to know a little more about us. About Our Life Together Our names are Dave and Donna, and we have been happily married since August, 1991. The two of us have always dreamed of having children. We used to talk about names even back before we were married. After many failed infertility treatments, we have decided to fulfill our dream of becoming parents through adoption. This year, we'll celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary, and we're happy to say our love has continued to grow with each passing year. We have a committed, loving marriage based on mutual respect and shared goals and dreams. We met when we were very young and working part-time at the same shopping center. Dave worked at the security desk and Donna would take her breaks in the store's cafeteria. With his scraggly beard and orange polyester blazer, how could she resist? We live in a nice ranch-style home in a small suburb on the northwest side of Chicago. It has a big yard and a deck where Dave likes to grill. It's a family friendly neighborhood, with lots of kids, large sycamore trees, and parks. In fact, we live only a few blocks from a beautiful park with a lovely creek, bike path, library, swimming pool, and skating rink. We are both loyal Cubs fans who enjoy spending
an afternoon at Wrigley Field. When the weather is nice, we enjoy taking
long bike rides and canoeing in the local forest preserve. And, even
after being married for so many years, we still enjoy a "Date
Night" of
dinner and a movie or concert. About Dave I was born on the northwest side of Chicago in the suburb of Niles. I have two sisters, a brother, and three nieces and a nephew. My family is scattered around the country, with my brother in Central Illinois and my mother and two sisters at opposite ends of Florida. Of course, that just gives us an excuse to head down to the beach for winter visits. Since my family isn't local, I'm happy to have been warmly welcomed by Donna's big clan. I love playing with her nieces and all her little cousins. They all enjoy horsy-back rides from Uncle Dave, although a few of them are getting a bit too big for that game! I work as an IT architect for a large, Chicago-based insurance company. All that means is that I design software systems to be developed by teams of programmers. It's challenging work, and I've made lots of good friends working there for so many years. Besides the many interests I share with Donna, I enjoy skiing, golfing and sitting down with a good book. I'm a regular at our local library since my daily train ride to work gives me plenty of time to read. Dave Talks About Donna Donna is my sweetheart. She is kind and gentle and shy. She's especially gentle with children and animals as I've witnessed in her interactions with her nieces and cousins and family pets. Donna is also very good at getting things done. I think this is a talent she developed at work where she runs the Meeting Support department for a (different) major insurance company. When she has a task at hand, she focuses and keeps at it until it is done. Donna was very close with her mom. They used to talk with each other nearly every day. I know, without a doubt, that losing her mom a few years ago was the worst thing that ever happened to Donna. I also know that she hopes to share the same kind of closeness with a child of her own one day. About Donna I was born and raised in Niles, too. Dave and I grew up less than a mile from each other, but we didn't meet until he was in college and I was a senior in high school. I have an older brother who lives nearby and two nieces whom I adore. Abby is six years old, and our newest addition is Molly, who is eight months. My brother and I enjoyed a happy childhood. Both of my parents had to work very hard to afford a home in a nice area and to provide us with all the things we needed. They clearly loved us a lot to sacrifice so much. The lessons they taught me and the unconditional love they gave us are some of the things I look forward to passing on to my children. I feel very fortunate to have a close relationship with my family. We get together regularly to celebrate birthdays and holidays and to just spend time with each other. When all the families gather, it's quite a crowd. Even though we don't have children ourselves, we've still been able to experience the joy of kids ripping into their presents on Christmas, the frenzy of a smashed birthday piñata, ballet recitals, and many other happy childhood events. We hope to someday enjoy these same events with a child of our own. Donna Talks About Dave Dave is a wonderful husband. He's easy-going and laid-back and he makes me feel safe, loved, and cared for. I know Dave will be a great Dad. When I see him playing with my nieces, I realize that he is still a big kid at heart. The girls thrive on the attention Uncle Dave gives them. He is warm and accepting in a way that reminds me of Dave's own dad, who passed away seven years ago. Dave works hard, knows his job well and enjoys what he does. He is admired by his co-workers for the job he does as well as the person he has become. More importantly, unlike many people in his industry, he works regular hours and is always home at night to help with dinner and other household chores (and the occasional foot-rub for me!). Our Path to Adoption It's been a long, emotionally difficult road to get to where we are now. For us, infertility treatment was a series of disappointments that just got deeper and deeper as we went along. At the same time, we lost Dave's dad and, later, Donna's mom. It was quite unexpected, because we both come from long-lived families. Adoption is a light in the darkness for us. It's a realization that we don't need to give up on our life-long dream of having a family and loving a child. Maybe we can be a light in the darkness for you, too. We will tell the child about your brave and loving decision, and, if you want, we would be happy to provide you with ongoing letters and pictures to keep you informed of your child's progress over the years. We hope to talk with you soon, and hopefully have a chance to get to know you better. Please call us, day or night, at 1-866-257-5359, write us at DaveandDonnaAdopt@comcast.net, or contact our adoption counselor, Tobi Ehrenpreis, at 1-800-869-1005. Whatever you decide, we wish you and your baby all the happiness you deserve. With sincere admiration, About
the Center |
Interested
In Adopting? |
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