 | ||
 | | |
 | ||
| | |
| ||
| | |
| ||
| | |
|
|
||||
|
(Click thumbnails
|
|
Dear Birth Parent(s), We are Ellen and Mark, and we hope to adopt a child. Mark is 30 years old and Ellen is 31, and we recently celebrated our third anniversary! We would like to thank you for reading this letter. Choosing adoption is a very tough decision, and we commend you for thinking of your child's well being. Adoption is not an easy decision to make. We are writing this letter to let you know about us, our family life and the life of opportunities and happiness we promise to provide for your child. By giving you information about us, we hope to make your difficult choice a little bit easier. Our marriage is very strong. We met in the fall of 2001 through some mutual friends. The connection between us was instant, and our relationship grew by leaps and bounds in a very short time. Our relationship continues to be a very easy-going one as we pretty much know what the other is thinking most of the time! We are both pet lovers—dogs, to be specific. We have two dogs we each owned before we met: Roscoe, a shepherd lab and Kozmo, a 13-year-old golden retriever. They are affectionately dubbed "Ellen and Mark's Fury Children." Why We Want To Adopt We have been trying to have children for the last three years, and have been unable to have a child ourselves. We are pursuing adoption to grow our family, and we are very excited about this journey! It is our dream to have a big family, and we plan to adopt more children. A Message From Ellen I grew up in a western suburb of Chicago with my parents and older sister. My mom and dad have been married for over 37 years, and they are great role models for me on how to have a happy marriage. Growing up, my family was (and still is) very outdoor oriented. Vacations often consisted of road trips to state parks, national monuments, and other nature related things. My parents own a second home in northern Wisconsin. We very much enjoy the outdoor activities like hiking, biking, fishing and boating when we visit. Most of my friends had children very young, and
I was always there to help them out with child care duties and to participate
in some of their activities throughout the years. To this day, I'm
still known as, "Auntie
Ellen" to them. The pride in carrying that title is very dear to
my heart. After I graduated high school, life's path led me to a career in helping people with disabilities. I worked for a group home for adults with profound and severe disabilities for approximately four years. Life's path also took me close to a career in nursing, but, when I met Mark, I decided not to pursue this because of our decision to have children immediately. At present, I work for a family-owned luggage distribution firm as a product development assistant only two miles from my house. With a flexible schedule, I will be fortunate enough to be able to successfully balance work and parenthood. A Message From Mark I was born in Chicago, but my family quickly relocated to the suburbs. I have two older brothers, but because they were much older than me, I was raised basically as an only child. Growing up, my family was very educationally and religiously oriented. Our excursions included places such as the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, the Art Institute, and other similar locations. I was raised Serbian Orthodox, attending church regularly. Sports were also a big part of my childhood. My mother was an avid tennis player and my dad was a soccer player. As a family, we loved to go skiing together, as well. I was involved in all three. I also loved music from a young age, starting with piano. My brother, being a guitar player, made it evident that I was destined to play the drums, which I still do to this day. I dream of passing this kind of passion for something you enjoy, music or otherwise, on to my child, just as my parents did for me. My career is in logistics. I work for an international ocean freight shipping company where I am a customer service representative. I very much enjoy what I do. My company offers me many great benefits and is very family friendly. While I won't be able to go part time, I will have at my disposal a large number of "personal days" to use in the early years of our child's life. Ellen On Mark One of the first things I noticed about Mark is he is very approachable. Mark is very caring and sensitive, and he befriends everyone he meets. He is always positive and keeps me up when I'm feeling down. Mark has been through many ups and downs throughout his life. Sadly, his mother passed away from a fight with cancer when Mark was in high school. Because of the various loses he has had to deal with in his life, Mark is the person he is today. He is very understanding and patient with people. He doesn't take life for granted. He lives life to the fullest and reminds me when I need to step back, relax, and enjoy what I have currently in life. I am so grateful to have Mark in my life. We fit each other perfectly, and will love each other whole-heartedly for our lifetimes. Bringing a child into our lives is what we yearn to do. Mark on Ellen Ellen is a very compassionate and caring woman. If I was asked to use one word to describe her, it would be "selfless." Ellen is honest and compassionate, and she is someone with great values. Ellen's strength to endure is another thing about her that I'm really in love with. When she and I were going through the infertility treatments, she held strong through all of the ups and downs that we encountered. Also, I can be very stubborn at times, and she has been able to deal with that by being able to reason with me! When I see Ellen with her friends' children, I see the deep desire she has to become a mom. Ellen is great with them, and the children all love and respect her. Our Home We have settled down in a quiet suburb west of Chicago. It is the perfect place to raise children. Our house has three bedrooms and a very large backyard with plenty of room for a swing set. We live two blocks (walking distance) from the local elementary school. There are lots of kids of all ages in our neighborhood. We have many friends who visit, and we spend lots of time with them in our spacious back yard. We have an annual party that brings togther all of our friends and their families. Some of our activities include regular trips to Ellen's parents' Wisconsin house where we love to bike and fish. We enjoy camping, and we make it a point to go at least 2 to 3 times per summer. Mark owns a motorcycle, and we take day trips to locations around the Chicago area during the warm weather. Being in Chicago, the winter weather is a factor, but there are many winter activities to do, such as taking kids sledding, snow skiing and others. Our home is filled with love, care and acceptance. We have prepared for the day when we will share our home with children. Our Promise We are honored that we have this opportunity to present ourselves to you. If you choose us as adoptive parents, you can be assured that your child will be brought up in a very welcoming and caring home. We promise to instill Christian values in your child. We will have lots of things to look forward to in raising him or her. He/she will learn good values, respect, generosity and independence. Our families are just as excited as we are and share the same feelings we do about welcoming your child into our family. Our parents look forward to having their first grandchild to spoil! Thank you for taking the time to begin getting to know us. We respect you for giving life to your child and considering adoption. We look forward to talking with you. We understand you may want to keep in touch through the years. If so, we look forward to discussing this aspect of your adoption plan with you. You can call us any time, toll free, at 1-888-287-0538,
or e-mail us at ellen_markadopt@comcast.net.
We are easy to talk to! If you prefer, you may also call our adoption
counselor, Maggie Benz, at 1-800-869-1005. About
the Center |
Interested
In Adopting? |
|||
