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Dear Birthmother:

We have great respect for you and the difficult task you have in choosing adoptive parents for your baby. Please don't hesitate to ask us any questions.

We hope you will get a sense of who we are by seeing these pictures and reading about us, our background and our surroundings. There's much love and laughter in our life. We hope to share this with a second child soon.

We are familiar with the adoption process and celebrate it as a way to become a family. Our precious Jaclyn came into our lives November 2, 2004, and we are fortunate to have a relationship with Jaclyn's birthmother and birthfather. We met "Jac" just an hour after her birth. After two weeks with her in Ohio, we brought Jac home to Chicago. Primarily, we have communicated with Jaclyn's birthmother via letters, and, occasionally, the phone and internet. With our second child, we would be delighted to stay in touch and are happy to meet you, if that is your wish.

We recently celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. We searched long and hard to find each other. We had the same ideas about love and marrying the right person; someone warm, compassionate and intelligent. Ironically, our office doors were about six feet apart and we had never met! We finally left our design studios at the exact same time, bumped into each other, and fell in love. We embraced the idea of adoption before we were married. For over a decade, we had known that there was good chance that we couldn't have biological children for medical reasons. Happily, we pursued the path of adoption, and with Jaclyn's arrival, we were at long last beginning the family we had dreamed about. With confidence, we feel that adoption is the right way to grow our family.

About Lisa:

Lisa designs toys! At the end of college, on a "dare," she interviewed with a big toy manufacturer. Since then, she has designed hundreds of children's toys and games which have been sold throughout the world. It's been as magical as one imagines it, and she did this while living in Illinois, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and London, England. Lisa has that unusual mix of whimsy/creativity and business smarts. With her focus on children's toys, it's been a very natural transition for her to be a mom. Lisa and Jaclyn have a wonderful bond. They both are creative, and are extremely animated when reading stories, playing and dancing together. Lisa is very lucky to nicely balance motherhood and work with flexible work hours at both her nearby studio and home. She has loved taking Jac to mom/tot music and gymnastic classes. She is eager to share special times with our second child. Lisa loves to work with her hands, do yoga, travel and just hang out with family and friends.

What Garry wants you to know about Lisa:

Lisa is creative, thoughtful and the kindest person I know. She has a strong spirit and an amazing sense of humor, no matter what the situation. I'm constantly in awe of the incredible way Lisa has with Jac. Whether she is reading a story or giving a bath to Jac, she fills the house with beautiful love and laughter. They say: behind every man there is a great woman. Lisa is that strong and loving woman. I hope our children will be like this too.

About Garry:

Garry has three great passions in his life: family, helping people and creating art. After years of working as a graphic designer, illustrator and carpenter, Garry became a police officer. This surprised people close to Garry who think he's "the sweetest guy they have ever met." He has already received over 45 Honorable Mentions. Garry's work schedule enables him to spend some quality time with Jaclyn, and this has made their daddy/daughter relationship very solid. He can't wait for the opportunity to do this again with our next child. Recently, Garry's accomplishments and skills were acknowledged and he was accepted to the Mounted Police Patrol Unit. This will bring on a fun and new interesting twist to Garry's career. He will patrol Chicago on a horse! He will cover Lake Michigan beaches and major downtown city events. Garry also enjoys cooking, working out, spending time with "his girls" and taking Chester for walks. He's often in the middle of a house project.

What Lisa wants you to know about Garry:

Garry is charming and truly warm-hearted. He is good to his core. And he can make me laugh no matter what is going on in our crazy world. He's a hands-on daddy. He's on his knees playing alongside Jac everyday. He is by definition a "family man." I'm deeply soothed in my soul knowing that Garry is my life partner. He inspires me in every aspect of my life. And one day I hope that Jaclyn will meet and marry a man as funny, kind and loving as Garry.

About Jaclyn:

Jaclyn is our sunshine. She is a talkative, smiling toddler. She is smart as a whip and one busy little girl. She adores coloring and drawing, whether it be with chalk, crayons or markers. We are excited that she has always loved to sit and read with us. She has a great attention span. She has a handful of little friends and gets along beautifully with them. She is extremely close with her first cousins, Eva (3 years) and Hannah (7 years). Many children close to Jaclyn have a sibling, so it's no surprise that Jaclyn mentions that she wants a brother or sister, too. Jac enjoys weekly visits with both sets of her grandparents, and she is the apple of their eyes (as are all of their grandchildren). We have a blast with Jac, playing at the park and watching her evolve into a spectacular little girl. We have no doubt that she will be a loving and attentive big sister.

We were both born and raised in Chicago, and all of our immediate family live nearby (most within five miles) except for Garry's dad who lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Every Thursday, Jac enjoys family day at Auntie Julie's house with her cousins and Lisa's parents: "Bubbie" and "Papa." Jac delights Garry's family, Grammy & Papa Rich, with an occasional sleepover. It seems like there is always some family gathering scheduled. Our favorites are Thanksgiving, where there are twenty to thirty family members gathered round one very long table with loads of children running around. And we also enjoy a summer getaway in Michigan with all of Lisa's family under one roof having a very laid-back vacation in a cottage by the shore. Likewise, Garry's family has a cottage in Wisconsin, and so there will be visits there, too, with plenty of grassy fields and lake swims to entertain the children.

We are just in awe of the unwavering love and support we receive from our family and friends. This has been especially true with Jaclyn joining our family and with our new journey to adopt our second child. Aunt Cheryl is adopting a child soon too. Everyone is so excited for these children to arrive and complete our family!

Our home is in the northwest side of Chicago. It is a blend of old and new, and has a warm and friendly feel. We have a large playroom for all of the toys, and three nicely sized bedrooms. We're lucky, because we have a backyard and a huge park with playground one block away. The neighborhood is safe and culturally diverse, and it encompasses people of all ages. There are many children on our block. We feel lucky to have grown close to many of our neighbors.

About Chester:

One of our friends has described Chester most accurately when she said that he is like a human in a dog suit. Chester is a sweetheart who loves to play fetch with tennis balls and to carry sticks (actually, he likes to eat sticks). He's very gentle with children. Jac and Chester are definite buddies.

Upon adopting a child, I will take a maternity leave. Then I will continue to design toys with flexible work hours from both my studio and home. This allows me to spend some time during the day with our children. We will also continue to have one family day a week at Aunt Julie's. Garry's work schedule enables him to take care of our children during part of the workday as well. And we are extremely lucky to have an incredible family right next door. Our neighbor Kim will watch the new baby (and Jaclyn) during part of the day a few times a week. Jaclyn will soon be in preschool, and we'll therefore have some special bonding time with our second child.

We thank you for taking the time to learn about us. We do our best to make happiness, love, friendship, security, well-being and education the cornerstones of our lives. If nothing else, we aim to enjoy our journeys wherever they lead us.

You have a tremendous task, choosing the adoptive family of your child. We hope your decision brings you peace and enables you to follow your dreams.

Please feel free to call us at anytime 800.763.6451. You may also call our adoption counselor Maggie Benz at 800.869.1005 or email us at info@centerforfamily.com

Wishing you all the best,
Lisa and Garry

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