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Dear Birthmother: Positive thoughts bring positive results. Please read our letter and check out some of our thoughts :-). Hello. We are Katie and Adam, a very happily married couple from Evanston, Illinois. We'd like to start off by thanking you for taking the time to read our letter. We can't even begin to imagine how difficult and emotional this situation must be for you; all we can say is, regardless of what you decide, we hope you find peace and resolution. We'd like to think it possible that we can provide you comfort, but only you can decide. Please be assured that any child with whom we are blessed will be loved, supported, and cared for unconditionally for the rest of his/her life. About Us A mutual friend introduced us, and it didn't take long before two perfect strangers became two perfect soul mates! We're sure that must sound horribly corny, but it's the truth. We are more then just a married couple; we're each other's companion, friend and true love. We also bring to our happy home a lot of laughter and tons of playfulness, and a refusal to ever totally lose touch with our kid qualities. We were married in December of ‘06 and are so incredibly excited to start building our family through adoption. Having a child to love, support, encourage, teach, and stand by unconditionally is something of which we've both always dreamed. Why Adoption? Like many couples who are adopting, one of the reasons we are seeking to adopt is because it is medically difficult for us to have a child. However, that is not the sole reason. Both of us have very strong positive feelings about adoption. Adam's older brother was adopted, so he knows from direct experience that love is what creates family bonds, not shared biology. Katie always felt that adoption was going to be part of her life. To us, adoption is a beautiful and loving way to build a family. Careers Adam works at a museum in downtown Chicago. He really enjoys it and loves the research part of it, as he's a huge history buff. Katie works full time at a school for mentally handicapped kids, and absolutely loves it. As much as she loves her work, nothing will mean more to her than being a mother. We are fortunate to be able to be financially stable and live comfortably, so Katie will be leaving her position in order to focus all of her energies on our child. Katie might one day go back to work, but not for the first few years, and not full time. Adam's job allows him to be home every night. Things We Enjoy Doing Together We love to travel, be it to a small island in Italy or the busy New York streets. We enjoy exploring the world and will certainly share that enjoyment with our child. We also love spending time with family and friends, as both are very important to us. We try to get together with friends every Friday night for dinner and make a point to share holidays with family when possible. While we like to travel, we do also enjoy our down time. A quiet night at home in front of the TV can be very nice. We don't live far from Lake Michigan, and when the weather permits, we love taking walks there. We enjoy apple picking in the fall, exploring street fairs in the summer, and mostly just enjoy what every season—as well as our city—has to offer. Both of us love music, though admittedly different types. Katie enjoys most music, but absolutely loves country, whereas Adam prefers classic rock, jazz, and blues. We hope to share this interest with our children as well. Katie loves to write, mostly dramas, and plans to encourage some type of creativity in our child, be it writing, acting, painting, or any other form of self-expression. Adam loves reading anything—from military drama to comedy. He wants to pass on the joy he finds in reading to his children. About Adam, By Katie Adam will make a great father, of that I have no doubt. He loves kids. He can be very playful. Our goddaughters love it when he reads them stories, because he always gives the characters different voices. He also has a very caring nature, and there is nothing he won't do for those in his life. Not too long ago, a friend of his was going through a difficult time, and Adam was ready to jump in the car and drive six hours to where he was, just to be there for him. Adam is also incredibly honest and straightforward. I always know where I stand with him. Also, he isn't afraid to say, "I love you," or to give hugs. I really appreciate that he is very affectionate with me. Adam is also a great lover of sports, especially football, and we both love baseball. So I'm sure our child will be a regular at sporting events. About Katie, By Adam When Katie and I first met each other, we were both coming off broken hearts. I was pretty sure I was never going to find that special someone. But, fortunately, we fell madly in love with each other and got married. There is no one else with whom I want to spend the rest of my life. Katie has the biggest heart of anyone I know. She always has a positive attitude and she's very caring and nurturing. Katie is a huge advocate for children's rights. She is the first to speak out when she feels that a child is not being treated in the right way. She is always trying to take care of others, and is constantly looking out for me—like making sure I have what I need before I leave for work and encouraging me to eat better! Along with her mothering side, she also loves to have fun. She loves to write, travel, and work out. I love her sense of humor and her spirituality. Any child would be lucky to have Katie as a mother and I am lucky to have her as my wife. Our Families Adam's family lives only six hours away by car, 45 minutes by plane. We see them at least once every other month, if not more. Katie's parents have a place in Florida, and one that is not only in Chicago, but also in our condominium building! We think it's going to be great for our children to have grandparents living so close. We feel very blessed that we not only truly love our families, and they us, but we each also have great relationships with our in-laws. This makes for wonderful family gatherings and wonderful times to come. Both families are naturally excited about our plans to adopt. However, there is an added level of excitement, since our child will be the first grandchild on both sides! We both have many fond memories of childhood. For Katie, they include many funny stories, like the time she was playing soccer and her dad got so excited when she had the ball that he started yelling, “Go Katie, go!” and when she turned to look at him, the other team got the ball! There are sweet memories, too, such as her dad taking her out for breakfast every Friday before school, roller skating on Sundays, horseback riding, baseball games, her dad's guitar playing, and cuddling with her mom during thunder storms. Because Katie's dad works in the entertainment business, Katie's family traveled frequently, and always to fun places! One place Katie can't wait to take our children is Italy. She has been there multiple times, and loves every visit just as much as the last, especially the peaceful beauty of the landscape, the historic buildings, the quaint villages,the incredibly kind people, the sweet music, and the wonderful food! Adam remembers many fun games of football with his brothers and family vacations to Florida to visit grandparents. There were also the family excursions to go apple and pumpkin picking during the fall. In Adam's household, Sunday night dinners were always a family affair, with grandparents usually in attendance. The things we'd like to give our children that our parents gave us are the sweet memories full of love and laughter. We'd like to instill in them a sense of fun, a loyalty to family and friends, respect for others and the sense of safety and comfort our parents gave us. As for cousins, there are none yet. Since both of Adam's brothers are married, there will certainly be playful cousins up ahead. What Being A Mom Means to Katie For as long as I can remember, I've always dreamed about being a mother. As a young child, I'd help the kids younger than me. As a teen, I volunteered at a camp for disabled people, working specifically with infants to 6-year-olds. In college, I volunteered during my winter and summer breaks to care for babies born addicted. When I moved back to Chicago, a friend of mine had just had twins, and, with a toddler around, needed some extra help. So, for six months (almost every Saturday), I rocked, burped, sang to, fed, changed diapers, and just all around helped take care of the twins. At the same time, I started working full time at my current job. I'm so blessed to be able to say I love what I do. I get up in the morning excited to go to work and come home happy and fulfilled. The kids show me so much, such as being happy with yourself and what you have, and just enjoying the simple things in life. I feel privileged to know them. For me, the next natural step is to have the opportunity to raise a child. And I am so excited to begin this journey toward adoption. I'm looking forward to all of the joys and challenges of parenthood: the middle of the night feedings, the diapers, and the spit up, as well as rocking our baby to sleep, reading bedtime stories, later on helping with homework, and making cookies together, etc. Bring it on! Why Adam Wants to Be A Dad When Katie and I first started talking about adoption, I sat back and asked myself why I wanted to be a father. I asked myself if I could always be there for my child. The answer is yes—to be a caregiver, disciplinarian, protector, cheerleader and, eventually, a friend. I want to be the type of dad to my kids that my dad was to my brothers and me. Adam has an older brother and a younger brother, so he's well versed on the trials and tribulations, as well as the joys, of having siblings. Katie is an only child, but has several friends whom she truly considers her siblings and whose children she considers her nieces and nephews. What We Feel We Can Offer A Child The absolute most important thing we have to offer a child is love—not only from us, but from two sets of adoring grandparents, aunts and uncles, as well as tons of extended family and loads of friends whom we consider family, and with whom we spend a fair amount of time. Along with love, we can offer all the things that go along with that, such as support, security, encouragement, education and understanding. We can also offer laughter. Both families love to laugh and are very good at making others laugh. We can also offer the opportunity to see the world. As mentioned previously, Katie's father is in the entertainment business, which provides tons of opportunities to travel and to have new and unique experiences. Katie had so many great times while growing up (including being on television!). We can give the same fun-filled childhood to our children. We can offer creativity and self-expression, as those things are important to us as well. Along with this, we can provide a wonderful education. We are well aware of the importance of education, and will do whatever it takes to ensure our child has a great one. We both graduated college and Adam has a master's degree. Additionally, due to Katie's mild vision and hearing issues, along with the work she does with disabled children, we both feel that we are uniquely qualified to help our children with any issues they may face. We wholeheartedly embrace the opportunity to be parents. Our Hopes and Dreams If you choose us as adoptive parents, you'll be guaranteeing your child a life full of love, laughter, family, friends, adventure, education, creativity and security. You'll also be fulfilling the hopes and dreams of a couple who can't wait to make a child the center of their world. But regardless of what you do decide, we wish you and your baby the best. If you would like to know more about us, please call us anytime at 1-800-514-4979 or email us at KatieandAdamadopt@gmail.com. If you prefer, you may also call our adoption counselor, Maggie Gill Benz, at 800-869-1005 toll free. With love and admiration, About
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