Dear Birth Mom,

Megan, Jim, Jack & Murphy Summer '07

We are Megan, Jim, Jack & Murphy (Murphy has the cold, wet nose). We are so pleased to have the opportunity to introduce ourselves and our family to you. First and foremost, we would like to express our sincere thanks for your consideration of us as your baby's adoptive family. While we know it is a very difficult decision for you, we hope that this letter and pictures will give you a good sense of our family and all of the love and wonderful things that we feel we have to offer a new baby. We have been happily married for 10 years, and we want you to know that we are prepared to give your child a life filled with love and opportunity.

We live in New England in a beautiful and spacious two-story home with four bedrooms and a finished third floor that serves as a big playroom. Our home sits near the end of a cul-de-sac in a neighborhood filled with children. Most of our family lives on the East Coast and is a quick car trip away. We both work close to home and have very flexible work schedules, including the ability to work from home. We are very excited about the prospect of adding another child to our already happy family. Here are our stories...

Our Home

Megan's Story

I grew up in the mid-west with my mother and younger brother, John. My parents divorced when we were very young, and we lived with our mother but visited my father as often as possible. My mother's side of the family is Italian, and I grew up surrounded by wonderful food. In the summer, John and I spent a lot of time with my maternal grandparents where we would make pasta, sauce and meatballs from scratch in my grandmother's little kitchen. My grandfather turned his backyard into a garden to support my grandmother's love of cooking. While helping my grandfather with the weeding, we would hide amongst the stalks and eat tomatoes right off the vine. We spent a lot of time with my grandparents growing up, and although my grandfather has since passed away, I still visit my grandmother as often as I can.

Easter 2006
Mom, me & Grandma

Growing up, my mother worked hard and had a demanding career in sales, and then later financial planning. Growing up in a single-parent household, we probably had more chores and rules than most of our friends. My mother was on the strict side when it came to chores and keeping the house clean. Between her work schedule and our many school activities, it was a busy household. However, my mother almost always was home to make dinner. Like my grandmother, my mother is a great cook. Meals were an important time for our family to sit at the table and talk. Although fairly strict, my mother also loved to laugh and had a great sense of humor - still does. Humor often saved John and me from punishment if we could convince her that there was something funny about why, for example, there was an old banana peel under the sofa. My brother and I are close. We are less than a year a part in age so we were playmates growing up. Today, he is a lawyer in Colorado, and I make an effort to see him at least a couple times a year-maybe more if I am lucky.

I met Jim after law school when I relocated to the Washington, D.C. area. Jim is the type of person who would do anything for a friend or loved one. One night while I was living in a suburb of Maryland, and he in Washington, D.C., we had an argument over the phone. I tried to call him back several times that night, but his friends said that he was not home and did not know where he was. Feeling badly about the fight, I began to worry. A huge snow storm was raging outside. For hours I waited with no word, until there was a knock at my door. When I opened it, Jim was standing there covered in frozen chunks of ice from head to toe. He had walked for 3 or 4 miles through giant snow banks in the blizzard to get to me. I will never forget that moment. We married 2 years later on the most beautiful fall day in New England.

Jim parents with the level of commitment and stamina that he has put into our relationship. Jack will tell you that he is the best Dad ever. He coaches many of his soccer games and has introduced him to a variety of sports including skating, hockey, football and swimming. He spends hours playing with him in the backyard or shooting hoops in the driveway. He was the same way when Jack was an infant, too. He was up in the night to feed or rock him back to sleep, changing diapers and giving baths. Virtually everything I did...Jim did, too. He really is the best Dad ever.

Jim's Story

I grew up on a farm with my parents and two younger brothers, Bill and Dan. We did all of the things you normally think of on a farm, taking in the hay and oats and raising animals, especially sheep. Chores seemed endless. My father had a furniture making business and worked out of one of the main barns on the property.

He made all of the furniture in our home from beds and dressers to kitchen tables, chairs and china cabinets. We had a huge garden on the farm, and my brothers and I were often tasked with weeding it. We hated weeding and mulching that garden. In the early evenings, we would be out there, with every biting insect alive, pulling weeds. All of the vegetables I ate growing up came from that garden. In addition to the garden, my mother had a canning business where she made flavored butter, jellies, salsa, pasta sauce and maple syrup. She also had a wool working business. Huge looms took up whole rooms in our house where she would spin her own yarn and then do her looming. Each of our beds was covered by a blanket made by mom from the wool of our sheep. We didn't have much money growing up, but I don't ever remember going without anything.

The Barn

My parents both worked at home on the property each day so they were always around to see what we were up to. Time outs or spankings were not their style. Instead, they simply told us what was expected, and if we made a poor decision, Dad would have a talk with us. Sometimes the talks lasted awhile, a long while! I remember asking him one time if he could just spank me instead of lecturing. He told me that wouldn't teach me anything. I try to mimic my father's parenting style in many ways, but I do try to talk a little less.

Megan and I met through friends while we were both living and working in Washington, D.C. Right away we discovered that we were both originally from towns in upstate New York, grew up in Irish/Catholic families (Megan is half Irish and half Italian) and both of our mother's were named Eileen. I thought, what are the chances of that? I remember that besides being beautiful, Megan was, and is, a very smart and confident woman.

After dating for about two years, I proposed to Megan at the Jefferson Memorial, her favorite monument in Washington, D.C. We've been married for ten years now, and we have been very fortunate. Megan works extremely hard at everything, including being a great mother. She is always taking Jack to the aquarium, the zoo, the children's museum, reptile houses, and other special places and events. She is the planner of the family, and I never have to worry if I forget something because Megan always remembers the details.

Jim & Megan

And then came Jack...

Jack was born in April of 2000, about two years after we married. We took one look at him wrapped up tightly in the hospital blanket with a little blue cap and nicknamed him the snuggle bug. We've watched Jack grow up so fast. He's seven now and big for his age. It seems like just yesterday we watched him take his first steps while traveling in Ireland. Now he's reading to us at night. Jack has many good qualities, but our favorite is his sense of humor. People in our offices often ask if we have any new Jack stories.

Jack, Grandpopsicle & Murphy

Jack has two great-grandmothers, two grandmothers, and two grandfathers. He loves and visits with all of them, but has a very special relationship with his grandpa, Jim's father, whom he calls Grandpopsical. Grandpopsical is probably is favorite because he feeds Jack's love of animals and nature. Each time he comes to visit, he brings Jack something to plant. Long after the visit is over, Jack is still caring for his plant and thinking of his Grandpopsical.

We always tell Jack that we expect him to try things and give his best effort. That's all we can ask. We believe that we're here to love and support him and to give slight pushes when necessary. Jim is usually the one giving the lectures. Megan is a little more of a pushover. We are certainly not perfect, but this approach has worked well, and we plan on taking the same approach with our next child.

Jack & Grandpopsicle Spring '07

Jack & Murphy at the beach Christmas '06

Our home sits up on a hill in our development which initially gave us some reservations when buying the house. The thought of snow blowing and shoveling that driveway in the winter was a bit scary. However, we soon learned that the hill would be put to good use by the neighborhood kids for sledding and snow boarding. In the summer we go to the beach. Jack loves the water and surfing the waves, so being 15 minutes from several area beaches is a real treat. Murphy, our yellow lab, loves to go down to the ocean to swim, too.

We are a very active family and are all involved in physical activity including working out, walking and/or playing sports. We like to take Jack on what we call "adventure hikes" where we walk through forested trails at a nearby state park and see what we see. Jack likes to, authoritatively, point out what he thinks is poison ivy so that we steer clear and then remark how lucky we are that he spotted it.

Murphy & Jack Halloween '06

We've been trying to have a second child for several years now. We suffered a traumatic miscarriage about a year ago, and not long thereafter we learned that it is very unlikely that we will be able to conceive and carry another child. We have worked hard to put that experience behind us though, and now look forward to the process of adoption. Adoption has provided us with the hope that we can still add to our family and experience the joy of raising another child. Jack has been asking for a brother or a sister for some time now, and I know he is looking forward to being a big brother. We have talked with Jack and explained that babies find their families in different ways. Some from their mommy's tummies and some through adoption. He understands that the way a brother or sister arrives doesn't matter.

We are fortunate to have flexible work schedules that allow us to re-arrange our work hours or to take time off when needed - which happens a lot when you are a parent. We both have the ability to work some days from home, and Megan has been considering reshaping her career so that she can stay home even more. We both plan to take time off of work when we adopt, and Megan will take several months off, at a minimum.

We know that you are dealing with some very hard emotions right now too. We want you to know that no matter what you choose to do in the future, you'll be making the right decision for you. We also know there is no way a single letter can convey all of our thoughts and emotions at this time in our lives. We hope though, it might begin to give you some insight into our family and why we would be blessed with another child. Not only do we have an abundance of love to give to another child, but we can give them many things to encourage them to develop their interests and talents. We can give them the best education, numerous opportunities for travel and endless experiences that will open them up to a wonderful life and a bright future.

If you are interested in learning more about us, please let Steve and Joel Kirsh know and they will contact us right away. You can reach them anytime at 800-333-5736. We would be happy to provide you with more details about our family so that you can make the best decision possible for you and your baby. Likewise, if you choose us as parents, we would be happy to send you letters and photographs letting you know how your child is getting along, if you wish.

We hope to hear from you.

Warmest regards,
Jim & Megan