Dear Birthmother,

Thank you for allowing us to introduce ourselves! We know you have a big decision to make and are hoping that this letter may give you a glimpse of who we are. We hope to be the adoptive parents you are looking for your child to have.

Our names are Meg and Mark. We’ve known each other for what now seems like forever. We met on our first day of college—16 years ago! Although it wasn’t love at first sight, we became fast friends and our friendship grew stronger and stronger over the years. Eventually, our friends got tired of us talking about each other all the time, and finally convinced us to go out on a “date”. And, yep, I guess you can say the rest is history! We feel very fortunate to have our relationship and marriage based on a friendship that already existed for so many years.

From the Beginning…

Meg

I grew up the youngest of three children in a quiet little midwestern town. My dad owned (and still does) an independent insurance agency, and my mom was a stay-at-home mom. We lived in the country where there was plenty of room for the horses we owned and boarded. I have wonderful memories of my childhood. I grew up feeling loved, safe, and happy. My family was based on love, respect, education, and self-confidence. My parents never seemed to miss anything—from swim meets and 4-H shows when I was younger, to volleyball games, basketball games, cheerleading, and track meets when I was in high school. They were always there for me and my siblings. They applauded our accomplishments and supported us when we struggled. They always encouraged us to try new things in hopes we would find our passions. And because of that, I have a wide variety of interests still today. I still love to be athletic, but I also like to read, play the piano, and work on my Spanish skills I gained while studying in Spain in college. My family celebrated our individuality and uniqueness. I have an “outgoing, spontaneous, love to try something new” side as well as an “I’d rather stay home and read a book” side. I laugh at this sometimes. But I’m comfortable with who I am, and I look forward to raising children in the same nurturing, loving environment. I want them to feel comfortable being their own unique, individual selves, too.

And then I met Mark…

On that first day of college when I was wide-eyed and more than a little nervous, I’ll always remember how I felt when I met Mark. I relaxed! There was just something that drew me to him. He had this casual, comfortable, easy-to-talk to, way about him. We found our backgrounds and childhoods had many similarities even though I was raised in a small town, and he came from the city. We connected instantly. We liked the “core” of each other from the start. Looking back, it’s funny that we never dated earlier. When we look at old college pictures, we were always together.

If I had to sum Mark up with one word, I couldn’t! He is so many things—caring, fun, witty, and positive. I rarely see him having a bad day. Mark has an uncanny way of being able to look at the bright side of situations. He doesn’t lose track of the goals he’s set for himself, even if things aren’t going his way. As an investment advisor and financial planner, he’s very driven to give the best possible advice to people that are relying on him. And this includes his family--he’s very driven to help provide a financially safe and secure home for us. But as focused as he is, there’s rarely a day that goes by that he doesn’t make me laugh.

Mark

I grew up the second of four children in a large midwestern city. My dad worked for the federal government, and my mom was a stay–at-home mom.When we were all school age, my mom went back to her career as a nurse. We lived in a suburban neighborhood that was a kid’s dream. In the summertime, we rode our bikes to the neighborhood pool almost every day. When winter came, that meant sledding at “fun house hill” as we named it. I have lots of great memories of those days and look forward to providing the same type of environment for my children.

As Meg already mentioned, our families and childhoods were very similar. My parents, too, were always extremely supportive of everything we did and encouraged us to try new things. They focused on our effort rather than final results. They knew that we wouldn’t always be the best at everything we tried, but they wanted us to put forth our best effort at all times. They made us believe that, with hard work, we could achieve anything. I still abide by that philosophy today. They gave us the confidence to be whoever we wanted to be. And I want to do the same for my children. They were truly great role models.

While I had many interests growing up, I probably gravitated most toward sports. Football, basketball, baseball, golf… you name it, I’ve played it. I love watching Pacers and Colts’ games, and one of my favorite memories is going to the Indianapolis 500 with my dad every year. And like many sports-minded boys, I assumed someday I would be in the NBA or NFL. Well, unfortunately, all the hard work in the world couldn’t make that exactly work out! So I was glad I took the advice of my parents and worked hard in school, too. That hard work paid off, and I ended up at a great college.

And then I met Meg…

Although Meg doesn’t believe me, when we met on that first day of college, I said to myself, “That’s the kind of girl I hope to marry someday.” She’s smart, fun, attractive, and an all-around, great person. I remember one time when we were on a 4-hour car ride with a group of friends going to an out-of-town wedding, Meg and I sat next to each other and talked the whole time. I was so disappointed when the trip was over. And since I don’t like long drives, I knew that meant something! And after all these years, we still have plenty to talk about. Whether it’s on a 4-hour car ride, a walk down the street, or just sitting on the couch, I love to spend time with her.

Meg always has a smile to give. She is the most compassionate and sensitive person I know. Meg always says that if she weren’t an accountant, she would love to be a teacher. She works part time as the Tax and Accounting Manager for a family business. While she enjoys the job, she especially enjoys its flexibility. She can often work from home and is eventually looking forward to being a “stay-at-home” mom.

Together and Family…

Since our wedding day, we’ve been dreaming of a family. The strength of our marriage has been the rock that helped us deal with the many disappointments of infertility and the childless years that went along with it. We cannot thank you enough for giving your baby the gift of life so that maybe that life could be shared with us.

Our dream of a family finally started to come true when we adopted our first child in 2005. Her name is Katie, and she is truly amazing! We thank her birthmother every day for her. Life with Katie is more than we could have imagined. From her first giggles when she wakes in the morning until she dozes off to sleep at night, our days are so much more fulfilled.

But having Katie has made us realize how much more love we have to give! Family to us has always meant having more than one child. We have lots of great memories growing up with our brothers and sisters. Mark still talks about long summer evenings when he and his brother would play catch until their mom finally called them in when it was too dark to see. And his sisters still tease him about having to do his last minute Christmas shopping and wrap his presents for him. To this day, he still has them wrap Meg’s Christmas gifts! Meg has a great relationship with her siblings, too. Being the youngest, Meg always looked up to her brother and sister and wanted to be just like them. Her sister still laughs (although it probably wasn’t as funny at the time) about her high school prom picture taken at her parent’s house. It’s a great picture except that Meg is sandwiched right in between her sister and her date!

Most of our family still lives in the same areas, and we spend lots of time together.Especially since Katie’s arrival! Katie probably sees her grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins, at least once a week. We tease our parents that they really only want to see us so they can see Katie. We know it’s not true but they sure do dote on her!

Adoption is nothing new to our family. Meg’s sister’s family was blessed to have all three of their children come through adoption. We can’t put into words the excitement on all of their faces when we told them we were going to adopt Katie. It was truly a unique experience to share with them--one we hope to share again. Our children and their cousins will always have their own unique bond through adoption.

From Meg

One of our favorite times of the year is the week of the 4th of July. My entire extended family travels to South Carolina where we spend many slow days relaxing at the beach or the pool. It’s such a special week because everyone is together and just hanging out! The first time Mark came on the trip, our nieces and nephews nicknamed him “the toy” because they had so much fun playing water games and having raft races with him in the pool. On Katie’s first trip, she was the youngest of the cousins, so they all loved playing with the “baby”. Now they keep asking when there’s going to be a new baby! I’ve taken this trip with my family since I was in kindergarten. It holds so many fond childhood memories for me—memories I hope our children will have too.

Mark is truly a natural with children and stepped into the role of being a “dad” without missing a beat. Katie adores him. When she hears the garage door open at the end of the day, she runs to the door saying “da da da da”. Mark is the kind of dad that gets down on the floor and plays, and has fun being a dad! And he’s also the dad that shares in the “work” of being a parent, too. He has a knack for hearing when Katie is crying at night, and has definitely taken his fair share of midnight feedings.

From Mark…

I love watching Meg with Katie. She’s 100% mom. She’s always introducing new things to Katie. Almost everyday when I come home from work, they’re excited to show me something new—making a silly face, dancing, a new favorite book—there’s always something. We can’t wait to see how her personality and interests develop.

We want to give our children as much opportunity to learn as possible. We’ve also both been lucky to have traveled many places and want to expose our children to other cultures, too. We can only imagine the many memories we could make traveling together as a family.

Our neighborhood is full of children. When we moved into our house 5 years ago, we had many eager little faces pressed up against our front door asking if we had kids for them to play with. We have a great big backyard that is now complete with a swing set. We take plenty of walks and bike rides on our tree-shaded streets. And trips to the zoo, the pool, and other outdoor parks are always on our agenda in the summer!

We also love to grill out and eat dinner on our screened in porch. Listening to the frogs in the creek or watching the lightning bugs glow is a nice balance to the hectic schedule of everyday life. Since Meg grew up in the country, we love to soak in the outdoors whenever we can. The peacefulness that surrounds nature is something to cherish and we can’t wait to share that part of life with our children, too.

Our Hopes for the Future…

We want you to know that, if chosen, we would always be thankful for the unselfish gift you have given to us. You will be the reason he or she is with us. And, for that, you will always be a part of all of our lives. We will send letters and pictures, as long as you wish, showing how your baby is growing and developing. We will provide an open environment where your child can be free to ask questions about his or her biological roots. And we’ll gladly take any information about you that you would like us to share with him or her. Your child will also be in a wonderfully unique situation in that he or she will be able to share emotions and questions with his or her sister, and cousins, too, who share the adoption experience.

If you would like to know more about us, you can reach us at home at 866-695-4701 or you can call our attorneys, Steve and Joel Kirsh, at 800-333-5736. Please know that if you call the Kirshes, or us, none of us will pressure you. We will simply answer your questions, so that you can decide what is best for you and your baby.

Thank you so much for letting us introduce ourselves. We really hope to hear from you.

Sincerely,