Dear Birth Mom,

Thank you for giving us this opportunity to tell you a little bit about ourselves. We cannot imagine the difficult decisions you are faced with, but we’re sure that you love your baby very much to consider adoption. As we have learned, life doesn’t always work out the way we plan, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t work out well. It is our hope that we can be part of a wonderful story for you.

Our names are Steve and Lori. We have known each other since junior high, dated since high school, and have been happily married ever since. We both grew up in small towns and love being close to our family and neighbors. We both attended college in North Carolina after high school, but we moved back to our home state because we wanted to be near our family and friends and raise our kids surrounded by love.

However, when we decided to start a family, we learned that it wasn’t going to be as easy as we thought. We had always assumed it would just happen. After numerous infertility treatments over several years, we’ve learned that it would be very unlikely for us to conceive. We were devastated. But, we’ve learned that when a door closes, God opens a window. We both know that being parents is what we’re meant to do – how children come into our lives doesn’t really matter to us. That’s why adoption is such an awesome opportunity for us to fulfill our dream of providing a child with everything he or she needs to be happy and fulfilled.

Steve

I grew up in the country on 4 acres surrounded by farms and fields. Summertime was all about gardens, canning, hay, fishing, swimming, mowing grass, running through the woods, camping, and roasting hot dogs over camp fires. I loved living in the country where my brother and I were always able to find some fun (and trouble!) together. We spent a lot of time as a family. We worked hard, played hard, and enjoyed birthdays and holidays as super special times with great traditions. Because my dad had a good job and my mom was

Steve with his grandma

a stay-at-home mom, we were able to go on a lot of great vacations. I have enjoyed traveling for as long as I can remember. I also loved spending time with my grandparents and, especially, my grandpa. He would let us drive his tractor to help out feeding the cows; he would sing silly songs, dance, play his harmonica, and take us on trips around the countryside.

When I was 15, I went to a church service and spotted Lori in the pew behind me. I was a little bored so I decided to sit with her (pretty romantic, wouldn’t you say?!). We laughed and talked and tried to keep it quiet during the service. Even though I had known her for years, something clicked that day and I fell in love with her. We started dating shortly after that and we’ve never stopped. We started out as friends and we keep the romance alive by spending lots of time together. Every Friday evening is our date night and she still gives me goose bumps!

Lori's cat, Eli

Lori is smart, funny, and has a very big heart. She listens well and her friends frequently come to her when they need a shoulder to cry on or someone to talk to. She is a provider and a protector at heart and would do about anything to help someone in need. Lori loves spending time with her nieces and nephews, whether learning about their day, playing with them, making cookies or going to the park or working on school projects. She loves her cat, Eli, and gives him more attention than a cat probably should have! From the way she shows her love to her family and friends, to the way she puts birds’ nests back in the trees when they fall, she’s all about nurturing and caring. She will make a wonderful mother.

I work as a software project manager and have been for several years. I like my job and feel that it provides our family with the stability and flexibility that we need to provide for a growing family.

When I’m not working, I enjoy reading, watching movies and working with my hands doing things like remodeling, landscaping and woodworking. I have a passion for digital photography and have even won some contests with pictures I’ve taken. I also love traveling, outdoor activities, and spending tons of time with Lori and our family and friends. I can’t wait to share my life with our child.

Lori

Aunt Lori gets a big hug from her nephew

I grew up in the country on a small farm. My dad raised a few cows, chickens, rabbits, quail, and, occasionally, a few pigs. We had a beautiful collie dog named (what else, but) “Lassie”. I remember, as if it were yesterday, when she gave birth to 13 puppies. What an awesome experience! The puppies were so cute. I wanted to keep all of them. Fortunately, my mom and dad vetoed that idea. I also had a favorite cat named Mrs. Gray because she was completely covered with dark gray stripes. I was devastated one day when she was hit by a car. I fed her with an eyedropper because she was too hurt to eat on her own, and, eventually, I was able to nurse her back to health. I have always loved animals and look forward to taking our child to pick out their very own puppy or kitty some day. I cannot promise that we will have a litter of 13, but your child will definitely, someday, have the experience of taking care of, and playing with, a litter of puppies or kittens.

My parents were very hard working people who loved their family. I remember Dad and Mom playing at least one board game with my brother and sister and me before we went to bed each night. On weekends, there were many nights when we stayed up until late playing games, eating popcorn or homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Some of my favorite memories, which I hope to repeat with our child, were our camping trips. Every year we went to the Smoky Mountains as soon as school was out and camped for a whole week. We rode bikes, hiked, floated on inter-tubes, sat by the campfire and roasted marshmallows, and had great times. This was always a highlight of the year. We also took trips to the Grand Canyon, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, and many other places. I enjoyed our vacations and look forward to many such happy moments with our child.

Uncle Steve carving pumpkins with nephew Javier, Kameron, and Kaylin

Steve and I actually knew each other when we were growing up because we went to the same junior high school and also went to the same church camp. When I was 14 and Steve was 15, we started liking each other. We officially started dating when I turned 16. We dated all through high school and then got married between my second and third years of college. I fell in love with Steve because he is smart, good-looking, tenderhearted, and has a great sense of humor, and is so fun to be around. I realized that the more I was around Steve, the more I enjoyed being with him. My family thinks so too!

I know that Steve will make a wonderful dad as I have watched him numerous times as he has played with our nieces and nephews…playing ball, romping on the floor, giving rides on the lawn mower, building snow forts and snowmen. The list goes on and on. I’ve also seen him show incredible compassion when one of them fell and scraped a knee or needed an extra hug and attention. I’ve seen his patience with them when they were having a bad day or when they needed help with a homework project. Steve is one of the most giving people I know, and I look forward to seeing what an incredible dad he’ll be.

Although I currently work in Administration and Human Resources at a large insurance company, I plan to be a stay-at-home mom whenever God decides to bless us with a baby to adopt.

There are many things I enjoy doing for fun. I like to read (especially a good novel!), go shopping, play board games, play with my cat, Eli, and spend time with family.

Steve and Lori at Olympic National Park

Steve and I enjoy camping with family, hiking at state parks and traveling to see different places. Steve travels some for his job, and I enjoy going with him. This past year we had a chance to fly to Seattle so we went a few days early so that we could enjoy the sights together. We had a wonderful time and look forward to taking our child with us on these trips so they can experience different places as well.

Our Lives Today

Today we live in the country about 2 miles from a small town. This town has a gas station, a restaurant, a post office, a fire station, a school, and a grocery store. Most of the people in town know each other, and it’s quaint in every way. We have lived in larger communities but enjoy the simpler country life day to day. There are fields on three sides of our 2 acres where sheep, cows, llamas, emus, and the occasional horse graze. Behind our property is a large woods where we like to take walks and look for mushrooms and wildflowers.

There is very little crime in our area, and the school system is very good.

Our nephew with the llamas

Even though we live in the country, we are only 20 minutes from a major university town that provides us with lots of sporting and cultural events, and we can get to 3 major cities in less than 2 hours. We live in the countryside, but we enjoy the busy side of life too.

We live in a large, two-story home with 4 bedrooms, a kitchen and large living room upstairs, a large family room and kitchenette downstairs, and a three car garage. We have been remodeling it and enjoy the home that we’ve made. Recently, we added a large covered deck to the back of our home where we have a sitting area, a dining area, and a fireplace where we knock the chill off on cool days while we enjoy the outdoors. It seems like nothing tastes quite as good as food off the grill with friends or s’mores and hotdogs we cooked over an open fire.

We enjoy spending time at home reading, playing games, enjoying our hobbies, cooking, watching TV (we can’t get enough of American Idol!), and vegging in the living room while watching a good movie. Suppertime is just about the best time of day, a time when we can catch up on each other’s day and find out the latest happenings. Breakfast on Saturday mornings is especially great because we have a little more time to make biscuits and gravy or funny-shaped pancakes. If these are the kinds of things that we do without kids, you can only imagine what life will be like for your baby which we will undoubtedly spoil!

Uncle Steve roasting hotdogs on our deck with our niece Rachael

Steve’s dad and his wife live about 10 minutes away, and we spend time with them regularly. Lori’s parents and extended family are all 10-20 minutes away, and we spend time with them as well. It is common for our family to help each other with projects such as putting a roof on a house or having a big yard sale as these are good excuses to hang out together. We like to get together and go to a nearby state park for a picnic, or watch old home movies and laugh until we can’t breathe. That’s why we live here. Sure, it would be great to live near an ocean or in the mountains, but nothing beats being close to family.

For fun we enjoy spending time at home, but we also love to get away and explore. We like visiting nearby cities, going to state and national parks, exploring places like caves, festivals, concerts, museums, and an occasional pro sports game.

Steve & Lori on top of Mt. LeConte

We love to go camping and hiking and spend as much time as possible outdoors enjoying nature. This past summer we were able to hike up Mt. LeConte in the Smoky Mountains (a 5 hour hike) and stay overnight in the primitive cabins at the top. The view was spectacular and the sunset was breath-taking.

Additionally, we should add that faith is a very important part of our lives. We look forward to raising your child in a loving environment where faith and fun are normal parts of everyday life.

We know that this is a very important decision that only you can make. We respect you for whatever that decision is and admire you for your courage. We are grateful that you are considering us as possible parents for your child. We will make sure that your child knows the sacrifice you made on their behalf.

We’re committed to providing you with regular updates and photos so that you can see how your child is growing up and enjoying his or her life, if you wish.

Finally, though you’ve only learned a little bit about us through this letter, it is our hope that you’ve captured a sense of who we are and the life that we want to provide for your child. You can find peace knowing that your child is at the center of our lives and we will do everything in our power to provide security and opportunities for your child to become all that they can be.

If you would like to know more about us, please contact our adoption attorneys, Steve and Joel Kirsh at 800-333-5736 at any time, day or night. We can assure you that they will help you understand your options and will assist you during this difficult time. Even though they are our attorneys, they won’t pressure you and can recommend resources that will help you at this time in your life. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

You are in our thoughts and prayers and we wish you and your baby only the best.

Steve and Lori