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David and Kelly
Dear Birth Parents,
We cannot know what you are experiencing at this time, but please know we are thinking about you and we hope your journey brings you to a safe and peaceful conclusion.
Your decision may, for us, be the beginning of a wonderful new chapter in our marriage and family life. We are humbled by your faith in making this decision and we hope that you find the family you think is best for your baby. We offer you this little bit of our lives in the hope that you will find comfort in the prospect of allowing us to be your baby’s parents.
So, Who Are We ?
Our names are David and Kelly and we have been blessed to know each other for eight years. We met, quite unconventionally at the time, through an on-line dating service. Dave had a profile posted, and after a lot of looking, re-looking, book marking to look again, and yes more looking, Kelly finally decided to take the plunge and send Dave an e-mail. That e-mail triggered a 3 months of correspondence before we began talking in “real time” on the phone. Our first date was on March 24, 2000 and we have been together ever since.
After a surprise Christmas engagement and more than a year of planning, we were married in the presence of family and friends on February 22, 2003. Our honeymoon in Hawaii, one of our favorite vacation spots, marked the beginning of our new partnership and family.
Dave works as a software engineer and we are truly blessed because his job allows him to work exclusively from home. Dave is really looking forward to being “Mr. Mom” of the home, and we are truly grateful to know that we will be able to raise our children without having to worry about being away from them on a daily basis.
Kelly is an attorney and she is blessed to work with her father for a national law firm. We are fortunate that the shareholders at Kelly’s law firm know the importance of parenthood and value the effort and time it takes to be a family. Kelly will work to adjust her office hours to allow her more time to be at home with her growing family.
Our marriage is strong because we both bring separate gifts into the family. Dave is blessed with an abundance of patience, a nurturing heart, and the best memory for all things sports or trivia related. Kelly brings loves for music, reading and history, an ever present sense of humor, and the ability to turn our house into our home. We both bring lots of love, hugs, kisses, and unconditional acceptance to each other and the family we are planning.
Parenting will be a shared joy, responsibility and obligation in our home. We intend to give love and boundaries in equal measure, and we look forward to many days and nights with sloppy kisses, bear hugs, books, stories, music and prayers. We cannot wait to experience the wonders, challenges, joys and blessings a child can and will bring to our lives.
 What About the Rest of the Family?
We are lucky to have relatives and extended family all close by. Kelly’s parents and brother Michael live within ten minutes of our home. Dave’s father and stepmother are within thirty minutes and there are aunts, uncles, cousins and even a great-grandmother all eagerly awaiting our newest family member.
Kelly’s parents, Sam and Marianne (or Nana and Poppy as they hope to be called) are very supportive of the adoption decision as are Dave’s parents Garry and Anita (Grandpa and Grandma) and his stepmother Kathy (Mimi). All of our parents have stood beside us through our fertility journey and now stand with us on our adoption journey. . . Frankly, between us, they are just looking for another grandbaby to spoil.
Kelly’s grandmother Helen (Grammy) is still keeping the family on its toes and she is eagerly looking forward to officially putting the word “Great” in front of her name. Kelly’s brother Mike is autistic, and he is truly the brightest star of our family. Uncle Mike is not sure how he will adjust to his new role but one thing is for certain. . . He will be the chief instructor of all things Disney and TV Land. Dave’s sister Amy and her husband Kevin, along with their twins Emily and Devin are looking forward to having someone to share all the noisy toys with (all the noisy toys Dave and Kelly bought for the twins). Dave’s other brother, Carl and his wife April, and their son Aiden will send plenty of fishy toys and cute clothes (April is the family fashion queen) from their home in Nashville.
Last, but not least, our current “kids” Trooper, the wonder (we wonder what he does all day) dog and King Gonzo the reigning monarch of the litter box have graciously given their consent to our expanding the family. We have not yet figured out how to break the news to Gonzo that he will be losing his bed and hiding places in the room we have planned for the nursery, but we do know that Trooper is prepared to be on his best behavior and will be pleased to share his balls and toys, so long as the baby also shares.
Our Home
We were lucky to have found and bought the home we now live in just before our wedding. Dave lived in the house before the wedding and was the chief painter and organizer until Kelly moved in.
We have a cozy and warm home filled with family photos, the Disney art Kelly loves and the sports memorabilia, Simpsons Art and Three Stooges posters Dave treasures. We are collectors of memories, so our home is also filled with the treasures and finds that we have collected over the years from vacations and experiences.
The baby’s room is right down the hallway from our own. The room gets wonderful sunlight in the morning and provides a cool haven in the afternoon. Dave’s office is right next door to the baby’s room so he will always be close by when needed.
We have a fenced in yard that is just waiting for the play houses and outdoor toys we hope to fill it with. Our neighborhood is filled with children and we live on a quiet street that is often filled with kids riding bikes, skating and just playing in general. Spring brings flowers and lots of outdoor playtime . . . Summers are a time of BBQ’s and water fights . . . Fall brings harvest parties, trick-or-treating and school carnivals. . . Winter is filled with indoor play groups and family gatherings.
Our Journey to Adoption . . .
Almost from the beginning of our relationship, we knew that our family would be large and loving and we both wanted to provide children with the loving home and life we have created for ourselves. For many reasons, we have always wanted to have children to fill our home with youth, love, and all the many blessings and experiences that come from parenthood.
While we had always assumed that pregnancy and child bearing would be a part of our marriage, God had some other ideas. After a long, painful and very emotional fertility journey, we came to the decision that our family would happen, just not in the way we assumed. After much consideration, prayer and counseling, we chose adoption as our method for creating our family.
The journey for us has not been an easy one, but the best things in life never come easy or quickly. We see this time as our own version of labor and delivery. We are experiencing the excitement of planning for the nursery, the terror of what parenthood and the responsibilities of it will bring, and the joy and peace of knowing that someday soon, our family will expand.
We are lucky also in that we have this time to read and learn all we can about the nuances and unique situations that adoption brings. We are committed to providing a safe, secure and open home where discussion of adoption and the birth family will be encouraged. We plan on always being open and honest with our children about the way they came to be in our family and we plan to honor you, the birth parents, on every holiday and special occasion.
You are the reason that our family is expanding, and we will always celebrate you in our family. We would be pleased to share as many letters and photos as you would be comfortable receiving. The choice will be yours . . . please know that we support you in whatever decision you choose to make.
Blessings To You
We hope this letter has given you some idea of who we are and the family we hope to create. We know that without you, our family would not be possible, so we give thanks to you for the strength and courage you have to walk on this journey and make this decision.
Please know that we stand ready to open our lives to you and your baby. You need only ask, and we will be there with open and loving arms. Grace and peace go with you and know that our prayers, hearts and love are your constants.
In God’s Grace,
David and Kelly
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