Dear Expectant Parent(s),

Our hearts go out to you.  We cannot imagine what a difficult time this must be.  Please know how much we admire and respect you for choosing life for your unborn child.  As you face many important decisions, we pray that you will sense God’s strength and peace.   

Our family thanks you for taking time to read this.  We have been happily married for fourteen years.  Six years into our marriage, we were blessed with our son, Ryan.  We knew we wanted more children, but soon realized we were experiencing secondary infertility.  After four unsuccessful rounds of IVF, two of which resulted in miscarriage, we realized that God had other plans for expanding our family.  Prayer and research led us to domestic adoption.  We eagerly await the chance to open our hearts and home to another child.

My husband, Alan, is dependable and self-motivated, which serves him well on home improvement projects and at work.  Alan served as a Marine for six years and currently implements flight simulators and other advanced training systems.  His kind and compassionate personality makes him a terrific husband and father.  He enjoys reading, watching baseball on TV, and volunteering as a Ryan’s Cub Scout Den Leader.

My wife, Julie, taught middle school for eight years before “retiring” to stay home with Ryan.  She is a responsible, well-organized, natural-born leader who loves to volunteer while Ryan is at school.  She is a room parent and an active participant in the Parent/Teacher Organization (PTO).  Julie also tutors math students to keep up her teaching skills.  In her free time, she loves to read, bake, decorate for holidays, and hunt for bargains.  Julie is a devoted wife and mother. 

Our son, Ryan, is a bright, perceptive, and creative eight-year old.  He is a polite and articulate second grader who loves school, playing basketball, and swinging at the park.  His loves to visit the local library, the zoo, and museums.  At home Ryan enjoys reading, building Lego sets, and playing with our lovable dog, Amelia.  He has always wanted a sibling.  He looks forward to reading to him or her and according to Ryan, “Teaching the baby everything I know.”  Ryan’s caring and sensitive nature will help him to be a terrific big brother. 

Our extended family fully supports our decision to adopt and is excited about having a new baby in the family.  Although Julie’s parents and sister live five hours away, we remain close via phone conversations, emails, and Skype.  Ryan loves visiting Grammy, Grampy, and Aunt Jen, who makes the world’s best Halloween costumes.  Alan’s side of the family fills Grandma’s house when all the aunts, uncles, and eight cousins visit.  The kids have a blast every year at Cousin Camp, when we celebrate all of their summer birthdays by promoting family-togetherness instead of presents.

Our home is full of books, music, toys, and games that will help your child grow mentally, physically, and spiritually.  We want Ryan and his brother or sister to look back at their childhood as a fun and positive experience, full of bike-riding, swimming, sledding, walking the dog, eating dinner together as a family, and LOTS of reading.  Your child would join us as we play Wii games together and when we snuggle on the sofa to watch movies.  Our home is a warm, safe environment that is full of hugs and kisses.   

Our parenting, however, involves more than just having fun and showing love.  We also include teaching and disciplining.  We try to lead by example in the way we parent Ryan, by showing him what patience, compassion, and love look like.  We encourage him to follow his dreams and let him make choices to help him gain confidence and success.  We look forward to sharing our lives with another child to help him/her grow and discover the unique gifts and talents that God has given him/her.

Our faith is a big part of our lives.  Our children will be raised with Christ first in our home and knowing the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus.  We love and faithfully attend our church where Alan serves as a Deacon.  Julie is involved in several Christian Education ministries and sings in the choir.  Ryan attends Sunday School every week and is part of the Kids’ Quest Club.  Recently, we went on our first mission trip as a family, which taught all of us much more about the joy that comes from serving our Lord. 

Our prayer is that God will watch over you during this challenging time.  We trust that God will lead you to the right family for your baby.  We are very excited about being able to grow our family through the adoption process, and we hope that we can help you fulfill your desire to find a loving family for your child.  Thank you again for taking the time to read our letter.

Peace and blessings,
Alan, Julie, and Ryan