Dear Birthmother,

As you read this letter, our heart goes out to you as you make this decision. We admire your strength. This is such an amazing gift that you are giving a family. There is no amount of gratitude that can ever be placed on such a gift.

We are very excited to become parents! We are thankful that you are reading our letter and look forward to the opportunity to learn about each other. These are the opening steps of an incredible journey together.

About Us
We met through mutual friends while living in San Diego but were surprised to learn that we had been living within miles of each other all of our lives. We have a loving marriage based on our shared dreams, values, work ethic and attitudes about life. We live eventful lives, constantly looking for adventure and stimulation. This has always made it easy for us to be each other’s best friend. We love that there is so much that we can do together, and that we are different enough that we do not bore one another! While we have encountered many problems trying to have a baby of our own, we have faced these challenges together and in the end it has strengthened our bond and our commitment to having a family. To share our experiences and our sense of life as an adventure with a child would be our greatest joy.

What We Like To Do
We love to go on walks together on the weekends and explore different areas within our city and within California. Camping is one of our prime hobbies, and we are always looking for good new places to camp in California and beyond. Living in San Francisco, we are lucky to live amongst a wealth of places to go and hike. But we are constantly looking for new and different places to go.

We enjoy foods from all over the world, and particularly like to seek out new places to eat and things to do in the Bay Area. It is fortunate that we each like football and baseball. We often go to the local games and are lucky to be able to do that with our brothers and sisters as well. We like to work together in the back yard, where we have a lot of different species of plants and trees, and when we are worn out, or just in the mood for a break, we really love to barbeque and share a movie together at home.

Michelle About Mark
I think Mark is an amazing person. He is smart, articulate, and has a great sense of humor. He reads voraciously about so many subjects, such as science, politics, movies, and sports. He has exposed me to many great movies that I would never have seen otherwise. He tells great stories. He can really work a room. Best of all is that he is someone I can always rely on. I believe Mark has accomplished great things in both his professional career and in his personal life and will continue to do so in the future.

I love hiking with Mark. Most hikes for Mark turn into a sort of “nature adventure”-- He can eye bugs like I’ve never seen anyone do. He knows so many species. I never thought I would find insects interesting, but I do now. When we were in North Carolina this year visiting my brother, he showed me and my nephew lightning bugs. I had never seen them before and thought they were beautiful. He caught one for me and my nephew to see up close. I couldn’t believe that he could catch an insect like that. I can’t wait for him to teach our child about insects.

Mark is very creative. When we are in our home, Mark enjoys painting miniature figures and models. He sometime writes short stories as well. I love the stories he creates. He is also a fan of baseball and football. Living in San Francisco, he is happy to be able to go to home games of the Giants, A’s, Sharks, and 49ers. Mark loves living in the San Francisco Bay Area, so that all of these things are easy to do, especially with his family, whom he loves so much.

Mark will be an incredible dad. I know he will interest our child in so many different things. I can’t wait to see the games and adventures they will create together.

Mark About Michelle
Michelle is the warmest and most caring person I have ever met. She pours her heart into everything she does, but particularly so with her relationships. I am sure that I have never met anyone with more loyalty than Michelle. If you are known to her, than you will be cared for by her—that is who she is. On top of this loyalty, she is unmatched in her ability to care. It is the greatest comfort in my life to know that Michelle is in it, because she is the most reliable and caring human being that I have ever met. Watching the boundless love she has for her nephew, Kai, whom she takes care of very often, I get to see all of the beautiful quality of her loyalty and deep sense of love and caring that she has. I see it also in her relationships with her brother and sister, and even her closest friends, and when I see it, I am always reminded (and convinced) that she would be the greatest mother.

Michelle loves to be active. This includes running, playing tennis, and kickboxing. She recently ran a half-marathon. She will be a great coach one day. She loves to try new things and is rarely intimidated by new challenges. One thing that I think contributes in a big way to Michelle’s love of life and adventure is that she loves to read so much! I think her imagination gets fueled by reading so many books, and it is part of what makes her so much fun to be around. Something very powerful about Michelle, also, is her ability to blend in with so many different people, and to make such easy conversation. When I watch her with new people, and how easily she gets along, I think that it would be so nice for a child to learn that skill from her.

Combined with her caring and love, Michelle is an adventurer. When we have a child, she will encourage stimulation, excitement and fun, tempered with the inborn desire to work hard. I know she would be an unbelievably great mother.

Spending Time with Family
We each grew up in very warm, supportive, and tightly-knit families, Michelle with a brother and a sister and Mark with four brothers and a sister. Even as all of us have grown older and busier, both sides of our family are strongly bound to us. We enjoy the fact that both of our families live nearby. Not a month goes by that we aren’t attending a birthday or a family gathering in nearby San Jose or Antioch. We have many nephews and nieces, and they are all amazing kids. It is not uncommon for us to take them on adventures or to attend their school events.

We both credit our parents with making us the people we are today. Mark’s parents always fostered his curiosity in life and science yet never tried to steer him into a particular career. As such, Mark has found work that he loves as a public health microbiologist. For Michelle, her energy for fun and adventure kept her very busy as a child. She was always happy, running around with her sister and brother doing a variety of activities – everything from playing soccer to sewing lessons to piano lessons. We can’t wait to provide our child with the same opportunities. We hope to guide a child the same way: by helping them explore their passions and encourage their interests, whatever they may be.

The idea of bringing a new child into this family is so wonderful to everyone involved. There isn’t even the slightest issue whether this child is “biologically” ours or joins us through adoption. Our families are founded on unconditional love; so again, we have grown up so fortunately.

Our Vision of a Family
We are excited to create an environment where a child can happily grow into what they want to become. If that means that they want to play sports, then we will be so happy to coach sports teams, or cheer them on. If he or she wants to learn science or history or art, then we will make it enjoyable and easy to find and read books. Whatever should unfold, our role will be to protect, guide, encourage and more than all else, to love them. We are ready to devote our time and our love to our family. We have discussed and thought a great deal about adopting a child and can’t wait to do so.

We both love animals. Michelle always had dogs growing up and Mark had lizards. Mark’s mom let the lizards live in the curtains. Whereas Michelle probably will not be comfortable with that living situation, she still loves to have lizards in the house (as long as they are in cages). Over the years, we have had many lizards as pets. Whether our child wants a dog or a lizard or bird, we can’t wait to get a pet for our child.

Both of us were raised in Christian households. Our families went to church every Sunday. It is a great way to escape hectic schedules and reflect on the week. We plan to continue the tradition our parents began of going to church every Sunday as a family.

Education is very important to both of us. Mark received his PhD and Michelle her MBA. We will make sure that our child has every opportunity for a great education. This will include learning a second language.

We have been fortunate to take many great vacations and travel around the world, and we plan to continue traveling with our children to expose them to the larger world. Mark’s sister and her family live in Ireland. We love visiting them and can’t wait to take our child there.

Our Best Wishes for You
This is who we are and why we are looking for you. Thank you so much for reading our letter. You can contact us any time through A Loving Alternative at 1-800-556-5635.

We look forward to the opportunity to learn about each other. We wish you luck on your journey.

Sincerely,

Mark & Michelle