Dear Birthmother,

As we write this, all that we know about you is that you are making a very difficult decision about your baby. Just as perhaps you didn’t start out with adoption in your life plan, we didn’t either, and the news that we most likely wouldn’t be able to conceive was very difficult for us to accept at first. But our certainty that we are meant to be parents has led us here, and we now believe that we were meant to be here. We hope that by sharing a little about ourselves and our lives together, we’ll help you to feel as secure as we do that we have a loving home and that we are deeply eager to share the love we feel for each other with a child.

About Us
We are good and kind people. Our marriage and our home are full of the most important elements of a happy childhood: love, affection, and laughter, and we believe those are the most valuable gifts we will have to offer as parents. We are also fortunate enough to be able to offer our child many advantages, including financial security, a good education, and a nice community. Our home and our lives are filled with music and art, and our book collection already includes several of our favorite children’s stories, waiting to be read at bedtime.

Our relationship has a deep and strong friendship at its foundation. We love to laugh, be silly, and have fun. The time we spend together is our most precious, whether it’s on our frequent travels or just hanging out, together or with friends playing board games; our current favorites are Scattergories, Scrabble, and Racko. We’re not super athletes but we do enjoy outdoor activities like throwing a Frisbee and biking, and last summer we took tennis lessons.

We both like going to the movies, and share the quirk of not wanting to know too much about a film before experiencing it ourselves. An early indication that we might be truly matched was learning that “Broadcast News” and “When Harry Met Sally” were on both on our short lists of favorite films.

Our travels have taken us near and far: We loved exploring in Costa Rica on our honeymoon, and tramping through the lost city of Petra, in Jordan, last year. Many of our vacations are with our family and friends. One of our favorites was on Cape Cod a summer ago: We rented a large house on the water and spent the week with both of our brothers and their families, plus some other friends. We had so much fun playing on the beach, going for bike rides, and cooking meals on the grill that we hope to make it a tradition.

We have grown a lot through our experience with infertility. Bringing a child into our family is very important to us and when we heard we would not have a child by birth, Georgie was hit especially hard; she felt as if she would never smile again. Today, through this adoption process, we once again feel hopeful about becoming parents; we believe that out of our deepest pain will come our greatest joy, the child that we were meant to love.

About Michael (by Georgie)
On one of my first dates with Michael, I remember thinking, this is the kind of guy I could marry. He was smart, funny, and full of warmth. It didn’t take long to see that in addition to those qualities, his core values were very similar to what I think are most important: He practices kindness and generosity in his everyday life and he is one of the most loyal people I know. He values learning and spirituality and always makes time for personal improvement.

I would describe Michael as the perfect blend of brains and creativity. He is a writer and editor and has also done some photography and drawing. Over the past year he has been very focused on writing a book that we hope will be published. I am amazed by his commitment and by his talent as a writer.

Michael loves to have music playing in the house, and goes to concerts fairly often. The first thing he ever gave me was a mixed CD of music from all over the world, which he made for me after our first date. Some of his favorites are Radiohead, U2, Los Lobos, and the guitarist Sonny Landreth from Louisiana.

He always says that he isn’t as into sports as he used to be but in my opinion he is still pretty much a fan. He mostly enjoys baseball and football and tries to go to a few games every season. He also goes on an annual trip with a few close friends to visit baseball stadiums all around the country. Next season they are going to Kansas City and St. Louis.

I feel lucky to have Michael for my friend and husband and I know he will make an amazing father.

About Georgie (by Michael)
I had reason to reread an old journal recently, and one of the first things I noted about Georgie was her commitment to family. She doesn’t so much work at staying in touch as revel in it; for example, she and her nieces Annika and Eliza, who are among her greatest joys, have matching pajamas that they wear when they sleep over. Meanwhile, she was an instant fit with my family, and my nieces quickly thought of her not as my wife but as their aunt.

One of the first words I use to describe Georgie is “good,” and I’m just so sure of her fundamental commitment to fairness and justice. I marvel at how accepting she is of me; this is one of many ways I try to follow her.

She can be quite silly and funny, and our laughter is one of the strongest parts of our bond. She has a close circle of friends who, among other contacts, have a tradition of birthday dinners for each of them.

You can see evidence of Georgie’s creativeness all around our house. We have framed results of the many art courses she has taken, and in the time I’ve known her, she’s taken classes in watercolor, knitting, and yoga. You also see her creative energy in the flower garden, which she has nurtured, reshaped, and extended since we moved in. Her plan is to have only general plans, to mix colors and textures and see what results.

Georgie’s work life is another reason I admire her. After working both as a preschool teacher and then in social services, she decided to shift gears and work for a financial services firm. She started as a secretary and worked her way to being a project manager on their website. She is fabulously organized and has a great ability to see the big picture.

More about our life together
We live in Arlington, Mass., just outside of Boston. We chose our neighborhood with raising a child in mind. There is a great elementary school one block away with a big park across the street. There are fun neighborhood events all summer long, including a community field day, a big Independence Day celebration, and a neighborhood block party. The playground is filled with laughing children and families in summertime and the hills of the park are covered with sleds every time it snows. We often watch our neighbor’s children playing and think of how all of our children will grow up together.

We have a life full of loving friends and family and a wide network of support. We are close to our siblings and parents and enjoy getting everyone together for barbecues and excursions during the summer and games and laughs in front of the fire in the winter. Michael speaks to his grandmother, Mama Ruth, most days, and we often visit her on weekends. We were touched when she recently knitted a blanket for the baby, which, at 98, she did less by sight than by sense of touch.

Everyone in our extended family is excited by the prospect of our becoming parents through adoption. Georgie’s cousin and close friend, who lives a few minutes away, is also an adoptee and has been extremely supportive.

We dote on our black Lab, Emma, who Georgina brought to the relationship. Emma had a tough start to life but Georgie rescued her when she was just 9 months old, and she has grown to be a sweet, calm, and happy dog. When she was younger, Emma often shied away from men, and the way she took to Michael was another early sign to Georgie that Michael might be special.

Although we’re completely aware that raising a child is infinitely more complicated than caring for a dog, our experiences with Emma have boosted our confidence that we’ll be good parents together. For example, we don’t agree on everything when it comes to her, but we talk it through and find a way to do what is best for her, and we think that would be important with our child, too.

We have fairly consistent views on raising a child. We believe that patience, consistency, and love are among the most important values, and that being reliably present is vital to our effort. Also, we both value education and open-mindedness. Michael has his office in our home and will have complete flexibility to focus on raising our child. Georgina works for a very family-friendly company that allows her some flexibility in her hours.

Last page
We will not try to pretend that this will be easy or simple or that we could ever know what it is like for you but we do hope you will find some peace in knowing there is a family here who will extend every effort of our being to making this be the right choice for you and your child.

If there is anything more we can share with you that will help you with your decision, please do not hesitate to contact us through Cindy Simonson at 800-556-5635.

Thank you and God bless you,

Michael Prager and Georgina Fulton