Dear Birthmother, 
Thank you for reading our letter and considering us as possible parents of your child. We feel a lot of respect for you, even though we have not yet spoken with each other. We would love to welcome your child into our family and we will be happy to let you know anything about us that might help you to make your decision. We want to assure you that we will love your child forever and will do whatever we can to fulfill your dreams for your child's life. We are Scott and Margaret. We met ten years ago in a night school class at business school, when we were assigned to work together on a group project. We clicked right away, and began to ride the subway home together after school. Once the class ended, we began dating, and fell deeply in love. We got engaged a few years later, when we realized that we were meant to spend our lives together. Of course, the most appropriate place to have the wedding was at the University where we met, so we were married there almost seven years ago. It was a beautiful day filled with friends and family, and a terrific start to our lives together. About a year after we married, we were fortunate to buy a house in Scott's home town, a suburb of Boston. It was important to us that we move there for a number of reasons. It is close to family, as Scott's parents, grandparents and sister's family all live in town. Commuting into Boston is easy, as we both take public transportation to work. It was extremely important to both of us that we move to a town that is a good place to raise children, and Scott has fond memories of growing up here. Our town has very good schools, some of the best in the state. It has excellent youth recreational programs, playgrounds and parks. We were lucky to find the home we did, situated on a quiet side street, abutting conservation land and near two playgrounds. Our neighborhood is full of young families with children. Because we had made such an effort to prepare for children in our lives, it was difficult to deal with our infertility. We had tried to conceive a child for over a year without any luck before we began medical testing. Medical tests showed no health related reason for either of us, and we were diagnosed with 'unexplained infertility'. We continued trying to conceive for another year, again with no luck. While this was difficult for us to deal with, we realized that we were called upon to adopt by forces greater than ourselves.
Because we live so close to Scott's family, we received much support and guidance from them after Owen was born. The family gathers weekly for Monday Night Dinner and we routinely visit and call at other times as well. Scott's sister Laurie, and her husband Luc, adopted a boy (Robbie) through Full Circle Adoption Agency about six years ago, and together with their daughter Nicole (now 10), have a very happy and active family. We have all become closer as a family with each adoption and everyone is looking forward to welcoming a new baby to the family. Margaret's family is close by in Connecticut and on Cape Cod, and we enjoy visiting for barbecues and other family outings. Her whole family gathers at July 4th at a state park with a lake and beach. There are lots of cousins there to play with and special food and ice cream to eat. This past year Owen loved going down the biggest slide all by himself and watching the big kids play baseball. Margaret's sister Carla had a baby about nine months after Owen was born. Even though Carla's family lives in Colorado, Owen and his cousin Catie are quite close. We email pictures back and forth all the time. We spent Christmas 2004 together and this past summer Catie and Carla came for a visit. Owen and Catie took turns riding on Owen's tractor and they sat together for a story before bedtime. They frequently "talk" on the phone and Owen likes to pour tea for Catie when he plays in his toy kitchen. About four years ago we found Syrah, our dog, at a local animal shelter. We love taking walks with her and she is always at our side, eager to love and be loved. She immediately welcomed Owen very warmly to the family and would sit protectively by his infant seat as he played. Once he began throwing cheerios at her they became even closer and now he insists on hugging her before we leave the house. She loves getting pats from little kids and playing catch in the backyard with Owen and his cousins. Family time is our first priority. We are fortunate that both of our workplaces allow flexibility, which makes it easy for us to organize our day. Margaret works early in the day, so daddy has the morning shift with Owen. They eat breakfast and get ready for the day together. Owen goes to daycare only part time and he truly loves his friends and teachers. Margaret is able to pick him up in the afternoon and they play and make dinner together. If Owen is ever sick either one of us can stay home or take him to the doctor. We were also very fortunate to have found a day care center that is five minutes from our house. The teachers and kids there have become like family to Owen. He is the official "Big Brother" to any new kids that come to his class. His teachers have told us many stories about him watching out for the younger kids and making sure they have supplies for art projects, etc. Owen has also formed very strong bonds with the other children in his Sunday School. Many of the families at our church have also adopted and were feel very lucky to have found such a supportive community. Scott: I work as an accounting manager for a large Boston based bank. The nature of my job allows me to work very regular hours, about forty per week. I never have to work weekends, and overtime is very rare. I am able to leave my job at work every day, and get a generous vacation and benefits package due to my seniority. I have been with the company for over eleven years now, and honestly can't picture myself working elsewhere. The bank has been very successful and is still growing well. I plan to use much of my vacation time, and have the option to work a flexible schedule going forward, once a second child joins our family. Margaret: I work as a financial director at a small non-for-profit organization that helps low-income consumers with housing and credit issues. Having been there for over seven years now, I feel a real part of the work we do and it is very satisfying to be able to earn a living and help people at the same time. Because it is a small organization it has a relaxed, family type atmosphere. Management believes that it is important that employees have balanced lives with time for family and other commitments. I work about 28 hours per week and never have to work on the weekend. I have saved up many months of vacation and sick time which I will use once a second child joins our family. In addition I will work only part time, and can work from home as well. These options will help me to keep family as my first priority while still being able to help support us financially. While we work in the city, we greatly enjoy spending our free time 'getting away from it all'. In the past we have taken some of our summer vacations in Maine and we have greatly enjoyed the beautiful scenery. We rented a cabin and spent time hiking in the mountains. We have also been to Mount Desert Island, to take in the beauty of the coast of Maine. This past summer we chose to do day trips all over our area. We went to many farms and zoos as well as the beach and had one especially great afternoon just hanging out in our backyard. It has been wonderful to see the world through Owen's eyes and we cannot wait to experience everything new again with another baby. On weekends, we enjoy gardening in our yard, which is a great family activity. We had about 8 different herbs growing in a container garden last season, which was a blessing since we really like to cook. We also have planted new bushes and flowers, and we are optimistic that next year will be bursting with color. Owen loves to water everything (including us!). This past spring he chose a fox animal statue at the store to put in the garden and he tells everyone who passes by our house about it. When he has little, we would sit out on a blanket and he would bang on a pail with a shovel and point to the trees. We cannnot wait to see what our new child will find interesting and funny. As we said, we feel very fortunate to have our house. We had to do quite a bit of work on it after we bought it because it had not been cared for over the last 30 years by the previous owner. Scott and his father have completely refinished every room in the house. Since we enjoy painting, we have really worked to make this house our own, with a lot of warm and vibrant colors. Our kitchen has become more than just a great place to cook, but also a gathering place for our family and friends, as we enjoy cooking meals for our guests most weekends. Most of our friends also have children, so we enjoy seeing them and preparing special foods for the kids. We prefer to do our shopping at a local farm stand, to use the freshest possible ingredients for our cooking. It has become a very fun place to go to for Owen. There is a small petting zoo there and we always stop to say "hello" to the cow and the chickens. At Christmas the farm is decorated with beautiful lights and lots of Christmas trees. This past year they had a "choo choo" and Owen loved to sit and watch the train go around and around. We have fond memories of bringing him when he was an infant and are looking forward to bring the new baby there for the first time as well. We also look forward to sharing our other holiday traditions with a new baby. Easter is a special time around our house. We color eggs and decorate the house with the beautiful pastels of spring. After church services we have Easter dinner at our house with a traditional egg hunt and lots of bubbles to blow and balls to throw in the backyard. We already mentioned the July 4th family party which is one of the highlights of summer. Fall is truly one of our favorite seasons as we rake leaves and go to the orchard for apples, pumpkins, and fresh donuts. We sincerely hope that this letter has given you a good understanding of us, our lifestyle and our values. We want you to know that the child you bring into this world will be loved and cared for with all our hearts. We can provide a warm, safe home filled with happiness, strong family ties and sincere family values. We already have a savings account set aside for Owen's future education. We will encourage your child to continue his or her education at college if that is what he or she wants and we will make sure the funds are there when he or she is ready. We want you to feel assured that your decision was a good one and that your child will be surrounded with love. We would be happy to keep you updated on your child's health, growth, and development through pictures, letters and phone calls. We would welcome the opportunity to meet you if you would like to meet us and would be glad to share any information with your child about you and your family that you would like us to share. It would be an honor and a blessing to grow our family through adoption. Thank you for considering us. If you would like to speak with us directly, or learn more about us, please Full Circle at 1-800-452-3678. We wish you the best and hope we will have a chance to talk. Sincerely,
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