Full Circle Adoptions

Alicia and John

Dear Birthmother,

As we write this letter, we realize that your decision to search for adoptive parents must be difficult. It is a parent who cares deeply about the welfare of her child who would take the steps that you are taking now. With this in mind, let us introduce ourselves to you and share with you our desire to love and cherish a child who might join our family.

Alicia: We have dreamed of having a baby since the day we became engaged. John and I are parents to a beautiful, fun filled 6-year-old boy named Colby. His biological dad (my late husband) died after we had been married nearly 8 years. John came into our lives and easily won the love of my little boy. He became "Daddy" in no time. Sadly, after 2 miscarriages and several failed infertility treatments, we began to fear that our son would be an only child. He was excited about the first baby, and has often stated that he prays for a brother or sister.

John and I kept returning to the idea of adoption. We both are close to friends and families who have adopted, but don't think of them as adoptive families. They are simply "families." To the children of John's sister and oldest brother as well, he is "Uncle John." The three boys who were adopted by my aunt and uncle are my cousins, and always will be, because what makes us family is our love for each other. As you can imagine, we would all feel a great deal of love for this new baby. I get a big smile each time I think about it!

Our marriage is a blessing to me because John makes our lives so wonderful. Each day we share the responsibilities of caring for our son, our home, and each other. It may seem a bit corny, but John is SO easygoing that we never argue! I have never felt so completely at ease with anyone in my whole life. We actually TALK about whatever we need to before it becomes an issue. Our son lives with this, and we believe that he and our next child will learn how to communicate clearly with others because of the way John and I respect each other. Being honest about our feelings is important to us, and in our explanations of the adoption process, we would be certain that your child knows how very much you care about him or her. To me, what you are doing is a selfless act of giving and I hope that you will choose us as the lucky recipients of your gift.

Let me share a snapshot of our life. One of my favorite things to do is to watch John and Colby outside together when they don't know I'm looking. Last summer, I laughed to see John mowing the front lawn with Colby following behind with a toy lawnmower. John has a way of making our son laugh, whether playing hide and seek (really hamming it up as he pretends to search ridiculous places), or throwing a ball over the roof of our house so that Colby can watch as it falls into the back yard. We are all constantly singing or humming in this house, but John can take any song and make it about our son. Soon, Colby is absentmindedly singing the song as he plays with Legos or trucks. I look forward to sharing music and games with the second child we are blessed to love, as well.

John: When Alicia and Colby first came into my life, they provided the sense of security and purpose that comes with raising a family. My wife Alicia is a beautiful, outgoing person whose smile and good nature puts those around her at ease. She is an intelligent person whose warmth comes shining through most clearly in the way that she interacts with children. It has always been a joy for me to watch her sing with him, paint with him side-by-side on the deck, read bedtime stories, and kiss him goodnight.

As a kindergarten teacher Alicia is very affectionate with her young students, many of whom stop by her classroom regularly throughout their remaining elementary years, often perhaps to share some exciting news, but mostly, I think, because they miss coming to her class every day. The sincere expressions of gratitude she receives at the end of every school year from the parents of her students are a good indication that she has taught these children good things and loved them as well. She is a wonderful teacher, wife and mother.

Becoming a father to our son Colby has made me a much more complete person and has been so much fun as well! We've played in the sand at Disney's Castaway Cay and we've ridden the rides at Storyland and Santa's Village. But I think what we enjoy the most are the simpler, everyday activities, long walks with the dogs, riding up on Daddy's shoulders, trips to the playground to crawl through the caterpillar, and autumn afternoons leaping in leaf piles. Yesterday, we finished our first T-ball season and recently the training wheels have come off the bicycle.

To run my hands through Colby's curls and to see his bright eyes peering up at me in the morning are two of life's simple pleasures for me now. These opportunities to love and teach a child are ones I'll always treasure and appreciate. To be sure, the process of raising a child is a huge responsibility. But at this point in my life, should I be privileged enough to become a father once again, please know that I will endeavor faithfully to be as good a daddy to your little baby as I am to Colby.

A bit about ourselves: We live in a very mellow town that is known for it's good school system. That is important to us, as John and I are both teachers. In spite of this, we are not overbearing "teacher-parents!" While we encourage Colby to do well in school, we also want him to do all the other important things of childhood: running after bubbles, playing with the hose, and watching worms wiggle.

Both of us have taught school for more than 12 years - John in high school and Alicia in elementary school. We sincerely love what we do, and put our hearts into it. However, if we are chosen to parent your child, we plan to have Alicia take one full year off from her teaching position. Thereafter, she would return to teaching kindergarten on a half-time basis.

As you can imagine, having vacations together is a wonderful asset for our family. During those times of rest, we like to get away for a little while or just take fun day trips where we can find a playground, park, or other place of interest to spend some time. At other times, we are homebodies, working in the yard or on some aspect of our home. This is where we spend most of our down time and we love it.

Our neighborhood has several young families with children our son's age or "on the way". Through our church we have come to know quite a few people who share our way of thinking, and enjoy family life as we do. They prayed for us to sustain our pregnancies, and hugged us when we lost them. It will be such a joy to bring our new baby into our “church family” and know that he or she will be as welcome as we have been.

We want to end this letter as we began it, acknowledging what a difficult decision this must be for you. If you are open to talking by phone or meeting, we would be delighted to have a chance to do so. If you choose us to parent your child, we will always speak lovingly of you. We'll look forward to staying in touch with you over the years. We will be happy to send you photos and letter updates over all the years of her or his childhood.

Our lives are so much more than anything we can put to words. We hope that we've given you a glimpse of our life to let you know how lovingly we would raise your beautiful baby. Thank you for taking the time to read our letter. If you'd like to speak with us or meet us, please call 1-888-452-3678. Thank you for taking the time to read our letter.

Sincerely,

Alicia and John

Full Circle