Dear Birth Parent(s),

It is overwhelming to try to write a letter to tell you how much we would like to be adoptive parents to your child. Even though we have experienced our own struggle to have children, we know it is nothing compared to what you are going through to find the right people to raise your baby. We hope that through this letter you will get to know us and how your child will become part of our family.

Your baby will be special. We can't wait to see your child grow and discover his or her personality. It will be exciting to help him or her discover the world and support them through all of life's many challenges. Reading is one of our favorite activities and we will be reading to the baby from the beginning. It's such a wonderful time to cuddle and talk about the day! Family outings will also be a regular event. We love to walk or ride bikes to the park nearby, go to the zoo, attend family activities at church, and get together with friends and family. Most of all, we love getting down on the floor to play with blocks, play cars, and cook in our play kitchen!

We started out as friends in high school and got married as soon as we finished college. We have been married for 10 years and have experienced so much together. Both of us highly value the friendship that we have. There is nothing we cannot talk about. We have learned to tackle our problems together, whether it is the loss of a job or replacing a leaky faucet.

From the beginning, we have talked about having children. It was a fact that we took for granted. Going through the struggles of trying to have a child has brought us closer together. It has also made us realize just how precious of a gift children are. Adopting Zack was the best thing that ever happened to us. He is truly a child of our hearts. Our lives have so much more meaning now that he is here. We are so excited about adding another child to our family - and Zack keeps asking us when we can go and get our new baby brother or sister! He loves to have younger children around and we know he will be a great big brother. Many of his friends are currently waiting for new babies to be born, so your child will have plenty of playmates right from the start.

We want to introduce our children to as many things as possible and give them the opportunities to see all that life has to offer. Zack is independent and knows how to make his own decisions - we are very proud of that, even when we get a little frustrated that he has to do everything by himself. We know that children need to be given the ability to make their own decisions but to have love and support behind them to help them through every situation.

Both of us grew up in very active households. Mike remembers playing football, basketball, baseball and soccer. Summer days were spent at a local swimming pool. Going on trips to see a play and visit museums were fun family vacations. One of Mike's favorite high school memories is working as an umpire for little league teams. Michelle was active in dance, music, floor hockey, and theater. She has great memories of family trips, cooking with her mom, and hanging out with her dad. One of Michelle's favorite ways to spend a Saturday morning was for her family to wander down to the family room, still in their pajamas, and talk about the week's activities, plan vacations, and share funny stories. These events were very important to us as children, and we want to make sure our children have the same types of opportunities.

We hope that this letter has given you a glimpse of who we are. Thank you very much for taking time to read our profile. We wish you the best as you go through this difficult time. May God be with you.

Mike & Michelle