Dear Birth Parent(s),

Right now as you are reading this letter there is a very good chance we are thinking of you, too. Like you, our hearts are filled with hope. While we have hope in common, we know that you may be feeling lonely and confused. You love your child and you want to make the best decision for this child. We want you to know that we marvel at your courage and know that you must be incredibly strong. Whatever you choose to do in the best interest of your child will be the right choice. Trust yourself. We know you have much on your mind and want to take a moment to offer you support and to let you know a little about us as you consider what is best for your child, and for you, too.

Our names are Kevin and Crystal. We are going to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary this year. We have loved each other for more than half our lives. The qualities we see in each other are as plain to see today as they were when we met as teenagers. We are both optimistic people. We face challenges with humor and determination. Our optimism pulled us through the hard years of failed infertility treatments. Six years of trying to become pregnant without success could not take away our dreams of parenting a child together. We are ready to love a child completely and unconditionally. We know that adoption is a beautiful way to build a family and if you were to choose us to parent your child we will honor that choice everyday by providing an adventure-loving, stable home, with two actively involved parents that will always be by your child's side. We will work hard to provide the experiences and opportunities that your baby needs in order to grow up into the adult he or she wants to become. Not only do we want to meet a child's needs, we want to help make a child's dreams come true. Every child enters this world with a purpose and a need to find meaning in life. We are ready to cheer this child to victory, and with pride we will be there for him or her in good times and in hard times, too.

We have worked hard not be distracted from what is important in life. We prioritize our relationship with each other, our relationships with family and friends, and our work. We prioritize our relationship by sharing common goals and interests. We value our time together and make sure to have at least one meal a day together, text or phone each other 2-4 times a day, and play with or walk our dogs daily. We plan our travels together and set short and long terms goals that allow our marriage to remain passionate. Our friends share our same enthusiasm for adventure. We often travel with friends and family, and our vacations are always active. Work is important to us too. Kevin works with a diverse population and connects with others through humor. Kevin is outgoing and always looking for a way to make someone's day. If he has made someone laugh while achieving their goals it's a good day for him. Crystal feels great passion for her work and considers her work as a therapist to be a spiritual calling. Everyday she works with kids, teens and adults struggling with losses or trauma. Crystal works to connect with others by listening carefully to others and taking a non-judgmental view of people's choices in life. She is especially good in a crisis and her calm voice and creative problem solving is reassuring to others. We are ready to make a child our top priority.

You may have many fears about how your child will remember you and your decisions. We know that you will always love your child and your child will always love you. We will speak lovingly and respectfully of you forever. We will tell the child that you made the most important decisions of all: you made the choice to bring him or her into this world and you chose us to be parents. Let us assure you that your child will remain connected to you through pictures and letters, and we are open to having future contact with you throughout the child's life if that is what you want.

From the day we bring a child home we will begin talking about adoption. We will first begin by reading the infant and toddler adoption stories from kids' books. We will show the child pictures of you and your family and over the years create a "life book" that documents our connections as a family to your family. Crystal's experience as a therapist will be helpful in understanding the child's needs to know you and your family. Not only does Crystal have professional experience with adoption she has personal experience as well. Crystal was adopted by her step-father when she was 11 years old and remembers the process. This happy experience has prepared Crystal for the needs a child will have to know about his or her birth family.

It's hard to end this letter. We feel we still have so much to say. Let's start with our thanks. Thank you for considering adoption. Thank you for taking the time to read about us. We want you to know how much we are thinking of you and wishing you the best. Thank you for being a part of our dreams. If you chose us to be parents to your baby we will be so grateful to you, and we will love your child completely and totally.

With love in our hearts,

Kevin & Crystal