Dear Birthparent(s):

The fact that you are reading our letter means that you are considering the gift of adoption. Like any truly loving parent, you are putting aside your own wants and needs so that you can provide the very best possible life for your little one. For that gift, we admire and respect you more than words can express. We know what you are considering must be an extremely emotional and difficult time for you.

When we attended our first adoption orientation meeting, we had little knowledge of the process that lay ahead of us. What an incredible and exciting journey it has been! Now we are at the most crucial point in that journey; the moment when we must try to condense onto just a few pages our lives, our families, our faith,our deep love for one another and most importantly, our heart-felt longing to share that love with a child; perhaps your child.

Our Foundation: Our Families

Diane's family
I had a wonderful childhood, surrounded by the most loving and supportive parents a girl could ask for! I also have a terrific older brother, John. Today, my brother and I are extremely close and talk or visit almost every week.

I grew up with traditional, Midwestern values. My parents always encouraged my brother and me to explore our interests and like many young girls, I was interested in so much! I participated in ballet, music, gymnastics, swimming and Girl Scouts. But my favorite activity was ice-skating! I have vivid memories of my first ice-skating recital as I skated over the ice in my Minnie Mouse glow-in-the-dark costume! Through all these activities and the gentle guidance of my family, I learned the importance of finishing what you start and maintaining that delicate balance between work and play. Just as important, I made wonderful, life-long friends that are in my life even today!

Growing up, we lived in a lovely, middle-class western suburb of Chicago where my schools, the library, the parks and the ice cream store were all within walking distance of our home. There was always such a strong sense of community and fellowship.

My parents have been married for 41 years; what a wonderful example they've set for Jim and me! My mom was a stay-at-home mom and went back to work part-time when my brother and I were full-time students. My childhood was comfortable, filled with boundless love, encouragement and support from my wonderful family.

My mother is 100% Italian and my dad is 100% Irish. I am extremely proud of both heritages, but I have to admit that I had a bit more influence from the Italian side. When I was growing up, my grandparents lived close by, and I was at their house (invited or not!) just about every day. Growing up in an Italian family meant spaghetti and meatballs at my grandparents house every Sunday.

My grandma is now 87 years old and she isn't making spaghetti dinners anymore (that honor falls to my mom and me!), but we are extremely close and I visit her weekly. I have particularly fond memories of baking chocolate chip cookies with my grandpa. On one memorable afternoon, we were so engrossed in reading the baking directions on the back of the chocolate chip package that we forgotten add the chips in the batter! To this day, that story gets told at many family get-togethers .

Being a close family also meant wonderful vacations to places like Florida and Disney World, Lake Geneva, Great America, Wisconsin and our all-time favorite spot, Lake Barkley, Kentucky. Even today, we take annual trips and many weekend getaways as a family. Our vacations are made even more enjoyable now because they include my nephew, Michael, who is a special blessing in my life.

Throughout my school years, I studied hard and got good grades while enjoying time with close friends. After high school, I moved away from home for the first time to attend Illinois State University. I graduated from ISU with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management. During one of my summer college breaks, I landed an internship in a purchasing department. Little did I know that that internship would guide me towards my career path, a path that would take me many places and eventually to the company where I would meet my future husband!

Jim's family
My childhood was a little less conventional than Diane's but filled with every bit as much love. Like my wife, I have lived in the Chicago area my entire life. I was actually born in Chicago where my parents owned a duplex. My grandparents lived upstairs and my younger brother, Todd and I spent a lot of time with them. I can distinctly remember running upstairs to have breakfast with my grandma and then running outside to ride my big wheel! I am still fortunate to have my grandma in my life and see her often.

When I was only five years old, my parents divorced. But unlike many divorced parents, my mom and dad always maintained a good relationship and made decisions based on what was best for my brother and me. We moved with my mom to the south suburbs of Chicago to be close to her large family. I give my mom a great deal of credit for raising us and holding down a job at the same time. She always did it with a smile and had a lot of support from her parents, as well as her many brothers and sisters.

My dad moved to the far northern suburbs, but we still spent many weekends and most of our summers with him. We had wonderful times at my dad's house! We would go camping, fishing, apple picking and play with the neighborhood kids. My dad would often take my brother and me to Bears and Cubs games, and we would also make frequent visits to Kentucky to visit my great grandmother.

When I was 11 years old, my dad married my step-mom in Green Lake, Wisconsin, a favorite camping destination for our family. I was the best man! My brother and I may be the only kids who ever went along on a honeymoon--a wonderful trip out West! My step-mother loves my brother and I as if we were her own.

When I was a young teenager, I became fascinated with all things police. I would search the highway for flashing police lights. One Christmas, my dad even bought me a small flashing red light for my room! (I still have it but Diane makes me keep it in the garage!) Through a community program called Police Explorers, I was even able to assist with police duties like traffic control at local festivals as well as go for ride-a-longs with the officers! Finally, I was able to see those flashing red lights up close and personal!

Shortly after graduating high school, I joined the U.S. Navy and went to Orlando for basic training. It was the first time I had ever been away from home, but I was proud to be serving my country and I knew that my family took great pride in that too. After boot camp, I went to San Diego where I spent the next 4 years of my enlistment working as an aviation technician. The Navy enabled me to grow up and accept responsibility in a way that I never could have done at home.

When my enlistment was over, I began to work for my current employer and over the next several years, I would work hard and take on positions of increasing responsibility. But the most important position I attained there was that of husband, because it was there that I met Diane!

The Story of Us: Our Journey as a Couple

Diane
Jim and I met in 1996 at the company where we both worked. Our paths never really crossed that is until we first noticed each other at a company volleyball game! Over the next several months, we would run into each other in the hallways or parking lot and exchange smiles and hellos. I think each of us knew we were interested in the other person, but neither of us was sure if the other person was interested in US!!! Then one Monday morning, Jim emailed and asked if I would like to go out after work. I've always been a confident, self-assured person, but I have to admit that I was nervous for the rest of that week! I was so worried that we wouldn't have anything to talk about. I couldn't have been more wrong! We quickly found out, we had PLENTY to talk about. That drink after work turned into what we now fondly recall as our marathon date! Long after the after-work crowds, the dinner crowds and the after-dinner crowds had left, we were still there talking. When we finally did leave (and that was only because the restaurant was closing), we both knew that we had just shared a very special evening.

The next day, we spent the entire day together and the following week, I invited Jim to my brother's house for his annual St. Patrick's Day party where he met all of my family and most of my friends. Everyone loved him and I could understand why.

The three years that followed were a whirlwind of fun, friendship, and of course--romance! Jim not only became an honorary member of my family, he also took an instant liking to my friends and their husbands and children. These are the wonderful women whom I met in high school and college and whose friendships I will cherish throughout my life. To my delight, he also became fast friends with the husband of my very dearest friend, a girl whom I have known since my early teens and with whom I share a particularly close, sisterly bond. It's hard to express how wonderful it felt to have Jim in my life who made me feel so comfortable and so "at home" in the world.

Jim's marriage proposal was clever and so romantic! On one of our very early dates, we had gone to see the movie, Father of the Bride. We both loved it! So on the day before my birthday, some two years later, I was happy to see that he had rented the video. Imagine my surprise when I went to put the tape in the VCR but instead of a movie, I found my beautiful engagement ring in the box! My discovery was followed by a formal proposal (yes, he even got down on one knee!). It was an emotional and special moment in our lives that neither of us will ever forget. The next day, he threw me a surprise birthday/engagement party!

Jim
In June of 1999, we married in a beautiful Catholic ceremony in Diane's childhood church. After a honeymoon in Hawaii, we lived in Diane's townhouse and enjoyed life as a young married couple. On the weekends, we biked, took “mini vacations” with our families and enjoyed boating and water skiing with friends. We continued to work hard at our respective careers, save our money, and after two years we bought our home in the northwest suburbs where we live today. It's a community very much like the ones we both grew up in, with the grade-school, library and several parks within walking distance of our home. Our life together was everything we dreamed it would be, and we couldn't wait to share our happiness with a child!

When we found we were unable to conceive a child naturally, we sought the help of a fertility specialist. After several in-vitro attempts, we found that we were pregnant with twins! The next several months were a special time in our lives that we will forever cherish. But our joy was short-lived when in January of 2003, our beautiful babies—Jeremy and Grace—were born prematurely. While they survived only a short time, we feel blessed that we were able to hold them in our arms and have them receive the sacrament of baptism. Our children are now at rest in the cemetery where Diane's beloved grandpa is buried, and we are comforted in the knowledge that he is keeping watch over them.

Yes, we suffered a difficult loss… but with time, the love of our families and friends, our faith in God, and our unwavering devotion to one another, we weathered the storm and our relationship is stronger than ever! We are ecstatic at the prospect of becoming parents again and are confident that—through adoption—we may share our love of life, and our love for each other, with a child. We have close friends and co-workers who have adopted, and my mother was adopted as a young child. Both of our families are so excited at the prospect of meeting our new addition to the family.

Our Lives Today
Our lives can be summed up in two words…”future” and “fun”!

Today, our lives are filled with family and friends! Whether it's attending a child's birthday party, hosting a barbeque on our deck, joining friends for a day of boating on Lake Michigan, going on vacations with our families, mini-golfing or fishing with my nephew or godchildren, we delight in spending time with the special people in our lives. One of those special people is my nephew, Michael, who is one of the greatest joys in our lives. Watching him grow and mature, attending his sporting events and school functions, and encouraging him in his academic endeavors is a privilege and a joy.

Jim absolutely adores Michael and the two of them love to spend time together. Jim's family has grown too! His brother, Todd, and his wife, Kristin, have two beautiful children, Maggie and Christopher. We have the honor of being godparents to 3-year-old Maggie. It will be a special day when we can introduce both of them to their new cousin!

While we enjoy “being on the go”, we are equally content to enjoy quiet times at home, whether it's taking evening strolls through our neighborhood, cooking a special dinner together, gardening, reading or watching our favorite TV shows with a big bowl of popcorn.

We both enjoy having a warm, inviting home and a place for our family and friends to feel welcome. Both of us grew up with dogs (“Teddy Bear” was my Pomeranian and Jim's dog, “Little Bit”, lived until the ripe old age of 18!), and we look forward to getting a special pooch of our own once our family is complete.

Holidays are always a special time for us. Thanksgiving is a particularly special holiday as we always host dinner in our home. It's a tradition we began when we first moved into our house and one we will continue for many years to come! At Christmas-time, we spend time with each of our families and enjoy shopping for the perfect gifts and baking lots of different holiday cookies to share!

Our Faith & Traditions
The Catholic Church and our faith in God has been—and will continue to be—the cornerstone of our marriage. It is what sustained us through our hardships and what now inspires us to work towards growing our family. We are active in our local parish, attend church every week and look forward to sharing these traditions with our child. We are also involved in a church program called “Forever in our Hearts”, a support group for couples who are dealing with the loss of a child. Here, we found great comfort and guidance when we were grieving. Now, it is now our hope to help other parents on a path towards healing.

Our faith will play an important role in the life of our child. We feel strongly that children should grow up knowing that their church and their faith in god are always there to guide them through life's many journeys, creating strong values along the way. We plan to continue attending church as a family and have our children make their sacraments in the Catholic Church just as we did.

Our Careers
Jim works as a Product Specialist at the same large technology company where we first met. He has established many close friendships over the years. He truly enjoys his work and the occasional travel that he does and plans to stay employed there for many years to come.

I work for a large, international telecommunications company as a Global Supply Chain Manager. It is a challenging job, but also one that is very rewarding, allowing me to interact with all parts of the world. I have the option of being a stay-at-home mom, and my employer also offers part-time and “flex-time” opportunities, as well as an on-site, state-of-the-art day care facility. It is wonderful to have these types of options, but one thing is certain--there is NO job more important than being a “mom” and that will always be my NUMBER ONE priority!”

Our Future
We are so very grateful that you have taken the time to get to know us better. We hope that this quick “snap shot” of our lives has given you a sense of the love we feel for each other…and the love we hope to share with a child.

You must have a million and one questions. We certainly do! But we can tell you that we are truly committed to sharing with our child the courageous sacrifice you've made in order for your baby to have the best life possible.

At first glance it may have seemed that our lives are on very different paths. But we want you to know that we do understand what it means to give up a child. Like you, we have experienced a depth of love, emotion and courage that only a parent can feel, and we know that you are experiencing many of those same feelings now as you make the most important decision of your child's life. It is our sincere hope that through this bond we share, we might help you find the answer.

If you would like more information please contact Sunny Ridge Family Center.

With love and admiration,

Diane & Jim