Dear Birthmother,

We would like to express our appreciation to you for taking the time to read our letter. We look forward to becoming parents and pray for you as you make a plan for you and your child. We know how difficult this time must be for you. We hope this letter gives you a good idea of who we are and lets you know that we would enjoy building a relationship with you.

We are Paul and Gina. We have been married for five years and live in a suburb of Chicago with our two basset hounds and cat. Paul is a Realtor and Gina is a foot doctor. We both enjoy the independence and continual growth offered by our careers. We are grateful for the flexibility and availability of our schedules, allowing us the time to love and care for a child. We spend our leisure time walking our dogs, enjoying the outdoors and sports, growing in our relationships, and spending time with our extended family. We look forward to the day when we can share our life with our child.

Paul and I are firm believers in God. We discovered that while we cannot conceive a child, God is calling us to adopt. We are excited about the opportunity to grow with both the child and you. We strongly believe that it is important for a child to have interaction with one or both birthparents. If you choose to place your child with us, it is our intention to keep the lines of communication open with you, as we continue to build our relationship.

Our goal as parents is to raise a child in a positive, loving environment. Most important is that we will give them the tools and encouragement to succeed. Paul and I feel there are ways (through education; reading; growth) to raise a child spiritually, mentally and physically in a positive manner. Paul and I understand that parenting is difficult, but we yearn for the day to parent and will continue to educate ourselves on how we can raise a positive, loving and healthy child.

Paul and I will take time to give you some brief information about us. We hope that we can go into greater detail if you decide to allow us to build a relationship with you.

About Paul
Hello, my name is Paul and I am 35 years old. Gina is my wife and we live with our 2 Basset Hound dogs: Brandy, and Hughe and our cat: Mr. Kitty's. What makes our relationship work so well is our ability to be creative and have love & respect for each other and these animals. Everyday my wife and I find humor, love and companionship with our relationship as well as with our animals. I believe our pets behave so well because of the time we invested and continue to invest in them. My wife and I are advocates of taking the time to set good behavioral, value, moral and religious patterns with ourselves as well as good behavioral patterns with our pets to maximize the joy and minimize the stress in daily life. Most importantly, we will continue to set these healthy patterns with our adoptive son(s) or daughter(s).

I was raised in Westlake, Ohio. The city is just outside of Cleveland, Ohio and borders Lake Erie. I have 3 brothers and 2 sisters. I am a Godparent twice over. I have 7 nieces and 2 nephews.

I believe that it is important for a child to have both a motherly and fatherly role model. I do enjoy reading books that can nurture relationships with my wife and other people. I look forward to teaching and growing with our child. I believe it is important to play a positive role in your child's life while letting the child realize that we are not perfect and we learn through life as well. I believe that many people have life changing experiences but don't use those experiences to grow as a person. Most importantly, I believe it is important to rely on God. I have come to realize the importance of taking time for myself, family and God.

I attended college with my brother – Phil at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. I majored in New Technology – Engineering and worked for MCI and Motorola until I got into real estate. I enjoy my job and am happy because it does not feel like a job to me. Being self-employed has endless potential for personal growth, wealth and interaction with people. There is not a monetary ceiling and it allows me to have the flexibility to take care of my dogs, juggle unforeseen events and, most importantly, take care of our child – when that time comes.

I appreciate the time I spend relaxing via exercising, playing with my dogs and being with my wife. My wife has taught me how to slow down and take time for myself. I understand that God has a plan and with my faith and trust I am able to look back on life and see just how God has helped me keep that faith and trust in Him. I feel the infertility issue has helped our marriage. The joy of adopting and the stress & sadness of not being able to have children, by birth, has brought us closer. I am hoping it will bring us closer to you as well.

My wife and I both have a deep sadness because we are not able to have children. I allow myself to step back and cherish everyday. I know we have a lot of love and good parenting skills to raise a child. I hope one day God gives us the opportunity to do so. I have spent countless hours with my wife and pets even when I was tired from a long day. I believe my wife and pets are on this earth for a limited time and I want to cherish the time they are here with me, I know that having a child for us will be a blessing.

We strongly believe children are special and need love and good parenting. Raising a healthy child, both physically and mentally, is important to me and my wife. We have been spending several years bettering ourselves through reading and focusing on past and present experiences so we can be good parents and not interject our fears, problems, etc. on our child. We will dedicate our time to our child because we want to and don't feel it to be an obligation like some parents do in today's society. I understand that having a child will change all of our lives (birthmother, Gina and I) but I feel it will be for the best. Our children learn from us and we learn from our children as well.

As you know, I feel there is one piece missing in my life – a child. My wife is a wonderful person who deserves to give love to a child. I know it will be special for me and my wife to have a child that we can teach, and play with, laugh, and love, etc. I hope a day will come when my wife and I can love another human being with the understanding that our lives will change for the better. I know Gina and I welcome that change because there are so many positives. I believe we both have prepared ourselves for the change because we have been blessed with 2 wonderful dogs and a cat. If you have pets, you know that requires a lot of work and time. I believe they are good pets because we have taken the time to train them and make them better pets. My wife and I enjoy being outside, staying home, going to the dog parks, museums, etc. and I know we miss having a child there to enjoy it with us.

I hope this has helped you understand who I am as a person. I am not perfect and am thankful God has made me that way. I believe through faith, trust and the power of prayer, whatever road God has us travel, we will be better people.

God Bless – Paul

About Gina
I am Gina. I was born in the summer of 1965 and grew up in Downers Grove, IL. I was the younger of two children. My brother, Todd, is older by 3 years.

I grew up in Downers Grove, Illinois, at a time when it was not so saturated. Our backyard was bordered by the Downers Grove Public Golf Course and our house was located one-half block from the Belmont Prairie. Our grandmother lived next door, so we had a huge connecting backyard, or so it seems when you are 5 years old. This global positioning was ripe for play, adventure, and discovery. During the winters we would sled and ice skate out on the golf course. During the summer we would play softball with the neighborhood kids, or any other sport we could get our hands on. We would look for lost golf balls, clean them up, and then sell them back to the golfers at the fourth tee off near our house. We would pick neighborhood strawberries, rhubarb, and apples, which grandma would later turn into pies. Our grandmother would "watch” us while my parents were working, my father, as an insurance agent, and my mother, as a waitress.

I was very fortunate in that I actually had a childhood where I was allowed to "be a kid”, with opportunities to learn, experience and discover. I found my love for sports and movement during our summer activities and on our huge "playground”. I learned entrepreneurial skills with our "own business” of selling golf balls. I learned baking skills from my grandmother. I found my love for science by playing in the ponds and fields. I think this is a very important part of a child's developmental process in that it allows for independent growth and for finding out where the particular talents and interests lie.

I was an excellent student and enjoyed school throughout my many years of education. I was a tennis instructor during my summers off from college. I received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the college of LAS at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. I received a Doctorate in Podiatric Medicine from the Wm M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine. I completed my podiatric surgical residency at Columbus Hospital in Chicago. After residency completion, I started my practice where I continue for over 14 years.

I am happy with my career choice, which has allowed me the opportunity to work/practice independently and also allows for flexibility in my schedule to care for a child. We strongly believe that it is important for us to care for the child as opposed to sending the child to daycare. I have set-up a baby's room in my office and my husband can also care for the child during the day because he has his office at home. I will be able to take care of the child at home while he works his evening appointments.

I met Paul at a Habitat for Humanity volleyball tournament sponsored by our church. After the tournament, we kept running into each other at church and eventually started dating. I am grateful to have found a life long companion. I could see then and now how Paul and I are well suited for each other. We have similar belief and values systems as our foundation, but we also complement each other's personalities.

Paul and I continue to live, learn, and adapt to life and its changes. Like most major life trials, infertility is one we "did not see coming." Disappointed is not a big enough word to describe the sense of loss we experienced with our not becoming pregnant. We so very much look forward to having a child, to share all that we have and all that we have learned in our lifetime. Like many of life's trials, infertility has forced us to grow and become better as individuals and better as a couple. It is after much reflective thought, discussion, prayer, tears and joy we have arrived at adoption. One can never know for sure what God's plans are for them, but I feel we are headed in the right direction. We have prayed for His blessing us with a child, and look forward to receiving His blessing with open hearts.

God Bless – Gina

We appreciate you taking the time to read our story. We hope that you have a better idea of who we are as people. Also, we hope you will allow us to build a relationship with you. If you would like more information please contact Sunny Ridge Family Center.

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