Dear Birth Mother,
Hello and welcome to our family. As you make what must be a deeply emotional decision, we’re grateful that you are taking the time to consider us. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to tell you about ourselves.
Our Hope to Adopt
Our experience with adoption is based on what we’ve learned from several family members and dear friends who were either adopted, grew up with adopted siblings, or adopted their children. We’ve asked many questions in an effort to understand a bit about their experiences, and it is partially because of their stories that we are drawn to adopt our next child. We see how beautiful it can be when individuals who are in very different moments in their lives come together with the common goals of providing love, stability, and opportunities for a child. We are so excited to meet the baby that will complete our family.
Our Background as a Family
James and I were lucky to meet one another 11 years ago while pursuing our master’s degrees in education. The things that drew us together continue to keep our lives together exciting and full – our shared sense of adventure, our passions for travel, music, reading, the outdoors, and sports, and our devotion to our families and friends. After several years of teaching in public schools in the US, we decided to connect our passions for education and travel and found jobs at an American international school in the Dominican Republic. Since 2014, we’ve made our home in the beautiful Caribbean, surrounded by sunshine, mountains, amazing beaches, great music, a warm, vibrant culture, and an amazing community of friends and co-workers. Our daughter Cecelia was born here 2 ½ years ago (after many years of fertility challenges), and being a family of three has made the adventure of life overseas that much more wonderful.
To put it simply, we are a happy family. Cecelia is a ray of sunshine in our lives, just as our next child will be. She teaches us new things everyday, and we love rediscovering the world through her eyes. She is a sweet and happy girl, and we know that with her affectionate personality she will make a great big sister. Our family also includes two dogs, Oliver and Annie. Oliver is a gentle giant (hound dog), and Annie is an incredibly sweet little mixed breed who has ruled our house (in the best way) since we found and adopted her 3 years ago.
Our Daily Life Together
Our life here in the Dominican Republic is fun, relaxed, and fulfilling. We’ve chosen to live overseas for a few years for the unique opportunities it offers, but many parts of our daily life and our hobbies are much like they were in the US. Kim loves hiking, camping, reading, yoga, and paddle boarding, and James plays basketball, loves to cook, and plays guitar and mandolin with his band. Together and with our group of friends, we swim at the pool, ride bikes in the park, explore the city, volunteer in the community, spend weekends at the beach, and arrange lots of fun activities for our kids. We love that we get so much free time together as a family here, that we are all learning Spanish, that the sun always shines, and that our daughter constantly plays with other kids her age from various backgrounds. It really does take a village to raise a child, and we have been blessed with an amazing and diverse village, both here and in the US.
As teachers, we have a lot of vacation every year, and we spend most of it with our families in the US. We own a house in a university town in Oregon where James grew up, so when we visit, we get lots of quality time with his big, extended family. We love to hike, float the rivers, and enjoy the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and in the next few years, we plan to move back there. The other half of our vacation time is spent with Kim’s family in a lovely town in South Carolina, where we always have a great time just being together. Our families couldn’t be more excited about our plans to adopt. We are so fortunate to have their unconditional love and support, and we look forward to sharing that with the baby that joins us.
Waiting to adopt our next child is exciting and sometimes quite emotional. One thing we know for sure though: the baby that joins our family will be surrounded by love, learning, and adventure. He or she will have unconditional support, not only from us, but also from our extended family of relatives and friends. And so will his/her birth mom. We are in awe of your brave and selfless choice, and we hope for an adoption that is as open as you wish. We wish you well and look forward to learning more about you.
With thanks,
Kim and James
