Hi! We’re Christine and Mark, and, in writing this letter, we hope to give you a glimpse into who we are, and, most importantly, why we would be wonderful parents for your child. We know that this is a very difficult time for you and fully appreciate the strength and love that has led you to this decision. While it’s hard to fully capture “us” on paper, we thought a good place to start the introduction would be to describe how we began our lives together and what led us to the adoption process. We have known each other for 10 years and have been together for more than eight years. We will celebrate our five-year wedding anniversary in September 2009. Very early in our relationship, we learned that we would not be able to conceive a child. Every cloud has a silver lining though, and ours turned out to be the miracle of adoption. We talked about the possibility of adoption from the beginning and were blessed with the adoption of our daughter, Ava, in September 2007, when she was five weeks old. Although we love our sweet Ava, we still long for another child to complete our family.
Mark, Christine, Ava & Cuatro
Having Fun in Mexico Our Wedding Day
Rooting for the Longhorns
We both grew up with siblings and know first-hand that a sibling is someone to not only share your deepest thoughts and life experiences with, but to also build forts out of sheets in the living room and to be your partner in crime when you write all over the bathroom walls. (True story.) We love our families and spend lots of time with them – celebrating birthdays and holidays, watching sports and traveling. We also have a great network of fun and smart friends, many of whom have young children who will be instant playmates and lifelong friends for your baby, as they are with Ava. We spend downtime watching movies, reading, cooking, and taking walks with our dog. We look forward to sharing all of this with our children. But most of all, we look forward to sharing all the love we have to offer and teaching them about the world around them.
All About Christine (as written by Mark) Christine is 31 years old and works part-time from home as a public relations manager for a well established company. Christine has had tremendous success, at a young age, which is a true testament to the hard work and winning personality she brings to her work. Christine has the best follow through of anyone I know, and if you want something done, she is the one to ask. She loves being a mom and cannot wait to hold our new baby in her arms for the first time. I am so happy to have her as my wife and best friend. We are a great team. Plus, she taught me everything I know about changing diapers. (Who knew Velcro could be so tricky!) If I had to pick four adjectives to describe Christine, I’d choose: Loving – Christine is so fearless with her feelings. She is always there to pick me up when I am down and shower me with her love when I need it. I am so happy when I think about how much devotion and love she will share with our children as they grow. Funny – Christine has a quick wit and personality that light up any room. When we were first together I took her to meet my Uncle Doug who is the family “stand up.” Within minutes of our arrival, Christine had stolen the show and had the whole family in tears with laughter. Passionate – When Christine is working on a project at work, organizing a birthday party, or volunteering at a non-profit organization, she pours her soul and energy into it. She never seems to get tired – which will come in handy for night-time feedings! Creative – Christine is the ultimate “outside the box” thinker. She seems to have the most fun with the little things in life. She spends hours putting together the most creative and cool invitations, cards, scrap books, etc. For my 30th birthday, she secretly put together a scrapbook which provided a snapshot of my entire life, including notes and photos from family and friends. It is such a prized possession.
All About Mark (as written by Christine) Mark is 34 and is a homebuilder in Dallas, specializing in high-end custom homes. He’s been very successful in his endeavors and takes a lot of pride in his work, which is a family business. I remember watching Mark play with my much younger cousins when we first started dating and thinking he would make a great father. Watching him with Ava is a complete joy. No one can make her laugh like her daddy. He has so much love to give and so much to teach our children about the importance of being true to yourself, while caring for others. If I had to pick four adjectives to describe Mark, I’d choose: Charming – Mark has never met a stranger. He shows a genuine interest in everyone he meets, and he’s so quick-witted and smart that people can’t help but love him. Artistic – Mark pursued a love of acting, both on stage, and he even made a few appearances on television. He created a beautifully remodeled home for us to live in, which is warm and inviting – and he’s very excited about helping me put together a new nursery in one of the bedrooms! Loyal – When Mark and I first started dating, I heard the way he talked about his family and friends and remember hoping that one day I’d be in his inner circle because of his devotion to the people he loves. He would do anything for his family and friends, and he has been the biggest support to me during some of the hardest times in my life. I feel so lucky to be his wife and to share my life with him. Athletic – Whether it’s playing golf and basketball or watching football (Go Cowboys!) or baseball (Go Cards!), Mark loves sports. Your child will have the best coach for anything from putt-putt golf to checkers – and no matter what their interests are in life, they’ll have the world’s biggest fan in their father! All About Ava As you can see, Ava is quite the cutie pie! She loves to dance, run around and play with other kids. She has a collection of baby dolls (her “bay-beeees”), and she enjoys changing their diapers, tickling their toes (“ticky-ticky”) and putting them “night-night.” We think she’s practicing for a baby brother or sister! We are in an open adoption with Ava’s birth mom, Madison, and love sharing letters and photos with her frequently. We pray for Madison every night before bedtime and have a special book with photos of her and Ava in it – so Ava will always know that she is loved and that Madison’s choice to pick us as her family was made out of love.
Ava
All About Cuatro The final “member” of our family is our dog, Cuatro. He is a miniature schnauzer, but his personality is anything but miniature. Cuatro is the fourth miniature schnauzer in our family (hence the name), and he has tons of energy, which he uses to catch tennis balls and run around in circles in our big backyard. He’s very sweet with babies and, patiently, lets Ava pull his beard, ears and tail while she was learning to “be gentle.”
Cuatro All About Our Families We are so blessed to have a very large and loving family – both here locally and across the U.S. “Nannie,” “Poppy,” “The Nana” and “Don Papa” live in and around Dallas. “Gigi” and “Papa” live in Missouri, so there will be many snow-filled vacations in the future. Our sisters and step-siblings have a total of five children, so get-togethers are always filled with fun and chaos. Your child will be loved by so many grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins (not to mention our “extended family” of close friends).
Holidays, Vacations and Fun…
With Our Families
In closing, we want you to know that we respect your decision and the thought and care that will go into making it. We are very open to speaking with you, if you would like that. You can reach us directly at 877-350-5151 or through Steve and Joel Kirsh at 800-333-5736. If you contact them after business hours, their answering service will page them and they’ll call you right back. Please know there is no pressure to proceed with an adoption if you call. We just want you to have all the information you need to make an informed decision. We hope that you are feeling well. And, we want you to know that regardless of whether or not you choose us to parent your baby, you will both be in our thoughts and prayers in the weeks ahead. Best,
Christine & Mark