Dear Expectant Mother,

Thanks for taking the time to find out a little bit about us. We can't even imagine what a challenging process this must be for you, but we know that the journey you're embarking on must take tremendous courage, self-respect, trust, and love for your child. We commend you for your strength during this time. So, without further ado, here's a quick snapshot of us…

Our Life Together

We started dating on St. Patrick's Day 17 years ago, and have been married for 14 wonderful years. We both feel fortunate to have found each other and know that our love and affection for one another will carry us through whatever curveballs life throws at us. We have always wanted a family, and our challenges with infertility guided us to our decision of building our family through adoption. We have had much joy, fun, and laughter since Thomas’ birthmother brought him into our lives in October 2010 through open adoption, and we would love for him to grow up with a brother or sister.

We enjoy spending our time hiking with Tommy and our two Bernese Mountain dogs, Mina & Mojo, mountain biking, and attending concerts and community events. We love to travel and have had the good fortune to experience many different cultures and witness some of the incredible beauty this world has to offer - and there are so many places we still want to explore with children! We enjoy cooking together and hosting BBQs, games nights and holiday celebrations. And we love to laugh together and always try not to sweat the small things in life.

We speak English and French at home and intend to raise our children in both languages to develop strong bonds with Luc’s parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, and to open many doors in their future. We are both active Catholics which, for us means trying to do good in our daily lives, so we spend time volunteering at our church, at a homeless shelter and at a residence for people suffering with AIDS.

About Barb…written by Luc

Barb is the kind of person who appreciates people for who they are. She loves spending time with Tommy; reading to him, taking him to the local pool and farmers’ market, and hosting playgroups at our home. Barb likes to stay active and skis, skates and goes to the gym, but she also likes to relax knitting, gardening, or doing yoga. She is adventurous and has seized every opportunity to travel and explore the world. She is generous and is always willing to help others - one of her passions is volunteering with victims of domestic violence for whom she is a reassuring presence during difficult times.

Barb grew up in Ottawa, Canada with her two brothers and parents. The family spent summers at their cottage where days were filled with swimming, boat trips, and fishing. Her parents still spend summers at their cottage and we enjoy visiting them there. We are both very close to her immediate family as well as to her extended family of cousins, aunts and uncles. They’re all incredibly supportive, and always eager to help out or lend an ear. Family gatherings are always fun, filled with laughter, funny stories, and lots of games.

Barb earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and an MBA, and worked for many years in the medical software field. She achieved everything she wanted to in her career, so when we moved to Canada for a few years in 2006, she decided to put her energy into giving back to the community through volunteering. Barb doesn’t miss the corporate world and loves being a stay-at-home mom to Tommy…the most important job ever!

About Luc…written by Barb

Luc is the most generous person I know, giving of his love, his time, his skills, or just lending an ear to anyone in need. He's incredibly patient and a natural teacher, and has taught nieces, nephews, and friends' kids how to make great pizza, perform cool card tricks, and how to ask our dogs to 'shake a paw' in French. He loves heading out on long walks with Tommy and our dogs, woodworking, playing and building guitars, and is an avid reader. He also loves to ski and mountain bike.  

Luc grew up in Rimouski, Quebec with his sister and parents. Within walking distance of their house, he could play in the woods, ski, bike, swim, and fish. Luc’s family moved to Paris, France for a year when he was 11 years old. Together, they explored Europe and had the opportunity to experience a lifestyle very different from Canada. He feels fortunate to have been introduced to travel and different cultures at an early age. We are both very close to his parents, his sister and her two children, and even though we don’t live nearby, we are in contact with them via phone and email along with frequent visits.

Luc feels lucky that his Dad inspired in him the fun of working with his hands and his mind at the same time, and this led him to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. Luc has a successful career as a network engineer, and is fortunate to work mostly at home, so he will be there to share in every step of our children’s lives. He is very much a ‘hands-on’ Daddy and spends every spare minute playing with Tommy, teaching him new words, or taking him out around the neighborhood.

Thomas

Thomas has put a big smile on our faces every day since his birthmother chose us as his adoptive parents; he is a cheerful, healthy boy, and a big charmer, even with perfect strangers. He laughs at our funny faces, loves to go on strolls with the whole family, and squeals with delight as he chases his soccer ball (his absolute favorite toy!) across the floor. Our friends and family have welcomed Thomas with warm joy, and he is part of a community of friends, surrounded by many children in our small town.

Both of us grew up with siblings and remember how much fun we had (and still have!) with them. We would love for Tommy to have the same experience of having a playmate close in age. We know that he will make a wonderful big brother!

Our home

We recently built a brand new, 4-bedroom home in a small town minutes from San Francisco, California. Our home has a fun, informal feel with plenty of space to curl up with a good book or a big dog (or both!)  Our community is very ethnically diverse and has a wonderful, friendly, small-town feel, with neighbors who look out for each other and lots of community events. It is a welcoming and safe place where we have made many great friends who love Tommy and are all excited about and supportive of our desire to further build our family through adoption. There are parks, biking and hiking trails, tennis and basketball courts, an outdoor pool, and a very cool skateboard park, all within walking distance.

Our thoughts about being parents…

We know that parenting children is likely to be the most awe-inspiring, fun and rewarding job we'll ever have, and that it may bring a challenge or two (or three!) along the way. We want to give our children a secure, affectionate environment to grow, the opportunity to explore and experience new things, and the warmth, compassion and love of all our hearts. Our children will know that we love them unconditionally and value them, no matter what. We look forward to snuggling up for a bedtime story and a 'chat' about the day, so they'll always know that we'll have open ears and  hearts to listen to their dreams, ideas and questions.

We both feel extremely lucky to have grown up in families that offered plenty of guidance, support, and encouragement and we plan to raise our children with all of the opportunities we can for an enriched and positive life. We believe that informal, fun learning happens when you least expect it – not just in the classroom – so we plan to introduce our children to traveling, gardening, summer vacations with family in Canada, and making Christmas cookies and gingerbread houses, to name a few. We will encourage them to follow their hearts in terms of finding hobbies, be it music, art, sports, or reading.

We thank you for taking the time to read our letter as you face this very challenging and very important decision for your child. We appreciate your consideration of us as adoptive parents and would love to learn about you and your hopes and dreams. Should you choose us, know that we, our families, and our friends will welcome your child with open arms and provide him or her with much love, support, and compassion. And you can rest assured that we're ready to work with whatever type of contact you feel comfortable with, be it an open adoption, not so open, or anything in between.

Please call us anytime at our toll-free number at 1-877-314-3315 visit our website at www.barbandlucadopt.com or email us directly at barbandluc@gmail.com. You may also contact our friendly adoption attorney, Susan Romer. Call 1-800-U-ADOPT-US (1-800-823-6788), or email her at adamsromer@aol.com. Her website is www.1-800-U-ADOPT-US.com where you can learn about open adoption.