Dear Expectant Mother,
Our names are Jeff and Mike, and we've been together for 14 years. We live in San Jose, California and we want to thank you for giving us the chance to tell you a little about ourselves, our lives together, and our dreams of extending our love and family to a new child.
We know that this must be a difficult process for you, as you try to find the perfect home for your baby. Mike's mother also chose to place a child in an adoptive home when she was young, and she has helped us to truly understand what a difficult, courageous, and selfless act this is on your part. We hope that our photos and words will give you an idea of who we are, and what our desires are for life and family. We also welcome the opportunity to talk with you directly.
About Us
We were set up on a blind date while we were both in graduate school at Stanford in 1994 and we knew it was going to be something special from the start. We have been happily together ever since, and we feel very fortunate that our life has been filled with fun, friends, and adventure.
After graduating, we moved to the East Coast where Jeff took a job with IBM and Mike started working as a management consultant. Four years ago, we moved back to California to settle down and grow our family. We have a wonderful home in San Jose with a great backyard that we hope will soon become a favorite play spot for a child.
We love to hang out with friends - especially at dinners and barbecues - and have tried to see as much of the world as our jobs permit. We have been fortunate to travel to Europe and Asia, as well as taking annual trips to sunny beaches to snorkel, soak up the sun, and just relax.
My Partner Jeff by Mike
When I met Jeff I knew he was not only the smartest person I had ever met but also the most social and fun-loving. It is no wonder then that he loves cooking and entertaining for family and friends. Whether it's a small family barbecue, a large party with friends, or simply a special dinner for the two of us, Jeff enjoys finding new and interesting recipes for us to try. And he always succeeds in making it delicious
Jeff works as a research scientist at IBM - trying to make computer chips smaller and smaller. He enjoys his job quite a bit, and we have become friends with a number of families from his work. It was through one of these friends that Jeff discovered his love for sailing. When he was invited to join a friend's sailing team, Jeff thought it sounded like fun; and before long he was out racing after work every week. We got a small boat of our own so Jeff could take me and our friends sailing on the weekends.
With his internal drive and his passion for people, I know Jeff will make a great dad. He'll be the kind that is always encouraging, supportive and always there for a child.
My Partner Mike by Jeff
When I first met Mike I loved to see his passion for so many different activities, from engineering to the protecting the environment. Mike's main interest is airplanes and he got his private pilots' license just a few years ago. Mike loves to try new things, and is constantly learning and growing. He started as a mechanical engineer and now focuses on retail web sites. He loves being outdoors, gardening, and working on things around the house. He is the one that keeps our landscaping flourishing, and I can see him spending many days with a child, happily digging in the dirt and planting new flowers.
Most importantly, I love the way Mike genuinely cares about other people and is passionate about always trying to do the right thing - not just for him, but for our family and friends. I know Mike will be able to give a child both his strong sense of values and his strong interest in so many different aspects of the world. He is looking forward to finally becoming a stay-at-home dad.
Our Families
We are both very fortunate to have wonderful extended families, whom we are very close. Both sets of parents just celebrated their 44th wedding anniversaries, and their strong commitments to each other are a continuing inspiration to us in our relationship.
Many of our fondest memories are from our family holidays, like the annual 4th of July Family Reunion at Jeff's parents' home on Gull Lake in Michigan. This year there were 20 people, ranging in age from 2 to 99 - and the 99-year-old, Jeff's grandfather, "Bacca," was as sharp as ever, enjoying spending time with each of his 7 great-grandkids. For Christmas and Thanksgiving, we alternate between each of our parents. Thanksgiving in Oregon this year was spent doing "serious Lego construction" of many crazy cars and houses with Mike's niece and nephew.
No matter where we spend the holidays, the time is always filled with kids and family, and everyone is very excited to have us bring a new baby to share in the fun and love. Jeff's sister, Jen, is particularly excited to become an Aunt and has already begun buying us baby books.
Our Dreams for Our Child
Our biggest dream is that our child grows up in a secure home and neighborhood, filled with love and opportunity. We live in an area of San Jose which is a great blend of city and suburban living and is culturally diverse. Our three-bedroom house has plenty of space for a child to grow and thrive in. We look forward to taking family walks up to the Rose Garden Park and to the local library.
Education is very important to us, and it means more than just books; it means art and music and sports as well. Jeff loved learning the piano and trombone as a child, as well as soccer, tennis and swimming. The local YMCA is just a few blocks walk, and we look forward to toddler swim classes together as a family. And even though neither of us can sing, we can't wait to teach a child all the silly songs we remember from our parents so we can all sing them out-of-tune together.
Our friends in the area are a mix of singles and couples, many of whom have recently had children themselves. A child will be able to grow up among all types of families, so it will be clear from early on that all families formed through love and commitment are precious. And there will be lots of other kids around to play and grow with. We are particularly excited to introduce our one year old goddaughter, Annika.
Our Commitment to You
We were both blessed with strong family upbringing and believe that having a loving and supportive family is critical for a child to succeed. We have waited until now to begin building our family so that we could offer the same secure environment that we feel we had growing up. We are ready! There will be fun and learning, nurturing and love, and a stay-at-home parent.
We have learned a lot about open adoption, and now we would love to learn more about you. We know you must have lots of questions for us, so please feel free to call us collect at 1-408-249-4087 or email us at jeffandmike@jeffandmike.com. You can also contact our friendly adoption attorney, Susan Romer, at 1-800-U-ADOPT-US or email us at adamsromer@aol.com.
Thank you for considering us. We really look forward to meeting you.
Jeff & Mike
