Dear Expectant Mother,
I am thankful to have the opportunity, with this letter, to give you a glimpse of who I am, as well as provide you insight into my life with my daughter, extended family and friends. I have humbly created a life full of love, laughter and stability for a well-rounded home and spiritual life. I adopted my daughter, Kaitlyn, 1 year ago. Because of my wonderful first experience with adoption, I am looking forward to growing my family, once again, through open adoption.
Who I am:
I was born and raised in San Diego, California. I grew up with my two parents, along with an older brother and younger sister. I moved to Orange County, California where I graduated from college and later completed law school. I am currently working as Staff Vice President for the nations' largest benefit provider, WellPoint, Inc. My work involves frequent interaction with diverse people while providing them with counseling, legal and financial services relating to their employee benefits programs. I am fortunate to have created a financially secure life for myself and my daughter through a career that is fulfilling for me. The simple things in life that I enjoy are cooking and entertaining at home with family and friends. When my house is filled with the sound of laughter and talking with loved ones, I am at my happiest. Hearing the sounds of Kaitlyn in my home has made life so much more complete. For me, the mess of toys everywhere is a beautiful sight! I enjoy parenting more than anything else in my life. I also enjoy being extremely involved in Kaitlyn's development at each and every stage. I plan to continue such involvement with her as she matures. Thinking about participating with activities at her school and the many upcoming steps of her growth process, my priority is to ensure her emotional and physical well-being now and in the future. I value education and the ability for one to follow their own path in life. I will provide an environment that supports and promotes a child's interests whether they are educational, artistic, athletic or spiritual.
My Home:
I live in a new development in San Diego, called 4S Ranch. There are mostly young families in my neighborhood as well as numerous parks, and playgrounds. I chose this particular location for my home because it is close to my parents. They are a regular and continuous positive influence with Kaitlyn and will be for Kaitlyn's anticipated sibling. I have come to love many aspects about San Diego. It is an area that provides sunny outdoors, nearby beaches and child-friendly activities within a wonderfully diverse culture. San Diego has one of the most famous zoos in California which we visit frequently. Additionally, the school district I live in is Poway School District, which is the premiere school district in the greater San Diego area. I am actively involved in a local church where I am raising Kaitlyn with Christian beliefs and values that I feel are important for a child to learn about. When I am working, I have a nanny who takes care of Kaitlyn in my home. I feel strongly about a child having a consistent, peaceful and enjoyable experience within a daily routine. The nanny I have carefully selected to care for Kaitlyn cares for her as if Kaitlyn was part of her own family. It is my intention to continue with the same nanny when bring another child into our home because having her has turned out to be an incredibly harmonious addition to our lives.
Kaitlyn:
Kaitlyn was born in 2006. I adopted her as a newborn. I was present at the hospital for her birth and am incredibly grateful that her birthmother blessed me with her. She is a happy and curious "almost" toddler and is just starting to demonstrate her personality in so many amazing ways. We play for hours at her activity table and I'm not sure which one of us is the happiest during our playtime together! Parenting has come naturally to me, most likely due to my own upbringing. Kaitlyn loves to spend time with my parents. It is so fun for me to observe her excitement when she sees her grandma and grandpa. When I first made the decision to expand my family once again through open adoption, I thought to myself, "I cannot imagine being able to love another child as much as I love Kaitlyn. She is the love of my life." However, I have come to realize, as I wrote this letter to you, that love is truly such an abundant and never-ending emotion and that bringing another child into my life could never diminish or take away from the love I have for either child. My experience of motherhood thus far, has helped me to understand that my love for Kaitlyn and her sibling would actually continue to expand in leaps and bounds because they would also have each other. I am excited about someday introducing Kaitlyn to her little brother or sister and I know she will thoroughly love being a big sister!
My Family:
My parents are two incredible people who instilled in me love, family, integrity, humor and the ability to succeed in life. They have been married for 47 years. My mom and dad are very positive role models for me and what I strive to emulate daily in parenting my own child. They live 2 minutes from me and are at my home 3-4 days per week to assist me in supporting and caring for Kaitlyn. My childhood was rich in values, morals and ethics. My parents taught all of their children how to treat and respect people, how to be honest, and to care about others. We went on family vacations, celebrated every birthday and holiday together and every night had dinner as a family. These are the values I promote with my child and the child I will be fortunate enough to bring into our lives in the future, as well.
In Closing:
As I expressed earlier, my first adoption experience was so positive. I feel honored and at the same time, incredibly grateful to not only have met Kaitlyn's birthmother, but to have been personally selected by her to love and care for the child she carried. Being a mother is what I enjoy more than anything else in this world. Having been blessed with an incredible childhood that was full of strong values and morals, I am prepared and ready to grow my family through adoption once again. I offer an abundance of love, a stable and secure home life, supportive and caring extended family and an adorable sibling for a child. I can appreciate the love you must have for the child you are expecting and the various thoughts and emotions you might be experiencing during this time. Peace and strength is what I wish for you now as you ponder the possibilities of your decision for you and your child. I look forward to possibly meeting and getting to know you.
Please feel free to call me collect at 858-761-1550 or 858-451-1604, or call Susan Romer, my friendly adoption attorney at 1-800-U-ADOPT-US or e-mail her at: adamsromer@aol.com.
Wishing you the very best,
Laurie
