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 16 years ago, and have been married for almost 13 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 are very excited to become parents through open adoption.
We enjoy spending our time hiking with our dogs, mountain biking, playing cards with friends and family, 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 a child! 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 a child 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 Catholic and attend mass weekly, but for us, we believe that it is most important to try to do good in our daily lives, so we’ve spent 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 our nephews doing fun stuff like making cookies, and playing hide and seek. 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 currently does freelance marketing work from home on a casual basis and doesn’t miss the corporate world. She can’t wait to become a stay-at-home mom…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 woodworking, playing and building guitars, and is an avid reader. He also loves to ski, mountain bike, and to ride his motorcycle.
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 your hands and your 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 a child’s life.
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 are all excited about and supportive of our desire to 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 Furry Friends
Our two Bernese Mountain dogs, Mina & Mojo, came to us from a dog rescue organization. They give us reason to laugh every day and are a great excuse to take time out for walking, ear scratching, belly rubbing or sharing treats. They have such friendly faces that children and adults flock to them in the street to pet them.
Our thoughts about being parents
We know that parenting a child will 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 a child 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 child 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 child 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 a child 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 heart 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.
To learn more about us, please feel free to visit our website at www.barbandlucadopt.com. Please call us anytime on our toll-free number at 1-877-314-3315 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.
