You decide whether you would like to let them adopt your baby.

We are here for you to help make the decision that best suits your needs.

To a Special Woman:

We are MaryAnn and John Shinn from San Carlos, California. We admire you for considering placing your child for adoption and we appreciate that you want to learn about us. We have been blessed with two wonderful sons, Gianluca, 4 years old, and Alessandro (whom we adopted from birth), now approaching 2 years old. Our greatest joy comes from parenting and our hearts desire to parent again and to provide another child with a loving, secure and happy childhood and upbringing.

MaryAnn talks about John

John is a loving husband and father. Since the time we first met, John has always had an upbeat outlook on life. He loves his work in the high-tech industry but most enjoys spending time with his family. John begins each day greeting the boys with hugs before leaving for work; going to work on Mondays are most difficult after being with the family for the whole weekend. John loves being the boys’ wrestling partner and tickle monster and enjoys cooking breakfast for the family on the weekends . . . pancakes are a favorite!

John talks about MaryAnn

MaryAnn is a wonderful wife and my best friend. She has a wonderful singing voice and has performed several leading operatic roles in San Francisco. She captured my heart when I first saw her perform in Carmen. MaryAnn also has administrative as well as “hands-on” experience caring for children (she has a degree in Early Childhood Education). Raising a child is the greatest gift and responsibility that can be bestowed on someone and we are blessed that MaryAnn is a stay-at-home Mom to our sons. She is a fun and loving mother who enjoys spending time with the boys playing in the backyard, blowing bubbles and petting our neighbor’s cat who thinks it is part of our family! Their favorite outings include going to the park, zoo, beach and the aquarium. There is no doubt that she will extend that love and dedication to our next child.

We are blessed to share many interests: Italian language and culture (both of us studied in Italy); a love of music and theatre; and cooking. Often, on the weekends, we surround ourselves with family and friends, sharing good food and music in the Italian tradition.

Gianluca

Gianluca is a confident and compassionate child. He continues to be curious about the world that surrounds him, with a particular fascination for outer space, sharks and emergency vehicles. Some of his favorite activities include attending school, visiting his cousins and playing with neighborhood friends. Some of our favorite moments together are dancing to rock ‘n’ roll tunes, visiting the library and baking cookies. He is affectionate and is proud of his brother, Alessandro… well most of the time, until little brother decides to knock over his blocks or rearrange his construction equipment.

Alessandro

The minute Alessandro came into our lives through adoption, we knew destiny had brought us together. He has been the focus of so much laughter and fulfillment as we watch him grow and learn from his older brother. His favorite things are trains and buses and he is developing his father’s love of baseball. He loves to play “peek-a-boo” and “read” his Thomas the Train books. He likes go on outings and often grabs his jacket first thing in the morning (“Ready to go, Mom!”). Don’t forget to bring his favorite train books along for the car ride or we’ll hear “choo-choo” all the way . . .!

Our Family

Family is central to us. Because we are both from European families (John is Irish and Italian and MaryAnn is 100% Italian), we travel abroad to visit aunts, uncles and cousins. We are also fortunate to have a large extended family in the Bay Area, and most of our American aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents live within a 20 minute drive of our home. As a result, we spend many weekends with our families celebrating birthdays, special events and holidays.

Our home is cozy and warm and is located in a family-oriented suburban town just south of San Francisco. There is a beautiful backyard that is just perfect for tossing the ball, playing tag or cooking on the barbeque. Besides biking and hiking, our favorite outdoor getaway is to Uncle Paul’s cabin at Lake Tahoe, where we go boating in the summer and skiing in the winter. One of our other favorite family activities is sharing our season tickets to the San Francisco Giants ballpark where lemonade and hotdogs keep us stuffed and happy.

Raising our family in the Christian tradition forms the foundation for our relationship and family. We attend a local church and look forward to continuing participation in our various church and community activities, such as preparing meals and providing childcare for mothers who are ill or in need.

We hope this letter gives you some insight into our family. We look forward to talking with you and becoming better acquainted. Please call us toll-free at 1-800-537-2028 (pin #11), visit our website at www.shinnfamily.net or email us at connect@shinnfamily.net. You may also contact our adoption attorney, Susan Romer, toll-free at 1(800)-U-ADOPT-US.

With warmest regards,

MaryAnn & John

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