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.
Mary and Carolyn
Dear Expectant Mother,
Hello, we are Mary and Carolyn. We can only imagine how difficult and challenging this time is for you. We thank you for letting us introduce ourselves to you. In this letter, we want to describe the life we hope to provide for a child - a life of love, acceptance, and joy.
We have been together for eleven years since the day we met in 1994. In 2000, we exchanged vows before our family and friends. We both grew up in close families and have long known that we wanted to raise children together.
We are happily settled in a four-bedroom brick home in Arlington, Virginia. Arlington is a beautiful, leafy suburb of Washington, D.C. with excellent schools, parks, and bike trails. We live just a short ride from the Smithsonian Museum and a two-hour drive from the glorious Shenandoah Mountains.
We are committed to full-time parenthood as the highest priority in our lives. Carolyn will be a full-time mom when a baby joins our family. Mary recently changed jobs - from being a law firm partner to working for the U.S. Department of Justice - so she can spend more time as a parent.
We enjoy close relationships with enthusiastic potential grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Mary’s parents live five miles from us. Mary’s sister Jenny and her family live three miles away - a fifteen minute bike ride. Mary’s sister Cate and her family live in a cozy farmhouse about an hour’s drive from Arlington. Carolyn’s parents and her brother and family live in Connecticut, and we are lucky to be able to visit with them often.
About Mary
I was born and raised in Michigan, the youngest of three daughters. My earliest memories are of being surrounded by unconditional love from my parents and older sisters. My mom and dad have a very close and affectionate marriage, which gives me a sense of optimism and trust toward people.
Both of my parents were the first in their families to go to college, and they went to great effort to enrich our lives. They saved their money to give us music lessons; they took us to concerts like Handel’s Messiah and to Chicago to visit the science museum. They also taught us the art and joy of conversation. Around the dinner table, we three girls learned to listen to each other and to say what was on our minds. I never had a problem that I couldn’t talk about with Mom or Dad. I knew they would support me unconditionally.
After college and law school, I moved to Washington D.C. In 1994, a mutual friend introduced me to a woman named Carolyn who was preparing to throw a gingerbread house-making party for the children of her law firm colleagues. After our first date I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this wonderful woman. Building a family with Carolyn is something I am ready and eager to undertake.
About Carolyn
I was born and grew up in Connecticut. My parents met on a blind date 54 years ago at the University of Connecticut and will soon celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. My parents raised my older brother and I with love and raised us to believe that there were no boundaries to what we could do. When I was a young teenager, I wanted to be a governor like Ella Grasso, the then-governor of Connecticut. I never became a politician . . . but I did study political science and law and move to Washington, D.C.
After working as an attorney for 8 years, I wanted to help people more directly. Four years ago, I started my current work as an Advanced Life Support medic. My favorite moments as a medic are those when I can make a personal, reassuring connection with someone experiencing an emergency.
Being a medic has deepened my strong desire to care for and raise children. I see how precious life is and how showing love and concern can make such a difference in people’s lives. I feel that Mary and I have so much extra love in our hearts and lives to share with a child. Our first blind date has led to years of joy together, and we are ready to extend that joy to our children.
I am so happy that both of our families have grown together over the years to become one larger family. At Thanksgiving, my mom and dad, Mary’s parents, and Mary’s sisters and their families all came over to our house for dinner. Mary’s dad and I built a new dining room table for the occasion. I look forward to many years of large family gatherings at our house.
Our Interests
Both of our families have music and cooking in common.
Every child (and adult) has studied an instrument of his or her choice from guitar to piano to the harp. Mary has been playing the violin since she was twelve and our niece, Jennifer, loves to play her own violin with Mary. Mary’s childhood was filled with singing with her two older sisters where they had a song for the school bus arriving, a song for washing dishes, and even a song for brushing teeth.
Carolyn loves to bake and continues making the edible gingerbread houses which first brought us together. Mary particularly enjoys barbequing on the back deck. This deck has become a hub for backyard gatherings of friends and family who enjoy Mary’s outdoor cooking. Our nephews especially love to help run the ice cream maker in the summertime.
We enjoy exploring new places in the United States and abroad. Carolyn has volunteered for many years at an international music festival, and she maintains lifelong friendships with people around the world as a result. We have traveled to Australia, Canada and Europe together to visit these friends and plan to continue exploring new places.
Our Values
We believe that love and human relationships are what make life worth living. Service to others is a big part of our lives. Mary is very active in her progressive Roman Catholic church, serving as a lector on Sundays and teaching English to new immigrants. Carolyn assists her sick and elderly patients with the utmost care as a medic and has even helped a woman deliver her baby boy. We try to be anchors of love and support to our family and friends, as they are to us.
In Closing
Please know that as parents we will raise a child with tender love and with respect for his or her unique personality. We will also honor you throughout his or her life. We will always place our child’s needs before our own, and our child will have a treasured place in a warm and loving family.
If you would like to speak with us or meet us so that we can get to know each other, please call us at (800) 684-0818, email us at maryandcarolyn@comcast.net, or contact our friendly adoption attorney, Susan Romer, at (800) 823-6788.
Warmly,
Mary and Carolyn