Dear Birthparents,
Hello, we are Andrew and Kathy. We would like to thank you for taking the time to get to know us and for considering us as potential adoptive parents.
ABOUT US
We were married in September 1999. After several years of infertility treatments, we are excited to be starting our family through adoption. We have a strong, solid marriage that is full of love, trust, mutual respect happiness and fun. We love to just be silly sometimes and make each other laugh. We are truly the best of friends and enjoy spending time with each other. Some of the things we enjoy are going to garage sales, taking walks with the dogs and remodeling the house.
ANDY FROM KATHY’S POINT OF VIEW
Andy was raised on his parents’ farm in northern Pennsylvania . He grew up with a very strong sense of family and a connection to his roots. As a child, he was very active in 4-H and has raised all types of animals. Andy is the kindest, gentlest, most loving person I know. He always makes me feel that my happiness is the most important thing to him. Not only does he support and encourage my dreams and aspirations; he helps me to achieve them any way he can. He is a loving, devoted husband and I always feel safe when I am with him. He will make a wonderful, patient, hands-on, and fun dad. He enjoys movies, ATV riding, camping, and spending time in the woods. Andy is a big kid at heart with a great sense of humor. He has as big an imagination as the kids do when they play. He looks forward to spending time with our child and teaching him/her about the things he enjoys while learning about and encouraging any interests that our child may develop.
Andy has a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Bryant Stratton. While going to school, he started working for IBM and has worked there for 13 years. He is financially responsible and provides well for our family.
KATHY FROM ANDY’S POINT OF VIEW
Kathy is a very loving, devoted and understanding wife and looks forward to becoming a gentle and caring mother. Her optimistic and enthusiastic approach to life is inspiring. I love to hear her giggle and see the twinkle in her eye like a kid at Christmas. Family is very important to Kathy and I was amazed at how quickly and easily she bonded seamlessly with my family. She is very creative and likes quilting, sewing, making photo albums and other arts and crafts. She also enjoys planting a vegetable garden, cooking and baking. As an amateur digital photographer, she takes the camera along on outings with the kids and the dogs. Kathy is very interactive with children. She loves to get down on the ground and play with them at their level.
Kathy has a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science from Penn State University . She worked at a keeper at a zoo but selected a career as a Veterinary Assistant. She has been working full time at the same veterinary practice for the last 8 years. She not only strives to do her very best at work but takes great pride in taking care of me and our home. Her employer is very family motivated and willing to allow limited flexible hours after the adoption to care for the baby.
AND OUR FAMILY
Family is very important to us. The holidays are busy visiting family and friends and the summer brings picnics, barbecues, and vacations. Both of our parents have been happily married for over 45 years. We come from large families and most of them live close by. Everyone is very supportive about our plans to adopt and are excited to welcome a new family member.
We get many opportunities to spend time with our 3 godchildren Logan, Tyler and Cheyenne . They are very close in age and get along with each other very well. We have set up a tent in our kitchen when it was too cold to camp-out and even included a pretend campfire. We love to just play with trucks in the dirt, wrestle on the floor, or have tea parties.
Our home is shared with 2 pound-puppies and 2 cats. Tucker is a mix-breed dog and lives to play fetch with a tennis ball. He’ll bring it back as many times as the kids can throw it. Emma is a Beagle mix that became a registered therapy dog last year. She loves to curl up in bed with the kids when they spend the night. Stuart is our 15 year-old cat that likes to snuggle and watch television with Kathy in the evening. Finally, Thud is the youngest member of our household. He earned his name because we found him struck on the road with a broken leg and pelvis when he was a kitten. Today, you would never know he had such a rough start.
OUR PROMISE
The child that we will be privileged to raise will have all of the love and acceptance of both of our families and our network of friends. We will raise him/her in a loving and supportive Christian home with the stability of 2 parents that love each other and are committed to each other for life. We will empower them to reach their potential and encourage them to achieve their dreams. He/she will be raised with emphasis on family, education, responsibility, respect and a good self-image. These are the values most important to us.
We can’t begin to imagine the difficulty of the decision you are making. We respect the love, strength, and selflessness you are showing in considering an adoption plan for your child. We truly hope that you find peace in your decision.
Thank you again for taking the time to read our letter and for considering us as adoptive parents to your child. We hope we have given you a good sense of the type of parents we will be and would love to answer any questions you have about us. We are very willing to discuss the amount of openness you are comfortable with. We are working with The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh and Lemieux Family Center , a licensed and well-respected adoption agency. They can be reached at 1-800-961-7704 or 412-441-4884 and ask for a birthparent counselor.
Sincerely yours,
Andrew and Kathy