Doug and Margie
Hi,
We are Doug, Margie and Andrew Lippert. While Doug and I have both spoken and written professionally throughout our careers, we sit here together today truly struggling for the right words to tell you how sincerely grateful we are to be considered to raise your child. We hope our genuine warmth and compassion are appropriately expressed as you read our letter….
As wide-eyed children, we imagined ourselves with a house, a big yard and several children running around by this time, just like our parents and siblings.
Things don’t always turn out as we planned…
Our house and yard would come...but we would not give birth to even one child. Failed pregnancy and failed fertility treatments would put us in a position where we would choose adoption to help us continue our dream for a big family. There was no looking back once a very special family chose us to raise their child. What a privilege and a gift!! Andrew’s presence in our lives is truly a miracle….the first of many, we hope.
Tears would fall the day we met our son Andrew’s birth family. Doug and I are generally very private with our tearful moments, but we would share tears that day with people we were meeting for the first time. We wouldn’t meet Andrew’s birth Mom, but her parents, instead. We were so nervous. We worried about what to wear and what to say. In the end, it wasn’t our clothes or words, but our tears that would help us to all open up and have a sincere and honest exchange of feelings and words. We felt a genuine connection. It may help you to know that when it is right, you will know it. We all did. Tears started the conversation, but laughter and joy shortly followed. Today we still share occasional tears with them when we talk and visit, but they are happy tears. We will always cherish the common bond that Andrew brings to all of us.
We do not pretend to approach you with any preconceived notions about how you are feeling. Every person and every situation is unique. We do, however, have some idea of how difficult this situation is for you. We humbly ask for your consideration. We desperately want to have a house full of children growing up with all the goodness gained from love and family dynamics…your family and ours…according to your level of comfort regarding openness.
What makes our family special? Well, while Doug and I both grew up with a house full of children, Doug’s childhood was spent playing ball and sledding on city streets, and mine was spent very much the same, but in a more rural setting. That’s what makes our home, now, so perfect. Five acres of half-wooded property with a swimming pool and pond, just minutes from South Hills shopping centers. We can swim, sled, and follow walking trails in our woods, then jump in the car and get to the shopping centers in 5 minutes. We walk to church, the library, the bakery, and all of the community parades.
We also might be different from others you may be considering, in that we have a child. Your child would not only be welcomed as a wonderful new baby in our family, but your child would have one terrific big brother, too. We cherish our siblings, who all live nearby. They share our happiness and our sadness like no friend ever could. Siblings teach so many lessons parents cannot. We can only imagine the positive outcome from two adopted siblings who can share in how they might be feeling about anything, but especially about the shared experience that comes from being adopted.
Our siblings are over often with all of the kids. Doug has 2 brothers, one with 4 children and the other a priest. I have 3 siblings with 8 children total, and I have 4 great nieces, as well. Fate would bring these 2 families together. Doug and I met at a bank. While Doug is a Vice President, neither of us are stuffy banker types. That’s how we found each other. We fell outside of that mold. We love to laugh and have fun amid the responsibilities we take very seriously in our lives. We are so much alike except that I like to plan and organize and Doug loves to be spontaneous. We are great for each other. Laughter would carry us through our ten years of marriage now, and we would have the privilege of seeing each other as parents……we’re loving every minute of it. While we are ever so grateful to be parents, we desperately pray for another child.
As parents Doug and I take on fairly traditional roles. Doug loves to play outside with Andrew in all kinds of weather. They planted a garden for Father’s Day and watered it every day in the summer after playing ball. In the winter they sled and make snowmen together. As a stay at home Mom with a teaching degree, I keep quite busy teaching and playing with Andrew and his cousins and friends. Our house is always full of children. We swim, play yard games and do lots of educational activities like reading and puzzles. Andrew and I love to take walks. When the weather is nice we walk to daily Mass, preschool and the park or library.
Doug and I also enjoy planning events for entertaining family and friends at our home. We have several summer picnics with swimming and volleyball fun, and in the winter we have get-togethers, usually announced last minute as the snow falls just right for sledding. We celebrate holidays with family and friends following traditions handed down from generation to generation. We also enjoy local attractions like Kennywood, Oglebay, The Children’s Museum, and Idlewild to name a few, but our best times are spent right at home.
Our home is happy, and our dream is to fill it with a houseful of happy kids. Doug and I wanted children desperately, but consoled ourselves as we waited because we knew we were lucky to have each other. Now we cannot imagine life without a child…..we can only hope for a life with more children. Your child will be loved and cherished in our home and will be raised to love you for making life possible.
Margie, Doug and Andrew Lippert