Waiting Families
Tim, Jo, and Alyse
Dear Birth Parent,
First of all thank you for choosing to take the time to view our profile and learn more about us. We also thank you for being courageous enough to initiate the adoption process. You are obviously concerned about your baby’s well being and future. It must be somewhat overwhelming to be faced with the difficult task that you have before you at this time. However we are confident that you will choose the right couple to adopt your child, whether that is us or someone else.
We were introduced by mutual friends and actually ended up as next door neighbors. Having known one another for about a year, Tim finally decided to risk upsetting the delicate balance of neighborhood dynamics by asking Jo on a date. He was politely refused but not exactly discouraged. Four or five months later Jo finally came around and accepted the offer. So, there went the neighborhood… A year and a half later we were married.
Now we have been married for nearly 9 years and live in a quiet suburban neighborhood with our 2 ½ year old adopted daughter, Alyse. Our neighborhood is full of playmates for Alyse. We enjoy chatting it up with our neighbors who are always more than willing to pitch in on each other’s home improvement projects and keep an eye on things for whoever may be out of town or on vacation. Our neighborhood is just around the corner from the local elementary school and has a nice park and swimming pool. When we bought our home it came equipped with Dusty, a lovable mutt who lives mostly in the backyard but visits indoors frequently, and has taken to spending cold winter nights curled up on the living room floor in front of the wood stove.
Jo works part time as an assistant at a photography studio. She is also a former teacher and coach at a local high school. These jobs reflect two of her favorite hobbies: photography and running. Our home is filled with beautiful photos and smelly running shoes. Tim works with middle school and high school students as a youth minister at a local church. His schedule is normally very full but quite flexible, with Fridays off. He spends a lot of time on school campuses, on the phone, or in coffee shops, meeting parents and talking to kids, teaching and studying. Otherwise he enjoys picking his guitar and cooking for the girls. Alyse enjoys tagging along with dad to watch “big kids” sporting events. She also loves music, being the subject of mom’s photography, Sunday school, and trips to the pool. Alyse is completely sold on the idea of being a sister! All three of us love being active and outdoors.
Tim and Jo love going on weekend retreats and other trips with the kids from the church. Of course opportunities for both of us to do that are more limited now, but when they do arise that means Alyse gets to visit with “Papa and YaYa,” Tim’s parents from Pennsylvania. Tim also has a brother and sister who both live in Pennsylvania with their families. Jo’s mom and one sister live in Alaska. Her dad lives in Nevada. Another sister lives in Colorado and her only brother is in the Army currently stationed in Hawaii. Suffice it to say that Alyse and her future sibling(s) will be well traveled between church activities and visiting family! Most summers we join Tim’s extended family for a week at the Outer Banks in North Carolina.
Both our families are very excited and supportive of our decision to adopt. We had always thought in the back of our minds that we might adopt children one day. Those thoughts became more prevalent about 5 years ago when it became apparent that our chances of having children biologically were slim. Not impossible, but not likely. We were and are surrounded by many friends that have adopted a child or children and we spent a lot of time talking to them prior to Alyse’s arrival. In the end we have come to the conclusion that God has called us to be parents. Regardless of whether we give birth to a child or adopt we feel that ultimately that child is entrusted to us by God. Thus we feel it is our responsibility to instill in our children a sense of purpose that comes from knowing he/she is God’s creation.
Again we commend you as you carefully consider your baby’s future. Having come this far you certainly have exhibited your own belief that life is precious and created for a purpose, regardless of the circumstances in which it was created. We encourage and support you in this belief. You are in our prayers.
Tim, Jo, and Alyse