Dear Expectant Parent(s),

We would like to begin this letter by telling you how amazed we are with you. Not only do we respect you for your decision to make an adoption plan, we commend you for the courage and strength it takes to carry a pregnancy to term. We want to offer you all of our support, consideration and sensitivity throughout the whole process.

As you start getting to know us, please know that we already have something in common: we both find ourselves in challenging situations with pregnancy (you have one; we can't), and we are both led to adoption for these reasons.

We are Jerry and Sandra, and we have been married for 10 incredible years. We are a caring couple with a loving, fun and happy nature. Our marriage is based on love, respect, trust, loyalty, commitment and communication.

We always dreamed about raising children. Initially, we tried to conceive —unsuccessfully — and then we embraced adoption as a way to build our family. Building our family through adoption was an easy decision for us; two of Jerry’s cousins are adopted, and another cousin married a woman with triplets and has adopted them. All f their experiences with adoption have been wonderful.

In November 2005, we were blessed with the arrival of Blake, our adopted son. We have treasured every single day he has been in our lives. We adore being parents, and Blake has brought us a tremendous amount of happiness and joy.

We very much look forward to adopting another baby to nurture and love with all of our hearts. We encourage you to really think about what kind of life and dreams you have for your child and hopefully we are the parents who are able to give your child everything you hope for in their adoptive families and their future. Thank you again for this opportunity to be viewed as potential adoptive parents to your child.

Sincerely,
Jerry & Sandra

Jerry speaks about Sandra
There are no words to describe how deeply I love my beautiful wife Sandra. Her love is the greatest gift I have ever received. She has a beauty and warmth that bring joy to all those around her. I see that joy in Blake every day, and it’s clearly due to Sandra. She has such a kind and patient disposition with him, and they really enjoy being together. She teaches him new words every day and sings to him endlessly. She is a very smart, artistic, generous, nurturing, honest and dependable woman who absolutely loves life. I love this about her. I can proudly say that she is a fabulous wife and a spectacular Mom. Your child would be happy and loved in our home.

Sandra speaks about Jerry
From the moment we met, Jerry has been my strength, my best friend and my one and only true love. Every day he lifts me to a higher ground. He makes me happy beyond measure – his sense of humour is one reason I fell so much in love with him. Jerry is a wonderful, loving and helpful husband and father. When I look at Jerry as a father I fall even more in love with him. Watching Blake’s eyes light up when Jerry enters the room makes my heart melt. And Jerry is equally as smitten with Blake. They have a wonderful father-son relationship – playing peek-a-boo, Jerry giving “horsy” rides on his knees or the two of them rolling around on the floor together. Your child would be so loved by Jerry, enjoying his full attention every day. Jerry has a zest for life and he is always happy. I admire him immensely and will always be devoted to him. He truly is a gift and a wonderful soul. I am so very proud to call him my husband, and I love that he has finally become a Dad. I love him with all of my heart.

Happy Blake
Blake is a handsome 2-year-old who is starting to have a mind of his own — Mr. Independence! We enjoy how curious he is and how every day is an opportunity for new discoveries. He loves books, music, dance, water and arts and crafts. He is fascinated by cars, trucks, tractors, airplanes and helicopters.

Blake has 10 cousins and he adores them all. Many of our friends and neighbours have adopted children, and we regularly get together with them as a play group. As it does for Blake, this would provide your child with an environment where adoption is a normal and positive way to build a family.

With Blake’s huge smile, gentle touch and loving personality, we know he would make a really good big brother! Wouldn’t it be nice for your child to have a big brother to take care of him or her throughout life? A big brother who is also adopted and can share in that life experience?

Our Loving Families
Both of us were raised in loving and stable homes that have enjoyed long marriages – both of our parents have been married for more than 40 years!

We enjoy the many privileges of having our families live close by – Jerry’s parents live across the road from us, and Sandra’s parents live just around the corner. It makes for a very strong network of love and support within our families. Both families have showered Blake with an abundance of love, and they can’t wait to share this love with another child.

Our Home, Our Community and Our Farms
We live in a spacious, warm and inviting farmhouse. Our home sits on nearly four acres, is surrounded by mature trees, and has a sunny yard full of fun equipment for the kids to play on. We spot foxes, deer and pheasants running alongside our bush, and we see many different birds frequent our feeders. We live in close proximity to our church, an elementary school, pools, a park, a lake and trails. What we love most about our home is that, although we live minutes away from towns and cities, it is a peaceful sanctuary that provides us with privacy.  We are friendly with our many neighbours, who have children of all ages, and we get together for bonfires and holiday celebrations.

Our Faith and Godchildren
We enjoy going to church most Sundays. We would instill a healthy faith in God as your child grows and learns by our example.

Each summer I (Sandra) teach a week of Bible school at our local church as well.  I love being with the children and the other mothers at the church during this week.  The kids are so full of laughter!

Together, we have two Godchildren: our nephew, and our friends’ son.  Jerry is Godfather to our niece, and Sandra is Godmother to her friends’ daughter. We feel honoured to have been chosen to be Godparents to all of these wonderful children.

Energetic Family Enjoying Life to the Fullest
We are an energetic family and we love to live life to its fullest. In the summer months, we are very active. We are avid golfers (well, Blake isn’t such a great golfer yet), enjoy mountain biking (we have a front-facing seat for Blake, who enjoys watching cars go by), four-wheeling, and having bonfires in our huge backyard (spider dogs, marshmallows and fireworks are a must).

Each July, we head to a cottage on Georgian Bay for a week-long family vacation. Blake loves to play in the sand, splash in the lake and canoe with us. Furthermore, each August we head to a family campground for some luxurious “cottage on wheels” camping with some friends and their children. Blake thoroughly enjoys the array of activities while camping: splash pads, pools, the playground, train rides, hay rides and the petting zoo.

Both of Blake's grandparents have in-ground pools that we enjoy nearly every day. We have taken day trips to the Toronto Zoo, African Lion Safari, Storybook Gardens; and the beach is only 30 minutes away. We feel very fortunate to be self-employed and able to hop in our vehicle and go, go, go!  And what's in store in the future? A family trip to Disney World!

In the winter we enjoy tobogganing, ice skating, snowmobiling and downhill skiing. We love to cozy up on the couch with hot chocolate and read books to Blake or watch a children’s TV show. We hope we can do this with another child – there is definitely room for one more on our couch!

Our Thoughts about Parenting Your Child
In both of our families,  the children always came first, and we believe this too. As parents, we feel we have a lot to offer: a loving home that is full of fun and laughter, patience, understanding, security, stability and an overwhelming desire to provide the best life possible for your child. We are being very honest when we tell you that our sole purpose will be to make your child feel special, valued and, most of all, unconditionally loved. We will provide a fantastic farm environment full of natural surroundings, animals, home-cooked and nutritious meals (with some sweets and treats on the side), and a little boy eagerly awaiting a brother or sister to play with and love. As parents, we will encourage your child to follow their heart in terms of the hobbies they prefer — sports, music, art, dance or reading — so that they will flourish with the gifts they possess. We will encourage opportunities for higher education, if your child so desires, and guide them through their life decisions.

Our arms, hearts, families and home are open and waiting for another child to love, teach and care for. We realize that with parenting come challenges and frustrations during some phases of a child’s life. We are not perfect parents, but we always handle each situation in a very considerate, consistent and loving manner. When it comes to discipline we do not use corporal punishment, but rather we take away privileges, or use the magic “1-2-3.”

Your Adoption
We enjoy an open relationship with Blake’s birth family and meet with them twice a year. We have created a website specifically for Blake’s birth family, where we include pictures, journal entries and milestones in his life. His birth family is just a click away from seeing him grow between our visits. For us, it is refreshing to know that they will never have to wonder how he is. We are eternally grateful to Blake’s birth family for entrusting us with him and we honour them fully.

We read to Blake a lot and one book that particularly gets his attention is his Lifebook.  In it, we have pictures of him in his birth mother's tummy, her labour, after delivery, all of us at the hospital, and our visits with his birth family.  It's designed like a children's story book and read to Blake before bed.  Already, he points to his birth family in the pictures, and one day, he will read it himself.  It will be a treasured book for him to know his adoption story and it's a story that has been told to him since he was born.  Your child would also know of his or her adoption from the beginning.

We shared in naming Blake with his birth mother — we chose the name “Blake” and she chose “Adam.” We love how the names came together, and as for Blake Adam, what a special story that will be for him to cherish! We would be honoured to share in the naming of your baby if you desire.

Obviously, as proven with Blake and his adoption, we appreciate the benefits of an open adoption with his birth family. However, if this is something you feel is not in your best interests in terms of your adoption, we will respectfully support you and your wishes. We will make sure your child is on the Adoption Registry in case, in the future, you should wish to contact him or her. Whatever form this adoption takes, we promise to do our part to make it as easy and as comfortable for you as possible.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to open our lives to you. We hope we have successfully conveyed to you our genuine feelings, and we pray that you will trust us to raise your child. Rest assured, we would give your baby a strong family unit overflowing with love and affection. We would help you fulfill your dreams for this child by giving him or her a lifetime of the happiest childhood memories, the most secure upbringing, and the strength of family love. We hope you find peace and comfort in your decision. If you have any questions, we encourage you to contact us.

Sincerely, with our heartfelt wishes to you and your families,

Jerry & Sandra