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Rob & Robin are hopeful adoptive parents from New York waiting to adopt a baby.

If you are pregnant and considering placing your child for adoption, please read the following Dear Birthmother Letter.

Dear Birthmother, Thanks so much for taking the time to get to know us better. We realize that it takes tremendous courage -- and great love for your baby -- to make a decision to place your child for adoption, and we know this has to be an extremely emotional time for you. We want you to be as comfortable as possible with your decision, and we want you to have the peace of mind that your baby will be placed in a loving, caring, and nurturing environment. We hope this glimpse into our lives will give you an idea of the love and happiness we share as a family. It's our hope to be able to extend this love to another child.

We're Rob, Robin, and Lindsey. Rob and I met at work and were friends for a number of years before we began dating. The progression from “just friends” to “more than friends” was so natural that neither of us can pinpoint the exact time that our relationship changed. We both feel that this basis of “friendship first” is why our marriage is so strong. Our wedding took place 11 years ago in a beautiful garden at a local museum, and our relationship just keeps getting better each day. We truly are each other's best friends.

We always knew we wanted to have children and started trying shortly after our wedding, but it wasn’t as easy as we thought it would be. After trying "the old-fashioned way" for a couple of years with no luck, Rob and I began the difficult, emotional, and physical roller coaster of infertility treatments. When Lindsey was born just before our fifth wedding anniversary (as a result of IVF), we were thrilled beyond belief! Knowing how much joy Lindsey has brought into our lives made the decision to have another child easy – but the physical reality for us is MUCH more difficult. We had discussed the possibility of adding to our family through adoption even before Lindsey was born, and had always viewed it as an incredible, loving process. We both believe it isn’t HOW you have a child that’s important – just that once he or she becomes part of your family, you’ll love him or her with your whole heart. It’s the way we love Lindsey and it’s the way we’ll love our next child, too – because it’s the only way we know how.

Both Rob and I are extremely family-oriented. We both grew up in close-knit families and we try to see our parents at least once a week. Rob's two brothers are both married, with families, and live close by. We get together with them as often as possible for barbecues, day trips, or simply to hang out. Robin’s brother and his family relocated to Florida a couple of years ago. It's nice to have a warm place to visit during the winter, and in the summers they come up to visit us. Even though they live far away, we still manage to see each other every 3-4 months, and keep in touch with frequent phone calls, emails, and IM's. Between us, Rob and I have four nieces and two nephews (one of whom was recently adopted), and we love to participate in their school activities, cheer for them at their sporting events, go to their birthday parties, etc.

About Us About Rob (by Robin)
Rob is smart, warm, and loving, and he's one of the funniest people I’ve ever known. No matter what the situation, he can always find a way to make me laugh. I’ve always felt that as long as I’m in the same room as him – even if we’re both reading or watching TV and not talking to each other all that much – that’s when I’m happiest. He's also sensitive and thoughtful -- even after 11 years of marriage, he'll often come home with a bouquet of flowers "just because." He loves sports and plays golf whenever he can. His favorite activities are always centered around the outdoors – whether it’s helping Lindsey ride her bike, doing yard work, going to a high school football game, enjoying a meal outside on our patio, playing ball with Lindsey and the neighborhood kids, or relaxing in our hammock – if it’s outside, Rob is happy.

Rob is a college graduate and a Managing Editor at a national magazine. He enjoys his work, but the most important thing in the world to him is our family. When he walks in the door at night, he leaves the outside world behind. After dinner is Rob’s special playtime with Lindsey. I love walking into the playroom and seeing them engrossed in a game, or (in the nice weather) watching them play on the swing set.

About Robin (by Rob)
Robin is sweet, loving, and extremely nurturing; not only to Lindsey and me, but also to her family and friends – anyone she cares about. She's extremely close to her parents and younger brother, and I'm happy to say that she's also become quite close to my family. She’s also a college graduate, and was employed as a Creative Services and Events Manager at the same magazine I work for until she found the true calling in her life six years ago – being a mom. Besides being Lindsey’s and my personal chef, chauffeur, housekeeper, playmate, librarian, and gardener, (not to mention my best friend), Robin absolutely LOVES being the family photographer. She recently got a new digital camera, and rarely a day goes by that she isn’t snapping away and happily printing out the results. She also loves to do scrap-booking -- she recently spent four months working on a surprise scrapbook for her dad’s birthday, and she did another one for my mom. And one of these days, she swears she’s going to finish the needlepoint pillow she started before Lindsey was born!

Lindsey This little girl is such a joy. She’s happy, sweet, and very funny. I feel so fortunate to be able to spend my days with Lindsey. They’re filled with activities, like art classes, tap dance, soccer, and lots of play dates. We also enjoy going together to the library and bookstores, having picnics and playing in the park, and just hanging out at home playing jump rope, blowing bubbles, reading, cooking, making crafts, watching TV, working in the garden, etc. We haven’t yet told Lindsey that we’re trying to adopt a baby, but she’s constantly asking us when she can be a big sister. In fact, we recently visited our cousins in California -- they have two kids, ages four and three. She loves playing "big sister" with them, and when we left them, she said, “Mommy, I've been practicing and practicing – WHEN are we going to get a real baby?” And she's absolutely crazy about her baby cousin who was adopted by Rob's brother and wife last year-- she keeps asking if he could be her brother instead of her cousin (although she doesn't want to change his diaper -- that's Mommy's job!).

Our Home, Family, and Friends Both Rob and I are life-long New Yorkers. We live in a lovely suburb just 40 minutes from New York City -- close enough to enjoy all that the city offers, but definitely in a "leafy," tranquil area. Our neighborhood is quiet and safe, in an excellent school district, and we have many young children on our block. We have a nice, comfortable house with three big bedrooms (soon to be four -- we're planning to add a big, new, beautiful bedroom, which will be the baby's), a toy-filled playroom, and a pretty yard with a beautiful swing set and playhouse. We spend lots of time playing with Lindsey and her friends in our yard, and the sound of their laughter is truly music to our ears.

As we've said earlier, we love getting together with our families as often as possible. In addition to various barbecues and other fun times during the year, we always gather for all of the “big” holidays. Rob and I love having everyone over, and since we're centrally located, we tend to host the majority of these celebrations. It's even better because I love to cook, and Rob is great at set-up and cleaning, so it works out nicely! In addition to our immediate families, Rob and I are fortunate to both have a network of longtime friends (dating back to junior high, high school, and college) that we cherish. In fact, we’re known as “Aunt” Robin and “Uncle” Rob to some of their children (and Lindsey knows them as “Aunt” and “Uncle” also). Our kids love playing together, too, so it's fun for everyone when we get together.

In Closing. . .
Both Rob and I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for you to decide to place your child for adoption. But we do know that you came to this decision out of love, and the desire to do what's best for both you and the baby. Everyone knows there are no guarantees in life, but we can assure you of one thing – if we're fortunate enough to adopt your child, we'll love him or her with all our hearts, and will do everything in our power to provide that child with a secure, nurturing, and loving home.

If you'd like to get in touch with us, please call our toll-free number: 1-800-775-7415. Or, if you prefer, please contact our attorney, Aaron Britvan, at: 1-800-966-2220.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read our letter, and we wish you all the best now and in the future.

Warm Wishes,
Rob, Robin, and Lindsey