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Shawn & Melissa are hopeful adoptive parents from Washington waiting to adopt a baby.

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

Dear Expectant Mother, Our hearts go out to you. We know this must be a challenging time and we hope that you are getting the support you need and deserve. We greatly admire you for having the strength to consider adoption for your baby. We understand that making this difficult decision can only come from deep love and the conviction that you would be giving your child the life you want him or her to have. We also understand how important it must be for you to feel that you have found the right adoptive family. We are grateful to you for giving us a chance to tell you about ourselves to see if we might be the family you are looking for.

We are Shawn and Melissa. We live in the Seattle area and have been very happily married for eight years. We have always wanted children and when it didn’t happen biologically we turned our hearts toward adoption. Our families and friends have been touched by adoption in so many ways. Melissa’s father, little sister Reina, and Aunt Sally were all adopted. Many of our close friends were either adopted as children themselves or have adopted their children. Our families and friends are all so excited about our plan to adopt and so eager to welcome this new child into their lives and hearts.

About Shawn from Melissa: I adore Shawn. He is creative, sensitive, and energetic and can always make me laugh. As my Mom says, “to know him is to love him” – quite a compliment from a mother-in-law. Shawn has so many interests and talents. He is a gifted musician, athlete, and craftsman. Shawn loves kids and he has become Uncle Shawn to many of our friend’s children. They love him because he can be silly and playful when they are feeling energetic but will also happily sit quietly with them and read a story. Shawn will be a wonderful Dad. He is looking forward to the time when he will be able to love and support his own child; helping him or her explore the world, develop their interests and talents, and grow into a capable, loving, and happy person.

Shawn was born and raised in Seattle, and his family is all here. We see them regularly for birthdays, holidays, and family dinners. Shawn’s Dad was a boat builder who started a construction and security business years ago. Shawn grew up in an environment that taught him responsibility and resourcefulness and a lot about the boat building and construction industries. He started working in the family business as a teenager and has grown along with it over the years. Shawn earned his college degree in Business Management, and he is now the Vice President and co-owner of a very successful business. One of the advantages of being an owner is that Shawn can arrange his work hours in order to be available for important events such as the first day of pre-school, a school conference, or a performance in the school play. Shawn is a very hard worker and he has greatly enjoyed helping develop the business, but he is now eager to focus some time and energy on raising a child.

Shawn is a devoted husband, son, and brother, and his friendships are strong and long-lasting. He is also an extremely playful, creative, and insightful person who has many talents and enthusiasms. For example, Shawn is a great cook, and on Christmas Eve he prepares a five-course Italian meal that the whole family looks forward to for the entire year. He is also an extremely talented woodworker who has remodeled our home and built beautiful furniture. Shawn has been a musician since high school and has been the lead vocalist and played guitar in various bands over the years. He is a talented athlete who enjoys golf and basketball and is passionate about cycling. Shawn is a member of a bicycle racing club and gets together regularly with this group for practices and long distance races on the weekends.

About Melissa from Shawn: Melissa was born to be a Mom. She has always loved children and goes out of her way to hold a baby, play with a toddler, or have a conversation with a friend’s child. Melissa cherishes, respects, and enjoys people of all ages, and her relationships with her family and friends are a top priority in her life. Melissa’s hobbies include gardening, scrapbooking, dancing, cooking and baking, reading, and travel. She is fascinated by the world around her and is always learning something new. I never stop learning from her, and I feel fortunate to be with her and share in her explorations. Melissa can’t wait to share her love with a child. The baby we adopt will always know how much he or she is loved and cherished.

Melissa was also born and raised in Washington and her family is still here. They get together frequently and Melissa loves spending time with them. Melissa also grew up in a family business. Her mother owns a bookstore, and Melissa is an avid reader. She has already built a great collection of children’s books, including many from her own childhood, all ready for our child. Melissa has great memories of family vacations and especially of going on the annual “female vacation” with her mom and two sisters. They had a great time and learned to take care of themselves in the outdoors. Melissa grew up in a neighborhood where the families had a strong sense of community and this has contributed strongly to her love of our “community” of friends. One of Melissa’s most cherished life experiences is the year she spent as an exchange student in Switzerland. She is still very close to her host family, more than fifteen years later, and has enjoyed several visits to see them over the years.

Melissa earned her college degree in German Language and Literature. After college she worked at Microsoft for eight years. She left when we decided to start a family and wanted the pace of our lives to slow down a bit. Melissa now works in the family business with me as a bookkeeper. She enjoys her job but is definitely planning to not work outside the home when she becomes a parent. Melissa will be a full time mom, fulfilling her lifelong dream.

Melissa is a loving, loyal, generous, and very positive person. She is committed to lifelong learning, whether it is studying another language, reading about a new subject, traveling, visiting museums, etc. When her Mom visits, the two of them garden together and work on organizing all the family photos into beautiful scrapbooks. Melissa is fascinated by children and has spent a lot of time reading and studying about child development. She has a good understanding of what children need from their parents and their environment in order to grow into happy, healthy, successful people. She can hardly wait for the opportunity to provide love, nurturing, and support to our child.

More About Us: Where We Live: Our home is near Seattle, in a quiet neighborhood that we just love. There are so many nice families, lots of children, and friendly dogs. It is a safe and sociable place and there are always lots of people outside, going for walks or playing and working in their yards. We bought our house nine years ago and have enjoyed the process of remodeling and getting ready for a baby. Our house is a combination of cozy in the front and kind of dramatic in the back, where we have amazing views of Puget Sound and the islands. There is also a large, fenced yard in the back with fruit trees, space to run, play catch, garden, or practice camping. In the summer we enjoy barbecuing on the deck and picking apples, pears, and blackberries to make desserts. Our Goddaughter and her family live just down the block, and we get together often. We’re close to Seattle and can easily take trips to the zoo, the aquarium, and various musical and cultural events.

Family Life and Values: We became friends and realized that we had many shared values before we even started dating. Over the years we have developed many shared interests as well, and we are so appreciative of how our lives have grown by being together. We are so excited about how our lives will change and be enriched by parenthood, and we look forward to experiencing things through our child’s eyes. We place a high value on education and experience, and we want to provide our child with opportunities for both, from good schools to activities including sports, music, arts, travel, etc. We will encourage, support, and share in the things that interest our child. We want to teach our child to appreciate nature and will provide opportunities for being in the outdoors and learning to care for the environment. We want to approach our child with joy and laughter and a good sense of humor. The church we attend respects all faiths and values diversity, and we will stress the importance of being open-minded and respecting individual differences. Above all, we value family and friends, and we believe that children are a sacred miracle. Our promise to you and your child is that we will provide an emotionally and financially secure family life, an abundance of opportunities for learning and growth, and the unconditional love of devoted parents.

Adoption Process: We are looking forward to an adoption with some level of openness. We would love the chance to get to know you, but of course if you did not feel comfortable with contact, we would respect your wishes. We would also like our child to be able to know about you and know about his or her heritage. Ideally there would be open communication between all of us. No matter what, we promise that your child would grow up knowing how much you loved him or her and understanding that choosing adoption was an act of love.

We hope this letter gives you the information you need, and of course we hope we turn out to be the family you are looking for. Whatever your decision, we wish you the very best. If you would like to talk with us, please call 1-800-820-5124 or call our adoption specialist, Anne Moody, at (206) 842-2810.

With great respect and best wishes to you,
Shawn and Melissa