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Mark & Neymi are hopeful adoptive parents from Illinois waiting to adopt a baby.

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

HELLO and WELCOME ... We are Mark, Neymi, and Rebecca. We are a happy, loving, energetic family that is very enthusiastic and hopeful about expanding our family through adoption.

It is a very loving and brave decision to choose life for your child and consider an adoption plan. Although it is impossible to understand all the emotions you are feeling at this moment, we realize that you are facing a very important and difficult decision that will impact your life and your child’s life. You have our respect and admiration for putting such care and thought into planning the best future for you and your child. Since your courageous heart has carried you this far, we wish you continued strength and courage as you make your plans. Thank you for taking the time to learn about us and for considering us to be adoptive parents for your baby.

To us, adoption is a blessing, a gift, a learning experience, a commitment, a foundation of love, and an ability to leave a part of you with the world by being an important part of a child’s life. Our goal as adoptive parents is simply to guide a child through their lives in the best way possible for him or her to become their own person—a compassionate person who cares about others, a grateful person that enjoys the many gifts that life has to offer, a person who can take the many challenges that come in life and face them with confidence. We simply want to shower our children with abundant love, watch them grow, hold their hands, their hearts, and their souls with constant care through the process, and share them with the world when they become adults.

We are extremely grateful for life's gifts and consider our greatest blessings to be our stable, deeply committed marriage, our daughter Rebecca, and our close, tender-hearted, loving family. Since the day we were married, we hoped to be blessed with more children. We always knew that we wanted to adopt even if we had biological children. After several miscarriages, we decided that nothing would make us happier than to adopt a precious child and grow our family through adoption.

Raising Rebecca has been the true joy of our life together. Words cannot express how much we love being parents and our love will continue to grow by leaps and bounds when another child joins our family. We know that any child who comes to us will become part of a family that will remain dedicated to providing a nurturing and stable home environment filled with wonderful opportunities, education, happiness, and, most important, unconditional love. We are so ready to welcome another child or children into our lives and hope that we can soon realize our dreams.

GET TO KNOW US ... About Us …
We have been married for over three years and have known each other for 10 years. We are each other’s best friend and feel that we complement each other well in all aspects of our lives, contributing to each other’s strengths and balancing off each other’s weaknesses. We admire each other’s individuality and treasure our similarities, always focused on maintaining a partnership that is fueled by unwavering love, commitment, and respect. Rebecca, Neymi’s birth-daughter and Mark’s stepdaughter, adds a beautiful dimension to our relationship as the more love we give to her the stronger our relationship grows. It is through her that we realize our life is not about reaching milestones, but rather is a journey of love—the more love we give, the more we get in return. Rebecca met Mark before she could even talk and it did not take long for the two of them to become inseparable. Neymi and Rebecca both fell in love with Mark and the rest is history. When he proposed, they both said “yes!”

We are a fun-loving active family. Together we enjoy dancing, biking, boating, attending sporting events and concerts, and most of all spending time together as a family. We love to travel, enjoy nature and animals, being outdoors, and participating in creative activities. In addition, we are very proud of our religious values and traditions and we both have a very strong faith in God. Our faith in God sustains us through all the joys and sorrows of life. We want our children to feel God’s love for them from the very beginning and know that this love will guide them through life in every step that they take.

Our Family Background …
Mark is the second of four children (two boys followed by two girls) and was born and raised in the rural Northwoods of Wisconsin. His parents and older brother still reside in his hometown and we visit them often. His two younger sisters live in Chicago near us and we are fortunate to be able to see them frequently. Both of Mark’s sisters are married. His middle sister has three children--one girl, age 4, and twin boys, age 2 ½. Mark’s parents are very caring and loving individuals who appreciate life and the awe-inspiring beauty that nature has to offer. They passed their love of the outdoors to all of their children and it is from them that Mark learned how to garden, learned to love animals and nature, and learned to be grateful for all the blessings in one’s life. Mark’s mother is so excited about getting another grandchild that she has even taken the time to write a brief note for us to add as a journal entry in our profile.

Neymi is the older of the two daughters born to her parents. She was born in the country of Cuba, moved to Spain with her parents at the age of 9 months, and then moved to the United States at the age of three. Her family settled in the Midwest, in a suburb of Chicago. She learned to speak Spanish from her parents and did not learn English until she began Kindergarten. She is now fluent in both languages and loves to teach the Spanish language to Mark and Rebecca. Neymi was raised by very loving and caring parents who, as a direct result of their immigrant status, taught her to value freedom and to be grateful for all the opportunities that life has to offer. Although her parents are no longer alive, Neymi feels very blessed to have had such wonderful parents who were solid role models for leading very happy fulfilling lives. Neymi’s younger sister, who also lives in Chicago within walking distance, is married and has three boys—ages 6, 4, and 1.

We were both raised in close, supportive, loving families and are very family oriented. We cherish the countless hours of laughter, love and fun that we share as a family.

Our Home and Lifestyle …
We live in Chicago, Illinois in an active, friendly, family-oriented neighborhood. It is very common to see children being wheeled up and down the street in their strollers at all times of the day, followed by their older siblings on tricycles or bikes. Our warm and inviting Victorian-style house is often filled with many children, especially when all of our nieces and nephews descend upon us at the same time. Our belief is that the more time we spend with family and friends, the more enriched our lives will be. Our flower-filled backyard is ideal for playing “koosh-ball” (Rebecca’s favorite game of catch), chasing butterflies, and swinging on the hammock. We live a few blocks away from a very large park equipped with many jungle-gyms, swings, monkey-bars, and an outdoor running track which is often used by parents to teach their kids to ride their bikes. Lake Michigan is within walking distance and is bordered by many beaches and parks. We appreciate our easy access to the culture, activities, and diversity of our beautiful city.

We are also very blessed to have a special “retreat” at the home of Mark’s parents, which is located in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. The Lake House, as it is appropriately named, sits in the middle of the woods, right on the water, on a large lake that is part of a chain of 16 lakes. Our family makes frequent trips up to Wisconsin from Chicago to visit our parents, often visiting at least once per month, and spending extended periods of time there during the summer months. The Lake House, along with its surrounding area, offers many year-round outdoor activities for our family to enjoy. In the summer we hike, canoe, bike through the woods on the bike path, fish off the pier or from the fishing boat, feed the ducks, swim in the lake, go horseback-riding at one of the near-by stables, go water-tubing with the speedboat, or take a leisurely ride in the pontoon boat. Our daughter loves to hunt for frogs, and on occasion will keep a “pet” frog for a few days before returning it back to its natural home. She is also learning how to fish and is determined to catch “the big one” someday. In the winter, we do cross-country and down-hill skiing, go sledding, take sleigh-rides, have many snow-ball fights, roast marshmallows in the fire-pit, go for a peaceful walk under the snow-covered trees, and simply enjoy the beauty of the frozen lake. Life in the Northwoods is very relaxing and serene and it is a great place to for children to experience the beauty of nature, not to mention the full-blown love of very doting grandparents.

Our Education, Careers, and Beliefs …
We both were fortunate to attend college and receive our Bachelor degrees. Today, both of our careers are in the communications industry. Although Neymi is currently working, she is looking forward to becoming a stay-at-home mom with the arrival of our next child.

We value education highly, and view obtaining a solid education as a stepping stone to a world full of many options. We believe that learning is a lifelong experience and that a well-rounded education expands beyond the classroom. Therefore, we constantly seek additional opportunities for learning. Our goal is to support our children as they go through their years in school and give them every chance available to continue expanding their knowledge. We will encourage our children to pursue their own interests and talents and we will offer support in helping them reach their goals and achieve their dreams.

MORE ABOUT MARK, NEYMI, AND REBECCA ... Mark as seen through the eyes of Neymi …
Mark is a loving, kind-hearted, supportive person; a doting husband and father; and a sensational role-model for our daughter. His easy-going, good-natured disposition and great sense of humor make people of all ages feel comfortable around him. Mark selflessly gives his time, talents and energy to help his family and friends. He is an excellent listener, terrific teacher and extremely devoted father. He spends countless hours playing with Rebecca and teaching her new things. Everyone who knows him thinks that he is a sensational dad-- caring, patient, dedicated, hard-working, responsible, and very fun! His joy of life is evident in everything that he does and he transfers his happiness to everyone around him.

Mark’s parents taught him to love and respect all people. He exemplifies this daily, showing compassion, selflessly giving to others, and teaching our daughter to love everyone and admire individuality. In addition to his love for people, he respects nature and likes wildlife animals of all kinds. He sets up bird-feeders in our back-yard and feeds the deer and ducks at the Lake House.

Mark likes outdoor activities (boating, biking, hiking, fishing, and skiing) and plays golf. He is an avid fan of football--specifically a fan of the Green Bay Packers. His family inherited season tickets to the Packers football games from his grandparents and it has become a yearly tradition for the family to get together to attend as many football games a year as possible. Mark also likes to garden and truly has a green thumb as he never fails to design a beautiful garden every year for our backyard.

Neymi as seen through the eyes of Mark …
It is not just her beauty or personality that makes Neymi wonderful, it is her soul and love of life that makes her truly special and sets her apart from anyone I have ever met.

I was introduced to Neymi 10 years ago while at work. It was her bubbly personality and contagious smile that first got my attention. However, as I got to know her, what really kept my attention was the way she appreciated and approached life. She had just lost her mother the previous year, and her father had just been diagnosed with cancer. In spite of the challenging times, she continually maintained a positive attitude and appreciation of all the “positives” that life had to offer. Whenever I hear the phrase: “the glass is half full”, I am reminded of my wife and her approach to life.

Marrying Neymi is the best decision I have made in my life. Before I met her, I was a fairly content, happy person and often wondered if I would ever find someone who could make me happy. What I failed to realize is that I was looking for someone to make me happy when in fact all I needed was someone to enhance my happiness. Neymi exceeds that in every way. She is positive, intelligent, humble, unselfish, and supportive in all of our family decisions. Neymi likes to cook and bake and is known among our family members for her delicious New York-style cheesecakes. She knows how to crochet, knit, and sew and is very creative. She also enjoys reading, dancing, music, biking, sporting events, concerts, boating and, most of all, spending time with her family. There is no doubt that in our marriage, the whole is much, much greater than the sum of the parts.

About Rebecca …
Rebecca, age 11, is a happy girl with a very contagious smile. She is a very caring, loving, sincere child who makes friends very easily. Rebecca loves to be in the company of other people. She is witty with a great sense of humor and with a sweet personality that makes others who are around her sparkle with joy.

Rebecca is the oldest child among her cousins and, therefore, loves to be the “mother” of the bunch. She can often be found taking care of her cousins in every way imaginable. Whether she is bandaging a scraped knee or reading a book to one of her cousins, Rebecca always enjoys offering a helping hand. She is longing for a sibling of her own and anxiously awaits the day when she will finally have a new brother or sister. She will be a terrific role model and will shower her baby brother or sister with love and constant care.

Our main focus as parents is to encourage Rebecca to be creative, try new things, respect life and all the wonderful opportunities it has to offer, and simply be true to her self. We are often told by our friends and acquaintances that Rebecca is a “wonderful, well-behaved, loving” child. We, honestly, could not be given a better compliment as parents.

THANK YOU .... In closing, we again want to thank you for taking the time to read our profile. We are grateful and excited for this opportunity to tell you about ourselves, our family, and our lifestyle. We hope that this letter gives you a glimpse into who we are and shows you the love and security we have to offer to another child.

If you choose the path of adoption, it is our wish for you that your adoption experience be filled with respect, faith, love, hope, and peace. We would be honored if you considered us as the potential adoptive parents (and big sister) for your child. If you choose us as the family for your child, we promise that we will do everything in our power to make his or her dreams come true. We will speak openly with our children about adoption. He or she will know how they became a member of our family and that his or her adoption story is one of tremendous love and courage. It is important for us to tell our child how their birth-mother loved and cared enough to make a thoughtful plan for their future. They will be raised being proud of who they are and will always know that the decision you made was based on love, the greatest gift a person can give.

We look forward to hearing from you when you are ready. Since it is difficult to get to know us by simply reading our profile and our letter, we welcome any questions you wish to ask us and we would be happy to answer them. In addition, we would be happy to stay in touch with you over the years through letters and photographs. However, if you do not desire any contact, we will respect you and your wishes. Whatever you decide, we wish you strength on your journey, peace in your heart, and happiness in your life.

If you would like to get to know our family better please contact our Adoption Counselor at Family Resource Center at 1-800-676-2229 or contact us directly at 1-877-472-1192.

With warm thoughts and heartfelt love to you and your child …

Mark, Neymi and Rebecca