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Michael & Linda are hopeful adoptive parents from Wisconsin 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, Hello! We are Michael and Linda and we live in a medium size city in Wisconsin ,in an area called the Fox Valley. We are surrounded by three beautiful lakes where we thoroughly enjoy all four seasons. We imagine this must be a very challenging time in your life and appreciate your listening to our story as you make your decision. We are grateful for your open heart as you consider us as potential parents. We admire and are impressed by your strength and courage in making a decision to consider adoption.

We would love to hear from you at 1-800-413-1914

We met in 1998 after connecting on line when Linda answered Michael's ad. We got to "know " each other by long conversations ,sending pictures(as we lived about 1.5 hrs away from each other) and in general building a strong relationship before we even officially met.

Our first date was wonderful as Michael rode over on his Harley and we just thoroughly enjoyed each others company. Since we had spent so much time with each other on the phone we just had a natural flow from the start. We married almost a year later to the day in a wonderful service with all our families and friends and a reception on the water,near our home. We then had a delightful and almost magical honeymoon in Paris.

As is so true with many couples we attempted to have biological children. We went through infertility treatments that resulted in pregnancies( bringing great joy) but sadly ended in two miscarriages(bringing great sadness) after three attempts. God must have other plans for us and adoption is very exciting and fullfilling to us. Michael's sister lovingly placed a child for adoption when she was growing up so he knows the courageous decision you are making.

About Us We live in a cozy, completely renovated bungalow originally built in 1887. The home has been in the family of my sister in law for generations. We still swing on the porch swing that her grandfather made, enjoy apples from our tree which is about 60 yrs old and every year lilies of the valley from my sister in law's mothers wedding bouquet, fragrantly bloom. Tradition and family are important to us. We have a lovely flower and vegetable garden as well as decorative ponds with a waterfall and fountains and patio that we both designed and built together. Much of the work of renovation have been done by us as we both love to work on houses and create a wonderful and welcoming home There is plenty of room for a swing set,sandbox and we live 1 block from many of the parks we have in our city.

Michael is a sales manager with a major insurance company. He is a college graduate. His favorite part of the job is educating the customers on the wonderful product he is offering and putting together a sales force, grooming them and teaching them to bring out the best in them. Michael has a grown daughter who is an absolute delight. Growing up with her he coached her softball teams,taught her to fish, be independent and wise in her thinking and living. Michael is kind hearted and loving and would love the opportunity to be a parent again. He is a strong figure of guidance and ethics with patience and likes to spend time in the yard, enjoys creative problem solving,all sports and Sudoku. He feels strongly about the need for a father to be deeply involved in the child's life and the importance of play.

Linda is a registered nurse,case manager and a life coach. She is compassionate,spiritually inspired and loves to laugh. She loves to garden,cook,decorate,counsel and coach and is a life long learner. She has alot of passion ,creativity and curiosity. She can't wait to read bedtime stories after tucking her child into bed at night, just spending time with him/her and building a family life of memories Once the baby arrives Linda looks forward to taking a leave from work to spend time with the baby. Linda works for a very family oriented company and this is much appreciated. Linda works some of her day from home so that is an advantage as well. Many times Linda has been told what a wonderful mother she will make. Being the oldest of four children she babysat often for family and friends and always enjoyed being with children. Several years ago her best friend had a wonderful "surprise "baby boy and she spent much time with him as a second mommy.

We have a boat and a motorcycle and bicycles. We look forward to spending time on the boat, teaching our child how to ski,fish,swim,ride a bike and day dream. We have been camping and taken day trips or weekend trips to new locations in the state. We love to go on adventures and exploring. We attend the parades in our city for 4th of July and Christmas.We also and attend an annual Pet Walk for our Humane Society. We both love our dachshund, Josie and our cat, Bumble.

Every Christmas along with my brothers' and their families we cut down our own tree ending the day with hot chocolate and lunch together. Around Halloween we drive to a National Wildlife Refuge to take our dog for a wonderful walk,watch the geese that gather by the thousands before they migrate South and on the way home stop to pick out our pumpkin. We love to dress Josie up in different costumes for Halloween although we don't think she is nearly as excited about it as we are. We have a small zoo in our city and enjoy visiting that as well.

We both love to travel, be out doors, go out to eat,attend cultural and fun events from symphonies to the county fair. We enjoy close relationships with a variety of friends and just love to see what life has to offer with all its' variety and diversity.

Lives Together We spend as much time as we can with our families. Linda's family has had a cottage on a lake since she was about 10 years old. The cottage is about 20 minutes away. In the summer from May to August Linda's dad and step mother come and stay at the cottage. Her two brother's have a home and trailer home respectively on the lake as well so we spend alot of time together. One day we hope to build our dream home on this lake or close by. We enjoy an annual Father's Day fish cook out and all the fish that was caught for the year is deep fried and we all bring a dish to pass and gifts to give to all the " fathering" men in our lives. Every 4th of July we have an annual get together as well enjoying a BBQ and lots of fireworks. We also go by boat every year to an annual after 4th of July fireworks display and in general try to spend as much time together as we are able. We ice fish, watch Packer games, go to family reunions, spend the holidays with each other and stay in close communication with each other enjoying spur of the moment Friday fish fry or Sunday brunches or just stopping by.

Linda also has a sister who lives in Oregon as well as a grown niece and nephew. She does not get to see her and her family often but they do speak several times a year and in fact she is coming to Wisconsin and Minnesota for a visit in October. We are all looking forward to seeing her again.

Linda has a wonderful 11 year old nephew that she has spent time with going to softball games,taking him to Quarry Quest,playing games with him,drawing with him,going to the movies and just enjoying him grow up. Michael enjoys spending time with him of course as well. We have him for 4 days every September while his parents go on an annual fishing trip and then other w/e during the year as well. He is growing up now and prefers to be with his friends so the visits aren't quite as often but the love is still there. Every October Michael goes on a long week -end fishing trip with Linda's brothers and their Dad with Michael along with Michael's brother. Linda's Dad and step mother live in Arkansas for the winter but are here in the summer. Sadly Linda's mother is no longer with us but her step mother is a wonderful woman and a great blessing to the family.

We have alot of fun together as a family and several times a year we get together with aunts and uncles and cousins and have a family reunion called"Dozens of Cousins"

Michael comes from a large family with five brothers and sisters. His mother,regretfully is no longer with us but his father is and is doing well,thank you! Unfortunately job demands and distance(they live a little less than two hours away) prevent as much visiting as we would like but when we do get together we have a wonderful time. We have an annual Thanksgiving and pre-Christmas get together. Instead of buying gifts for each other we choose names of deserving families staying at various shelters and buy their list of gifts. It is a wonderful way to celebrate the true spirit of Christmas.

When we were first married Michael's daughter lived with us for a couple of years and it was a wonderful experience in step parenting . We remain close and we enjoyed every minute of it. We all have a wonderful relationship.

Michael's daughter who is in the service,twice in Iraq ,recently was stationed back in Wisconsin -Yeah!! She and her husband are a blessing to be with and are now only 1.5 hrs away. We look forward to spending more time with them. Over last Thanksgiving we drove to New Jersey where they were stationed and had a whirlwind and wonderful time visiting with them and helping them spend their first " made by them" family Thanksgiving. We had a great time driving out-Josie too- and spent a long and energizing day exploring New York City.

Our Beliefs We feel we have alot to offer our child. We think it is important to provide loving guidance without bruising or crushing their spirit. It is so important that a child be heard and listened to with open family communication. It is so important for every child to know they are loved with no conditions and with grace. We plan to be very open with our child about how they came to be with us as it is a real honor to be an adoptive parent. There are no coincidences.

Wisconsin is a wonderful place to live and raise a family. We have one of the best educational systems in the country. The four seasons provide many opportunities to enjoy the different gifts of each season and the unique rhythm of life. Our medium and large cities offer a unique small town atmosphere with emphasis on family and tradition as well as opportunity.

We feel that we have the where with all financially,culturally,experientially and lovingly to give our child a wonderful life. We believe in being people of integrity,balance, kindness and care. We long to create memories and an environment to allow our child to grow into a thoughtful,loving,balanced and creative adult. We both know that being a parent is one of the hardest jobs in the world, but the most rewarding. We feel we have patience,wisdom and are so ready to have our child come home to us and pour out our love in our hearts to him/her. We are blessed to have wonderful family and friends for support.

In hopes that we will be parents we have completed our home study and have a room ready as well as potential names. We don't believe we have illusions about the challenges ahead but long to be part of this wonderful cycle and journey called "Life".

Thank you for reading our letter and while we tried to give you somewhat of an idea of who we are there is only so much you can glean from a letter and meeting each other can help so much in filling in the blanks. Please call us anytime. We look so forward to speaking with you and getting to know you better. No matter which couple you choose we wish you the best.

Warmly,
Michael and Linda
1-800-413-1914