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Phil & Donna 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 from Phil, Donna, Tyler & Trevor Thank you for allowing us to share our story and family with you as you search to find that very special match for you and your baby. Although we cannot possibly know what you are feeling right now, we want you to know that we are most gracious and our heart is open to you. We know that you alone will know the right decision to make and we pray that peace will be with you throughout the process.

From the beginning of our relationship, we have always dreamed of a large family. Donna grew up in a family of seven girls, and Phil grew up with two sisters and one brother. From our families we learned the thrills of having many siblings to share life with, and to also nurture these sibling relationships as friendships from cradle to grave. We have two wonderful little boys, Tyler age 8 and Trevor age 5, and they too are looking forward to being a big brother. Adoption is a very natural process for us as Donna's father was adopted and several cousins on both sides of our family. Donna always admired, respected, and appreciated the gift that her father's birthmother gave to his adoptive family. Even though he was born in the late 1920's, the idea of adoption for him was always open, loving, and supportive and as a child he appreciated all that his adoptive parents did to ensure he knew the absolutely selfless gift that his birthmother gave to his family. We will definitely approach our adoption in the same manner and will always humbly appreciate this most extraordinary gift you can give to us.

About Us We live in the midwest part of the country, in a suburb of Chicago, and love being this close to a wonderfully diverse and culturally mature city. Although Donna grew up on the north side of the city and Phil grew up on the south, our shared love for this great town has always covinced us that this is where we want our home to be for our family. We have been together for 10 years, and met at a mutual place of employment ... the phone company. We became the best of friends quickly and spent as much time getting to know one another as we could. Almost immediately, we knew that our paths would soon become one and from there our family began.

Our son Tyler was born in 2000 just after Christmas, and recently turned 8. He was definitely born to be a big brother and his natural tendencies to "lead" give him great qualifications to help his younger brother learn and explore. Tyler is in second grade and enjoys all different sports. His favorites are basketball and baseball (Cubbie fan), and he enjoys football and soccer as well. His sensitivity is unmatched by his peers and his empathy and compassion are unbelievably sincere. He purues all that life has to offer with great vigor and we know that he will share these many gifts and talents with his sibling(s). Tyler has always asked, "when can we have more children", so from that, Phil and I knew that our family would definitely grow.

Our second son, Trevor, was born in 2003 and is our Halloween baby. He was born in late October and really loves the celebration of that season. He has a very sly sense of humor and is showing us that he definitely wants to be independent now. He, too, talks about a new baby and how he can help take care of everything for the baby since he can now do everything by himself. Although Trevor is a little bit shy, he has the sweetest eyes and a very contagious smile. He has two special loves in his life, his brother and Star Wars, however, his capacity to love is infinite.

We are so blessed with these two boys and each in his own way has helped Phil and I appreciate all the gifts that children give and understand how precious life is. We often talk about our blessings and know that we definitely believe that with children, "the more the merrier" and have adopted that as our family motto.

Family Time and Happenings We enjoy traveling, playing together, the outdoors, swimming, and nature hikes. We participate in many different sports as a family and individually. Phil enjoys swimming, biking and hiking, and Donna enjoys the team sports of volleyball, basketball and bowling. The boys love to play no matter what the sport. We've traveled to several states including South Carolina, Georgia, Minnesota, Tennessee, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Iowa and Wisconsin. We love to explore the many different areas of the country, and often will connect with friends and family in our travels.

Our day to day activities are usually focused on family, fun, and friends. We love to approach our activities from our kid's perspectives and enjoy the idea of a creative play method that calls on us to use our creative minds! However, watching a family movie together each week, visiting the zoo, museums and the wonderful lakefront are always a part of our family's adventures. Although our focus is geared toward our family and children, now and again Donna and Phil will have "date" night, which allows the boys to spend special time with grandparents, cousins, aunties and uncles. We feel this time they share with extended family is priceless and gives them the opportunities for creating special memories of their own.

What We've Learned and Our Dreams For us, experiencing parenthood with one another has brought us even closer together than we could have ever imagined, and has been an amazing experience. We have learned so much and believe we have the parenting skills, resources and networks available to love, nurture and parent another child. Our capacity to love is tremendous, not only for each other but for our children and those we have yet to be blessed with. We will be forever grateful for the two children that we have, however, we truly feel that our family's tapestry is not yet complete. We pray that our dreams might be fulfilled through the miracle of adoption.

We hope we have shared some insight into our lives that has been both informative and inviting for you. We very much appreciate you considering us to be the parents of your child. We know we can offer your child a family who loves unconditionally and a very happy, accepting and secure home life. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and let your heart be your guide.

With deep admiration and the highest regard, Phil and Donna