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David & Sheri are hopeful adoptive parents from Indiana waiting to adopt a baby.

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

Dear Friend Our desire in writing this letter is, first and foremost, to let you know how we feel about you. We respect your courage and are amazed at your selfless interest in the future of your child as you consider adoption. We know that you have difficult decisions to make; we also know that you will be blessed as you seek divine guidance in this decision. Please know that you are not alone. Adoption is a sacred trust between a birth mother and adoptive parents, and we are amazed at how adoption brings so many people together for the love of a child. It truly is all about love. In this letter we want to share our experience with adoption, our feelings for each other and our son, and help you get to know our family.

Our Feelings about Adoption We knew before we were married that adoption would be the way our family would grow. Sheri found out when she was fifteen that she could not conceive children, so we were able to discuss that as we were dating. Adoption was our plan from the beginning, and we were anxious and excited to start the adoption process as soon as we could. We will forever remember the night we received a phone call saying a birth mother had chosen us as adoptive parents. Three weeks later our lives were eternally blessed by the birth of Benjamin. We love being parents and have no doubt that he is meant to be a part of our family. Adopting Benjamin is the greatest blessing and gift that we have ever received.

We were at the hospital when Benjamin was born in December 2006. The sacred, tender feelings surrounding the arrival of this precious baby and the love for him and his birth mother were greater than anything we have experienced. We were able to meet his birth mother and many members of her family. We feel a tremendous amount of love and respect for them. We will always have one common bond with them, our love for Benjamin.

Our first concern when figuring out the “openness” of our adoption of Benjamin were the feelings of his birth mother. We made a plan with her about the type of contact we would have. She was comfortable with receiving occasional letters and pictures, so that is what we do. We plan on approaching each adoption this way, doing all possible to honor the desires of the birth mother.

Our Family We have been married for five and a half wonderful years. We are originally from Oregon and Idaho, and currently live in Indiana. David is working on a PhD in mechanical engineering at Purdue, with the goal of becoming a professor or working at a government laboratory. He can definitely be called ambitious and will no doubt always be a good provider, yet he feels strongly that the most important work he will do is "within the walls of our own home." After teaching elementary school for four years Sheri is now a stay-at-home mom and every day is an adventure with "helper" Benjamin. We go to parks, play groups, the library, and now have a "preschool" group with some friends where we do fun activities and work on early concepts. (Benjamin's favorite letter is "B for me!")

We have wonderful, supportive extended families who are excited for us to adopt again. David is the oldest of four children. His sister and her husband live close to us and we have the best time with them and their two boys--Benjamin's best buddies. Sheri is the middle of five children and spends plenty of time chatting on the phone with all of them. Everyone is married, so there are plenty of cousins on that side of the family, with more to come. We are seriously blessed to have been raised in loving, positive environments where life's greatest lessons (hard work, respect, honesty, unselfishness, forgiveness) were learned.

Our Interests We enjoy camping, hiking, gardening, landscaping, reading, playing games, cooking, exercising, and exploring new places. We also love to have friends and family in our home for visits, dinners, games, etc. Above all we just enjoy spending time together. When David gets home from work/school we eat dinner together and then play, read, and laugh with Benjamin before bedtime. We have a date night every Friday night. Even if it's just to play games or watch a movie at home we look forward to that time together. We love weekends and try to spend as much time together as we can.

(Sheri's Perspective) David is the rock of our family. There is no doubt that family and service are his priorities. He is a doer, able to set and accomplish goals in a way that earns the respect of all who meet him. From the very beginning I have been able to put complete trust in David’s ability to provide for and protect our family. I wish you could see David with Benjamin. He completely shares in the responsibilities of taking care of Benjamin and is thoroughly involved in Benjamin’s life. They go on runs together, they work outside together in the garden, they mow the lawn together, and David takes Benjamin with him wherever he can. I am SO grateful for the example that Benjamin has in his father. My mom told his birth mother that Benjamin could not have a better example of how to treat a woman than David. I couldn’t agree more. I love my husband.

(David's perspective) Sheri is the most wonderful woman and mother that I know. Everyone I know loves Sheri and feels comfortable around her. She loves being a mother and it shows in her interactions with Benjamin. Sheri is always taking Benjamin to explore fun new things such as the zoo, the park, the children’s museum, or just going for a walk in the neighborhood. Sheri is fluent in Spanish (she served a Spanish speaking mission) and loves learning about other cultures. She enjoys playing the piano, singing, cross-stitching, crocheting, reading, cooking, gardening, camping, hiking, and talking with family. I have learned from her the importance of putting people first and having a positive attitude in everything we do.

We hope that you will continue to get to know us by looking over the rest of our profile. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.

Love,

David, Sheri and Benjamin