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Timothy & Jamie 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.

Dear Birthmother Tim and I bumped into each other at Barnes and Noble bookstore. We knew of each other from dental school although we never got around to talking in school. We chatted for awhile about this exam, that professor. When he found out I worked at a diner only a half mile from his apartment he asked the question every girl wants to hear, “Can I study there?” We soon came to realize how much we had in common and how well we complement each other. From the first date we never questioned how much we loved each other. We were in love from the start. It was easy, natural and everything we had hoped to find in another person. We are thankful everyday that we found the person we’re supposed to spend the rest of our lives with.

Tim is everything I had prayed for in a husband. I wanted a man who “gets” me and loves me as much as I love him. A man who makes me laugh and is intelligent. A man who’s not afraid to dance and act goofy. Tim’s love surprises me. Like when he talks about how much he looks forward to getting home from work and seeing Isaac and me in the kitchen. Or when I’m doing mundane chores and he grabs me up and just hugs me. Tim is patient, kind, romantic and loving. He is a good provider, a family man and Isaac’s hero. My favorite things about Tim are that I can always count on a hug or an I love you and his commitment to our family.

I have had the unique experience of being the third oldest of nine children. My mother and father always instilled in us that family is a very important and true blessing. I love all my siblings dearly and have different relationships with each of them. One of the reasons Tim and I moved to Naperville was so I would be near my closest sisters, Stacey and Lanie. We spend time together often and our kids love to play and visit as well. I try to balance my life with church, my husband, my sisters, my friends, exercise and work. But above all, to my core, I am “A mom”; I find it more rewarding and fulfilling. I am so fortunate that I was able to stay home with my son. After Isaac’s birth, I had many colleages and friends who urged me to go back to work so I would not “lose” my skills. Even with as much hard work and time that I put into my degree, it just did not matter anymore. The love I have for my child and the joy and happiness it brings me everyday was way more important and fulfilling to me. I’m so fortunate, now that Isaac is in preschool, to have a job that allows me to make my own schedule. I work on Tim’s day off during the week. Tim and I view my working as a very positive thing for my son. Isaac is able to see that his mom is also a dentist who helps kids with “sick teeth‘ He is able to learn through this that there is value not only in education and attaining new skills, but in helping others. Tim and I both chose a career that involves helping others and we hope to instill that in our children. It’s also positive for Isaac because he gets to spend one on one time with his Dad.

Jamie in a nut shell, by Tim

Jamie loves to exercise whether it be biking the Prairie Path, running around the neighborhood trails, or twisting herself into a pretzel at yoga. Dinners are her specialty; from her pasta and meatballs to her beef stroganoff and shepard’s pie no one leaves the kitchen hungry. She loves to camp and hike and enjoys the solitude and peacefulness of nature. Jamie cherishes being a mom and every moment spent with our son. Some of their favorite activities are scavenger hunts in the snow, visiting the Children’s Museum, making Shrinky Dinks and homemade play-doh, and reading bedtime stories. She wants nothing more than to share this love with another child.

We believe in being actively involved in our children’s lives by cherishing the time playing, nurturing, teaching and loving them while they are young, to helping them with homework, cheering them on at sporting events and encouraging them to fulfill their dreams. Our parents have been great role models and we continue to have strong relationships with them. We are fortunate that these relationships can serve as a foundation for building a strong, loving family of our own.

Tim has two brothers and a sister and I have four brothers and four sisters. Our siblings are very present in our lives and much of our social life revolves around each other. So far there are seven cousins, all around the same age, to hang out at barbeques, camping trips, birthday parties and holidays. I am so lucky that 2 of my favorite sisters, Stacey and Lanie, live less than 15 minutes away. We love getting together to go on outings with the kids at least once a week. The rest of our siblings live within an hour radius of our Naperville home.

We were finally out of school, making a decent living and married for a year when we decided to start a family. We tried for quite some time and amazingly, by the Grace of God, Isaac was sent to us in June 2005 since then, we have longed and prayed for more children. We tried IVF for a few cycles. After much prayer, we feel God intends for us to build our family through adoption as opposed to pursuing further medical treatments. We feel so at peace that adoption is the path we are intended to take.

Isaac as an older Brother:
One of the greatest things we have to offer your child is a loving older brother. Isaac is kind, loving, active and helpful. He just turned 4 years old and thinks he can do everything all by himself. He has actually had a lot of practice as an older brother. We have watched his cousin Ryder, who is now two, ever since his nanny quit because he “cried too much”. When my hands are full and Ryder is fussing, Isaac coaches me from the sideline and says “mommie, pick Ryder up, he’s sad.” He then runs to get Ryder a matchbox car or his blankie. He even wants to change Ryder’s diapers. When they play chase, their favorite game, he is gentle and mindful so as to not knock Ryder down. If Ryder does fall, Isaac proudly extends a hand to help his little cousin up. I’ve recently let Isaac spoon feed Ryder and it is so cute to watch! I know he will be a loving and protective older brother; always willing to play chase, hide and seek and humor everyone with singing songs from the back seat of the car.
We want our children to have all the opportunities life has to offer. We feel education is a powerful means to diverse opportunities and value it greatly. It’s a way to “keep as many doors open as possible.” We may have gone on to get graduate degrees, but we don’t consider ourselves brilliant. We know it was through the guidance from our parents, coaches and teachers as well as through hard work and dedication that helped us to achieve our goals. Although we feel strongly that education is vital in a child’s life, we are wise to know that much life learning happens outside the classroom. We feel that organized sports, activities and hobbies are very important in a child’s life and helps develop values, self esteem and friendships. We hope not to push a child into activities but do plan to offer the opportunity and then fully support them in their endeavors.
We believe that it is important for a child to understand how they came to be part of our lives, and how much they are loved by you. We do hope that you would always an important part of our lives. We would love to have an open adoption, as we feel it can provide benefits for both the birth mother and child. We would like to share pictures and letters as well as schedule visits and anticipate working with the birth family on a relationship that works for everyone.
Tim and I are very fortunate to be able to be active parents with our son. We’ve enjoyed experiencing all the firsts with Isaac from baby food to walking. To now the experiences of the “big boy” stage including the first day of preschool, catching fireflies and soccer practice. We have so much love for our son we look forward to sharing that love with another child. We hope and dream for another amazing gift.