ParentProfiles.com

Shawn & Lori are hopeful adoptive parents from Washington waiting to adopt a baby.

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

Dear Birth Mother This is an important time for you and we hope that you are finding the support and comfort that all expectant mothers deserve. We also hope that you have access to the information you need in order to make decisions for yourself and for your baby . You have a number of options available, including adoption, and you alone must decide what you feel is best for your child.

We adopted our first child, Alex. His birth mother was a teenager who didn’t feel ready to be a parent but was absolutely committed to doing everything she could to give her baby a loving and secure home. For her, adoption was a good option and for us it was a miracle. Alex’s birth mother was so brave and selfless in choosing adoption. We are filled gratitude and respect for what may well be the hardest decision she will ever make.

Our first adoption was truly a miracle! Alex was born two months before his due date, in a snow storm, in a remote area of the state and had to be airlifted to the nearest hospital that could provide neonatal intensive care. His birth mom called us in the middle of the night and told us to come immediately so we jumped in the car and headed for Spokane. We put everything else aside in order to spend two months with Alex in the hospital. We rented an apartment and we stayed in Spokane until he was ready to come home from the hospital.

Alex’s birth mother had asked us many months before “if there is something wrong with the baby, will you still take him?” Of course we said yes. We knew that she was taking good care of herself and her baby, but that anything is possible. We found out after Alex's birth that it was the norm in the birth mothers family for the mothers to have their babies early. She was also born early, as were her siblings.

The first time that we saw Alex he was so tiny (3 pounds, 11 ounces) and the doctors could not tell us if he would be ok but it did not matter! We loved him and knew that we would care for him for the rest of his life – no matter what!
We had many scary and uncertain days but never ever thought of changing our minds. Alex gradually got bigger and stronger and we were finally allowed to bring him home and to complete our adoption.

Alex is now a toddler and he is big and healthy and thriving in every way. You would never know that he was born so early and was so fragile as an infant. He has a sweet, happy and easygoing disposition and we think he will be a wonderful big brother. We have always wanted to have two children and we hoped that they would be close in age. We can’t wait for the day when another child joins our family. We know we will love him or her just as much as we love Alex.

If you decide to search for adoptive parents for your baby, we hope that you will consider us. We will gladly provide whatever information will help you and we would love to meet with you if you would like that. If you prefer privacy, we will certainly respect that decision as well. The same is true for maintaining contact over the years. We keep in touch with Alex’s birth mother because we want Alex to know how much she loves him and we want her to know that Alex is happy and well. We would honor your feelings and wishes about how you wanted to handle ongoing contact.

I know you will probably have many questions if you decide to consider us as an adoptive family. For now, we want you to know that we are loving and devoted parents, our marriage is rock solid and we have a great big extended family that can’t wait to welcome a new baby. Shawn has a successful and secure career and Lori is a loving stay at home mom.

We know you must have so much on your mind right now. We wish you the best of luck no matter what you choose and understand that your decision will be based on the love that you have for your baby.

Love and Respect,
Shawn, Lori & Alex
206-972-2580 0r 877-954-0918

Also, if you want to contact an adoption attorney to ask him how adoption works, you are welcome to call Albert Lirhus for free. He helped us and Alex’s birth mother go through the adoption process. He has been an adoption attorney for many years and is completely ethical in his approach. Albert would never try to pressure anyone to do an adoption. He is just there to help. You will not ever have to pay anything to talk to him – whether you decide on adoption or not. He is a very nice man and will give you any information that you want about adoption. Here is his contact information. (You can also look him up on the Internet. He is very well known, well respected, and well liked.) If you call him, please ask for Joan and give them reference number 9337.

Albert Lirhus
206-728-5858 (You can call collect)

About Our Family ABOUT SHAWN (BY LORI)

Shawn is a loving husband and a dedicated dad. He has a hilarious sense of humor, a heart of gold, and a deep devotion to the people in his life. He is accomplished, and very smart. He is a mechanical engineer who is well respected in his career.

I fell in love with Shawn the first time I met him and I will love him forever! His sense of humor was one of the things that first attracted me. He is very witty and he has a great way of making people laugh. He is also a strong leader who always takes responsibility for himself and others around him. As an oldest child, an ex-officer in the Army, and a business owner, he has spent his life in leadership roles. Shawn naturally and effectively takes responsibility for those around him. He also loves kids and they love him! He has a gentle, loving manner that seems to attract kids.

In the years that Shawn and I have spent together, he has been a faithful friend, a constant source of fun and laughter, a loving partner, and a willing travel buddy. I thought that I could not love him more than I already loved him, but I was wrong. From the time he became a father, I have fallen even more in love with him to see how amazing he is as a dad. I feel so very lucky to share my life with him. Our son and our future child are very lucky indeed to have such an amazing man for a daddy. He will always provide so much love, a stable home, security, fun, laughter, travel, leadership, and support to our family.
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ABOUT LORI (BY SHAWN)

Lori is simply amazing. She is the most loving and joyful person I have ever met. She is beautiful and intelligent. She is bold and charming. She is a bright light and I love her with all of my heart.
Lori is a positive and energetic person who loves people. She especially loves tiny little people that have not yet learned to walk or talk. Lori is very passionate about everything in her life. She loves her work, her friends, and most of all she loves her family.

Always a hard worker, Lori has dedicated herself to growth. She pursued and acquired a degree while working full time. Today, Lori is a savvy entrepreneur and a successful business owner. Lori owns her own consulting business, but she has stopped operations to be a stay at home mom. She has stopped working completely to focus on the family and preparing to adopt a new baby.

We talked for many years about having children and the desire to be a mother was always strong within Lori’s heart. When our dream of becoming parents came true, Lori became an even more amazing and loving woman. Her love and tenderness in raising our son has been beautiful to behold. We are truly blessed to have her in our lives. With her gentle strength and wisdom she is, and will continue to be, a perfect mother and we are blessed to have her in our lives.
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ABOUT ALEX

Alex is a super happy, healthy, charming, & curious toddler. He loves the family dog, reading, & playing outside. He was born January, 2009 two months premature. We went straight to the hospital & spent two months with him in the NICU. His birthmother allowed us to care for him from the first day & we adopted him shortly after. He is now very healthy. We are in contact with his birthmother.
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ABOUT OUR PET - OUR DOG

Gaia is a two year old, little white Havanese. He is playful & gentle with kids. He brings a lot of joy to our happy family.
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ABOUT THE EXTENDED FAMILY

Lori's parents (Nana & Papa) live close to us and they are a wonderful presence in our lives. They are active, fun loving, Christian people who have a zest for life and a unlimited love for kids. They are very involved in our son's life and have always been one of the most positive influences on our niece’s lives. They have taught Sunday school, worked in the church nursery, or otherwise participated in children’s activities with their church for the last 35 years. I can't think of more loving grandparents anywhere.

Shawn's parents live farther away, but they we have the most fun visits with them when they come here or we go there. Grandma & Grandpa's house is a special place indeed and we look forward to spending many special visits there. The kids can always look forward to being spoiled a little at Grandma & Grandpa's house:^)

We both have siblings & nieces who live out of town. All of the Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins love their family very much and we see them as often as we can. They are all healthy, happy, loving, & good people.

In our immediate area, we have a huge family. Cousins, Aunts, Uncles, people of all ages. The family really looks out for one another and I can honestly say that they are some of the most genuinely nice people around. We cherish each of them and feel so blessed to have such a large, close family.

12 Promises To Our Children 1. We will love you without limits!

2. We will be your lifelong advocate, mentor, teacher, confidant, & friend.

3. You will have a safe, happy, stable Christian home.

4. We will help you to discover and pursue your unique talents and interests.

5. You will have access to a good education.

6. You will be surrounded by a loving family, sibling/s and a large, close knit extended family.

7. You will have a life of fun, adventure & travel.

8. You will have guidance to connect with & contribute to your community & world.

9. We will nourish your mind, body, & soul.

10. We will often tell you as you grow that your birth family loved you so very much.

11. We will encourage you to be proud of your history and your adoption story.

12. You will have very active, fun loving grandparents who live close and will be actively involved in your life.