Getting to know you is an important part of the process for us.  Since we are hoping for ongoing contact, we want to develop a friendly and genuine relationship with you.  We believe that open adoption has many benefits to the adopted child, as well as to the birthparents and adoptive parents. 
Lou & Sharon
Our letter of love to you
Getting to know each other...
Dear Expecting Mother,
          There may be miles between us as you read this letter, but at this moment our hearts are joined in purpose.  You are a courageous woman seeking the right family for your child... and we are patiently waiting for you to find us!
Getting to know each other
          Getting to know you is an important part of the process for us.  Since we are hoping for ongoing contact, we want to develop a friendly and genuine relationship with you.  We believe that open adoption has many benefits to the adopted child, as well as to the birthparents and adoptive parents. 
          In the spring of 2003, our lives changed in the most wonderful way when we were blessed with the adoption of our precious daughter Claudia.  Our desire to enlarge our family has been strengthened by having Claudia. We feel it is an important part of life to grow up with a sibling to create childhood memories with and to form a bond for life, like the bond Lou and I share with our siblings.  We've always wanted our children to be close in age so they can grow up as playmates and friends.

          Although we hoped for an open relationship with Claudia's first mother, she has not contacted us.  We continue to send letters and photos to her lawyer, and continue to hope that one day we will be able to develop a relationship with her for Claudia's sake.  Regardless of whether that contact ever occurs, we speak to Claudia often of her first mom with love and respect born out of our tremendous admiration for the decision she made out of love for our precious daughter.  We keep a photograph of Claudia's first mom on her dresser.
How I fell in love with Lou
          We met and married in 1993.  We were introduced by a mutual friend, but Lou really turned my head because of the way he interacted with children.  At our first accidental meeting, our friend's girlfriend brought along her severely mentally disabled son, Nick, who was around 10 at the time.  Nick interacted on an infant level, was visually impaired, and needed to be within inches of your face in order to interact.  Lou noticed Nick's boredom, and got down off his chair to entertain him.  He tickled him until Nick was shrieking with laughter and played all kinds of baby games with him.  He stole my heart right along with Nick's!  I
knew I wanted this man to be the father of my children.  Since then, I've come to realize what a special gift Lou has for communicating with children on their level.  I've never seen a child that didn't feel immediately relaxed and happy in his presence.  
Why I love Sharon
          With Sharon, it was love at first sight.  Clichéd as it sounds, it was true. Beautiful, intelligent and charismatic, she captured my heart instantly.  Within a couple of weeks, I knew I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life.  She explained that she was unable to carry a child because of a hysterectomy due to uterine cancer.  I immediately assured her that finding a mate for life was the most important choice in my life and that we could create our family through adoption.

          Sharon is an outstanding mother.  Not just because she's nice, or kind, or fun to be around (although she is all of those things), but because she has a true, nurturing spirit. She takes obvious pleasure in meeting Claudia's daily needs. She has a strong, solid moral compass.  She is a living example for our children to learn respect for others, kindness and compassion to all living creatures.  Claudia has the best mom in the world to share with a little brother or sister.
Our lives together
          Our neighborhood is the kind of place where all the children, more than a dozen of them toddler to preteen, play outside together daily, all year round.  Happy sounds of children's play drift through our windows every day and we look forward to our children joining the melee.  We are very attached to our neighborhood children; they play daily in our yard with our 3 golden retrievers, and love to hold and play with Claudia.

          Enjoying nature and the outdoors is our favorite family pass time.  On the weekends we like to take Claudia and the dogs to one of several favorite parks to hike the trails and let the dogs swim.  Lou has become an expert at naming birds by their song, and Sharon enjoys photographing flowers and insects (when the dogs aren't splashing water all over her camera!).
          Sharon's sister and Lou's family all live within "day trip" distance, so visiting family on the weekends is also an event we look forward to.  Claudia is the youngest darling of all the grandchildren, and she usually spends the day getting passed from grandparent, to aunt or uncle to cousin, all of them having a great time.  Our families have embraced adoption naturally, as many of our family members are related through second marriages, etc., and are just as dear to us as biological relatives.
            
Our parenting philosophy
          We've spent hours talking about the kind of mom and dad we want to be, and the ideals that are important to each of us to impart to our children.  We both strongly feel that tangible demonstrations of love and affection, verbal praise, consistency and teaching by example are necessary to raise happy, well-adjusted children, who grow into adults with a strong sense of civic duty, compassion for others and animals,  a healthy sense of self, and goals for personal development.  We believe physical punishment can destroy trust.  We want our children to respect us, but never fear us.  Parenthood is an awesome responsibility that we take very seriously, even as we relish the rewards it brings us.
          We hope you've enjoyed browsing our website and getting to know us.  There is so much more we'd like to share with you, and hope to learn more about you, too.  Without a doubt, this decision will be one of the most important decisions you'll ever make, and we want it to be right one for all of us.  If you'd like to get to know us better, call us toll free at  (800) 746-0279, access code 05, or email us at heysharon@hotmail.com.

In peace and friendship,
Lou & Sharon

          We hope that an open adoption will be possible for our second child, although we understand that it may take time to discover a comfortable level of contact for you.  There is room in our hearts to share your love with this child.  How can a child have too much love?
          Lou makes every day special because of the way he treats me with such love and respect. It is the greatest joy of my life to see him shower Claudia with the same love, hugs and kisses, just as he does every day with me.