Amy and Anita

Dear Expectant Mother,

Thanks for taking the time to read about us. We are Amy and Anita, and we are excited to start building a family and grow the strong love and commitment we have for each other. We have a deep admiration for you and the deliberate, thoughtful process you’re going through as you decide what the best path is for you and your baby.

We don’t envy the difficult decisions you are facing right now, but if you believe that we are good candidates to raise your baby, our pledge is to support you in whatever way we can, and to be as open and honest as possible so that we can build a relationship based on trust. We promise to keep our commitments to you and provide the best home we can for your baby.

[email protected]

800-869-1005

INTRODUCTION

Amy is a lawyer and Anita is an inventory manager. We live with our three cats in the Uptown neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago, which we love for its diversity and its many cultural opportunities. We have been together for three years. We had a civil union ceremony in August 2012 with 150 family and friends — it was the happiest day of our lives! We met through mutual friends while playing softball, and it wasn’t long before we fell in love. Anita liked how outgoing, confident, and passionate Amy was, and Amy was drawn to the way Anita would do anything for her friends. As we talked more, we couldn’t imagine spending our lives with anyone else.

We are different in many ways — Amy is gregarious and open, Anita takes a while to get to know. Amy thinks big-picture (what is the meaning of life?), Anita focuses on the details (what do I need to pick up from Jewel on the way home from work?). But we have very similar values, the most important of which include a strong work ethic and treating other people the way you would want to be treated. In particular, both of our moms taught us empathy — putting yourself in another person’s shoes — and that has dramatically shaped the way we look at the world.

As we think about building our family, we think the ways in which we’re different are complementary — Anita will be a little bit more focused on the everyday details (e.g., making sure our kids have a good healthy dinner), and Amy will be a little bit more focused on the big picture (e.g., making sure our kids get the best education). Together, we’ll be dedicated to making sure our child is always safe and healthy, feels loved and knows that he or she is special. We want our child to grow up to be a well-adjusted, happy person who wants to make the world a better place.

AMY

Amy grew up in Ohio, the youngest of six kids. Amy’s parents and several siblings still live in Columbus, but one sister lives in Virginia and another in Switzerland. Amy has five nephews and three nieces ranging in age from 22 to 5. Holidays are big, fun, noisy affairs! Everyone is excited about us bringing a new baby into the mix!

Amy has been active in a number of volunteer organizations, and was recently selected to be in a program for emerging Chicago leaders.

ANITA, ON AMY

Amy’s and my relationship definitely falls in the category of “opposites attract.” What first drew me to Amy was her assertiveness and outgoingness. Amy has the ability to walk into a room full of complete strangers and hold a conversation with complete confidence. She can have strong feelings on certain issues and topics, such as the environment or economic issues. These strong feelings bring out her passion and generosity to want to make the world better. Amy is the plan maker in our family, making sure appointments are made — while I make sure they are kept. Amy and I work great together and I could never imagine my life without her.
 

ANITA

Anita grew up in a Chicago suburb. She is the youngest of four. Her siblings all live nearby. None have children of their own, so they are super excited about becoming aunts and uncles. The family gets together often for birthdays and holidays. We will be really blessed to have Anita’s whole family close by for support, and to be mentors and friends to our child.

Anita has been a manager at a national food distribution company for 15 years. In her spare time, Anita likes playing softball and pool, and working on home improvement projects.

AMY, ON ANITA

As soon as I got to know Anita I started thinking about having kids with her, because she is just naturally a nurturing person. I see this in the way she treats our cats — she studies their behavior and caters to their every need. She is always organized, on task, and on time — which is great, because I’m not always those things. I know she will have a very patient but firm parenting style. In my life, Anita is like a warm and toasty security blanket, and I know she will be that for our kids too.
 

BRINGING UP BABY

Amy has six months of adoption leave through her job, and is looking forward to being home with the baby during that time. Anita is looking forward to exploring a flexible schedule or possibly staying home with the baby for the first few years before going back to work. Our child will always be the #1 priority!

Our kids will be exposed to a little of everything — the arts, sports, travel, and helping people who are less fortunate. We can’t wait to find out who our child is and what he or she is passionate about!

EVERYTHING ELSE — AND NEXT STEPS

There are a lot of things we haven’t talked about here that are important to us, like:

  • Having an open adoption;
  • Our parenting style;
  • Making sure our child is surrounded by diverse friends and role models;
  • The importance of education.

We want to talk about all these things and anything you’re wondering about, so you can get a better feel for us, and vice-versa. If you think we could be a good fit to adopt your baby, we look forward to hearing from you.

Please feel free to send us an email: [email protected] or contact our adoption counselor, Tobi at 800-869-1005 or text her at 847-366-6351.