Autobiography

Dear Birthparents,

Hello! We are Doug and Theresa. Although we find each other in two very different circumstances, we realize both may be rather difficult and perhaps painful, nonetheless. Doug and I are not able to imagine the many difficult decisions you have to face in the near future, and we are so thankful that you are taking time to consider adoption and to get to know us.

I had been married before, just after graduating from college. The marriage ended after two years when we filed for dissolution in 1995. In March of 2000, a friend introduced me to Doug. We hit it off immediately! We enjoyed spending time together and, even from the beginning, it seemed that we had known each other for a very long time. After dating for only a few weeks, we knew one-day we would get married. At the end of June, with our families' blessings, Doug and I eloped to Tennessee and were married in a beautiful wedding chapel near The Great Smoky Mountains. We have now been married for almost four wonderful years.

Having established careers, we were excited at the thought of starting a family. About eight months after we were married; however, we learned that I was not able to become pregnant. While we were disappointed to learn we would be unable to conceive a child, we felt strongly that we still wanted to have a family. Despite the wealth of emotions we were forced to deal with regarding our infertility, the trust and increased communication that developed only strengthened our marriage. We chose not to attempt fertility treatments and decided to pursue adoption in order to build our family. We are ready to get to know you and to make your child a special part of our lives. We plan to love and nurture him/her and help him/her achieve all their goals and dreams in life.

We feel that having a child is one of the greatest gifts, and are very much looking forward to having a child join our family. We have so much love to share and look forward to watching a child grow and learn. We wait with anxious anticipation for the day when we will be able to hold our precious child. We look forward to experiencing the many milestones that life has to offer such as the first Christmas, losing the first tooth, and even the first day of kindergarten.

What Theresa says about Doug-

Doug is my best friend. He is more than I could have ever asked for in a loving husband because he is very patient, comforting, and hardworking. He has a great desire to become a daddy and I know he will make an excellent father. Doug is 6' 1" tall, has brown hair and blue eyes. He enjoys history and touring various Civil War landmarks, especially Gettysburg. Doug likes being outside when the weather is nice. He enjoys golfing and playing softball. Doug works for the United States Post Office. He enjoys his job as a rural mail carrier, which he began shortly after graduating from high school. Doug has great hours and many holidays off throughout the year. We value those days and enjoy spending them together, often-taking short one-day trips to nearby places of interest. We enjoy taking trips to Amish Country, going to auctions, and riding bikes. We feel that our work schedules are ideal for being parents as we are both home in the evenings and have most weekends off.

What Doug says about Theresa-

From the beginning, I knew that Theresa was the woman I had been waiting for. Theresa is 34 years old. She is 5' 6'" tall, has light brown hair and hazel eyes. She has been a teacher for 12 years. Having recently earned her Master's Degree in Education, she feels blessed to be fulfilling her lifelong goal of being a teacher. She currently teaches 6th grade, but has taught students at every grade level from kindergarten through high school. Theresa really enjoys spending time with her students and her love for them is obvious as she often tells stories about events that took place during the day. In her job, she is able to use some of her wonderful qualities that include being patient, caring, and understanding. As a schoolteacher, Theresa has the benefit of having holidays and summers off in which to spend extra amounts of time with her family. During the summer, she enjoys reading, going to the pool, and being able to work in the flower gardens around our house. Despite loving her job as an elementary school teacher, Theresa looks forward to taking time off from teaching to stay at home with a child. Being called "Mommy" has been a dream for Theresa for as long as she can remember, and I know she will be a terrific mother.

About our faith-

Doug and I both grew up going to church and are committed to raising our family in the same Christian environment. We attend services regularly at a Baptist church, and our faith is an important factor in our lives. We value the friendships we have made and eagerly anticipate watching our child make positive friendships that will last a lifetime. Our church has an incredible love for children. We look forward to attending the various Children's programs and to watching the children perform. We are involved in Sunday school and in a weekly Bible study. Doug enjoys coaching a youth basketball team at the church and playing church softball during the summer months. I am anxious to work in the nursery and to help with the Children's ministry. We truly feel God has led us to this church where there are other families who have already experienced the privilege of adopting a child into their own hearts and lives.

About our families-

Doug and I were raised in supportive two parent families. We know life was not always easy for our parents, but they always made their family a priority. We desire to raise our child in the same type of home environment stressing the importance of honesty, spending time together, helping each other, and accepting others despite our differences. Doug's parents live close by and we have opportunity to visit them often. Having grown up on a small farm, Doug recognizes the importance of hard work and enjoys working outdoors. Doug, on occasion, continues to help his dad mow, bale hay, and take care of the horses. We enjoy family dinners with his parents and know that having a grandchild will make those dinners even more special for these first time grandparents. Doug has one younger brother who is a senior at The Ohio State University.

I also have a younger brother who lives nearby. Although my parents live out of state, we see them at least once a month and talk on the telephone several times each week. I have an excellent relationship with my parents. My love for children most likely comes from my mom who provides day-care in their home. Also soon to be first time grandparents, they are excited to know that their frequent visits will be welcomed by a grandchild. We are confident that our parents will make our child will feel well loved as they all look forward to being called "Grandma" and" Grandpa".

Our home and community-

Our three-bedroom home sits on 11 acres and is located about five miles out of town. We really like the area where we live because it allows us to have the "country" feel yet be close enough to the "city" to attend play dates and school events. Our home is very warm and loving, but lacks the sounds that only a child can provide. We enjoy spending time in the evenings reading, playing games, or just watching TV. The openness of the kitchen and dining room makes having family and friends over for holidays and visits a welcome experience as there is plenty of room for everyone. We enjoy having friends over for cookouts in the summer when we can sit on the back porch and enjoy the warm weather. The basement will make a wonderful play area and family room. We look forward to transforming one of the bedrooms into a nursery upon the arrival of our little one. We have two indoor cats, Pody and Emma, which are very well loved and are great around children.

We are pleased with the education and extra-curricular activities the local school district and community provides. The elementary school our child will attend is currently being built just a few miles from our home. The school district has great teachers and offers a variety of extra-curricular activities for the students. The local YMCA is also only a few miles away and offers numerous age appropriate activities in which our whole family will be able to participate. We live near several parks, and a walking trail that we like to ride our bikes on.

Doug and I realize the importance of being honest with our child about having been adopted and plan to make use of children's literature books to help us discuss adoption from an early age. We intend to make use of the general word "adoption" regular conversation from the beginning and gradually add details as an interest is shown, probably at around age five, before starting school. We want our child to realize how blessed we feel to have him/her in our family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you as you consider adoption. Find comfort in knowing that we will raise your child in a loving, nurturing, and financially stable Christian home. We would like to communicate regularly with you through agency supervision. We look forward to sharing letters and pictures of the child's growth, and are open to discussing the amount of communication in which we both feel most comfortable having.

We would like to be matched with an Ohio birth mother who is at least 7 months pregnant. Light to moderate drug and alcohol use is acceptable. We are open to discussing the level of communication you would feel most comfortable having with us, from meeting before the baby is born, telephone conversations, and exchanging letters and pictures.

If you are interested in getting to know us better, or would like more information about Gentle Care, please contact Adoption by Gentle Care at 1-800-824-9633 or by email at AmyC@adoptgentlecare.com.

A few pictures from our vacations:

Hanging out at Niagara Falls...and getting VERY wet!

Taking in the view off our front porch... okay, we know... we are really just posing for the camera, but we do like to sit outside on the porch swing.