Dear Expectant Parents,

How do you pick the people who will raise the child that you are bringing into the world?  We can’t imagine how hard that must be & understand it is a difficult decision.  We know there are so many wonderful and loving couples out there dreaming of having a family like we are.  It can’t be easy for you to read these letters.  From the bottom of our hearts, we appreciate that you are reading ours. 

We hope this letter will give you a little insight into who we are & describe our journey & dream to become a family.    We can’t think of a greater joy in life than to share our laughter & love with a child.  Hopefully you’ll find it informative & heartwarming.

Pamela

Pamela grew up in Winnipeg, Canada.  She & her brother spent winters building forts in their basement & the summers splashing in their pool.  As a teen, Pamela’s passions were singing, acting & dancing, while balancing working in her mom’s children’s clothing store.  Pamela pursued Master’s degrees in Chemistry & Business.  She completed graduate school in South Carolina, began her career in Chicago.  She then moved to Minneapolis to be closer her brother & family. Pamela runs her own healthcare research consulting company which will allow her to be a stay at home mom. 

Pamela is one of the most fascinating women Gerald knows, enriching his life by making him try new things like fondue or seeing a Broadway show.  Before he became Uncle Gerald, he loved hearing Pamela’s nephews’ laughter during playtime or their special sleepovers.  He loves how Pamela will tackle any task with dedication, perseverance and a smile.  Somehow, she can just as easily bake a cake as use power tools to build a deck. 

Gerald

Gerald grew up in Spring Valley, NY, as the oldest of three boys, one of whom is his twin.  Gerald spent lots of time at his grandparent’s house, surrounded by extended family & food. When he was 10, his family moved out west to Portland, OR where exploring Mt. Hood & Powell’s Books were great adventures.  In college, Gerald discovered sports, running track & cross country and was able to spend an exciting semester in Germany.  After getting his graduate degree in Finance, Gerald settled in Minneapolis & has established his career as a Financial Analyst.

Gerald is one of the most intelligent men Pamela has ever met, with a worldwide perspective & liberal minded outlook.  He loves to take an evening walk or play a competitive game of mini-golf.  Pamela adores Gerald’s sweet heart & quirky lovable nature, including his way of taking things very literally. There is something endearing about the way cookies disappeared when he is around.  She believes he is really Cookie Monster in disguise. 

Destiny

One wonderful evening, our paths crossed.  On our first date, we found we both had an insatiable love of ice cream.  Within hours, we knew we would be spending the rest of our lives together.  Our relationship developed so easily because we brought out the best in each other.  One day, Gerald gave Pamela a special topping on her ice cream sundae that sparkled.  We planned for our lives to entwine forever with family, friends & trips to Sebastian Joe’s Ice Cream parlor

This year has been full of wonderful changes for us.  We were able realize our dream of buying a house in a great family neighborhood in a suburb of Minneapolis.   The house has oodles of space to have fun inside & out.  It even came with a fantastic playset in the yard, backing onto a community park. The house has been perfect for entertaining & the playset has been a hit with our nephews & friend’s kids. 

A second dream come true was adding our newest family member, a black lab/collie puppy we named Oreo.  With Cookie Monster (Gerald) living in our house, it seemed fitting to give her this name.  She is so cute you can just eat her all up!   With white tipped paws, a white chest & big floppy ears, Oreo is so friendly.  She has met all of our neighbors.  They instantly fell in love with her, just like we did.  Oreo fills our home with so much life (& lots of squeaky toys), brings unlimited smiles & gives us a great laugh when she chases her own tail.     

Future Dreams

As parents, we plan to place a high value on education, whether through textbooks or hands-on exploration.  We hope to introduce a child to our passions for theater, football & travel.  We intend to spend summer days at the park & winter nights curled up with a Disney movie or playing Candyland. As parents, we hope to raise a child with imagination, creativity & guidance while letting them fly on their own wings to experience all life has to offer. 

In our years together, we have created an open & loving home with a strong sense of family & traditions.  We can only hope to embrace this even more with a child.  Both sets of grandparents can’t wait to visit frequently, teaching silly songs, how to fly a kite, or play peek-a-boo.  Holidays, birthdays & family vacations in the US & Canada will be spent with cousins near & far. 

Open Adoption

We believe open adoption is the most amazing thing, combining two families into one.  We’d love nothing more than to have the opportunity to get to know one another before the birth & then keep our relationship going afterwards.  We plan to continue to grow our family through adoption.  We’d love to have 2 or 3 children someday.  If there are biological siblings in the future, we’d want to know them & have them be part of our lives too. 

Lifelong Connections

Whether you are in Oregon, Washington or Illinois, we have connections!  Gerald’s mom, dad & twin brother live in Portland/Beaverton and we have lots of friends all over the Pacific Northwest.  In the Chicago area we have Gerald’s first cousin, an OB/GYN nurse whose experience will be invaluable someday.  Having lived in Illinois, Pamela has many friends & family from Waukegan to Naperville.  We don’t want a quick flight or car trip to be a barrier.  During the pregnancy, we’d be thrilled to travel so we wouldn’t miss the important events.  When our family expands through adoption, Grandparents, friends & family will be sure to have us coming back often, so we can visit too.   Of course, if you live in Minnesota, we will plan to brave the winter wonderland and get to know you over making a few snowmen and big mugs of hot chocolate. 

We worked hard over the past little while to make several of our dreams come true.  But, our biggest dream becoming parents, has yet to become a reality.  We hope that you might consider helping us change that.  We sincerely hope we will be able to get to know both of you and have you both as a part of our lives for a long time to come. We believe we will be great parents, whether it is a little boy, a little girl, twins or siblings.  With all our heart, we will fill each of their days with unconditional hugs, kisses & smiles & unlimited love & laughter.

Love,

Pamela and Gerald