4459Andrew and SaraDear Birth Mother,We write you this letter with the utmost gratitude, respect, and admiration for your selfless and courageous decision to consider

adoption for your baby. We are exceedingly grateful and humbled that you are taking the time to read our biography. To our family you are not only the birth mother, but also our birth angel.

Our home is a happy, fun, stable, and loving place. We have a happy, fun-loving daughter, Lydia, who brings so much joy to our lives. We are very fortunate to be surrounded by supportive family and wonderful friends who will welcome a new baby into our lives with open hearts and arms. Family is everything to us and we love new adventures. It is important to us that our children are well educated, well traveled, and that they understand that they are capable of achieving anything

they desire. We will work hard to provide our children every opportunity to succeed in life.

We will embrace you and your baby into our family. We are very willing to keep in touch through texting or emails to share special events, milestones, and photos with you. We love framed pictures and want to fill your home and heart with beautiful images of your child throughout the years. We are also comfortable setting up 1-4 visits a year, maybe around your child’s birthday or a summer visit in a local park or zoo. It is important to us that your child knows you and understands the selfless and loving decision that you made.

We sincerely thank you for taking the time to read our biography. We hope you find peace and clarity with whatever path you choose for you and your child. We are thinking of you and praying for you.

Warm regards and best wishes,

Sara, Andrew, and Lydia

© 2016 Adoption Support Center, Inc. All rights reserved. 1

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SaraI grew up in a very happy, loving, supportive family. Every summer we would go on a family vacation. We always drove, and often went to historical and education landmarks. We would visit past President’s homes, civil war battlegrounds, and eat at wonderful restaurants. We got to see and experience so many things.

We still vacation together. Mostly, though, we do lot of activities and day trips. We go out to eat for birthdays, we will meet and go to lunch and the Zoo, we go to concerts, and activities the girls will enjoy like the Children's Museum.

Recently my parents sold our childhood home and moved closer to us. It has been so wonderful having them close, and they spend every Wednesday with Lydia. They are a constant source of help and support. They are fun, generous, and head over heels in love with their grandchildren. My parents instilled a strong sense of family.

AndrewMy family loved to travel and we went all over the country, as well as to Europe. We had a yearly trip to the Smoky Mountains. We still enjoy vacations together.

My dad owns a beautiful hot air balloon. This allows us to fly for fun, participate in festivals, and enter competitions. We have all had the chance to fly on several occasions while the others in the family work as ground crew. In recent years we have found that taking someone up for the first time is just as good as flying itself. Seeing the look of joy and excitement on their faces is priceless.

At festivals, we will set up for people to walk through and see. We fire the burner and glow at sunset while staying on the ground. Kids of all ages walk through a sea of bright colors getting up close to the balloons. It’s a unique thing that has brought endless amounts of joy and great times with our family.

LydiaLydia is a terrific little girl. She is smart and articulate. She has an incredible sense of humor and is so sweet and kind. Lydia is task oriented, loves books, loves music and art, and is full of energy. She makes everyone she meets smile. You can’t help but be happy when you are around her. Lydia is beautiful inside and out. She loves other kids and already shows her nurturing instincts with her dolls and other babies in our life. Lydia is so excited to become a big sister that she will announce to perfect strangers “we are waiting for a baby that is growing in our heart.”

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Sara’s thoughtsabout our relationshipI admire Andrew’s ability to fit in to any social situation. Everyone likes Andrew, and he is a genuinely good guy. What you see is what you get. I also admire his leadership skill and moral compass. He has a way of making the people around him better.

I married Andrew because no one has ever treated me better than he treats me. I could see a future with him. He is everything I always wanted in a spouse. He is easy going and evens me out, as I am a little more of a “type A” personality. We compliment each other well. He looks at me like I am the only person in the room, he makes me laugh, he makes me feel safe, he supports me, he respects me, he makes me excited to get up in the morning to see what the day has in store for us.

I also knew we both wanted a family, and Andrew is a phenomenal dad. When I see him with Lydia, my heart melts. He is engaging and sweet. He cuddles her and plays tea party and lets her paint his toenails. He spends time with her, he reads to her, he takes her to the library to pick out books and listen to story time, he teaches her to cook, and when Andrew talks about Lydia his face lights up.

Andrew’s thoughtsabout our relationshipSara is beautiful, smart, funny, kind, and caring. I absolutely love her silly side. She will dance and sing and make up songs for just about anything. The best part of it is watching her sparkling brown eyes and beautiful smile as she does it. She has a great sense of humor and is not afraid to express it.

Sara’s passion for helping people led her early-on into the medical field. Sara is my wife, best friend, and an amazing mother to our daughter. She is always planning far in advance for fun things and time with family. She is great at bringing people together and family is the most important thing in the world. Her personality and traits are the perfect complement to mine. I like to cook and she likes to clean. She likes to know everything is going to be ok and I help to have a little faith and reassure things will work out.

Life is about balance and together we make a perfect pair. Sara is all the best parts of me that I never knew I was missing until we met. It is hard to put into words how great of a person she is and why I was lucky she became my wife. One thing I am grateful for and can say for certain is that I will forever love her and cherish all the time we spend together.

Fun Facts• We go to a Cubs game every year and watch from the rooftops.

• Sara is a self-admitted “foodie” and loves to try new things. However, staying fit and healthy are also very important to her.

• As an athletic trainer, Sara worked at the Olympic swim trials in California in 2004. She worked in college athletics for 12 years.

• Andrew played drums in a few garage bands during high school and college.

• Andrew is creative and enjoys sketching and painting.

• Lydia’s favorite meal is salmon, green beans & brown rice. She also loves brussel sprouts, spinach, & capers.

• Lydia loves pretend makeup, nail polish, & hair cuts. She is a “girly girl”.

• Lydia loves fashion & shopping. She has more pairs of shoes than her mom or dad.

• Lydia loves dace class, art, & cooking. She is also an amazing swimmer.

• Our family owns a hot air balloon.

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Sara AndrewBorn: 1979 1977Height: 5’ 4” 6’ 0”Complexion: Fair FairHair / Eyes: Dk. Brown / Brown Brown / BlueReligion: Christian ChristianEducation: Master’s Degree Bachelor’s DegreeOccupation: Athletic Trainer Insurance Mgt.Mat/Pat Leave: Yes, 2-3 month Yes

We have been married since 2011. Our daughter, Lydia, was born in 2013. We also share our home with a sweet Border Collie mix named Charlie and a lovable cat named Sam. Lydia loves them!

Home and CommunityWe have a four-bedroom home on a cul-de-sac in a quiet

neighborhood. Our home is clean, well cared-for, and has a wonderful, sunny playroom. We have a great fenced in back yard, complete with a play set. Our cul-de-sac is the neighborhood hot spot for playing and riding bikes. We have become friends with many of the neighbors and it is fun watching all the kids run around and interact. There is a neighborhood park nearby that we walk to. We live in an area that has a highly rated school system as well as many activities and opportunities for children and

families. Our community is a great place to raise a family.

Why Adoption?We found out we were pregnant for the first time in December of 2011. We were extremely excited. Unfortunately, in April of 2012 our baby was stillborn. It was a gut-wrenching experience. Several months later, we discovered we were pregnant again. The pregnancy was extremely difficult. Sara spent most of the second half of her pregnancy in and out of the hospital, and had to dose herself with IV medication every 8 hours throughout the duration of the pregnancy. Her team of physicians agreed that another pregnancy is too risky.

We are so grateful for the chance to adopt and complete our family. We have a network of people who care about us and will open their hearts to the newest addition to our family. We have several friends who have adopted and they have been a source of hope, information, and encouragement. Adoption is already accepted and embraced in both of our families. Andrew has a cousin who adopted twin girls several years ago and Sara has a second cousin that was adopted.

We look forward to the chance to meet you and support you through your pregnancy.

Thank you for considering us!

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