Shane and Heidi

Dear Expectant Mother,

Our hearts go out to you as you bravely walk this difficult journey. We want to walk alongside of you and pray for peace and clarity as you consider your decisions ahead.

We would love to get to know you and have a relationship with you. We would love for our adopted child(ren) to know you and to know their background and their roots. Throughout Hannah's first year of life, we have realized we have a lot of questions about her personality and likes and dislikes. We would love to get to know you to see how much alike you are and where their personality traits come from. 

We feel that God is calling our family to grow through adoption. We both are from families with multiple children and we have always imagined our lives with multiple children as well.

Heidi and I met through our church group while we were earning our undergraduate degrees. One of the first times I remember meeting Heidi was going with a group of people from our church to the Homecoming football game. Heidi and I continued to be good friends for at least a year before I started to pursue her. There would be many times that I would hang out with her and her roommates at her apartment and play games on the weekend. I began to pursue her in the winter of 2010. It was after we attended a wedding together as friends that we realized there may be something more to our relationship than just a friendship. One of the things that initially attracted me to her was our shared faith and her love for God.

I love that Heidi puts her faith above all else. Heidi is selfless with her time as she gets up with Hannah in the middle of the night. I love watching Heidi be a mother to our daughter. I appreciate that she is supportive of all of my decisions and hobbies, whether it is changing jobs or getting up early to watch me run marathons. I admire that she always puts others before herself. She also always makes herself available when her mother calls to talk for extended amounts of time. I love that I can be my goofy self around without feeling judged. I love seeing Heidi enjoy her passions and interests. She introduces me to musicians and bands that she is passionate about. I enjoy our memories made together such as going on vacations and to concerts. 

~ Shane

Shane knew the day he asked me out that we were going to get married. It took me about two weeks. While we didn't get married for almost two years, it was fun to get to know him deeper in this dating period. It was probably his ability to make me feel comfortable around him so quickly as we worked through the anxiety of dating and more one-on-one time. I liked going to church with him, being able to sing in the car with him, and his willingness to teach me how to drive. I admire his patience and ability to talk to those around him easily since I like social gatherings. 

I enjoy Shane's sense of humor and relaxed demeanor. Shane has always impressed me with his faith and the fact that he isn't afraid to defend it. He gets up early to pray and listens to many different faith-forming podcasts. I also love seeing him take Hannah for stroller rides, tell me she asked for princess goldfish even though she can't talk, and wants to buy her all the Bluey stuffed animals. Shane also impresses me with his dedication to teaching. He has only wanted to teach at Catholic Schools and has stuck with his goal and never wavered. When I was considering what qualities I wanted in a husband, I always knew I wanted someone who wasn't afraid to work on the farm, so seeing Shane on farm equipment brings me joy! While he doesn't have any farm experience, he has never hesitated to jump in and help either of my parents. 

~ Heidi

Our daughter (adopted) Hannah has a great personality. She has been a very happy baby. She only gets fussy when she is tired or hungry. She love our dog and they have a special relationship. Hannah has quickly been picking up baby sign language and learning how to go down the stairs. She loves to sway with music and is very talkative. Hearing baby giggles is the best.   

Our faith is very important to us as a couple and as a family. It is very important to us to attend church every Sunday and for special occasions. We enjoy going to church together on Friday nights when our church has special prayer time (adoration). We attempt to pray together at night and we attempt to bless Hannah before she goes to bed at night. 

We love going to church, taking walks in the evening, getting together with family to celebrate holidays, traveling and taking a annual summer vacation, and adventures on Heidi's parents' farm. We like to entertain friends at our house and enjoy time outside playing. We also love story time of any variety. 

We recently moved out to the country and one of the things that motivated our decision was to give our daughter and future adopted child(ren) more space. It also reminded Heidi of where she grew up. It also has a lot of yard space with a lot of potential. Having gone to the local church a couple of times, we realized that there are many families with young children. We are only fifteen minutes out of town so we can still easily have access to doctors and other local resources. 

We would love to get to know you and have a relationship with you. We would love for our adopted child(ren) to know you and to know their background and to be able to see how much alike you are and where their personality traits come from. 

Please be assured that your baby will know how much he or she is loved by you, and above all, by God. I will pass along all messages of love we receive from you. I think of adoption as a loving option and am so grateful you are considering placing your baby with us.