Jim and Caitlin

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From Us to You

Dear Beautiful Expectant Mother,

Thank you for considering this road and for considering us. We admire the selfless act of love you’re showing and will continue to for all the years to come. We respect, honor, and cherish you. This will be shown to your baby all their life if you decide to entrust us with them. We hope you’ll find peace in your heart knowing that we will do everything to provide a happy life filled with love and stability.

We are Jim and Caitlin. We have been together for 7 years and married for 3. We grow deeper in love with each other as the years go on. Naturally, we’ve always wanted children and tried every which way to get pregnant. Even though we were unsuccessful, we persevered and relied on each other. It made our marriage even stronger. The important thing is, through trial and tribulation that life brings all of us, we learned and laughed and loved. This is a type of resilience and joy we will teach your baby through their life as well.

We are excited to show your child everything life has to offer. We look forward to taking them fishing and camping with our families. Playing with their cousins on weekends on holidays. Watching them learn cooking and baking skills. Making Christmas cookies, trick or treating, Easter egg hunting, and watching fireworks every 4th of July. Walking Hachi and Holly, our huskies. Playing whatever sports they are interested in and learning how to play music from Jim on the guitar and Caitlin on the piano. Enjoying Hawaii, which has become our favorite place to vacation.  Most of all, we are excited to show them an unconditional, unlimited, amount of love, compassion, and happiness.

We want to honor your wishes throughout this process and your child’s upbringing. Whatever that looks like, we are here with open hearts, open minds, and open arms to have any conversations about it. If a closed adoption is what you need, we will honor you and empathize with what you believe is best. You know best. If an open adoption is what you’d like, we welcome it! It’s up to you, in your time of need. Just know, no matter what this looks like for you, you can rest assured that you will be the angel in all of our lives. You’ll be talked about regularly. Your child will always know you as their mother who grew them in her belly.

Be kind to yourself through this. Please know, you’re our hero.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you,
Jim & Caitlin

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Why We're Choosing to Adopt

We decided to adopt a long time ago before we were even married. We wanted at least one of our children to be adopted. We knew that we would unconditionally love a child and that blood relation does not matter. We tried to get pregnant naturally with monitoring and scheduling, then included doctors, then medications and it didn’t happen for us. We stopped mid IVF because we weren’t happy, we were constantly getting bad and upsetting news every appointment, and our lives started to revolve around all the procedures. We took a break, focused on our life together, and started having fun together again, but were still feeling that void in our hearts to raise a child together.

We went through all our options and gathered the courage, leaned on each other, and made the leap to try again to build our family. Our families will welcome a child through adoption with open arms. We have so many different types of people in our family that we’ve grown into this multi-cultured, multi-racial, multi-belief system family. Love is love and everything happens for a reason. The amount of support we have received from this village that’s willing to help us raise a child has been overwhelmingly touching. We truly feel that our families already love your baby as much as we do and will continue to for their whole lives.

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About Caitlin, by Jim

Caitlin is by the far the most loving and caring person I have ever met. She says the sweetest or the funniest things like how I’m her “favorite” everything. With our huskies, they ask for attention by howling and when she gives it to them, we call it “Mother Smother”. Her laughter is so contagious. When we face difficult times, she is headstrong and driven to reach our goals to overcome those difficult times. She doesn’t dwell on the issue but instead thinks of solutions for us and what we need to do to make it happen. She is very smart and knows me better than I know myself. She automatically knows if I’ll like or dislike something. She shows that I’m always on her mind and I know your child would be too. She is very passionate about a lot of things that she pursues in her life such as family and her career. Cait will be an amazing mother who shows by example how determination can help your child achieve their dreams and goals. Every weekend she is with family with or without me. She misses her nieces and nephews when we go on vacation and buys them souvenirs because she’s thinking of them. She is a very good baker and very crafty too. My favorite is when she makes “Christmas Reindeer” with pretzels, Rolos, and red and green M&Ms. She scrapbooks all our memories to look back on. I couldn’t have a better partner on this journey. I know she’ll be the best mom because she puts all of her efforts into others’ needs. She will make sure your baby is loved unconditionally.

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About Jim, by Caitlin

Jim is the best person on this planet. I have multiple people to back me up who have said the same. He is the nicest, sweetest, most understanding, patient, empathetic man you will ever meet. He is so funny and keeps me laughing all day, every day. He takes any opportunity to be goofy and playful. He does impressions of our dogs, Hachi and Holly, where he pretends they can talk. He is sarcastic and finds ways to get me to laugh with him when I start getting stressed to make light of the situation. It works every time. I can’t wait to see him and miss him when we’re at work. He cares deeply for his family and will do anything he can to help people out. He frequently checked on his brother when he was hospitalized with COVID and brought him goodies to the hospital. He always thinks about his mother and his siblings and shows up for them when they are going through hard times. One of his favorite hobbies is to go fishing on his own, but he is always happy to take his brothers, my brothers, and his nephews along to teach them how to fish better. He always puts us first and is down for crazy, fun, adventures. When we found out my brother and sister-in-law were eloping, I asked if we could come. When they said yes, Jim was on board to immediately book a flight and surprise them. We signed their marriage certificate as witnesses and it was an amazing experience to watch it all unfold in front of us. He is a listener and observes his surroundings for the sheer joy of learning. He asks a lot of questions and is genuinely interested in what people are saying. He takes his time and teaches me along the way as well. He’s my best friend and he will be the best father. Children need someone that is an example in their life. He naturally shows compassion, patience, and how to be a good husband. You can feel his love for you. With him, your child would know safety, love, empathy, calmness, and true happiness.

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Lifestyle

We live a lowkey, low stress, calm lifestyle that revolves around spending time with each other, our dogs, and our families. During the week we spend the evenings after work cooking dinner, talking about our day, eating, cleaning up, and making dinners for our huskies. We have already chosen where the highchair is going to go in the dining room and are looking forward to getting a toddler training stool so your child can reach the counter safely and “help” in the kitchen. We work in the same field so it’s nice that when we explain things that happened, we each have a good understanding of what the other was handling that day. We will watch a show and cuddle to relax at the end of the night or sometimes play games, plan weekends and trips, and talk about research we’ve done on different topics (parenting, fishing, huskies, and relationships have been recent ones). When your baby joins us, we look forward to adding in new evening routines like bath time, playing with bubbles, and reading stories before going to bed. We’ve already bought children’s books about adoption to explain to them at different levels how they are adopted and loved by all their parents.

We enjoy having coffee together on weekend mornings and making breakfast items like festive pancakes, homemade blueberry muffins, and our famous French toast! Jim usually fishes for a day or just a few hours on the weekends depending on the weather. Jim has already picked out a child’s fishing pole and tackle kit to start teaching them as soon as possible. We’re most excited to show them lakes and ponds in the area. Getting on a boat or kayak and enjoying the water together. There are usually playgrounds at the parks we go to as well. We look forward to having fun-filled daytime outings with a little one in nature. We are excited to show them and let them feel different fish. We want to discover the waterfalls and trails together that are within an hour of our home. We both do weekend chores together and strut our moves with music always playing in the background.

We always have plans with family and friends whether it’s dinner, birthday parties, weddings, baby showers, anniversaries, and holidays. We’re so excited to have your child grow up with cousins and experience all the parties and get-togethers. Caitlin’s sister-in-law and brother have already started making plans of going to Disneyland together, along with other places like the Children’s Museum. Caitlin’s sister also knows all the fun places for toddlers to be able to hike and explore nature. We plan on bringing your child over to her house often where there are chickens, deer, a playground, and a trampoline! Even with living a couple of states away, we are always on a plane or a quick 9-hour drive back. We feel so fortunate that our families even drive up to see us often as well! We’re even planning a camping trip in the middle of everyone to meet at a National Park with the deepest lake in America and the most beautiful views! We’re excited to go paddle boarding, hiking, fishing, and camping there with our siblings and all of the kiddos. Experiencing the world is something we most look forward to with the baby.

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Hachi and Holly, Our Friendly Huskies

We love our huskies so much and they are truly like our kids! Hachi is a Siberian and Alaskan mix, 6 years old, and is our big boy! Holly is Alaskan mixed with Alaskan Klee Klai so she is about half the size of Hachi, 3 years old, and is soooo sweet with kids. They both have BIG personalities and are very vocal when they want dinner, snuggles, and treats! We have lots of kids in our families, so we have been able to see them with kiddos of all ages. Hachi is always very concerned about them and worried if they are okay by being close whenever babies are crying and getting diapers changed. Holly is so sweet to them when they lay on her and she even runs slowly with them throughout the house. It’s very sweet to see them with our nieces and nephews and we can’t wait for them to be Big Brother and Big Sister!

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Home & Neighborhood

Our home is a two-story house with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and a den. We love our neighborhood! The roads are wide and clean. There are parks, hospitals, and schools nearby. We live less than a mile from a large pond/playground park with a trail. There is a beach about 15 minutes from our home where we take Hachi and Holly for walks and can’t wait to show the baby the views of big famous mountains there. We believe a home is a “fortress of solitude” in Jim’s words from his favorite superhero movie “Man of Steel”. It’s where we’re safe and at ease. We are often in the kitchen and living room. Our home has an open concept layout, so we are always talking even when we’re in different rooms. The ceilings are vaulted up to almost 20 feet so it makes it feel very light and airy in the common areas. Our 12-foot tree fits beautifully during Christmastime. The bedroom closest to ours is where we have made the nursery, complete with its own bathroom. We are excited to welcome your child into our home!

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Careers and Passions

Caitlin’s career took off in the last 5 years and she has been in her industry for about 10 years total. Caitlin has a team of nurses and dietitians who help get patients home on IV medication and tube feedings for patients who cannot eat. Caitlin’s career is self-fulfilling and she works for a company that promotes work life balance and has flexibility for her to be there for your child. It’s one of the reasons she decided to stay with this company. Her passion and calling are taking care of people whether they are her patients, her husband, or her family. Jim’s career is in a home infusion pharmacy as well, and his passion and calling are family, enjoying life, being a husband, a provider, and learning all this life can offer. Jim has a lot of different interests and skills that he’s always trying to advance.

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Our Families & Friends

Together, we have 12 siblings, lots of in-law siblings, 19 nieces and nephews, and 3 great-nephews! We have 5 godchildren and our families are both still growing! We love the loud, crazy, messy holidays and get-togethers. We always say how we’ve got this huge village and love that we get to spend our whole lives together. We go on vacations, plan events, and even just show up in jammies for a chill evening. Most of our friends are our family but we do have a small close circle of friends that feel like siblings to us! All our friends know almost our whole families and are invited to our family events as well. Our sisters and mom are excited and are already dying to babysit when we’re in town and have been setting up bassinets, toys, and buying clothes for their homes for your baby. Everyone is over the moon to welcome a new family member and they frequently ask when we will finally get picked. Caitlin’s brother and sister-in-law are having a baby girl very soon and we can’t wait to hopefully raise them together! Our godchildren are 4 girls and 1 boy, ages newborn to 5 years old. They all play with our nieces and nephews as well that are close in age from 2 years old to almost 4 years old. We do have some older nieces and nephews as well, but they are at that stage where they are way too cool for us, but can still be convinced to go to the movies with us and celebrate birthdays, holidays, and their accomplishments. Your child will be surrounded by people who will be there to support and celebrate them in every stage of life.

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Racial & Cultural Diversity

Jim is of Asian dissent, part of the Mienh culture. Caitlin is Caucasian, including Irish, German, Scottish, British, Welsh, mostly European. Our families are diverse racially, culturally, religiously, and in sexual orientation. We have Asian primarily on Jim’s side of the family with different cultures such as Mienh, Hmong, Laos, Chinese, Cambodian, and Vietnamese. On Caitlin’s side of the family and in her friend circle, there are Mexican, Filipino, Caucasian, European, Russian, Czechoslovakian, and Ukrainian cultures. Religions in our families include Christianity (which we practice), Catholicism, Buddhist, Muslim, and Mormon. We also have relatives that are gay, bi, and non-binary. We’re very proud and supportive of all of them. We love that everyone is living their life as their best, true self.

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Family Traditions

For our wedding anniversary, we always buy a candle with the number of years we’ve been together and take a picture. We talk about what happened that year and what we want to do with our next year of marriage. We also take the opportunity to talk about things one of us needs from the other so we can improve and grow together stronger, always. We are excited to bring baby with us wherever we go to celebrate to also show them what healthy relationships should look like. It will be fun to look back on all the pictures with the different years on the candle and see us and the baby grow older together.

Every summer we go on a few camping trips with our families. We always camp at the same park with Jim’s family. Everyone tries to come for a few nights. The boys will fish, the girls will cook, and we all play games and do s’mores. We’re excited to show your baby the different fish Jim catches and watch them get sticky marshmallow all over their smiling face.

Every October, we go to a fall festival about an hour away from our hometown. There are apple donuts, pumpkin patches, hayrides, face paintings, and you even park in an apple orchard! We imagine unicorns or Spider Man being painted on your child’s face for an afternoon full of wonder and whimsy. On Halloween, if we’re in town, we see Jim’s family and gamble the candy everyone brings with friendly games of blackjack. We usually dress up and have even come up with costumes with our huskies, Hachi and Holly. We can’t wait to do family costumes with baby. We’ve thought about doing The Incredibles together and having baby jack Jack as an idea. Or maybe something clever like Little Red Riding Hood with the big bad wolf (our huskies). Last Halloween we were creating new traditions since we were on our own and had a firepit on the front porch and handed out candy with festive music playing and lots of lights and decorations. Our street had a bounce house, ice cream truck, and a hot chocolate station for Halloween 2022.

On Christmas Eve, Jim reads “Twas the Night Before Christmas” to our huskies, Hachi and Holly, and to me. We are excited to continue this tradition with your child. We open 1 gift on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas morning.

We always celebrate birthdays with at least a dinner. We can’t wait to throw big birthday parties for your baby. We’ve been imagining a fishing theme mixed with Dr. Seuss’s book “One fish two fish red fish blue fish” for a first or second birthday or maybe a Mickey and Minnie Mouse birthday party theme if they like Disney. Our cousin threw one for her daughter and had cute things cut out in Mickey ear shapes like cheese and watermelon. When your child grows older, they will join our tradition of letting the birthday person choose exactly how they want to spend their birthday.

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Our Parenting Style

We believe that children need love and support to be able to learn from their actions. We will help them guide through their emotions and why they are feeling that way in the moment. Boundaries are important for any child’s safety of course but we also want to let them explore in nature, with toys, and be able to make decisions to do what they’re interested in. We want to laugh, sing, read, and teach healthy ways of communication/boundaries. We also want our family to be in good physical and mental health so staying active and supportive in their interests is important to us. We will be learning along the way as well, but a healthy balance is what we are striving for. We believe adults and children learn better through empathy and talking through things together. We don’t believe that parenting stops when they are an adult either. Becoming a parent is a lifetime decision that we feel ready and excited to embrace.

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Our Promise to You

We promise to be real and honest with you. We promise to be open with you and to have conversations on what’s most important. We will be supportive and understanding. We promise to represent you for the child’s whole life and in a positive, everlasting, loving way. We promise to try our best each and every day to become better parents and grow with your child. We promise to love you for changing our lives. We will provide for the baby’s every need and show them a full and exciting life. We will laugh and play and sing and read together. We will tell them about you and the extraordinary love you showed them.