Jill and Dave
Hello, howdy, and bark-SQUEAK!
We are David, Jill, and “Buddy.” If you were here meeting us in person, Buddy would sniff your hands for treats and then lie at your feet while we visit (that is, after he steals your shoes or your purse and we chase him around the dining room table a few times). We hope this letter finds you with your purse and your shoes where you left them.
We met at work in 2002, in an interview of all places. We’re both in the software field, doing jobs that seem like they’d be boring yet we really enjoy them. Jill is a technical writer, and David is a manager of technical writers. We have both been at the same company for over 10 years. Our jobs are flexible, allowing us time to travel and to work from home.
David is a rare breed that Jill likes to call a “Renaissance Man’s Man.” He’s into manly things like sports and yet he reads books and cooks. He’s passionate about politics and education. He enjoys theater and dressing up in shirt and tie from time to time. David can often be found in his Man Room, working on his novel with Buddy snoozing by his feet. Jill finds his sentimental streak endearing and admires his close friendships with his college friends. She loves the fact that he’s laid back yet rarely leaves tasks undone.
Jill lights up from inside when she's happy, and she fills the room around her with the same brightness. She's smart, and driven, and works as hard as anyone David knows. David jokes that Jill is a robot because of her smarts and because she is deceptively strong! It's like robot strength! She loves animals and art, and in a very short time has become an accomplished photographer. Taking pictures of Buddy and his adventures also makes her happy. Jill has a great unselfconscious laugh. She loves hanging out with friends over a home-cooked meal or at a restaurant (David introduced her to sushi and she got David to try Pho). She also likes games and movies with friends—or any activity that creates interaction and gives her reason to laugh and have a good time.
We live in a big house with plenty of room for children. We love our neighborhood—it’s quiet and well-kept and there are lots of sidewalks and secret paths for exploring on family walks. Many of our neighbors have young children, and there are plenty of parks and playgrounds within walking distance. Our house has become our castle, a retreat from the stresses of daily life. We’ve developed a comfortable routine of non-traditional duties—David does most of the cooking (he’s a crockpot master!), and Jill bakes and mows the yard. The role reversal feels natural to us, and we’ll no doubt approach parenting the same way—each doing what we enjoy and are good at.
We are both transplants to the Pacific Northwest. Our only local family is Jill’s dad and step-mom, who live nearby and we see often for dinner. David’s family is from the East Coast. Whenever we go back to visit them, we have a long list of siblings, nieces, aunts, uncles, and college friends to visit. Jill’s mom and step-dad split their time between Oklahoma and Miami. They love to travel and we enjoy meeting them in Las Vegas for long weekends. When we’re in Oklahoma, we visit Jill’s step-sister and her two grown children. It’s been over 17 years since there was a baby in our immediate families—they will all be ecstatic when the time finally comes for us!
We believe in fate and finding the right birth family. We believe that open adoption will give our child a strong understanding of self and family, and of the bonds we all form through love. We’ll raise our child in a house full of caring, support, laughter, and happiness. The story of our adoption will be one that we tell over and over, a story that we'll add to daily. We look forward to getting to know you and your family and wish you strength and inner peace on this life-changing journey.
Sincerely, Jill and David