Hello friend!
First off, my name is Josh and my wife’s name is Elise. We want to tell you that we think you’re awesome. We know that you must be going through a very difficult time and our thoughts and prayers are with you. Elise and I admire you so much for even considering adoption and can only imagine how hard it must be to face the circumstances and choices that you are currently dealing with. Thank you for taking a moment to get to know a little bit more about us.
Hello, I’m Elise and I’m a second grade teacher. Josh is in his first year of medical school with plans to become a pediatrician. We have been married since 2004 and some of our favorite things to do together are going to the movies, learning new games, going on spontaneous roadtrips, walking our beagle puppy, Farley, or just having a long conversation over dinner. I enjoy going to the ballet, reading books, watching movies and dancing whenever possible. Josh likes to rockclimb, participate in sports like basketball or football and play any type of board or card game. We love to go on adventures and find new places to visit or eat and look forward to having children to share in our explorations! I am excited about adoption because I have a very personal connection with it. My mom and stepdad were married when I was 2 and I was adopted by my stepdad when I was 10. Adoption has been such a blessing in my life and I know from experience that the loving bond between an adoptive parent and child is amazing. I love my Dad and my birthfather for giving me the wonderful opportunities and life that I have had. I have a relationship now with my birthfather and have had the opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude for the sacrifices that he made for me. I think because I have this perspective on adoption, I will be able to help my children understand what a blessing adoption is in their life.
Josh here, I get to tell you a little about our families. I am ninth of ten children and I grew up in Pine Bluffs, Wyoming. Elise is the oldest of four and grew up in Mesa, AZ. We are close with our families and enjoy getting together with them for dinners, birthdays, holidays or even just family game nights. Both of our families are large and they support each other in all the things that life brings. They can’t wait to welcome a new member of the family!
Here are just a few of my thoughts on Elise. She is amazing! When it comes to Elise, one of the things I love most is her sensitivity. She will feel sad when someone else is sad, even if she doesn’t know them, but she is also quick to be happy and excited for someone when they are happy. Elise has always been able to empathize with others and genuinely cares about the well being and feelings of everyone she meets. She is the best friend anyone could ask for because she gives more than she receives. She will do everything she can (and even things she can't) to help someone who is in need. We have tons of fun together, whether we’re watching “The Office” or playing Hand-and-foot (a card game). I’m so glad I convinced her to marry me!
Elise here, now it’s my turn to tell you a few reasons why I love Josh. Well, to be honest I think he is the perfect guy! He is always willing to help out with anything I need from grading papers to doing dishes or rubbing my feet after a long day. Josh always knows how to make me laugh or smile and keeps life spontaneous and full of joy. I love to watch him play with kids, to see him get caught up in imagining or joking around! He is also a romantic and I often come home to a candlelight dinner and a hot bubble bath already prepared. We balance each other out and are each other’s biggest cheerleaders. I know that he will always have my back and I will always have his.
Elise and I met in 2003 at Mesa Community College in a Preparing for Marriage class. Elise had recently graduated from high school and I had just returned from a church mission to Brazil. This is how Elise remembers our first date and my proposal: “I remember being so comfortable talking to Josh. It was like we had been friends forever. After six wonderful weeks of dating, we knew it was meant to be and Josh surprised me when at the end of class one night, he scooted out of his desk behind me, knelt down and proposed. It took my breath away!” We were married in February of 2004 on Elise’s grandparents wedding anniversary. It was an awesome day filled with family, food and dancing!
Josh and I have been married for almost seven years, six of which we have been trying to start our family. We have a love/hate relationship with infertility because we are grateful for the time it has given us to grow together as a couple but it has also been a deeply emotional struggle not being able to have a baby. Over the time of trying to conceive we’ve experienced two painful surgeries, numerous rounds of fertility treatments and testing and one devastating miscarriage last fall. After all of this, we have a hard earned appreciation for how precious children are and want more than anything to be able to have a child to love and care for. So, our journey of having a family has brought us to adoption. We have found that we have a love/love relationship with adoption because we see it as a possible answer to two difficult situations. Infertility has been a heartache for us and we understand that your heart must be aching too. As time goes by, we continue to move forward with our education and careers but still find ourselves yearning for a little person to laugh with and enjoy.
Josh’s thoughts on parenting: I want to be a dad because I’m basically just a kid trapped in an adult’s body! I have 26 nieces and nephews, and I have so much fun with them. Sometimes I think they forget that I’m an adult! I am currently attending medical school to become a pediatrician because I enjoy working with children and also because it will be an enjoyable way for me to provide for my family. I look forward to coming home each day and playing with my kids, building forts, playing catch or even taking them on adventures finding bugs or other things we can bring home as pets. I’m sure Elise will be excited about all the creatures we will have in our house! I want my children to enjoy being outdoors and to have a great imagination. I would like them to be active in school, church and community activities and to be able to choose for themselves what they would like to get involved in.
Elise’s thoughts on parenting: I can’t wait to be a mom! I love spending time with children and have built my life and career around working with them. I enjoy learning new ways to teach and nurture each individual child as they discover the world around them. I am so excited to share my love of the arts and music with my children and to read to them all of the hundreds of children’s books I have collected over the years. I love to play and pretend right alongside my students and nieces and nephews. I have a soft heart for the emotions of children and am often able to talk to and soothe them when they are sad or upset while still being consistent with promises and discipline when needed. I want to share my life with a child because I think that they keep you young and they provide opportunities to learn more about the world. They bring a new perspective of hope and light and I am so excited to welcome a sweet little one into our home.
Josh and I recognize that we can never fully understand the thoughts and feelings that you are having with trying to decide whether to place your child or not. But, we do know that you are a brave and selfless person for considering adoption as an option. As we move towards becoming adoptive parents, we look forward to sharing letters, emails and pictures and are open to exploring visits or other forms of communication. We know that adoption can and has worked miracles in all the lives that it affects and we are so grateful to be experiencing the blessings it has already brought into our lives.
Elise and I want you to know that we love you for your courage and wish you luck with the important decisions that you are faced with. We hope that this letter helped you to get to know us a little better and we hope to be able to get to know you as well!
Love, Josh and Elise
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