Hello. I guess I'd like to start with a thank you. Thank you for considering someone like me for this greatest gift.

I've always wanted and wished to be a mom. I had the best mom and dad and I just couldn't wait for that chance to have my own kids. Like most of us, I thought it would happen the traditional way: meet, marriage, and then poof!: mom, dad, kids, pets- a standard family. But it just didn't happen that way for me. I'm still looking for the 'one'; the right guy for me, and I'm open to that if it ever happens. But I'm also not going to wait around for it. I'm absolutely okay with and excited about parenting as a single mom. I have a pretty good idea of what it will be like as I am lucky enough to be an auntie to a niece and a nephew that I get to spend lots of time with. I have been kind of like a third parent since they were born. I've done the doctor visits, the up in the middle of the night sick routine, the baseball games and soccer practice, school concerts, etc. And while I'm so grateful that I've gotten to do those things, I have this ache in my heart and in my soul for my own baby. A baby of my own that I so desperately want..

I've decided to do everything I can to try to make this happen. I've done 3 IUIs with heartbreaking results. Straight negatives with the first two, but my body tried with the third attempt. Unfortunately, it didn't turn into a viable pregnancy like I'd hoped. Given my age, I've decided to move on to IVF, for a better chance of making my dream come true. After researching and reading everything I could get my hands on, I learned about embryo adoption. Almost immediately I felt it was the right choice for me. It honors life and gives this precious gift to people who just can't make it happen another way.

So that's a little bit about how I get here, now I'd like to tell you about who I am. I'm a kindergarten teacher. I've been teaching kindergarten in a small, private Christian school for 21 years. I absolutely love it. I see how excited they are to learn, how everything is new and I watch them turn work into fun. They're funny, creative, happy and smart and they make each day unique. About 3:30 every day, I come home. I live in a house in the country, with lots of room to play and run. I have two bunnies, a cat and a dog-they're best friends. Ha! Not really, but they do get along really well. I live within walking distance of my dad, and my mom and my brother's family both live in town, about 15 miles away. We spend A LOT of time together. :) As I mentioned before, I have a niece and nephew. There's always a baseball, hockey or soccer game to attend. We all (my mom, my dad, my brother and sister in law, and myself) go to almost every single one. We cheer for the kids and just hang out together. We do birthdays, family dinners and sometimes just rainy Saturdays together. My parents are divorced but they get along great. We all go on family vacations together and spend the holidays together. We carve pumpkins at Halloween then we take the kids trick or treating and my mom and dad hand out candy. We all mosey up to my cousin's house for Thanksgiving (I also have so many cousins, aunts and uncles) and hang out all day. We eat, chat, eat, play games, eat again. :)

At Christmas, our family gets together and opens presents on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, we do the whole aunts/uncles/cousins extravaganza again at my brother's house this time. We have so much fun. The last ones to leave usually depart about 11 at night. Good thing I have a few more days off after that!

I like to stay busy. In addition to lots of family time, I do many other things in my spare time. I meet friends for dinner, I take long walks out in nature (both for fun and as a stress reliever), I love to read and I read a lot. Sometimes my best friend and I get tickets for a concert or a play, I really lIke to shop and sometimes I just relax and enjoy my house and pets. I love to be outside. I like everything outside from mowing lawn, to fishing, to paddleboarding on the lake.

I teach small children for a living. I have lots of experience with humor, patience, creativity, compassion, big messes and love. I watch all these parents of the kids in my class and I always think about how lucky they are. My heart just aches for one of my own. I have a big heart and there's a huge spot in there that's just waiting and crying out for some little person to call me mommy. I just hope and pray that some day that dream will come true. Again, I thank you for your consideration and for taking the time to read my letter.