4562Jim and KaraDear Birth Family,

Thank you so much for reading our letter and considering adoption! We are Kara and James, and want to someday be mom and dad. We don’t know how to put into words how beyond thankful, grateful, and blessed we feel because you are considering us. We can’t wait to share with our baby just how much their birth family/mother loved them. Your baby will have an overwhelming amount of love and support from us, our families, and friends. We have a niece and two nephews who can’t wait to have a new cousin to play with, teach them new things, and help talk the grandparents into extra snacks.

We have a huge friend support system whose children are like family to us, so they too are beyond excited to have a new playmate and best friend. We can’t wait to start family traditions of vacations, movie night, bedtime stories, and moments filled with love, laughter, and hugs. We are a family who enjoys the simple things in life, no matter what we are doing, we are making the most out of that moment. Be it hiking, traveling, watching a movie, catching lightening bugs, we are making those moments count.

We promise to always love and support your baby and will constantly share with them your love and devotion. We will

ensure they feel safe and always supported. We won’t always be perfect parents, we will at times let them stay up too late, eat too many sweets, play in the mud, make a mess, etc., but we can guarantee they will be loved, feel safe, and laugh a lot. We would love to visit with you 4-6 times a year for pizza, a picnic at the park, a trip to the zoo, or something else you would enjoying doing with your child. We are excited to keep in touch with you through letters, pictures, texts, emails, or a private blog as well, so that you will always know how loved and cared for your child is. We can’t wait to share your child’s joys and accomplishments with you and savor memories with you throughout your child’s life.

With Much Gratitude,

Jim and Kara

© 2016 Adoption Support Center, Inc. All rights reserved. 1

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KaraI am blessed to have an amazingly supportive family. My mom is my hero. She raised me as a single parent and she raised me to be a strong, smart, independent, positive woman. My parents divorced

the year I was born, so I was used to them being apart. My dad worked a lot and I only saw him occasionally. I am the only child for my mother, so she is so ready to be a grandma! When I return to work, she will provide childcare for our child. She can’t wait to spend that quality time with her grandchild. Growing up I loved spending time with my mom and I still do. We have had a couple of mother-daughter vacations. We went to Gulf Shores two years ago and went to Myrtle Beach this year.

We spent a lot of time with my cousins (Mason & Danny) when I was little. Mason is 2.5 years older; Danny 1 year older. We loved swimming at my grandparents house, playing video games, playing baseball (my job was to run around the entire house to get the ball when it went over the fence - ( the beauty of being

the youngest and only girl) and playing at the park. I adored my older cousins and loved playing with them.

JimI have a great family. My dad enjoyed running so I got individual time with him by running with him. I ran my first 10K with him when I was 7 and my first half-marathon at 13. Those times

running with my dad are priceless. Dad is the kindest person I know and would do anything for anyone. My mom, stepdad, and dad are great grandparents. They too attend sporting events, choir concerts, grandparents day, anything the kids invite them to. They also do a good job of being fun grandparents while making the kids behave. My mom likes to bake, so she will make cookies, cupcakes, etc. with the kids. Every Easter, my mom makes rice crispy bunnies for all the kids, even the grown up ones (including us). The kids get so excited for those huge bunnies (maybe even some of the adults, like Kara).

My absolute hero is my maternal grandma. She is the voice of wisdom for me even at the age of 93. She is a good listener, gives great advice and dedicated herself to giving back to others and the community. When we were little and would go visit her, the drive

home was a couple of hours, so she would always pack little bags of treats or surprises that we could open at certain spots on the ride home. So when we would reach Indianapolis, we got to open a bag that may have army men or something to color, something small, then when we reached the next town, another bag, and so on, my brother and I got so excited for those little treat bags

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Kara’s thoughtsabout our relationshipDating and being married to James is great & easy because he is my best friend. I know most people say that, but he really is, we enjoy

being with each other. We enjoy hiking, going for walks, traveling, watching football & movies, being outdoors, fishing, kayaking, we enjoy making the most out of whatever we are doing. Even though it is just James and I at home, we make it a point to sit and eat dinner together, we find that time very important and allows us to talk with each other. Often on nice evenings, we will just sit on the back deck and listen to the birds. I knew James and I would be a good match when we were able to teach on the same team at work, coach girls track together, and live together and still enjoy each other’s company. We had a blast working and coaching together!

James will be a great father because he is a wonderful person and husband. He loves his students like they are his own, so I

know he will adore our child! His own father was/is a wonderful father and has been a great role model for James. Jim and his dad use to run together when he was little because he loved that alone time he got with his dad. Jim is supportive, loyal, caring, very hard-working, and a really good person. He makes me feel safe and secure. He will be there, and be involved whether it is sports, arts, dance, reading circle, etc. he will be supportive of whatever the child wants to do.

Jim’s thoughtsabout our relationshipWhenever I would see Kara at school (work), I loved the fact that she

was always making a“to-do” list. I knew that I needed a spouse that would be organized. We make a great team. Kara is supportive, funny, smart, hardworking, and fun to hang out with. Kara is really funny and easy going! No matter what we are doing, she will make the most out of the activity. We enjoy evening walks and being greeted by our neighbor’s Golden Retriever, Buddy. We don’t need to be doing anything special to have a good time together. We enjoy just talking and spending time together. Kara enjoys taking pictures and making Shutterfly books of our vacations and adventures.

Kara will be very focused on our child’s hopes and dreams, being a mother is something she has always dreamed of. Kara has such a kind, loving heart and always wants to make sure others are cared

for. She is caring, nurturing, and strong. I know she will instill those characteristics in our child. Kara will be a very involved in our child’s life and will love our child unconditionally. Kara is patient. She is beautiful! And I am truly blessed to be her husband!

Fun Facts• Kara has always loved the Spirit of Christmas. She loves buying

gifts, the snow, & the energy of Christmas. • Jim really enjoys fishing, kayaking, hiking (really anything

outdoors), watching sports, and simply sitting outdoors listening to nature.

• Kara enjoys traveling, photography, shopping for deals, eating, watching movies, and being outdoors. She is also quite chatty & absolutely loves reading!

• Our niece (Nova) joined the family when her mom married Jim’s younger brother. Nova is bi-racial Puerto-Rican/African American/white. Our family and friend support system are ready to open their arms for any race child. •Kara loves singing & dancing (not good at either). She is that person belting out lyrics (usually wrong) while driving. •We are both very involved in our community and the communities where we work. Jim is a principal in an inner-city urban school & the majority of his students are Hispanic

& African American. He has spent most of his career working with students of different races so we embrace and love diversity.•Jim was involved in football & track from 7th grade through college. He

was also in the high school choir.

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Kara JimBorn: 1979 1977 Height: 5’8” 5’11”Complexion: Medium Medium Hair / Eyes: Brown/Brown Blonde/BlueReligion: Christian ChristianEducation: Master’s Degree Master’s DegreeOccupation: Dean of Students Principal Mat/Pat Lv: Yes, 3 months Yes

We have been married since 2006 and can’t wait to be parents!

Home and CommunityWe lived in the same house for many years but were always house hunting around a particular lake that we really loved. We happened to be hiking a nature preserve near this lake one day and decided to drive around just to see the homes on that side of the lake. We came across a beautiful house for sale, so we knocked on the door and asked if we could look around outside. The elderly woman actually invited us inside to look around as well. We were instantly in love. We knew that was our house. We both love being outdoors and nature, and the house is surrounded by beautiful trees, wild flowers, and a nature preserve across the lake from us. We are about 5 miles

from the elementary school which has a great playground to use. The neighborhood has the feel of living in the country but being close to neighbors as well. Living on a lake, water safety will be super important! We will get swim lessons for our children and if outside playing, we will supervise them and have a swim vest on them. We want to build memories of playing in the woods, fishing with daddy, skipping rocks, and swimming. The lake actually has a beach area for young children to play with several water toys.

The school system for the neighborhood is a great school district. We would love

to be involved with the school community and involve the child in extra-curricular like sports, music, arts, drama, whatever their interest may be.

Why Adoption?After a year of trying to get pregnant, we consulted a doctor about our options and also discussed adoption as a possibility. We decided to try a few rounds of IUI and attempted 1 in-vitro, but Kara’s body did not respond to the medications. Our doctor suggested donor eggs, but having a biological connection to our child was not that important to us. We had friends who had adopted through ASC

and we just knew that adopting was the right path for us. The encouragement from our family and friends has been overwhelming. They have all been saving their baby stuff for years and are ready to give it away ☺ Jim’s family has a tradition of every baby born sleeps in this same bassinette then their name is carved on the bottom, we can’t wait to bea part of that tradition.

Thank you for considering us!