Rachel Ray and

Dear Birthmother,
Rachel
and
Ray
As you read this letter we would like you
to know how much we admire you for
considering adoption for your child. At this
time when you are making such an important
decision, we appreciate the opportunity to tell you a little bit about us and the love we have to
share with your child.
We met almost 20 years ago while we were both in high school. Ray and my brother were very
good friends and my best friend happened to have grown up with Ray (who lived on Rachel
Street!) in the same neighborhood. As fate would have it, we met again while Ray was in
college rooming with my brother, and we’ve been together ever since. We even went to the
high school prom together. We both thought finishing our education was important, so we
dated for 8 years before we got married.
We knew we someday wanted to have a family, so we searched until we
found some land in a small New England town (which coincidentally, is
where Ray’s great grandparents had settled and his grandparents grew up
there) that had a community that would be enriching for raising a family.
With the help of Ray’s Dad and Uncle, we built our own home, knowing
that we would stay there and make wonderful memories over the years as
a family.
After a few years of marriage and
a few more rooms were completed
in our house, we decided it
was time to start a family. We
never thought we would have
difficulties. After many years
of doctor’s appointments, tests
and infertility procedures, we
understood that we would not be
able to become parents on our
own. It was then that we decided
that our journey to having a family
was meant to take another route.
Our home that we built together
Renewing our vows
We have family members who have adopted and this
has been a very positive experience for them and
for the whole family. We also have met many other
families along the way who have adopted and shared
their good experiences with us as
well. We are very excited to travel
this journey to parenthood.
Our commitment to each other
has grown with each passing
year. Last year we celebrated our
10th anniversary and decided to
renew our vows. The reception house where we had
our wedding ten years prior is also a restaurant, so we
have been able to go there for a special dinner on our
anniversary. It’s been a wonderful tradition we’ve been
able to continue, each year, to celebrate our commitment to each other.
G’s first day home
We both cherish the closeness we have with our families. This
was another one of the factors that helped determine where to
settle down. It’s important to us to be able to spend holidays
with our families, have the “just to visit” dinners, and to be
able to stop over and say “Hi”. We wish for the child that
is welcomed into our lives and hearts to know the love and
support of family and to know laughter, as we feel these are
an important part of life. We both grew up in families who are
always having fun and going the extra mile to have a laugh.
Ray’s Dad and Uncle even so much as had antics that went on
from his home in California to the east coast here where we
are!
I, Ray, come from a very large family on both my parents’
sides. Most of my family continues to live nearby. My
parents, younger brother, and sister live only a few miles
away. My Dad is a retired Captain of the fire department and
he always has great stories to tell about his adventures on fire
calls. Growing up,
family holidays
were large
gatherings with
grandparents,
aunts and uncles,
and plenty of
children running
around at play.
I am an avid
football fan
and have been
Dressed up for Halloween in Dad’s
going to the games
firefighter uniform
Celebrating a birthday with Ray’s family
Ray, Emma and Rachel
with my father, aunt, uncle and cousins
for many years. We have a great time
meeting up on Sundays for home games at
the stadium along with the full pre-game
tailgate spread. I’ve had season tickets for
14 years and would love to one day share
these fun times with our daughter or son,
as I have done for many years with my
family.
My sister has a baby girl, Emma, and we
are honored to be her godparents. She
is such a joy to be around and watch her
develop and grow. The truth is she adores
us and follows me around everywhere now
that she can walk! I adore her also.
I, Rachel, have a much smaller
family by comparison. My
parents, grandmother and older
brother all continue to live
close by. I grew up in a family
that loved to cook. My great
grandmother, who came to the
United States from Sweden,
learned to cook in Boston by Fannie Farmer
herself. Growing up I’d spent many hours in
the kitchen with my Grandmother and Mother
learning the family recipes. Sharing the love
of cooking has enabled my family many hours
A family wedding with Rachel’s mom
of spending time together, as well as sharing those
cherished family recipes.
I love when Christmas time comes and I get
to take out the recipe cards that are titled
“Mom’s Banana Bread” or “Gram’s Spritz
Cookies”. Christmas has always been a big
holiday in my family. My Mother and I each
Having our Christmas danish
put up a few Christmas trees each year and
have such a good time decorating for the holidays.
Christmas morning I still am not able to sleep in
and I love to get up early and carry on the tradition
of hot danish and cocoa while I open Christmas
gifts. It will be so precious when I can share this
Christmas holiday excitement as a parent.
Paper hats on Christmas
We are established in our
careers and are fortunate to
work in family friendly work
environments. Ray has a
home office, which affords
him some flexibility with
this schedule. Rachel works
at a company that is rated
in the 100 Best Companies
by Working Mothers. The
company is very flexible with
its work schedules and has
many benefits for families.
This includes scholarships,
children’s holiday parties,
charitable events and
discounts to many children’s shows when they come to
town. We live in a New England town that affords many
different opportunities and cultures. It’s a hill town
Taking Emma to see Elmo Show
where we frequent the state parks nearby to hike.
We love to walk our dog in these parks on the weekends. Our dog, who we call “G,” loves to
play with our niece and our neighbor’s children
when they stop by with their parents. He is a
very patient and loveable animal. Our home is on
over an acre of land in a neighborhood situated
across a mountain. It’s beautiful for taking walks
and enjoying the outdoors. Over eight colleges
of varied educational fields of study surround us.
The town we live in is also
convenient to a variety of
destinations. We can take a
jaunt to Tanglewood (which is a
Cookies with Sydney
beautiful
outdoor
center for music) for a concert or head to the shore
for a day at the beach on a hot summer day. We are
also in driving distance to Boston and can take a train
into New York
City. There
is so much to
do where we
live and we
look forward
to providing
our child with
exposure
Emma having fun with Uncle Ray’s cell phone
to all the
sights and
recreation that our region has to offer.
Rachel’s father reading to “G”
Emma and her new God Parents
We want our son or daughter to grow
up knowing that their opportunities
are limitless and provide them with
nurturing so they can grow up to
be whomever they aspire to be.
We have a financial plan that will
provide the funds necessary to
allow our children to pursue the
education that they want in the fields
of their interests. Our families were
supportive of our educational desires and
interests, and we are committed to providing
that same freedom
and opportunity
to the children
welcomed into our
home and family. We
both come from such loving families and they can
not wait to meet the child who will become part of
our family, especially Rachel’s parents as this will
be the first grandchild on her side of the family.
We have grown up with the love and support from
both our families. We look forward to sharing in
these wonderful traits when we fulfill our dream to
be parents.
Cutty Hunk Island
If we are fortunate to be the parents that you choose for your child, we would be happy to
learn about what communication you would like during your child’s growing up years. We are
more than happy to send photo/letter updates, speak on the phone and have visits. Friends
who adopted their son have found that these ways of staying in connection have helped their
family and their child’s birthparents have a warm relationship over the years. We want you to
always feel assured that your son or daughter is happy and that he or she knows how much
love and thought went into your plan. We’d like to know what you’d like in this regard.
Thank you for letting us share a part of our lives with
you. We know you have a very important decision
to make, and we welcome the opportunity to talk
with you and share more about us and answer any
questions you may have, if that would be helpful for
you. We are interested in learning what your hopes
and wishes are for your child. Please contact Full
Circle at 1-800-452-3678 if you would like
to be able to ask questions
about us or to arrange a
time to talk, as we would be
honored to speak with you.
Respectfully yours,
Ray and Rachel