We would love to provide you with more information about us. If this brief profile of us has piqued your curiosity, then please contact one of our two adoption practitioners, JoAnne Conlin at 613-737-4140 or via e-mail at pconlin@conlinlaw.com, or, alternatively, Jennie Painter at 1-866-255-4855 or via e-mail at jennie@openadoption.ca.

"Although our family is supportive and loving, it is nevertheless quite small. We are eager to grow as a family, not only in size but also in love, companionship and support. While the gift of a child is, in itself, a blessing for which we would be eternally grateful, we would also be thrilled to welcome you into our family as a vital and fundamental part."

Hello!

Our names are Caroline and Matthew, and we hope to adopt a child. We have learned a great deal about open adoption over the last little while, and are very enthused about adopting a child in this way, where we would gain not only a beautiful little child, but also an extended family in you. This is particularly appealing to us as we are both from small families.

About Us
We are a bilingual professional couple living in a suburban, kid-friendly neighbourhood with lots of parks and playgrounds (not to mention quite an endless supply of little kids for your child to play with).

Caroline, born and raised in Hull and Ottawa, is French Canadian while Matthew, born and raised in Montreal, is English Canadian. We have known each other for over a decade, and have been married for the eight longest years of our lives (just kidding!). We actually have a very strong and stable marriage built on respect, love and open communication (which means that, just like in Parliament, we sometimes air our concerns in both official languages). We share many common values and interests, but above all we dream of being parents to a little baby.

About Caroline
Caroline is a sweet and loving wife, with a very kind and generous heart. She is a friendly and happy person who everyone seems to like. She is empathetic and positive, and strives to make our home welcoming and warm (thanks to a very handy programmable thermostat). She enjoys making delicious home-cooked meals (or instructing Matthew to fire up the barbecue). Caroline is naturally maternal, and would make a truly wonderful mom for your child. Caroline enjoys a wide range of activities. An adept swimmer, Caroline enjoys all water sports, ranging from kayaking and canoeing to snorkelling and scuba diving. She also loves biking, hiking and music. During the winter months, Caroline can be found training on the treadmill in our basement, especially after having splurged on some chocolate.

About Matthew
Matthew is a devoted and thoughtful husband. He is a very caring and sensitive man. With his sense of humour and playfulness, he always puts people at ease. He plays the piano (without a metronome), loves reading and writing fiction (although for now, he’s sticking with his day job). Matthew enjoys a variety of sports (he’s a big fan of hockey, soccer and tennis).

Our Interests
When we’re together, we enjoy trying new restaurants, especially Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai and Japanese, hanging out at coffee shops, or catching a good movie with one of those small barrels of popcorn. We also love to travel, and hope to show your child many of the wonders of this world. We have travelled together to France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Mexico, the Caribbean, California, British Columbia, Florida, Washington, New York and Boston. We also love a good road trip on a nice summer weekend, with a bag of munchies and some good tunes in the CD player.

Family traditions are very important to us. We host our family at Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (with both sides of the family). We have a very supportive and loving family, who will welcome your child with open arms.

Our Parenting Beliefs
We believe in giving children a loving and nurturing home to give them security and confidence. We would strive to provide your child with everything that we can possibly offer. We also believe in setting appropriate boundaries and limits to ensure proper behaviour and respect. As a general rule, we would try to raise your child with positive reinforcement, encouragement and praise. However, when discipline is required, we would use time-outs. We are opposed to physical discipline.

As your child grows up, we vow to encourage and foster his or her personal interests, be it intellectual, artistic or athletic, and to guide him or her, with respect and love, onto a career path that will bring fulfillment and satisfaction. But even more importantly, we hope to teach and guide this child to become confident, independent, responsible, wise, caring and, above all, happy.

Our Relationship with You
Although our family is supportive and loving, it is nevertheless quite small. We are eager to grow as a family, not only in size but also in love, companionship and support. While the gift of a child is, in itself, a blessing for which we would be eternally grateful, we would also be thrilled to welcome you into our family as a vital and fundamental part.

In the realm of adoption, as we have discovered, there is often a tendency to speak of “giving up your child”. We hope that you will not consider this adoption strictly in terms of “giving up” or losing your child. Rather, we hope you will see that, while you are indeed giving, you are also getting. You are certainly giving your child an opportunity and also giving us a beautiful gift, but in turn, we hope that you will be gaining an extended family in us. For all of us, this will be a journey into uncharted territory, but we are confident that if we all promise to be open and respectful of each other, and if we all hold the best interests of this child at heart, then this will be a good and happy experience for us all.

Sincerely,
Caroline and Matthew