We can be reached by e-mail at danandmarina@cogeco.ca or by phone at 416-824-8543 (please call collect).

"Our prayers were answered in the winter of 2002 when we were chosen by a birthmother who had decided on adoption for her baby. Later that spring, our son was born. Together with the birthmother, we named our son Michael Jonathan. We still remain in contact with her and send pictures and notes at Christmas and Michael’s birthday."

Hello,

We realize that this is a very difficult time for you and that you have a very important decision to make. In choosing adoption you have put your childs needs ahead of your own, and that is both courageous and loving.

Our names are Dan, Marina and Michael and we want to tell you a little bit about ourselves, our family and why we would be truly honored if you were to consider us as your child's adoptive family.

About Us
We started dating just before our first year of college and about five years later we got married. We tried several times to start a family but were unsuccessful with carrying a baby to term. This was a very difficult time for us. As with most young couples we never thought that we would not be able to have a baby on our own.

After numerous doctors’ visits, many tears and a lot of thought, we realized that what we really wanted was a family. Our prayers were answered in the winter of 2002 when we were chosen by a birthmother who had decided on adoption for her baby. Later that spring, our son was born. Together with the birthmother, we named our son Michael Jonathan. We still remain in contact with her and send pictures and notes at Christmas and Michael’s birthday. Michael is very aware of our adoption plan and is playing a big part with what will hopefully become our second adoption.

We have a beautiful new home that is ideal for raising a family. We have a swimming pool, play room and there are several parks nearby. We live near the lake in a neighbourhood with lots of children and great schools.

Dan
Dan is 39 years old, 5’10” and weighs 190 lbs. He has dark brown hair and brown eyes. He has an incredible sense of humour and a strong sense of loyalty. He is confident, optimistic, creative and entrepreneurial. Dan enjoys playing sports and cheering for his favourite team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He comes from a European family that emigrated from Europe in 1962 and settled down in Toronto. He has two older brothers and one younger sister, all of whom are married and have children. There are six nieces and nephews on Dan’s side of the family, ranging in age from 18 months to 14 years.

Dan is a patient, energetic and loving father and husband. He is hands-on with Michael and owning a successful business allows him to spend a lot of his time with his family.

Marina
Marina is 38 years old, 5’1” and weighs 120 lbs. She has light brown hair and brown eyes. She is kind, caring and supportive to her family and friends. She enjoys reading books, doing crossword puzzles, watching movies and socializing.

Marina enjoys cooking and baking and can be found regularly experimenting with new recipes. Healthy eating is a huge priority for Marina and so she makes sure we eat well balanced meals with plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Marina’s family emigrated from Europe and settled in Windsor, Ontario when she was three years old. She has one older sister and one younger brother. Her sister is married with two children, both daughters, ranging in age from 16 to 18 years old. She is very close to her mother, sister, brother and nieces. Marina is a committed, loving and nurturing mother and wife.

Michael
Michael is a very handsome little boy that is full of energy, enthusiasm and curiosity. He loves to play both indoors and outdoors. Indoors we can often find him playing with his hot wheels cars or train set. While outdoors, he enjoys swimming, riding around on this bike or scooter or playing hockey, soccer or basketball with his dad and the kids in the neighborhood.

Over the past year, Michael has participated in team activities like soccer, hockey and T-Ball. He is an extremely quick learner and can catch on to new things very fast. He enjoys both the social and academic aspect of school. He enjoys drawing pictures and using every crayon in the pack -- the more colour the better. Michael is in Senior Kindergarten. He is a very happy little boy and looks forward to being a big brother. He often asks us when he will have a baby brother or sister.

Our Plans
Education is very important to us so we have saved for our children’s future to allow them to pursue the very best education we can afford.

We both believe that it is important for Michael to have a sibling. Both children will have a common bond of being adopted, and will have each other as well as us to answer the questions that they are certain to have.

Both of our families were extremely supportive of our decision to adopt Michael and naturally extended their support in this second adoption. Our families on both sides have hands-on experience with adoption themselves. Dan’s first cousin and her husband adopted a boy from Russia a few years ago. As well, two of Dan’s second cousins and Marina’s first cousin were adopted.

We both believe strongly in hands-on parenting and in being involved in your child’s life. We eat dinner as a family; we drive to work and school together as a family and spend our free time together as a family. We talk about feelings and behavior and try to get down to Michael’s level so that he understands the boundaries that we set for him. We believe in being respectful and considerate of others and encourage that behavior in Michael and would do the same for our next child. We believe in giving structure and boundaries with positive reinforcement and praise.

What to Expect From Us
We believe in being open and honest with ourselves, each other and our children. Michael knows that he is adopted. His natural curiosity leads to his understanding that there is a difference in how we came to be a family. It is our strong belief that our children should know who they are, how they came to be and most importantly how special they are.

We understand that this is a very difficult time for you with many choices to make. We would be ready to discuss whatever level of openness you would be interested in.

We are deeply touched that you would consider us as adoptive parents to your child.

We wish you and the baby the very best, with whatever you decide.

Warmest wishes
Marina and Dan