You can reach us by email at melandjas@rogers.com or by calling collect at 613-808-0775. If you want, you can also contact our adoption licensees at: JoAnne Conlin at pconlin@conlinlaw.com or by calling collect at 613-737-4140. Tina McCann at tinamccann@sympatico.ca or by calling collect at 905-475-3386.

We believe strongly that adoption is about openness, commitment and understanding. We want you to know that we are here with open arms, enthusiastic to build a relationship with both you and your child. We would also like to express our willingness and desire to meet your family. We are aware that adoption affects not only the birth mother and birth father, but often their families too...We promise to love and cherish your baby everyday and to be the best Mom and Dad that we can be.

Hi.

It is funny how life works sometimes…no matter what you think may happen, one day you find yourself taking a path that you never planned on but for some reason you know that it is right, that it is meant to be....For us, that path is adoption. We are very excited that we may become a Mom and Dad because of you…

We hope that this profile about our background, our families, and ourselves will begin to answer some of your questions and helps you to understand the kind of life we hope to share with your baby. We know that pictures speak a thousand words, so we have included lots of pictures of our family and ourselves. If you have more questions, please ask and we will be happy to answer them in any way we can.

About us
We met at university nearly eleven years ago and have been together ever since. We were married in 2001. Our relationship is strong -- we both have unique qualities that make our marriage healthy and fun, but we also share many of the same values and interests that keep us smiling and in love. We spend a lot of time together, whether it is fixing up our garden, fishing, camping, canoeing, or skating (although Jason thinks that Melanie only goes for the hot chocolate and the sugared “beaver tails”).

Over the last few years, we have been able to travel outside of Canada and hope to share that with your child. We also enjoy staying home and watching TV, movies, or playing cards -- and going to Newfoundland as often as possible to visit our parents. We try to live a healthy lifestyle doing things that make us happy. We will offer and encourage your child the same things, including the opportunity to try many different activities that will help them develop a healthy lifestyle doing things they love.

Jason speaks about Melanie
Melanie is one of the strongest; most dedicated and determined people I know. What I admire most about her is that she is very open-minded, warm and caring -- and very funny. Melanie wears her heart on her sleeve with everyone she meets and she would not have it any other way. This is why I know, if you choose us, Melanie will make a great Mom for your baby. You will know exactly where you stand with Melanie -- no false promises, no back doors. She believes strongly that we are meant to raise a family through adoption and we both believe that the child we are meant to love and provide for is the one that will come to us through adoption, hopefully through you.

Melanie has lots of different interests -- she likes to keep active by kickboxing, passing her time away in her garden or reading a book. She loves to bake -- every Christmas she bakes cookies for her family and friends.

Of course, I can’t forget her funny quirks and habits -- her favourite movie is JAWS -- all four of them. If I agreed, it would be JAWS day every Saturday and she would be just as scared as if she watched them for the first time. My fun comes from watching her -- I laugh for hours. She is also a big fan of the TV show LOST and her favourite board game is Monopoly (though she can never find willing opponents)!

Melanie is 35. She attended university and earned her Master of Arts degree. She now works as a Researcher. She comes from a very large family -- six brothers, two sisters and 15 nieces and nephews. Can you imagine? Melanie is a fantastic aunt. In fact, being an aunt to so many nieces and nephews has provided her with lots of opportunity to practice being a mom and she enjoys every minute of it.

Melanie speaks about Jason
Jason is 35, just a few months older than me. He was also born and raised in Newfoundland, just an hour away from where I grew up. Jason graduated from university and now works in the IT field. Jason has lots of different interests -- he just passed his motorcycle exam and spends lots of time riding his new bike. He keeps fit through karate and jogging. He also enjoys camping, golfing, fishing, and reading. He is so excited about the possibility of sharing some of these activities with your child, especially the camping and the fishing trips.

Jason has so many great qualities -- he is very strong, positive and goal oriented. He has this way of making everyone around him feel safe, especially me. He sets his mind to accomplishing a goal and no matter how long it takes, he will get there. One of his hardest and most rewarding accomplishments was earning his black belt in Karate. I was so proud of him because I knew how hard he had worked to get there. Jason can do anything he sets his mind on and that is one of the many reasons that I am lucky to be his wife.

Family is very important to Jason. He is very protective and always there to support us. He comes from a small but close family. He has one sister and brother, and a very sweet niece. Though he comes from a small family, he fits in perfectly with my “large” family. Our nieces and nephews love to spend time with him because he always knows how to have fun, and he is always up for going to the Movies and buying popcorn. I know that he is so excited about becoming a Dad -- he already has the camping and fishing trips planned!

Our family and friends
We both come from supportive and close families and we have a great group of friends. Everyone is very excited about our decision to adopt. Adoption is pretty natural to members from both sides of our families -- we both have adopted cousins, and Melanie has a family member who placed her baby for adoption. Being able to hear about all sides of the adoption process from our family members has helped us so much to understand and appreciate what adoption is all about. With such a big, welcoming family and group of friends, we know that everyone will love and support your baby.

Our home
Our home is in Ottawa within a small community full of young families, parks, schools and walking trails. It is bright and sunny with three bedrooms and a family room for watching TV and playing games. We also have a big fenced in yard with a vegetable garden, flowerbeds and lots of room for a sand box and swing set. The kitchen is our favourite room in the house -- it is bright and faces the backyard. We get to see all types of birds and even our pet groundhog (who has taken up residence in our backyard). We believe your baby would be happy here, as they grow with friends and family in a safe, fun loving, happy community.

What adoption means to us
We believe strongly that adoption is about openness, commitment and understanding. We want you to know that we are here with open arms, enthusiastic to build a relationship with both you and your child. We would also like to express our willingness and desire to meet your family. We know that adoption affects not only the birth mother and birth father, but often their families too.

We know many people say they are interested in an open adoption but we would like to state that we believe we are confident and capable of an open arrangement and it is our desire to have you be part of our lives forever. While it is our obvious dream that our relationship with you will become an important part of your life too, please know that if for any reason you feel the need to distance yourself from us or your child, we fully support the Adoption Registry so you can reconnect when the time is right for you.

We promise to love and cherish your baby everyday and to be the best Mom and Dad that we can be. Our commitment to you is that your child will grow up knowing their birth story, always aware of the love you have for them. We also hope that you will share in the naming of your baby because we know how important this will be to them as they grow up.

Raising your Child
We will raise your child in the same way we were raised -- as parents who love their children endlessly, who provide a comfortable, happy, and secure home with lots of encouragement to pursue all kinds of interests. We will teach your child what we consider the most important values in life: to be respectful to others, compassionate, kind, to work hard at whatever they do and, of course, to always have fun. Most importantly, we will teach your child respect and compassion for the situation you are currently in, teaching them that the decisions you have made to place him or her with us is a decision made out of love and with courage.

We will also encourage your child to be strong and independent, knowing that they will need lots of love, teaching, and understanding to develop and grow into a healthy, happy adult. Like all parents we recognize that it will be our job to teach your child what is good behaviour. We hope to accomplish this through being positive role models, and leading by example. When and if the time comes that we need to correct their behaviour, we hope to do this through consistent teaching and explanation, and if necessary, short time-outs. Through all the ups and downs of parenting, what we want more than anything is to provide a good home for your child where they are happy, loved, and safe.

Thankfully, our careers have provided us with financial stability, while our employer provides us with the flexibility we need to raise a family (family time, flexible hours, and compressed workweeks). We both intend to take full advantage of the parental benefits provided to us. Melanie will stay home for the first year. After that, we will consider a shorter workweek so that your baby is only with an in-home caregiver part-time.

Religion is also very important for our family. We attend church throughout the year, especially on special occasions and when we are visiting our parents. It is our plan to baptize your baby in the Anglican Church.

Thank you
Thank you again for taking the time to read about us. Please know that no matter what your decision is, we are humbled by your interest in us. We know that you have a hard decision to make and we hope that in the days ahead you will find peace of mind and happiness in the decisions you are faced with today.

Our thoughts are with you,
Melanie and Jason