I was nineteen-years-old when I found out I was pregnant. It is a day I will never forget. I moved to Arizona shortly after telling my parents I was expecting. After moving in with my brother, and his family, I met with an adoption agency and started looking at hopeful adoptive couples.

I delivered a beautiful baby girl in Oct. 2000. Four days later, I placed her in the arms of a couple I hardly knew. I picked them because the adoptive mom was also adopted, and I loved the “teddy bear” demeanor of the adoptive dad. I also liked that they had married later in life.

My husband and I started dating while I was pregnant. He supported my decision to place my baby for adoption and continues to support me every day. We now have three beautiful children. Our home is an open playing field for adoption conversations and questions.

The first Christmas, after placing my baby girl, I started delivering gift baskets to birth mothers at local hospitals and adoption agencies. Baskets full of items to pamper a birth mother. I enjoyed serving my fellow birth mothers, and it helped me tremendously with my healing. Eventually, this service project turned into a non-profit organization, Birth Mother Baskets. Four years ago, I stepped away from Birth Mother Baskets, and speaking publicly in the adoption community; it was a break that my heart and mind needed. Birth Mother Baskets still actively runs today, in a different way, serving birth parents and adoption agencies.

It’s been eighteen years since I placed my baby for adoption, and not a day goes by that I don’t think about her. Becoming a birth mother has taught me many valuable things, including loving those around me wholeheartedly. Over six months ago, I started working with CAIRS as a profile writer. I am passionate about helping prospective parents create their profiles. I love hearing their stories, helping them refine the important information, and adding heartfelt text that connects to birth parents. I am grateful to serve our ParentFinder parents, and I look forward to working with many more couples!