Guy & Beth are hopeful adoptive parents from California waiting to adopt a baby. If you are pregnant and considering placing your child for adoption, please read the following Dear Birthmother letter. Thanks For Choosing To Read Our Letter. Hi!! We are Guy, Beth, and Connor Merrick from Santa Clarita, CA. First let us say how much we admire your courage for considering open adoption as an option for your baby. Open adoption will allow you to choose a loving family to raise and parent your child. We are so exctied about providing a home where your baby can flourish and be loved unconditionally. Our Story… The two of us met eight years ago through mutual friends and right away it was clear that we would spend the rest of our lives together. It didn't take us long to decide to get married and in the fall of 1997, we celebrated the beginning of this new chapter in our lives. In September of 1998 our son Connor was born. Connor has brought so much joy to us and to the lives of other members of our family. We are sure that our new son or daughter will bring as much joy to our family and can't wait to experience raising a baby all over again. Since we are unable to have another child of our own, we know that open adoption is the answer to our prayers. We are committed to the idea of open adoption and are eager to build a positive relationship with the birthmother of our second child.

Our Family Guy on Beth… Beth is a great wife and Mom. She sings, dances, and acts silly with Connor, but does not overlook the importance of raising good, caring children. She has stayed home with Connor since he was born and is looking forward to doing that with our next child as well. Since Connor has longer school hours in first grade, Beth has decided to volunteer a few days a week at the local food pantry and senior center until our new baby arrives (she still fits in working in Connor's classroom every wee). She is eager, however to be a STAY AT HOME MOM again in the near future. Taking the baby to Mommy and Me classes, on walks at the park, on trips to the zoo, etc., is what Beth looks forward to the most. Outside of these activities, Beth enjoys gardening, exercising, and decorating our home. Beth on Guy… Guy is an amazing husband and father who balances his role in our family with intelligence and humor. His involvement with Connor is remarkable. He frequently volunteers in Connor's first grade classroom and after school or on the weekend will take Connor dirt bike riding, skiing, or fishing. Outside of our home, Guy works as a transportation captain in the television and motion picture industry. Currently he is working on Fear Factor. What a thrill it is for Connor to visit the set and see those outrageours stunts being performed. We think our new baby will enjoy this and many other adventures with Daddy. "Free time" for Guy is spent working on his 1967 Porsche while listening to Dave Matthews, playing hockey, and completing woodworking projects. Our son Connor… Connor is an energetic 6 year old with many interests. He participates in Karate and recenlty won gold and silver medals at a touranment. Connor also likes playing Power Rangers with his friends in the neighborhood and riding his bike at the jumps right across the street from our house. CONNOR IS SO EXCITED ABOUT HAVING A LITTLE BROTHER OR SISTER!! While he is not excited about the idea of changing diapers, he is eager to help feed the baby, give him or her a bath, and most importantly, teach him or her to ride a bike, play soccer, fish, go skiing, and build with legos.

Our Home Our home and community… We are an active family and live in the family oriented city of Santa Clarita. We are close to Magic Mountain, the L.A. zoo, hiking trails, biking trails, and numerous parks, all of which we frequent on a regular basis. We live on a cul-de-sac and enjoy playing in our yard with the kids on the block and at the park that is right up the street from our house. We love animals and have two dogs, two cats, a lizard and a goldfish. Our new baby will have many exciting experiences and opportunities where we live. We can’t wait to take him or her to our favorite parks to swing or play in the sandboxes, to story time at the local libraries, on bike rides in the baby seat attached to our bikes, and in the backpack while we hike our favorite trails. Family time… Our new child will immediately have three sets of grandparents, four aunts and uncles, and five cousins all competing for special "baby time." Our families are extremely supportive about our decsion to adopt and are so excited about having another baby in the family to love. While most of our relatives live locally, we visit those who don't several times a year. Each year we take a trip to New Hampshire in the fall to visit Beth's sister, her husband, and their two boys. We are so excited about our trip to their farm and about seeing the beautiful "changing of the colors" back east. We also plan a vacation each summer to places like San Diego, Florida, or Yosemite. We know that our new baby will enjoy our many adventures and travels. We are so excited about introducing him or her to nature and to all of the fun activities we plan every year.

Our Faith and Values We believe in God and have faith in his plan for us. Love, honesty, trust, and communication are key values in our home. These principles have helped us to form a solid marriage and family foundation of which we are proud. We also believe that teaching our children these values will help them to become kind, caring, productive members of our family and society in general. Education is also very important to us. Both of us graduated from college and are already making plans for our children to be afforded this opportunity if they choose. We can't wait to hear from you and talk about our plans to love, nurture, and raise our second child. Please call us toll-free at 1-800-296-0929 or email us at gbcmerrick@sbcglobal.net. If you would like to see more pictures, you can visit our other website at www.freewebs.com/gbcmerrick. You can also contact a counselor at the Independent Adoption Center at 1-800-877-OPEN (6736). We are looking forward to hearing from you and learning more about you. All the best, Guy, Beth, and Connor Merrick