Hello There! I’m Amber from Ridgely, Maryland. I am a California girl at heart being born and raised in sunny Southern California. I am excited to go on this adventure of becoming an adoptive parent. I have been waiting for this moment ever since I was 5 years old. I would play in my room that was filled with baby dolls, each in their own crib or bassinet, and my imagination transported me to a nursery where I was a nurse caring for all the babies. Every Christmas my gifts of choice were more dolls (the more real looking the better) and real baby items to care for the dolls. I can’t wait to get to know you and for you to get to know me.

I have been ready to have a child for some time, but due to a birth defect my body will not support a baby. Adoption is near and dear to my heart from volunteering in animal shelters for almost 5 years. I have first-hand experience seeing individuals and families’ lives change for the better after adopting a cat or dog. As well as the pet’s life change for the better after being taken in and becoming part of a family who has the resources, determination, and an overwhelming amount of love to care for the pet. I have thought about adoption for a long time, and I know this is the next step in my life.

I moved to Ridgely, Maryland, a small suburb of the state capital, Annapolis to work as a statistician. Math has always been my favorite subject in school and knowing that I can work with numbers every day at work gives me pure joy.

The city I live in is considered the Eastern Shore of Maryland. This means I am just a quick drive to the beach which is one of my favorite places on earth. I have been a collector of seashells since I could walk. I have so many shells and sand dollars that I have put them in glass containers and I display them on shelves in my living room. Two years ago, I bought my first house and I pride myself on living independently. I have slowly painted and decorated my home with beach decor. The beach is my inspiration. I have learned how to upkeep my house all myself. I do my own yard work (I recently repaired my own lawn mower) and I do minor handyman work.

My work schedule is very flexible, and I work from home, so I will always be close by if I am needed when my future child starts school. I will be available for school drop off and pick up, as well as any after school activities or sports my future child is interested in.

I can’t wait to be a part of all the school field trips too!

I really love volunteering at the local animal shelter. My duties have ranged from dog and cat after work caretaking, training new volunteers, working fundraising events, and cat manager duties. I have worked with a lot of potential adopters in getting their home ready for a shelter pet who may have had past emotional or physical trauma. Pets are just like people and should be treated as such. Shelter pets are some of the most appreciative animals when they find a forever home.

I hope to share many of my favorite summer hobbies with my future child. Many are beach activities, such as boogie boarding, paddle boarding, biking, and camping. One of my favorite memories as a kid is camping by the beach every summer with my mom. We would play in the sand and surf in the day and roast marshmallows for s’mores by the campfire at night. Some of my favorite winter hobbies include snowshoeing, hiking, and putting together 3D puzzles. We get a little snow where I live in Maryland, but when I really want to visit the snow, I go to South Dakota to visit my mom. She lives by Custer State Park, so there are a lot of beautiful hiking trails that are fun to hike and snowshoe in the snow.

I have many happy memories of my childhood from holidays to the everyday events. I fondly recall carving pumpkins in the grass in our front yard. I remember going to our communities’ annual Christmas event where there were cookies, candy canes, and crafts. I enjoyed dying eggs and then searching for them in the backyard with my fuzzy bunny Easter basket. I also remember going to Disneyland every year on my birthday. I hope to create similar experiences with my future child. I also remember the ordinary activities like my mom helping me with my homework after work, my mom taking me to dance lessons or dance competitions, and my mom and I biking to the community lake to visit the ducks on the weekend. This is the type of mom I will be to your child.

I live in a two-story house with a basement on 1.5 acres.The neighborhood has rural vibes, but it is still suburban with plenty of families. I have a large front yard where bunnies and groundhogs munch on clover in the grass daily. My backyard is filled with a forest canopy in its natural state. As I embark through the forest, I am treated to a wild stream that runs through the width of my property, perfect for reflection. In the winter, the holly trees fill with red berries. They make a beautiful view from my living room as I latch hook and cross stitch in front of the fireplace (with Sylvester on my lap, of course). In my basement, I have created a personal gym where I am lucky enough to be able to workout during my lunch hour.

I live near a state park with several hiking trails. It is a fun place to geocache as well. Geocaching is a hide and seek game where hiders provide online clues for seekers. Seekers use the GPS system on their phone to find hidden caches. I look forward to experiencing everything my community offers through my future child’s eyes.

My cat, Sylvester, is a black and white tuxedo. He is the most lovable cat and is so excited to have a little one to run around the house with. I adopted him at the shelter where I volunteer. He was overlooked by so many potential adopters due to his skin issues. He has very sensitive skin with multiple environmental allergies that I have to stay vigilant about treating. Despite his constantly itchy skin, he is still upbeat about life, loves chasing his toy mousies, and he couldn’t live without watching the birdies at the bird feeder.

I have a small family, but they are very important to me, and we always come through for each other when another is in need. I am very close with my mom, who lives in South Dakota. She comes to visit me in Maryland all the time or I go to South Dakota to visit her. We spend all the major holidays together. When we are not together, we call each other every Sunday for a weekly life update. My mom plans to be heavily involved in her grandmother duties. Knowing her, she won’t be able to stay away from her future grandchild and will move to Maryland. In the meantime, she can fly or drive to Maryland at a moment’s notice if needed. I regularly visit California to see my dad, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandmother. I also have family in Georgia where I am close enough to be a part of long weekend get togethers.

Everyone is very excited to bring an adoptive child into the family and are constantly asking for updates on the process. Despite my small family, I have a lot of experience around children. My mom just retired from being an elementary school teacher and I helped in her classroom for many years. It started when I was in elementary school on my school breaks. I would write student names on name tags, put notebooks together, and staple homework packets. Then when I got older, I would help tutor kids who needed help with reading or help with math lessons.

I have personal knowledge on how to successfully raise a child by one parent. Growing up, I learned how to harness two superpowers. I have my mothering side which is nurturing, loving, caring, and will always be there for my child. I also have my independent side which is always learning new skills, being self-sufficient, and working hard. Having both of these superpowers makes me a well-rounded person and makes me well suited to care for a child on my own. I have a very close relationship with my mom and I hope to have a close bond with my future child as well.

We have all had our ups and downs in life. I’m sure you have, and I know I have as well. You are making a big decision and I can recognize the stress that is probably on your shoulders. Some things in life come easy for people, but there are other things where you must put everything you have into something. I’ve learned that the best things in life are when I have had to give it my all. That is what I plan on doing for your child.

I will give it my all and your child will have the best life that you and I can imagine for him or her.