Freddie and Alison

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From Us to You

We are Freddie and Alison. If we are fortunate enough to be chosen by you, it will be a great expression of trust in us. A bond we hope will provide you comfort today and many years from now. We will lean on this bond when faced with the unforeseen challenges of being parents. It will be something sacred guiding us with confidence. It is a trust that you have made the right decision and, while the future is unknown, you can find comfort in the decision you have made. Whether it is spoken, written, or even shown–it is always understood. To us in this regard we are two sides of the same coin. Tethered by fate and the hopeful desire to create a sublime human experience for your child. Each of us has arrived at this common point by different circumstances and now our goals connect us. We all come from different backgrounds, but that is the beauty of our circumstances, one where we have chosen each other. Whether it’s a hard decision today or one in the future. It is our privilege to seek what’s best for our child. After much thought, we have realized this to be the most profound thing to share–together where we all are given the opportunity to reach our dreams.

As you continue to read, you will see that we are fortunate to be surrounded by people that want the best for us and this will also be what they will want for your child. This support will play a big part in the daily life of your baby’s future home. They will meet their five grandmothers, play with their silly cousins, explore the rocky mountains of Colorado, and experience the ocean breeze. Our families are diverse in many ways and care about helping others. Whether it’s religious, spiritual, or making sure to give back to the community, we have a little bit of everything. Our family is filled with educators, healers, entrepreneurs, environmentalists, activists, and artists, all offering their passion and love to our shared table. It is this foundation that has laid a secure and solid path for our family and what is ahead.

As you look at our profile, you will read our “why” and hopefully begin to feel the trust needed to make a decision that will forever change our lives. Our thoughts are with you as you navigate through this process. We hope that you feel supported and loved no matter where you are on your journey.

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Why We're Choosing to Adopt

So why adopt? For years we’ve been told that because of our differing races, we would make beautiful babies. While it may be true, this is not what’s important to us. Adoption isn’t a new idea for us. Very early in our relationship we knew that this resonated with our personal ethos. It was something that made sense to us. Early on in our relationship, Alison shared that from a young age, she knew she would adopt a baby from a different race. This derives from the desire to share life with a child and enjoy the unique experiences of parenthood.

Growing up, Freddie did not have a traditional family. Aunts, uncles, and step parents helped fill in gaps to get Freddie to school, make him dinner, and ensure homework was completed. Through these everyday experiences, Freddie realized family is not just who you are born to, but who is helping you day to day. This motivated him to think differently and wonder: why can’t our family adopt a child, be someone to help fill in those gaps, and provide opportunities that he was not able to experience. We have both come to recognize through this journey that family is not just who you are related to, but also the people that surround us, whom we support and love.

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About Alison, by Freddie

Growing up, Alison and I had very different upbringings and we were able to connect by our shared values of family and life. In Alison you will see the roots of a woman raised in the Midwest who travels out west to meet the man of her dreams. Unfortunately, she found Freddie and here we are today. Jokes aside, we have created a life that we are proud of and want to share with others.

Alison is a preschool teacher. Her mother was a teacher, and, in some ways, I think this influenced her to help people. Papa Chicky (Alison’s dad) also played a big role in making sure that Alison knew the importance of helping others. While in college Alison worked for multiple nonprofits helping those in need. This has always been a constant for her, to help others. It is represented in her work today. It would be very easy for her to work at another school, making more money, working with kids of privilege. However, she has chosen to help at-risk children, often spending her own money to make sure that a child has the resources they need. It comes from her passion to help others and make sure that people are treated fairly. I admire Alison and the choices she has made in her life to become the woman she is. It is not always easy to stay up late working on a specific lesson, but it is important to her that each child receives the individualized help and support they need.

On the surface, Alison and I seem completely different and think that is what has attracted us to each other. As you have seen in the pictures of us, Alison has a beautiful smile that makes you feel welcomed. Although she doesn’t take advantage of it, her eyes say so much of what she’s thinking. It might be a trait carried over from working with small children but it has a quality that I find comforting. At least once a month we take the time to get dressed up and go out. This is something that we want to include your child in, and see it as an opportunity to learn and understand how to care for oneself. We love each other very much and try to find ways to make sure that we remind each other of this. Regardless of how busy our lives are, it is important to share these experiences together and appreciate what we have. We both feel that we have more love to give and want to share that with a child.

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About Freddie, by Alison

When I first met Freddie in 2003, I was drawn to his charisma but more importantly, I wanted to become his friend. Freddie is kind, generous, personable, and funny. His calm nature grounds me and his positive attitude encourages me to persevere. He is intelligent, an excellent listener, and has an optimistic approach to life. He is honest, intentional, and direct in the way he communicates, while also being nonjudgmental and coming from a place of understanding. I know that even during difficult conversations with Freddie, he comes from a place of love and wanting to understand my perspective.

Freddie is curious and enjoys learning; I often find him reading, researching, or listening to a podcast about anything from the economy to how something works. I know this love of learning is a characteristic he will share with your child. I envision Freddie and your child taking something apart because they want to understand how it works. I think Freddie will approach parenting in this same way. He will be patient, loving, and generous with your child, while also nurturing their curiosity and teaching resilience.

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Our Home

Our home is in a diverse neighborhood, just blocks from a big park with a Nature and Science Museum, numerous playgrounds, a splash pad, summer jazz concerts, and the city zoo. The sea lions can be heard barking early in the morning, setting off an orchestra of animal sounds in the city. Neighborhood dogs, barking in their fenced yards, outdoor cats stalking their prey, and magpies and squirrels bickering in the neighborhood’s mature trees. It is pleasant to know that even while living in the city, nature is still close.

Our home has two bedrooms and one bathroom with the opportunity to add additional space as our family grows. We have a separate 2nd living space that is used as an office and exercise area. We have a large front yard, and a fenced back yard to run and play with our dog, Fritz. We are within walking distance to an elementary school offering preschool through 6th grade, a high school, and a public library. Our neighborhood is old but we moved here in 2014 recognizing its potential and have seen it grow over the years. We are friendly with many of the black families that built this neighborhood and the generations that grew up here. The area is developing and changing but remains quiet and ideal for families.

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Our Sweet Pets

Animals have been and will always be a very important part of our lives; they are considered family and treated as royalty in our home. When we first moved in together, we rescued a kitten in San Francisco. We named her Riley and were fortunate to have her with us until she passed away, in November of 2021 at 17 years old. We plan on rescuing another kitten at some point in the near future. We also have our 12 ½ year old adventurous, yet loving dog, Fritz. He is a German shorthaired pointer that we rescued when he was two. We named him Fritz because Alison’s grandma had just passed away; she was German and called her grandchildren Snickelfritz as a term of endearment. Shortly after getting Fritz, we realized that he has the same birthday as Freddie (January 23), making this Freddie’s favorite holiday. Our intent is to always have animals in our lives. They have provided us joy, unconditional love, and many laughs over the years.

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Our Family and Friends

We consider family very important and value our relationships with them. Both of us were raised in blended families that were influenced by extended family, including grandparents, stepparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Alison and her older brother were raised by her parents, who divorced when she was in middle school. Both of her parents remarried, giving her four step-sisters. Between the siblings, we have seven nieces and nephews. Alison’s brother and his family live in a ski town in Colorado and we have the pleasure of visiting them often, while also enjoying the laid-back mountain lifestyle. The rest of her family is in Illinois, Missouri, Oregon, Costa Rica, and Australia.

Freddie has a large family, which is diverse in both race and culture. Freddie’s mom is Mexican American and his dad is black. They were not married but shared responsibility raising him, along with other family members. As a young child, Freddie lived with his grandparents; they immigrated from Mexico when his uncles and aunts were young and just before his mom was born. Growing up in his Mexican grandparents’ home, he was called the “chocolate baby.” Freddie’s family includes five sisters, one brother, and two stepmothers. We have three nieces on this side of the family. Most of Freddie’s family is in California, with some family members living in Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico.

It is difficult to visit family that is spread out; however, we make it a priority to see our parents and siblings yearly, especially during holidays and summer vacation. Both sides of our family are incredibly excited and joyful for a new baby, especially the grandmas, and there are five grandmas!

Friendships are also valued in our lives. We both have friendships that have lasted well over 20 years and these friends are now considered family. It is important for us to visit them regularly despite the distance between us. We are godparents to Freddie’s best friend’s son, Sawyer, who lives in San Diego. In their Mexican Spanish culture, we are called Big Nino and Nina. We also have a strong friend connections locally and when we are unable to celebrate holidays with our family, we celebrate with our friends and their families. We feel fortunate to have the support of our families and friends, knowing we will use their experience, companionship, and love during both challenging times and life’s celebrations.

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Our Lifestyle

The past few years we have come to understand what’s important: to live deliberately and appreciate those we love. Education, family, and being true to ourselves have been important in the formation of who we are today. Coming of age as adults separately, then together as a couple, we want to grow beyond our childhoods, not forgetting our history, but building on it. Forming the solid foundation we feel proud of today, challenging our preconceived ideas of what we thought life should be, and favoring the quality of a present life. Our lifestyles embody this idea. Education is important!

As a child Freddie was encouraged to play sports since he is athletic, but his true interests are art and literature. This is something that took him time to really embrace. He will often have several books out at once continuing to learn and understand the world around us. He spends hours at museums, so much so that he will often go alone so that he can sit and enjoy the art around him. This is something he wasn’t always exposed to as a child and something he will make sure to balance with your child. After becoming an adult, he decided to go back to school and earn a Bachelor’s and two Masters degrees. We are proud of this, considering school has always been difficult for him. Freddie recently graduated and we are excited to share the extra time together.

We moved from California in 2010, for Alison to attend graduate school and become an early childhood special education teacher. It took courage to make the leap and create better opportunities for our family. Alison enjoys being outside with family and friends, hiking in the summer and cross country skiing in the winter. She also enjoys cooking vegetarian recipes, despite Freddie’s love for meat. In Alison’s down time, she enjoys reading in bed in the morning or taking our dog Fritz for long walks. Her favorite time to do this is during the fall when the weather is temperate, and the seasons are changing. Seeing the leaves change brings a smile to her face and knowing the other traditions that come with fall.

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Our Family Traditions

Many of our traditions center around food from our childhood. Both of our families made clam chowder during the Christmas holiday, and we have continued this by making it on Christmas Eve. Growing up, Freddie helped his grandma make Mole, maybe he was actually taking advantage of being the only “chocolate” grandson of his Nana (Michaella), who spoiled him with her Mexican cooking. We carried on this tradition, making mole and adding the flavors of our lives, pumpkin and sometimes roasting the seeds. We always make sure to share with our friends and their families, and include any stragglers that might enjoy it as well. When Alison was growing up, her grandma made fried chicken and mashed potatoes on Saturdays. Grandma Kay, Alison’s paternal grandma was a great home cook, who knew the importance of comfort food and how to make you feel loved. Freddie, being the chef in our family, makes fried chicken every year around his birthday. It keeps him busy and is a distraction from the attention being on him. Another birthday tradition was started by Alison’s grandfather’s family in England. We put butter on the birthday person’s nose and they cannot talk until they have eaten all of their cake. This sounds gross and messy but it has been going strong for over 100 years. Since Alison’s dad (his grandchildren called him Papa Chicky) passed away, we celebrate his birthday with a Miller Lite, shrimp cocktail, and songs by Fleetwood Mac, some of his favorite things.

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Our Vacations

We recognize our current lifestyle will shift in many ways once we have a baby; however, we want to ensure that the things we love to do, will continue, sharing them with your child. In general, our lives are busy with careers, family, and the general responsibilities of life, but we make sure to include down time at home. We enjoy cooking meals from scratch on the weekends, watching James Bond movies, and utilizing our outdoor space. We drink coffee outside in the early morning sunshine, while listening to the birds sing. It’s pleasant and a space we want to share with a child. In the evening we play backgammon as the sun sets, hoping it is cold enough to burn a fire and share some laughs with our friends. In the winter, we enjoy snowy days by cross-country skiing in the park, away from the crowds and enjoying the quiet.

In our free time, we enjoy visiting museums, riding bikes around town, and supporting local, small businesses. We are members of the botanic gardens and the science museum, both nearby favorites to visit. We enjoy the beauty and activities offered by the local mountains. Hikes and picnics in the summer and cross-country skiing in the winter. Another fun plus about living in Colorado is the chili roasting season. Every year, our friends throw a roasting party that is family-friendly and enjoyed by all. However, our true happy place is being near the ocean, exploring both the Pacific and Atlantic, Caribbean, and Baja Mexico by land or in a boat. This is how we truly relax and let time go.

Education

Education is an area that is near and dear to both of us; we recognize the importance of learning and that education is a lifelong journey. Alison’s career is in early childhood development and early intervention. As a preschool and special education teacher, she supports and learns from young children of diverse backgrounds and cultures. It is with a similar outlook that we will raise your child. Knowing that learning begins during infancy and in the home, we will teach through communication, language development, and social and emotional development. We will talk, read, and play with your baby, encouraging them to learn and explore, using our five senses and exposing ourselves to new environments. We will start with your child’s interests and understanding and teach and learn from there. We both have degrees in higher education and appreciate the benefits that come from this. As your child grows, we will support their interests and passions, provide them opportunities along the way, and help guide them towards a career path or area of interest.

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Our Promise to You

This is a promise we can make; to look daily at ourselves and make sure we are trying to be the best people and in turn the best parents we can be for your child, prioritizing their needs over our own. Growing up, we had different family dynamics, some more difficult to understand or explain to others. This is something we do not want your child to face alone. Our promise is to love and care for your baby with our whole hearts and souls. We promise to provide a safe, joyful, and healthy home, ensuring that your child has every opportunity to explore, laugh, and love throughout their life. We will love unconditionally, offering exposure to new experiences, diverse communities, and different values and beliefs. We will encourage and allow your child to flourish and become a strong, happy individual in a supportive and loving family.