Patrick and Megan

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From Us to You

Dear Parents,

Thank you for considering us as a family for your child.

Your strength and courage to make the best decision – whatever it may be – is admirable. And we appreciate this opportunity to tell you more about ourselves and our adoption journey.

Our story started in college, where we met almost 20 years ago. While Megan is originally from Hawaii and Patrick grew up in Maryland, we bonded over a shared sense of humor, core values, the importance of family and good food. In the following years, we managed a long-distance relationship, enjoyed many holidays and milestones, traveled to numerous cities and countries in the U.S. and abroad, and finally settled in Washington, DC to start our careers. During this time, we have grown together both as individuals and as partners committed to building a loving, faithful and healthy home while supporting each other through our educational, personal and professional endeavors. We will celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary this year.

We always wanted to have an extensive family, but have been unable to conceive naturally. Based on our personal preferences and religious beliefs, adoption is the route we pursued and are continuing to pursue wholeheartedly.

We were blessed to welcome our sons Joseph, (4 years old, aka “Jojo”) and George (18 months) into our family via adoption. Parenting them over the past few years has been such a humbling, rewarding and amazing experience.

We encourage both Jojo and George to embrace their adoption, sharing their respective adoption stories in an age-appropriate manner, and attending events where they can each meet other adoptive families and children. We also incorporate books celebrating adoption into our nightly bedtime reading. While Jojo’s is a closed adoption and George’s is mostly closed, we remember each of their birth parents during the holidays (including Mother’s and Father’s Day) to honor their memory and immeasurable impact on our lives.

Even with a younger brother, Jojo tells us that he looks forward to having a baby brother or sister with whom he can share kisses, hugs and toys. He is also ready to help change their diapers, and tuck his little sister or brother into bed at night with a “blankie” or two. Could he talk, we think George would agree as well. We certainly do.

We would be honored if you placed your faith in us as adoptive parents, and would welcome an opportunity to share updates and milestones along the way.

With sincerest gratitude and respect,
Megan & Patrick

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Why We are Choosing to Adopt

We always wanted to have a family and thought we would be great parents – in particular, looking to our parents (each, married for more than 40 years) as role models. After a few years of marriage we specifically began trying to expand our family. But conceiving was not as easy as we imagined. We consulted many doctors who could find no cause for our infertility, undergoing various medical (and emotional) tests along the way. Though we visited numerous doctors, we have not pursued any IVF procedures.

Instead, there was a more compelling path for us: adoption. Based on our personal preferences and beliefs, adoption is the route we pursued twice (and are continuing to pursue) and we haven’t looked back!

In addition to being adoptive parents ourselves, we have many friends, co-workers, and family members who are adoptive parents, or they were adopted themselves. The response from our friends and family to our continued adoption plans has been overwhelmingly positive.

But perhaps the more important affirmation of our adoption journey is our children, Jojo and George. Every day we feel so blessed to have them in our lives. We can’t wait to welcome into our family a baby sister or brother with whom we can share laughs and create new memories.

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About Megan

Megan and I were friends before we began dating. What attracted me to Megan was her kindness to others, importance of family, and strong morals. She is hard working, detail oriented, and always strives to better herself, be it in business, on the tennis court, or as a mom.

Family is very important to Megan. She is committed to being a good mom to Jojo and George, and keeping in touch with family. We visit family in Hawaii a few times per year, and each trip is jam packed with family lunches, cousins’ dinners, and beach days. Megan keeps in touch with my side of the family as well, and encourages me to do likewise.

Megan is also dedicated to service. Besides roles in church and alumni groups, she has coached her law school moot court team (basically like legal debate team) for more than 15 years and has mentored the students she has coached above and beyond her coaching role. She gets great satisfaction from keeping in touch and is always willing to do what she can to help. Their successes are her successes, and she finds it very fulfilling to see her team find jobs, have families, and thrive in their respective careers. Megan is also active in the local chapter of her high school alumni network, serving as Vice President, and helps to coordinate various Hawaii-related social gatherings throughout the year.

A lawyer by training, Megan left her law practice a few years ago to start a solar energy company which is not only successful, but helps bring clean energy to many communities. She has been successful in life and business, often defying the odds to achieve her goals. Whether attending an excellent law school or getting a job in a big law firm group, she always overachieves. I admire her drive, positive attitude, and the ambitious goals she sets for herself.

One of Megan’s strongest interests is tennis. She plays on a competitive women’s team, and has made friends and big strides in not only her level of play, but her fitness. Megan’s other interests are cooking (soups, stews, and noodles), surfing (longboard) when back in Hawaii, staying connected to Hawaii here in Maryland, and gardening.

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About Patrick

I have known Patrick for almost half of my life. He is honest, faithful (both in terms of religion and commitment to his family and relationships) and direct. Patrick is my best friend, strongest supporter and biggest critic – but this combination has helped me to improve as a person, wife, and mother. Patrick has been very supportive throughout our infertility, and now adoption, journey. He has also wholeheartedly embraced and excelled in his role as Dad, and is a dedicated, patient and hands-on parent to both Jojo and George.

Patrick started at a large, multi-national bank in its wealth management division right after graduating from the undergraduate business school of our college. He built his business from scratch. Over the years he has advanced to a Senior Vice President role. I admire how Patrick cares about his clients and has diligently worked to achieve his professional goals. While Patrick works hard, his job is also one where he has flexibility to work at home and help out at home and spend a lot of quality time with Jojo and George.

Tennis is a large part of Patrick’s life. He is an accomplished (yet humble) player, competing nationally from elementary through high school and college where he was a scholarship player and member of the men’s varsity team. He keeps up with many of his former competitors/friends, continues to play socially and expand his network of friends, and hopes to pass along the sport to our children. Patrick was patient enough to teach me the basics and I have taken to playing socially. Jojo enjoys coming to the courts to watch Patrick play, and we enjoy teaching him basic drills at home. George is not yet on the courts, but enjoys throwing tennis balls and hitting furniture with a mini tennis racket.

Patrick is also an avid gardener and chef. In particular, he has taken to cultivating roses and herbs, and caring for the various plants and flowers in our extensive back yard. Jojo and George are his assistant gardeners, and we spend many happy hours outside as a family fertilizing, watering, and pruning. In terms of cooking, Patrick has a varied set of recipes but particularly enjoys (and excels at) making Italian food (including Bolognese sauce), rack of lamb and rib roasts.

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About Us

We met as undergraduates in college through mutual friends. We started dating the year after graduating from college while both living and working in Washington, DC. After about seven years of dating, we were married on July 4, 2012 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

We are very fortunate that we each have similar values, beliefs, lifestyles, hobbies, senses of humor and interests, so we can do activities that we mutually genuinely enjoy such as tennis, church, cooking, dining out, gardening, spending time with friends and family and, of course, being parents.

We have channeled our strong personalities into a solid foundation for our marriage and home, based on honest communication, mutual support and firm commitment to our faith and family. These are values that we work to instill in Jojo and George and hope to extend to any other children we are blessed to welcome into our family.

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Jojo & George

In 2018, Jojo joined our family via adoption in Honolulu shortly after he was born. He is a happy, curious, playful and loving 4-year-old. For example, when he sees Mommy or Daddy with a boo-boo (injury), he insists on giving the boo-boo a kiss. He is very gentle with animals (stuffed and real) and loves helping others, be it ushering at church, serving lunch at daycare, playing with George, helping to cook dinner, or cleaning up.

He currently attends a bilingual daycare (Spanish and English) but will soon be starting Kindergarten at a private school. He enjoys reading books, riding his bike in our neighborhood, gardening, towing (and being towed IN) his red wagon, and loves spotting construction vehicles, fire engines, and police cars. His favorite breakfast is bananas and homemade pancakes (weekends only!), peanut butter and jelly for lunch, and pesto pasta with grilled chicken for dinner.

We welcomed George into our family in 2021 also via adoption in Honolulu as a newborn. George is always smiling (he has a very wide and welcoming smile), waves at everyone, and is also very curious. When we pick him up from daycare (the same school as Jojo) he bursts out of the door smiling and running to greet us. George explores cabinets and all electronics including the remote control, microwave, and dishwasher. George enjoys wrestling with big brother Jojo, being walked in his stroller, dancing to music, chasing Jojo around the house, and he hates getting his diaper changed. His favorite foods are bananas, yogurt, and milk.

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Our Families

Our family and faith are important parts of our lives.

While Patrick is an only child, he grew up spending time with his numerous cousins – in particular, on his dad’s side of the family, who live in Virginia, New Jersey and New York. Patrick’s dad was originally from Italy, so in addition to domestic travel, we have taken several trips to Italy and Europe, and look forward to future visits. Patrick’s parents had been married for almost 40 years when his dad sadly passed away in 2015. He was a unique individual and Megan was fortunate to know and spend time with him for about 10 years prior to his passing. Patrick’s mother lived nearby and previously helped watch both Jojo and George before they each started daycare. We would speak with her daily and have dinner at least once a week. She sadly recently passed away as well. We have many memories and pictures which we will always cherish.

Megan is the oldest of three children and grew up with her two younger brothers and many cousins who live in Honolulu. Megan, Patrick, Jojo and George also get together with her father’s side of the family who live on the mainland. Megan’s middle brother lives and practices law in Honolulu, while her younger brother lives near us and works on Capitol Hill. We visit him several times a month. We remain close to her family and talk to Megan’s parents daily.

Our church family is also a key part of our lives and a great community. We are active parishioners at our Catholic church where there are plenty of young families with whom we spend time after Sunday morning mass over coffee and donuts. We serve as ushers and Eucharistic ministers at our weekly mass and each volunteer in other capacities, including decorating the church for holidays such as Easter and Christmas. Additionally, Patrick serves as the chair of the parish finance council, and Megan is a member of the parish pastoral council.

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Our Home

We live in a residential, tree-lined, safe neighborhood in Maryland. Our home has plenty of space – including six bedrooms, a large yard with a back wooded area containing walking trails, a screened gazebo, and a waterfall/pond housing fish that the kids love

Our school district is excellent, highly rated, and the schools (including sports fields, basketball and tennis courts, and playgrounds) are within walking distance from our home. There are many diverse families and young children in our neighborhood as well.

We are located a short drive to downtown (where Patrick works), which features many different stores and restaurants. We are also an easy commute to Virginia and the attractions of Washington, DC – monuments, museums, the National Zoo, and professional sports teams (Nationals baseball, Wizards basketball and Capitals hockey).

When the weather is warm, you can find us outside playing tennis, biking or walking in our neighborhood, or tending to our herbs, roses and other plants. During the winter months, we enjoy homemade hot cocoa in front of the fireplaces. In all seasons, we enjoy cooking and baking as a family and entertaining friends and family for meals, laughter, and good stories.

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Our Relationship with Our Sons' Birth Moms

Though our first adoption with Jojo was a closed adoption (per the preferences of his birth parents), we are happy and willing to share life updates, and pictures along the way like we do with George’s birth mom. George’s adoption is semi-open in the sense that while we have not met his birth mom (based on her preference), we have been sharing life updates, pictures, and stories with his placement agency in the event she decides to reach out at some point in the future. As with Jojo’s birth parents, we honor, remember, and are thankful for George’s birth mom.

We believe in honoring a child’s adoption narrative, sharing that story with him or her as early as possible, and honoring you as the birthparent(s). Not just in telling your child how much you love them as they learn about their adoption story but giving thanks on days like Mother’s and/or Father’s Day and Thanksgiving as we appreciate your great impact on our lives.

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Racial and Cultural Diversity

We are, by definition, a diverse family. Megan is of Chinese, German, French, Scottish and Norwegian heritage. Patrick is Italian American. Jojo is Japanese, Filipino, Portuguese, and Caucasian. George is Native Hawaiian, Puerto Rican, and Japanese. Celebrating these different cultures is important to us and, more practically, something that we incorporate into our day-to-day lives.

For example, in line with Megan’s family traditions, we have an annual Chinese New Year celebration with family in the area, including Megan’s cousins who live in Baltimore. Recently, Megan presented on Chinese New Year’s, with books, snacks, and stories, to each of Jojo and George’s classes at their school. We are able to enjoy some of both Jojo’s and George’s other cultures on our many trips to Hawaii, including through cuisine and quality time with dear family friends who share similar backgrounds. Jojo and George are also much loved by several Filipina aunties (or “Titas”) with whom we attend church. They were even kind enough to cook homemade Filipino food (pancit, lumpia) for their baptism celebrations.

We also embrace other cultures. Our church has an active Hispanic community with whom we celebrate important holidays like Las Posadas, and both Jojo and George have very much enjoyed attending their bilingual (Spanish) preschool run by our friends from church.

This openness to diversity is not just an important part of our lives, but our adoption journey as well. We look forward to integrating and celebrating the cultural history and traditions of your child.

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Our Lifestyle

We have a family-oriented, and active but balanced lifestyle.

Continuing a tradition from our childhoods, we start each day sharing breakfast together and end each day with a family dinner. This is followed by calls and Facetime sessions with Jojo’s grandparents. It is important for us to spend this quality time together over good food and conversation. We also home cook the majority of our meals, finding it not only a healthier alternative, but an opportunity to collaborate in the kitchen as well.

When the weather is warm you can find us outside tending to our yard and gardens, hosting family and friends for meals and celebrations such as birthdays, at the pool or on the tennis courts. As temperatures drop, we opt to explore our neighborhood via walking, biking, wagon and/or sled rides.
While we are busy with full time jobs and volunteer activities, we work to share in the tasks of running our household and caring for Jojo and George – each taking on different responsibilities. And we encourage Jojo and George the boys to pitch in as well as part of our team. Jojo particularly enjoys helping to vacuum and unload the dishwasher and we appreciate Jojo’s assistance. George likes to load silverware in the dishwasher, Lysol wipe surfaces, and carry dirty clothing to the laundry room.

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Family Traditions

Spending time with our family in Hawaii is an important part of each year. We spend each Christmas in Honolulu and have done so for the past 18 years. Megan has many aunts, uncles and cousins still living in Honolulu, so these are nice opportunities to reconnect and enjoy quality time together – whether over delicious meals or while picnicking and fishing at the beach. Megan is usually able to separately visit Hawaii a few times during the year.

Being that Megan, Jojo and George were all born in Honolulu, maintaining these ties is important to us. In between visits, we keep in touch with our Hawaii-based family and friends via phone and email, and Megan’s parents visit us on the “mainland” at least once or twice a year.

We also enjoy celebrating the Thanksgiving and Easter holidays at home in Maryland. In particular, each Thanksgiving and Easter we cook large (and delicious) meals to celebrate with Patrick’s family. Separately, we enjoy dressing up and decorating for Halloween. Also, even though we are in Hawaii for Christmas, we still decorate or home with outdoor Christmas lights, setup a fresh Christmas tree with ornaments, and get in the Christmas mood with other decorations, foods and clothes.

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Our Promise to You

We promise that through love, education, and example, we will raise your child in a way that celebrates his or her unique personality and adoption story while providing the utmost care, resources, attention, and unconditional support for him or her to take advantage of all life’s opportunities – whether via education, sports, music, art, volunteer activities, travel, etc. – to fulfill their greatest potential.