Garot and Carrie

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From Us to You

We know we haven’t met yet, but we have been praying for you. We can only begin to imagine the emotion of your situation, and hope that you feel loved and supported no matter where you are on this journey. We respect your strength and your selflessness for considering adoption. We understand that you want what is best for your precious baby, and we do too, whether with you, with us, or with another great family.

We are Carrie and Garot from Wisconsin and we are honored to be considered to raise your child(ren). After initially meeting each other while working together in college, we have been happily married for the last 3 years. We have always dreamed of having a large family and we are looking forward to growing that family through adoption.

We believe adoption is not about finding a child for a family, but more about finding a family for the child. You will always be part of your child’s family, and we will always respect you for the decisions you make for your child. We want to thank you for giving us the opportunity to be part of your story, and your child’s story. We promise that you will be honored, cherished, and celebrated each day of your child’s life.

In our home, your child will be loved unconditionally by us, our dogs Lola & Oso, our families, and our friends. We can’t wait to read bedtime stories, visit the zoo, swing on the swings at the park by our home, attend their first recital or sporting event, bring them to their first day of school, and support them throughout all of their accomplishments. It is our goal that your child grows up happy, healthy, kind, and generous.

We want to thank you for considering us as adoptive parents for your child!

With Love, Support & Compassion,
Carrie & Garot

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Why We're Choosing to Adopt

We always have known that we wanted a large family, and we both agreed that we would love to grow our family through traditional and non-traditional means. We believe that we will be able to provide a child, whether biological or not, with unconditional love, support, guidance, and opportunity. We were blessed with a pregnancy, but unfortunately, we experienced a rare pregnancy injury at 23 weeks that resulted in the loss of our beautiful daughter, Stella Grace, and put Carrie in the ICU for a month. Thankfully Carrie has completely recovered, but another pregnancy may result in the recurrence of the same injury.

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About Carrie

Carrie is the most gentle, loving human you will ever meet. She is continuously putting others’ needs before hers and is always willing to go the extra mile to make someone’s day. Carrie has a passion and love for all of God’s creatures. From taking care of her patients at work, to volunteering at a local dog rescue, she demonstrates compassion and empathy for all those she comes in contact with. Carrie comes from a large, Italian family and is fiercely loyal to her friends and family. In fact, she considers all of her friends as family. She is always making sure family comes first in every decision we make as a couple. Even when life throws a hurdle at Carrie, her strength and zest for life is always on display, rubbing off on all of those that come in contact with her. I am so lucky to have met Carrie, and even more blessed to call her my wife. She makes me a better person, and the world a better place, each and every day! I am so excited to see her as a mom. Her fierce loyalty and unconditional support and love, of all of those close to her, leave no doubt that she will be an extraordinary mother.

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About Garot

Garot wakes up every day with the mindset “today is going to be a great day.” His positivity is contagious. He will find the good in every person or in any situation. He is quick to start up a conversation with a stranger, and within a few minutes they are talking like good friends. He is generous with his time and his talents to help others and our community but wants no recognition. I have watched Garot plan benefits for friends going through hardships, buy sweatpants for a random man in need of new clothes on the streets of Chicago, pay for an unsuspecting family’s dinner, pick up someone else’s trash in our community, plow our neighbor’s driveway, and so much more. He truly is the most generous and kind person.

Garot is going to be the best dad! Watching him with our niece, nephews, and friends’ children melts my heart! He will be patient and kind, fun and goofy. I know he will share his love of sports (GO PACK GO), and his heart for helping others. He will be our children’s biggest fan, and greatest support.

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Our Home

Tucked away in the corner of town, our friendly neighborhood is full of tree lined streets, welcoming neighbors both young and old, wooded lots with visiting wildlife, and nearby parks for recreation and enjoyment. Our neighborhood has a great sense of community spirit. It isn’t uncommon for neighbors to share extras from their gardens, lend a helping hand with yardwork, and enjoy a weeknight bonfire with each other. We love when we walk our dogs around our neighborhood and they are greeted by name. There are plenty of growing families and we look forward to future playdates, watching the kids ride their bikes, trick or treating with friends, going sledding on the golf course in winter, and watching the neighborhood fireworks from our backyard. It’s a great neighborhood to raise a family in!

Our home is a beautiful, 3-bedroom, 3-bath, open-concept ranch with a large, fenced-in backyard. It was important to us that our home provide a spacious yard for outdoor activities and plenty of room inside for growing our family. We enjoy a good do-it-yourself project and feel fortunate that Garot’s mom and dad often share their talents to help us turn our “Pinterest” ideas into reality. Since moving into our home in 2018, we have rebuilt and expanded our deck, upgraded our backyard fence for added privacy and security, modernized our fireplace, installed garden/planter boxes, and remodeled our half-bathroom. We look forward to someday decorating a “puppy themed” nursery to welcome home your child.

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Our Sweet Pups

Meet Lola & Oso, two very loved and very spoiled rescue dogs who are eagerly awaiting being promoted to big sister and big brother! Lola is a 4-year-old German Shepherd/Carolina Dog mix. She was born in Texas during Hurricane Harvey and was brought to Wisconsin by a local rescue for us to adopt. She is so smart (sometimes too smart), loyal, and can’t control her licker (all the dog kisses). She loves to play catch and is so patient with our nephews when they want to throw the ball to her in the back yard. Oso is a 3-year-old Golden Retriever mix. You can always find him with a stuffed animal in his mouth, and his favorite place to sit is your lap. Yes, that’s right…he is a 50lb lap dog! Oso loves to be pet and is training to be a therapy dog. He enjoys visiting his friends at the local nursing home for pets and cuddles.

Both Lola and Oso have their Canine Good Citizen certificates, which basically means that it is not just us who thinks our dogs are great! They passed a multi-part test to ensure that they can be good dogs in our home and in our community! Both love playing in the back yard, going for long walks, hikes, car rides, and swimming. Their favorite treats are ice cream cones. We know they are going to be the best “clean up crew” of any snacks that fall from the highchair someday!

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Our Families

Family is everything! Growing up in a large Italian family, Carrie has always been extremely close to her immediate and extended family. In fact, if she ever introduced you to her family, you would not be able to tell who is family by blood and who is not, because in her eyes “family is family.” As a couple, we hold that value true. We prioritize quality time and making memories with the ones we love.

Carrie is the third of 4 children. Her oldest sibling is Nicki who is married to Chad with one son (Carter, 4 years old), her older brother is Marty who just recently married Nancy, and her younger brother is Joey. Garot is the youngest of 3 children and has 2 older siblings, Marne and Ashley. Ashley is married to Josh, with 2 children (Leroy, 5 years old, and Lilah, 12 months old). We talk to our siblings almost daily and try to get together with them as often as possible. We love being auntie and uncle to our niece and nephews, and enjoy planning fun outings, like apple picking or a visit to the Wildlife Sanctuary, with just them! Our siblings are so supportive of our adoption plans and cannot wait for us to welcome a child into our home.

We are both very fortunate to have parents who have demonstrated commitment to each other through their marriages of 39 (Garot’s Parents-Scott & Wendi) and 40 (Carrie’s Parents-Tony & Judy) years respectively. Our parents have always been and continue to be our biggest supports. They will make amazing grandparents (they already are to our niece and nephews)! We look forward to Grandpa Scott building the best swing set, and Papa Tony giving golf lessons. Carrie’s mom was a Pre-K teacher for many years and has an entire bookshelf of books just waiting to be read. Grandma Wendi is ready for a pool party in the back yard! They will all be the type of grandparents who visit often, cheer alongside us at sporting events and recitals, attend Grandparent’s Day at school, and provide unconditional love and support to a child in our home.

In addition to our family, we have a lot of really close friends that we consider extended family. Some friends live close, and others far away, but we try to stay connected as much as possible through get-togethers, FaceTime, and social media. Our friends are all at various life stages but are so supportive of our desire to become parents through adoption. They are waiting to shower your child with gifts, arrange playdates, and offer their babysitting services.

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How We Met

We met when we were both employed at the Recreational Center at college. Sparks might not have flown in college, but we became good friends. Fast forward 5 years later when Carrie finished up graduate school and moved to town for her dream job. She thought she did not know anyone in town but was reminded by a mutual friend that Garot too resided here. She reached out hoping to simply make friends to help ease the transition. Garot swears she was flirting with him. We agreed to meet for brunch but ended up having dinner too because we were having so much fun together. We pretty much knew by the end of the night that we were meant to be together!

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Our Lifestyle

In general, we are an active couple who enjoys spending as much time as possible outside with each other and our dogs. One of the best things about living in Wisconsin is getting to experience all four of the seasons! We try to take full advantage of the best part of each season, spending time at the beach in summer (Lake Michigan is BEAUTIFUL), hiking when the leaves are changing colors in fall, sledding down the hill in winter, and watching the flowers bloom in spring. We enjoy being active in our community and try to share our time and talents volunteering for different events like the Walk for Arthritis and ringing bells during the holidays.

A typical week includes both of us working before coming home to cook dinner together, play in the backyard with the dogs, go for a walk or bike ride, and watch a television show or movie. During the week we also find time to stay physically fit. Garot is a member of a local CrossFit gym, while Carrie partakes in boot-camp style classes at a local gym. Several farmers’ markets are hosted in the area throughout the week/weekend which we enjoy browsing for local produce, crafts and flowers. During the weekend we enjoy hiking trails near our house, gardening and yardwork, taking the dogs for a walk or to the dog park, and grilling out with family and friends. We also enjoy live entertainment in the form of concerts, local festivals and sports events to name a few. During the football season, you can often find us inside at Packer games, tailgating for the game, and/or hosting a get together to support our team!

In addition to finding new places to explore and experience around town, we often find ourselves exploring other parts of the state, country and sometimes world! Travel is something we truly enjoy. Whether a small road trip or an international destination, we are always looking for an adventure to experience new things.

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Our Careers

Carrie: I have known since I was 16 years old that I wanted to be a physical therapist. Growing up, I loved helping others, and helping others continues to be a big part of my identity. In 2015, I became a Doctor of Physical Therapy and immediately started my DREAM Job in Sports Medicine.

Living in Wisconsin allows me the unique opportunity to care for athletes at all levels of competition: professional, collegiate, school-aged, and recreational. I love the variety of patients that come through our clinic. I enjoy providing personalized care to each of my patients and ensuring that I am doing everything possible to make their dreams a reality! There is no better feeling than watching them return to play following an injury. I will always be their biggest fan, because I know each obstacle they had to overcome in order to get to that moment!

While being a physical therapist allows me to fulfill my desire to help others, it also allows me a flexible schedule. It is a career that allows for balance between work life and home life. However, I plan to transition to part time once we adopt so that I can focus more of my time and attention on being a mom!

Garot: Graduating from college I had dreams and aspirations to work in the sports community, ideally for a college or professional team. I was fortunate to have a Marketing Internship with the Green Bay Packers following college, but this is where I learned that working in sports was not for me. There were a lot of long nights and weekend coverage that was pulling me away from quality time with family and friends. After exiting the sports word, I began to work in the transportation industry. With the goal of learning the most possible about the industry, I have worked in logistics, operations, and most recently in safety, risk, and compliance. I really enjoy my job, and I do everything I can to ensure our drivers are keeping themselves and the general public safe while they are out on the roadway. Working with others to build positive relationships and building a safe working environment is the most rewarding part of my job

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Our Passions

Fostering Dogs: Carrie has always had a passion and love for animals of all shapes and sizes. This passion quickly rubbed off on Garot as Carrie convinced him to try fostering dogs for a local rescue. In 2018, shortly after purchasing our first home we fostered our first puppy, and we were hooked! There is something so special and rewarding about finding the perfect home for each animal in our care.

In 3 short years, we have opened our home and our hearts to 13 different dogs and 2 cats. Our goal is to foster 100 dogs in our lifetime! We thoroughly enjoy working with these animals of all sizes and ages to help get them ready for adoption!

When we are on break from fostering, we still stay active by volunteering at the dog rescue. We take dogs for walks, give baths, assist with paperwork, raise funds and of course cuddle with adorable piles of puppies! Fostering is a rewarding way to stay involved in our community, and we hope to continue for many years to come.

Our Faith:Faith is the foundation upon which we build our relationships with each other and with others. We believe that faith is a journey that continues to evolve as we grow, both as individual and as a couple. We feel honored to be godparents to our nephews and encourage them to grow in their faith. It is our hope that we will help your child grow and develop their own personal faith one day.

Travel: Our Top 5 Places We Want to Visit:

• South Africa
• Italy
• Iceland
• Thailand
• Brazil

Traveling and exploring new places is something we love to do! Whether exploring our city, traveling through our state or another state, or exploring a new part of the world we are always planning our next adventure. Traveling gives us the opportunity to appreciate something new, and encourages our view of the world to evolve. Some of our adventures have taken us to Boston, San Diego, Nashville, San Francisco, Chicago, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand. We are so excited to share our love of traveling with your child. We hope to travel early and often in your child’s life so they can experience new places, new things, new people, and new cultures.

Food: We consider ourselves “foodies” and enjoy trying new types of cuisine. We also really enjoy cooking and have attended a few classes to help us improve our skills. Most recently, we participated in a pasta making class, and loved it! In summer, we like to attend the local farmers’ markets to find seasonal produce to enjoy in a home cooked meal.

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Family Traditions

Having a close relationship with both of our families and lots of friends, many traditions are enjoyed throughout each year that provide opportunities to get together with loved ones. These fun traditions are something we are excited to share with your child.

“Up-North” Summer Vacation – Each summer Garot’s side of the family rents a lake house and boat for a week. This week is filled with boat rides, campfires, swimming, fishing, cooking out, and of course ice cream (AKA Cream Crawls!). Being unplugged from technology for a week with family allows us to enjoy each other’s company and continue to build great relationships, especially with our niece and nephew!

Birthdays – Carrie’s family is always sure to find the time to celebrate each family member’s birthday! Each birthday, Carrie’s mom makes a homemade birthday cake. Carrie’s childhood favorite was a marble cake shaped like a horse with a flowing, tri-colored mane!

Easter – Each Easter, we get dressed up and attend Mass as a family. After Mass we head over to Carrie’s sister Nicki’s house for a delicious brunch. The meal is amazing (you will not leave hungry) with everyone bringing their staple contribution. We provide the fresh fruit, Carrie’s Dad makes frittata (a traditional Italian egg dish), Carrie’s brother in-law smokes a ham and lamb chops, while Carrie’s brother and sister-in-law provide a seasonal salad. Everyone is sure to get plenty to eat before Carrie’s mom and sister bring out their homemade desserts.

Halloween – Since moving into our neighborhood we have found great fun in celebrating Halloween as homeowners. With a bonfire in the driveway, festive colored lights and decorations on the house and spooky music playing, we await trick-or-treaters of all ages. Each year, we are sure to get full sized candy bars to hand out to the neighborhood kids. Seeing their excitement and eyes light up when they get to pick out their favorite candy bar brings us such joy!

Christmas – The Christmas season always starts with our annual trip to a tree farm where we cut down our Christmas tree. We typically set aside a day or night to decorate the tree together, while listening to music and baking cookies, to help get us in the Holiday Spirit. We attend the Garden of Lights at the botanical gardens with Garot’s Family. This nighttime hike though the garden is lit with thousands of Christmas lights and festive music, which is sure to put a smile on your face. We also make it a point to attend a dinner with Carrie’s parents at a hotel where traditionally dressed carolers go table to table singing requested Christmas songs. Each Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we are blessed to be able to spend time with both of our families. Christmas Eve is often spent with Garot’s side of the family, where we attend a holiday service before heading to Garot’s parent’s house. There, with immediate and extended family, we share hors d’oeuvres, exchange gifts, play board games, and track Santa online for our niece and nephew! Christmas Day is often spent with Carrie’s family, where we enjoy brunch together, exchanging gifts, spending quality time together, and of course playing a game or two of cribbage. We are so excited to create new traditions with an addition to our family and having him/her experience the joy of Christmas!

Thanksgiving – Rotating families each year allows us to make Thanksgiving memories with both of our families. Traditional turkey meals are served as the family gathers around a large table where we share what we are most thankful for each year with each other. Carrie is a big fan of her grandma’s pear Jell-O recipe, while Garot enjoys any stuffing that’s on the table.

4th of July – Each 4th of July we are often found at a friend’s home. These weekends are filled with yard games, boating, swimming, bonfires and of course tons of fireworks!

New Year’s Eve – Ringing in each New Year is spent with a close group of friends. These nights are spent making dinner together, playing various games, reminiscing over the past year, and sharing what we are looking forward to most in the coming year.

Packer Games – Living in Wisconsin we are huge Packer Fans! Each year we attend a few home games and enjoy hosting a tailgate with any family and friends that are also attending the game. Grilling out brats and burgers are a tailgate tradition for us, often handing one out to opposing fans as a welcome to town token. Trust us, there is something special about the atmosphere on Game Day!

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Racial & Cultural Diversity

Growing up, we were taught to recognize, learned to appreciate, and continue to celebrate diversity. We understand that your child’s racial identity may be different than our own and we are committed to acknowledging this within our home and within our community. This will include us continuing to learn and grow as individuals in order to understand how diversity affects us, your child, our community, and our world.

We will celebrate and embrace your child’s unique identity! It is important that your child have role models that reflect their likeness. We feel fortunate to have a diverse group of friends and family who are eager to provide their support and guidance to your child as well as us along the road as needed. We have reached out to specific friends in anticipation of an Adoption Match to ensure that they will be willing to answer the questions about your child’s race and/or cultural heritage that we may not be able to answer. We look forward to adopting new traditions into our family in order to ensure your child always feels connected to their birthright.

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Education

We feel privileged to have both received excellent educations and will provide the same opportunities to your child. Garot attended public school, while Carrie attended private school. We feel both have their advantages, and we promise to make the best choice possible for your child. We also believe it is important to experience different types of educational opportunities. Carrie had the opportunity to study abroad twice (Ireland & Spain) in college and credits her time abroad for instilling her love of travel and her desire for learning about other cultures. Garot had the opportunity to complete multiple field-specific internships, which helped him identify the areas that interested him the most. We will provide support and encouragement throughout your child’s lifetime in order to help their dreams become reality.

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Our Promise to You

Our Promises to You:

• If you chose an adoption plan with us, here is what we promise:
• We promise your child will be loved unconditionally each and every day by us, our families, and our friends.
• We promise to share their adoption story with them from the beginning, and to speak of you and their story with only love and respect.
• We promise to raise them to be kind with their words and with their actions.
• We promise to raise them to be generous with their time and with their talents to serve others and their communities.
• We promise to travel the world so that your child can experience new places and learn to appreciate new cultures.
• We promise to encourage them to dream and to support them along the way as they make those dreams become reality.
• We promise to celebrate your child’s milestones whether big or small.
• We promise to raise them to have faith and develop their own relationship with God.
• We promise to provide a safe and loving environment for your child to grow up in.
• We promise to honor your wishes whether they are pictures, updates, letters or visits; your child will always know how much you love them!