Jeff and Jared

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From Us to You

Dear Expectant Mom,

We believe it is important for every adopted child to know that choosing adoption is a supreme act of love.  In today’s world where there are many options, having your mom bring you to life and then making sure it’ll be the best life it can be even if she can’t always be with you is truly loving.  We would be willing to share pictures with you so you can know that your child is in the arms of people who love them.  And if you have a picture of yourself or the birth father that you’d like to share, we would one day give that to your child to give them the knowledge of their roots.

As you plan for your child’s future, let us tell you a bit about us and our lives so you may consider us as the parents for your child.  You probably already figured out that as a same-sex couple, adoption is our primary option for having a child. But adoption goes deeper for us. Jeff was adopted by his parents and Jeff’s mother and uncle were adopted by his grandparents. Two of Jeff’s aunts and uncles adopted children as well, and they will grow up with people who can share in their experience with adoption.

We live a laid-back and comfortable lifestyle where we enjoy a slower pace during the week followed by activities with friends over on the weekends. We like to invite our friends over to talk, eat, and play board games. Jared enjoys cooking while Jeff is the baker of the family and is known for his made from scratch birthday cakes and breads. There’s always lots of laughter and music that go along with whatever we are doing. Our home has a media room, a great backyard, and a big kitchen and living area, which makes it perfect for our gatherings. We live on a cul-de-sac in a diverse family neighborhood. Our neighbors are a beautiful blend of Hispanic, Indian, European, African American, and white. Our families come from Irish and Polish heritage, but our family friends come from every background, including Filipino, Lebanese, Chinese, African American and Puerto Rican.

Every child who is adopted is wanted, and has been and continues to be part of some parent’s dream. Your child will be raised as our family and we will offer them every opportunity possible. We will always speak about you with kindness, respect, and understanding. We will be the kind of parents you are hoping to find for your child and we will love them with all our hearts.

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Why We are Choosing to Adopt

As a same-sex couple, adoption is our primary option for having a child. We have talked about having children since very early in our relationship and always planned to begin a family soon after getting married.  Although Covid slowed that down a little, we’re doing our best to make that happen.  At one point we had talked about having a surrogate birth but quickly decided that with our background, adoption was the way to go.

You see, adoption is very familiar for Jeff and his family.  Jeff’s mom was adopted as an infant and her brother was adopted as a toddler. Then when his mom and dad were not able to have children for a number of years, they adopted Jeff.  Two of Jeff’s aunts and uncles adopted children, as well. Your child will have the benefit of being in a home where many know what it’s like to be adopted.  This will give them the opportunity to feel welcome and feel like an intricate part of the whole family, just like everyone else.

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About Us

Jeff is the planner of the family.  He looks ahead and makes arrangements, so everything runs smoothly. Jeff is the middle child in a family with two brothers, Erik and Alex.  Again, this is a very close family, with daily visits from his younger brother who lives nearby and ongoing conversations with his older brother who lives out of state and visits several times a year.  Jeff manages a business office for a large state university.  He is well-respected and has had several promotions since starting to work there.  Jeff is the more outgoing of the two of us, makes friends easily, and always includes many friends in our social activities.

Jared is the oldest by 3 months. He works writing computer software and has been at his current job for over 3 years. Since starting at his job, he has been promoted several times and has a highly responsible position in the company.  Jared is one of a set of identical twins alongside his brother, Justin. He also has a sister, Brooklyn, who is younger.  He is very close to his brother and sister, speaking with them every day. One thing you’d notice right away about Jared is his beautiful red hair.  Because he’s a “ginger,” one of his favorite symbols is the red fox.  He’s also partial to Corgi dogs.  Jared is a guy who is quiet in the beginning but becomes far more outgoing the more he’s around a person.  He has a great sense of humor and a soft heart.  You’d definitely feel comfortable around him.

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Lifestyle

Our lifestyle is pretty laid-back and comfortable.  We do plan activities and frequently have friends over but it’s to talk and eat and play board games.  Everyone is usually together in the same room or two, and all participate in whatever is going on.  You could call it more of a family gathering, even when more than family are there.  There’s usually lots of laughter and music or movies abound.  This is planned on weekends.  During the week it’s quieter, allowing time to wind down after work and maybe play some video games after dinner.

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Home & Neighborhood

We own our home.  It is a four-bedroom house with a large walk-out area downstairs that serves as the office for those times that we work from home.  There is also a media room downstairs. The backyard is fenced and has trees and plants and a gazebo.  We live on a cul-de-sac so there is no through traffic and the neighbors are nice and friendly.  There is a wide diversity of families, with persons from Hispanic, Indian, European as well as white and African American backgrounds.  During the holidays there are often organized activities for everyone.

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Family Traditions

Our families come from Irish and Polish heritage, but our family friends come from every background, including Philippine, Lebanese, Chinese, African-American and Puerto-Rican.  Indian and Asian foods are popular in our home, together with Italian and Polish favorites.  Jeff is also the baker of the family and makes home-made birthday cakes from scratch as each birthday comes around.  He’s starting to bake home-made breads, too.

Traditions are big in our house.  At Christmas we have a live tree (last years was 10 feet tall, thanks to Uncle Alex).  We decorate it together with the holiday music playing.  We also have the house lit with icicle lights and deer on the lawn out front.  Each holiday brings a feast of good cooking celebrated with family and friends.  We all go to see the fireworks on Fourth of July and holiday lights at Christmas.  We’re usually one of the first to see recently-released movies especially Disney-Pixar or Marvel movies.

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Our Promise to You

Our promise to you is that we will bring your child into our home completely, raise them as our own family and offer them every opportunity we find possible.  They will be joined with others who have been adopted and some who have not, all fitting together to make a new and wonderful place to thrive and grow.  We will speak of you with kindness, and respect your generous love and hope for your child.  We will be the kind of parents you are hoping to find for your child.  And we will love them with all our hearts.