Collin and Alix

>

<

From Us to You

We have immense respect for you and deeply appreciate the strength it takes to consider adoption. We recognize this is a profound and emotional decision, and we admire your courage in choosing what you feel is best for yourself and your baby. Our hope is to build a relationship based on openness and trust, where you feel supported and valued every step of the way. We would love to have an open adoption, staying in touch through photos, updates, and even yearly visits, if that’s what you’re comfortable with. Ultimately, we want you to decide how open this adoption will be, and we hope you’ll always feel like a cherished part of our extended family. We want your child to grow up knowing their story, where they came from, and how much you mean to us for giving us the gift of raising your child.

We’re delighted to introduce ourselves, Alix and Collin. We’ve shared 22 wonderful years together, including ten years of marriage, after being set up by Collin’s best friend in high school. Our relationship thrives on honesty, laughter, and teamwork. Friends and family often tell us we balance each other perfectly: Collin brings humor and a laid-back spirit, while Alix is organized and career-focused, but always ready for a good joke. We can’t imagine life without each other and are excited to begin this new chapter.

We truly believe it takes a village to raise a happy, well-rounded child. We’re fortunate to live close to many friends and most of our family, all of whom are thrilled to welcome a new child into our lives. Both our parents are still married (a rarity these days) and they can’t wait for another grandchild. Our closest friends and cousins have young children eager for a new playmate, and our six nieces and nephews (ages 2 years to 16 years) are ready to help your child feel loved and included. Our family is open, loving, and supportive, and everyone agrees we’re more than ready to grow.

Adoption is the path we’ve chosen with open hearts, and we’re confident we’ll be loving, dedicated parents. We understand adoption brings unique challenges, but we see these as opportunities to learn, grow, and support our child. We plan to be proactive about therapy and emotional well-being, and we’ll always be honest about their adoption story. Our goal is for your child to feel secure, loved, and connected to their roots, with a broad network of family and resources. We’re committed to continually educating ourselves so we can best support them as they grow.

>

<

Why We are Choosing to Adopt

Adoption has always held a special place in our hearts and has been part of our family plan from the very beginning. We dreamed of having two children. One naturally, to experience that journey, and one through adoption, to open our hearts and home in a different, meaningful way. When we started trying to grow our family, we agreed that we would only pursue pregnancy if it happened naturally. For nearly five years, we explored many fertility options and sought advice from professionals, but after countless appointments and mounting medical bills, we realized that fertility procedures weren’t the path for us. Turning to adoption felt natural and right, since it was always part of our dream.

We’ve seen firsthand how beautiful adoption can be. Both of us grew up with friends who were adopted, and Collin’s cousin and spouse adopted a child about ten years ago. They’ve been a wonderful source of wisdom and encouragement as we begin our own adoption journey. We’re excited to join a local adoption support group that hosts fun family events and brings together families with shared experiences.

Life has a way of surprising us. Many people joked that we’d get pregnant as soon as we started the adoption process, and in August 2023, that’s exactly what happened… Alix discovered she was expecting! We had begun our adoption journey a year earlier, so this was a joyful and unexpected twist. We decided to pause our adoption plans to focus on welcoming our son, knowing it would be overwhelming to navigate both at once. Now that our son is 18 months old, our hearts are ready and we feel this is the perfect time to continue our adoption journey.

>

<

Our son, Briggs

Early in our pregnancy, we found out we were expecting a boy—and that he would very likely have Down Syndrome. We won’t pretend it wasn’t a shock; at first, we felt overwhelmed and uncertain about what the future might hold. When you receive a diagnosis like this, you’re presented with a long list of possible health concerns, and it’s easy to feel anxious. But as we learned more, we discovered the Down Syndrome community is one of the most joyful, welcoming, and loving groups you could ever hope to be part of. People with Down Syndrome bring so much light and happiness to those around them, and our son has truly been the greatest blessing in our lives.

Briggs has the sweetest personality and fills our days with laughter. He absolutely adores his dad and takes after him in so many ways. He loves his mom too, but he’s happiest spending time with Dad which makes Mom smile, knowing their bond is so strong. Briggs has a way of winning over everyone he meets and is helping to break down barriers and change perceptions about Down Syndrome. He teaches us about embracing life every day, just as we strive to teach him. We can’t wait to see him with a brother or sister, and we know he’ll be the most loving sibling anyone could ask for.

>

<

About Alix, by Collin

Alix is truly my best friend and partner in every sense of the word. She has helped me become the person I am today, and I feel so lucky to share my life with someone who not only shares my values and interests but also inspires me to grow every day. Her support and encouragement mean the world to me.

Alix is one of the most motivated and hardworking people I have ever known. She never backs down from a challenge, and it has been incredible to watch her achieve everything she sets her mind to. I have been with her through her journey to earn her master’s degree in accountancy, become a Certified Public Accountant, and even a Certified Internal Auditor. Her determination is matched only by her kindness and compassion.

I am constantly in awe of Alix’s strength and caring nature. She has a remarkable ability to find the good in people and in every situation, and she keeps me grounded no matter what life throws our way. Alix is always up for adventure, whether it is skydiving, which we have done twice together, or our scuba diving trips. She is the one who encourages me to try new things and embrace life to the fullest. I am so excited for the opportunity to be the father of your child, and even more excited for your child to experience Alix’s love as a mother.

>

<

About Collin, by Alix

Collin is a devoted stay at home dad to our son, Briggs, and he somehow manages to juggle part time work as a print technician and graphic designer, all from home. If he could, Collin would happily make golf his career, but for now, he enjoys regular rounds with friends whenever the weather allows.

Collin loves to make people laugh, whether they are kids or adults. Growing up, his mom ran a daycare out of their house until he was in high school, so Collin was always surrounded by little ones and learned early on how to be the fun and caring person everyone loves. He is often the favorite adult among our friends and family’s kids, and I completely understand why. He is my favorite person, too.

I always knew Collin would be an amazing dad, and watching him with Briggs has only confirmed that. Collin has so much love to give, and I cannot wait to see him become a dad again.

>

<

Lifestyle

Our health is very important to us. We have a mini gym in our home that we use often, and Alix loves to run outdoors when the weather is nice. We switched to a plant-based diet about 10 years ago after Alix experienced stomach problems, and we both found substantial health benefits from eating plant-based. We are both spoiled by Collin’s cooking. He makes dinner most of the time, and our favorite foods to make are tacos, pizza, curries, pasta, and Buddha bowls. Although we eat healthy most of the time, we do like to indulge occasionally. Alix loves to bake and is known for her delicious cookies. We also enjoy taking mini-vacations to Chicago and Milwaukee to indulge in their many plant-based restaurants.

We love to travel. Alix was fortunate to have parents who took the family on vacations all over the world. Collin caught the travel bug when he went on vacation with Alix’s family to Antigua during high school. We went scuba diving during our honeymoon in Roatan, Honduras, seven years ago and fell in love with it. We try to take a trip every year and plan on traveling with our children.

Although scuba diving is our favorite outdoor activity, we don’t have many options in our area (warm options, that is). Our favorite activity near our home is hiking at the Ranch. The Ranch is an outdoor education facility and camp for kids that Alix’s mother and two of her aunts own. It spans 200 acres of beautiful land with quarries and canyons used for horseback riding and hiking. We both worked as camp counselors there while in high school. It never felt much like a job since it was so much fun to work there with kids. This place is special to many people, and we know how lucky we are. We are so excited to share this place with our children.

>

<

Home & Neighborhood

We live in a charming, small town in Illinois where we both grew up. The best part about our town is that we are very close to family and friends. Both our parents live about 10 minutes from our home. Many of our high school friends moved back because it is a great place to raise a family. The location of our town is perfect for enjoying the countryside while being close enough to Chicago and the suburbs for day trips. We love the country, but we also appreciate being close enough to visit the city and an airport for vacations.

We love how outdoorsy our town is. We have three state parks and many other parks in town. We live within walking distance of a park with lots of paved trails for running and biking, soccer fields, baseball fields, basketball courts, pickleball courts, a splash pad for kids, and play sets. The park near our house is even great in the winter for sledding. A river runs through our town that is busy in the summer with lots of boats. We love to go canoeing with friends in the summer.

We bought our home twelve years ago, and it has felt like home ever since we moved in. It is an older home that has been updated but still retains a lot of the character of a well-built older home. There is plenty of room to grow our family, as we have three bedrooms and three bathrooms. Our favorite part is our kitchen, where we spend a lot of time making meals. We live only two blocks from the school district, which will make it convenient for when our children start school.

>

<

Our Families & Friends

We are both very close with our families and have some of the best friends in the world. Most of our family members and friends live within 10 minutes of us, so we get together very often for dinner, games, and just to enjoy each other’s company. Our parents absolutely love being grandparents and can’t wait for another grandchild!

Alix has one brother. Her brother and sister-in-law live only 40 minutes away with their children (a son who is seven and a daughter who is three). We absolutely adore our niece and nephew and try to spend as much time as we can with them. We can’t wait for your child to spend quality time with their cousins as they grow up!

Collin has two sisters. His older sister and her husband relocated to Hawaii a few years ago with their 13-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter. They have relocated often throughout the years as they are a military family. We cherish every second we get to spend with them when they come home to visit and hope to visit them in Hawaii soon. Collin’s younger sister and her husband live in Utah with their two-year-old son and daughter, who are fraternal twins. We visited them this year with Briggs so he could spend more time with his cousins. We have many group text chats with the whole family to stay in touch and do video calls occasionally.

Our group of friends is small but incredibly tight-knit. Most of our friends have children of their own, and we both take great pride in helping our friends raise their kids. Since we have basically grown up together, most of our friends feel like family. Collin’s best friend, who set us up 23 years ago, is considered family, and we visited him three times while he lived in St. Croix with his family.

>

<

Family Traditions

Holiday traditions are important to us. Alix’s favorite holiday is Thanksgiving because it is all about family and food. Alix hosts Thanksgiving along with her mother for extended family (about 30 people) and cooks a big plant-based meal of Collin’s favorites to thank him for all the cooking he does throughout the year. Since Collin’s sisters don’t usually come home for Thanksgiving, Collin’s parents join us to overindulge in food and play games as a big family.

Collin’s family is crazy about Christmas. We always spend Christmas Eve with Alix’s side of the family, but we cannot miss Christmas Day with Collin’s family. Collin always turns into a big kid every Christmas and can’t sleep the night before because of the excitement. Even though both his sisters have moved away, they make it a priority to bring their families home for Christmas. We all get up early and go to Collin’s parents’ house for breakfast and to open presents. We then spend the day relaxing and enjoying time with family.

>

<

What Kind of Parents we Will Be

We want to share our love of learning and curiosity with our children, and we’re excited to create new traditions and memories together as a family. While we believe in having some boundaries, we strive to be supportive rather than overbearing—encouraging our children to make their own choices, learn from both their successes and mistakes, and always know we’re here to guide them by example.

It’s important to us that our children grow up embracing and respecting the beliefs and cultures of others. We hope to travel as a family and experience different cultures firsthand, so our children can see the beauty in diversity. Both of us were raised to be accepting of all races and backgrounds, and we know how vital that is to being kind, compassionate people.

Education matters deeply to us, and we’ll do everything we can to help our children pursue their interests and dreams. We plan to set aside a college fund, but ultimately, the decision to attend college will be theirs. We know that success can take many forms, and if they choose to use those resources to travel or explore other paths, we’ll support them wholeheartedly.

Above all, our greatest hope is for our children to be happy. If they are happy, we’ll know we’ve done our job as parents.

>

<

Our Pets

We have three furry babies at home: one French Bulldog and two cats, all of whom we consider part of our family.

Our dog, Skiba, is a spoiled rotten nine-year-old French Bulldog. Even though he is rarely home alone, his grandma picks him up a few days a week so he can go to work with her at the Ranch. The Ranch is his favorite place in the world, and his job there is to play with the kids and entertain the homesick ones during summer camp. He doesn’t have to be on a leash there, so he can run around and play as much as he wants. Skiba and Briggs have become good buddies, especially at mealtime when Skiba gets to clean up after Briggs.

We adopted our cat Peter from a shelter six years ago when he was just a kitten. He is our big, lazy, fat cat who loves to snuggle with everyone. Kimchi, our other cat, showed up under our porch as a sick stray kitten a few months after we got Peter. We decided to get her the help she needed and adopted her to keep Peter company. She was meant to be part of the family, as the vet estimated her age to be the same as Peter’s, and she won over our hearts immediately. Collin was never much of a cat person, but she quickly changed that, and you can now find him carrying her around the house like a baby. Kimchi has really taken to Briggs and often lets him pet her. Peter keeps his distance most of the time but doesn’t seem to mind a few pets now and again from Briggs.

>

<

Racial and Cultural Diversity

We understand the importance of race and cultural diversity. Our parents raised us to be this way and we love learning about cultures. The world would be a very boring place if everyone looked and acted the same way. One of our favorite parts about traveling is being immersed in the culture. Even though our town has grown in diversity over the years, we would have no problem moving to be closer to larger communities. There is a lot more diversity the closer we get to the city, and we could still be close to family.

As white parents, we know that we will have to do extra work if your child is of a different race. We are more than willing to do the work and spend the time doing further research to educate ourselves. We know that it is important to nurture a strong ethnic identity and we are excited to incorporate that into our family. We will incorporate your child’s cultural music, traditions, language, and learn traditional recipes.

>

<

Our Promise to You

There is absolutely no doubt in our minds that we will love your child with all our hearts and dedicate ourselves to caring for them, just as we have done with our son, Briggs. We eagerly anticipate starting new traditions and creating many cherished memories together. We promise to be open and honest throughout the adoption process and during your child’s life. Getting to know you will be an added benefit to this journey, and we hope to see you as part of our family as well. We would love to answer any questions you may have if you choose to meet with us. Even if you decide not to meet with us, we wish you the best of health and lots of love during your pregnancy.