Lindsay and Clare

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From Us to You

First of all, thank you. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for reading this letter and for considering the selfless decision to make an adoption plan. We can’t imagine what is going into this decision, but we are so happy to be part of your journey. We are over the moon excited to be going through the adoption process and we would love to meet you and your child. We are touched that you would consider us to raise your child, and we promise to do our best to raise a strong, confident, happy (and maybe a little spoiled) child.

We have known each other for close to ten years, and have been happily married since 2018. Our relationship is full of love, and we are ready to share that love with your child. Our friends and family play an important and active part in our lives, and everyone is excited to share this journey with us. We have several pets who are gentle, loving, and calm. While they might not know it yet, they will be excited to share their home and love with your child.

Clare works with children with disabilities providing ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy. She is getting her masters in ABA and enjoys working with children and their parents. She is patient beyond belief and is so excited to help your child grow and learn. Lindsay works in finance and spends her day working from home with the fur babies. We live in Connecticut near most of Lindsay’s family and Clare’s family is only two hours away. We are lucky that we get to see everyone so often. Once the weather is nice, we like to take advantage of our apartment’s pool and our town beaches. We enjoy camping in Connecticut a few times every year where we can be found fishing, kayaking, watching movies on the beach, and trying our odds on bingo nights. In the winter you can find us at minor league hockey games, escaping the cold and flying to Disney world in Florida, or watching a movie marathon. On relaxing weekends, we enjoy listening to music, cooking/baking, playing games, checking out new shows or movies, and reading. We cannot wait to share all these experiences with your child and to make new memories that will last a lifetime. We are also looking forward to learning your child’s interests and exploring new things together.

We will ensure that your child knows about you, and will be just as thankful for your choice to make an adoption plan as we are. We will share your strength and determination with your child and we will tell them about you and the decision you made to make this plan. Your child will grow up knowing that they are loved and that they will always be provided for no matter what.

We are honored that you are considering trusting us to raise your child. We are so looking forward to welcoming them into our home and family.

All our love,
Clare and Lindsay

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Why We're Choosing to Adopt

We have both always wanted children and to be parents. When Clare started feeling curiosity about adoption, she wasn’t sure what Lindsay would think. She did a lot of research one week, and one evening while hanging out on our balcony, she tried to casually bring up the subject. Lindsay actually laughed! She said “Clare, I’ve been googling adoption this week. I was waiting for a good time to bring it up to you!” Since day one of our relationship, it seems that we have always been on the same page and continue to be 100%. We dove into the process, finding resources to share with each other, educating our friends and family, and working together on the paperwork for the process. We have always wanted to expand our family and we feel we’re in a really good place to do that in order to give your child the best life we can offer. We are so excited to continue the adoption process and bring your child into our family and our family is equally as excited to welcome your child.

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Our Story

When people ask us “how did you meet?” We usually laugh and tell them we met the classic way-online! We met on a dating site in 2015. Lindsay messaged Clare first with a generic “how’s your weekend going?” Clare usually hated messages like that, but since she was having a wonderful weekend she excitedly told her about just getting back from picking up a brand new kitten. When Lindsey learned the kitten was named after a Game of Thrones character, she was excited to say she loved the show as well. The rest, as they say, is history.

In 2017 we planned a trip to Ireland to celebrate Lindsay’s birthday. Unbeknownst to each other we both planned on secretly surprising the other and proposing. With rings secretly stuffed in our jackets we set off to the Cliffs of Moher where we found ourselves walking to the end of a secluded dock at the bottom of the cliffs later in the day. Clare pulled out her ring and asked Lindsay if she would spend the rest of her life with her. We laughed, we cried, we traded rings, and of course took a few selfies. As we let people back home know, we soon realized that many of our family and friends already knew of each of our plans and had kept it a secret so as not to spoil the surprise. We couldn’t help but marvel that of course we both had planned the same thing and were on the same page. It was an amazing trip and a story that we love to tell as it is uniquely ours. By the fall of 2018 we were married and decided to create a new last name for our family instead of one of us changing their name. We love to say that we are the first of our name and love the feel of the family unit it brings. We are very excited to share our story with your child and absolutely plan on taking them to the Cliffs of Moher one day to show them where it all started.

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About Clare, by Lindsay

Clare is the best thing that has ever happened to me. She is my better half, and I am a better person just by being with her. Her energy is contagious, and she brightens any room she’s in. Some of the things that really drew me to Clare were her lively spirit, her passion for working with kids, and her great sense of humor. On our first date she regaled me with stories of when she studied abroad in Africa and before we knew it a few hours had flown by. She is easy to talk to and never makes you feel judged. I have watched her work full time while going to grad school and soon she will be graduating with her master’s with a 4.0 gpa. She is really smart, and I admire her work ethic and determination. She continues to inspire me, even after eight years into our relationship. She is one of the most loving people I have ever met, and it’s been an honor to watch her grow and achieve whatever she puts her mind to. She is supportive, kind, and incredibly patient. I know that she will be an incredible mother and your child will be as lucky as I have been to have her in their life.

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About Lindsay, by Clare

When I was growing up I can honestly say I never expected to find and fall for someone like Lindsay. She is the most caring and compassionate person I know, and I feel so loved in our relationship. Every day I feel supported and cared for. Every day Lindsay makes an effort to make my day the best it could possibly be. Lindsay will frequently surprise me by picking up candy for me when she goes out, or surprise me by folding all the laundry before I get home from work. Lindsay has a wonderful sense of humor, and she has the best laugh of anyone I know. One thing that drew me to Lindsay originally was the way her face lit up when she was passionate about something. She has helped me grow as a person and every day I’m thankful she is in my life. When I decided to go back to school for my masters, she was right by my side holding my hand (figuratively and literally!) as I navigated going back to school. I know she will be an amazing mother to your child, and I can’t wait to take that next step with her.

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Our Home

We currently live in a five story apartment building. We’re on the first floor with a view into the building’s dog park area. On a summer afternoon we can be found on our balcony having conversations with the building’s dogs! We love sitting on the balcony to play Uno together, eat our dinner outside, or relax and just chat together. Our building is a diverse and friendly community. During our first summer we spent many afternoons at the pool playing cards on a small table. One afternoon when we arrived and the area was busy, a neighbor flagged us down to let us use her table. She told us “I know you always play cards down here, we’re not using the table so you are more than welcome to use ours!” We are looking forward to bringing your child home to this community and introducing them to all the neighbors. While we do love our building, we’re planning to purchase our own home in the near future. We want your child to grow up in a home they can call their own. We love where we live, as it has a small city feel. Downtown is lit up at night with lots of outdoor seating and an old movie theater that plays the classics. The trees all have lights on them and there is an annual lighting of the big Christmas tree in the park during the holidays. There are also several beaches that we like to go to in the summer, including the fireworks that happen there every year. We like that part of the city offers so much to do like movies in the park and so many types of restaurants, but also offers so many trails to walk and explore.

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Our Sweet Pets

Pets and animals are a huge part of our lives. We currently have two cats and a guinea pig, all named after characters from Game of Thrones! We have Jon Snow (tuxedo cat), Daenerys (calico cat, mostly called Dani), and Samwell (guinea pig). All three animals are rescues as we feel very passionate about providing for animals in need. Jon Snow has the gentlest personality of any cat we’ve met. We like to say there’s not a mean bone in his body! He is gentle with children, and we cannot wait to introduce him to your child. Many of our friends are concerned about this meeting, however their concern is about his learning he is no longer the baby of the family! Dani is our most recent addition. She came to us scared, timid, and easily spooked. Over the last two years we’ve watched her gain confidence and become secure in her space. She currently struts around the apartment like she owns the place! When we have company over, she is curious and interested in interacting with everyone. The tiny king of the household is Sam. Guinea pigs are tiny creatures with big personalities! Sam has no qualms about loudly announcing his wants and needs, usually with a teakettle like squeal. His favorite pastimes are devouring lettuce and lazing in his house. We want your child to grow up with the same love of animals we both have, and we are thrilled to bring a human sibling into our pets’ lives.

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Family and Friends

We both have always had a strong sense of family, and because of that, we make sure to carve time out of our schedules to spend time with them. Most Sunday afternoons you can find us on virtual brunch with Clare’s family (including her 102-year-old Grandpa) for about an hour or so where conversations can range from book recommendations, to catching up about the week, to random Star Trek trivia. We visit in person when we can in New Jersey and Clare’s parents make the time to come up to our place sometimes. Lindsay’s family lives nearby and for most birthdays and holidays we can be found at Lindsay’s Gram’s house celebrating with everyone. We alternate the bigger holidays at the end of the year, but when Thanksgiving is at Gram’s you are sure to find some turkey hats and Lindsay’s uncle carving the turkey. At Clare’s family there’s no shortage of mashed potatoes. Both of our families are pretty lighthearted and fun so it’s always a good time when we can get to see each other. We like to hit up the Jersey shore with Clare’s family in the summer and in the winter, you can find us at hockey games with Lindsay’s family. While it’s not always an easy balance, it’s always worth the time together.

We absolutely love our close group of friends and love how different they all are. We have a good friend who is a pilot and races cars, and we have other friends who have the best TV and movie recommendations. From Broadway plays, renaissance fairs, and outdoor concerts, it’s always fun to hang with any of them. When the pandemic started it was hard to see anyone or hang out, but it didn’t take long for us to come up with movie watch parties where we vote on a movie to watch and watch together online while we all chat. It became a weekly tradition and was a nice way to relax and catch up with everyone. It’s something we still do today and is something we look forward to during the week. Everyone has a good sense of humor, and they never fail to make us laugh. All our friends and family are over the moon that we have chosen to adopt. Everyone is excited to meet your child and welcome them into their lives.

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Our Lifestyle

While it’s not always easy to find balance, we strive to enjoy our time off. It’s important to us to have fun and keep life from getting too boring. We make sure to have fun date nights or date day activities frequently so we can continue to enrich our relationship. We enjoy spending time outdoors even if it’s just walking around our neighborhood. We enjoy spending an afternoon hanging out and watching movies (especially any new scary movies!). We will teach your child the importance of working hard, but also the importance of spending time relaxing and recharging. We like to take advantage of our weekends by cooking or baking bread that we can use for lunches throughout the week. In the summers we like to barbecue, camp, go to the beach or pool, and even go to some minor league baseball games. In the winters we like to go to hockey games, watch movies, play board games or video games, and hibernate from the cold winters of Connecticut.

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Family Traditions

We both grew up with unique traditions in our families, especially around the holidays. Lindsay’s family frequently ordered Chinese food for dinner on Christmas eve with her mom while Clare’s family could be found at McDonalds that same night. Lindsay would be able to get a special treat after a good report card and Clare would be able to pick out any kind of cereal she usually wasn’t allowed to have. Clare went camping every year with her sister and dad mid-summer while mom got to stay home and relax.

As we became serious in our relationship, we worked to incorporate traditions from each of our pasts as well as make our own new traditions. We started getting matching pajamas every Christmas (one year we got a set for the cat too!). We go apple picking in the fall which was actually one of our first dates, and we pick pumpkins to carve for Halloween. We are looking forward to starting traditions with your child as we want them to grow up with fond memories of their childhood. One tradition we feel excited about sharing with your child is cutting down a fresh Christmas tree at Christmas time. It’s a festive way to get into the holiday spirit. We cannot wait to bring your child along with us to Candy Cane Lane and get some warm cider and cookies after chopping down our tree.

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Our Vacations

Over the past few years our favorite vacation spot has become a campground in northern Connecticut. We discovered that we greatly enjoy disconnecting from the world and spending a weekend in the woods. We’ve slowly gathered supplies (some hand me downs, some Christmas gifts) and added them to our camping gear stash. From fishing, to kayaking, watching movies on the beach, and campground bingo, we really enjoy our time outside. The campground we frequent has a strong family feel, and we are excited to take your child for their first camping trip. We want your child to grow up looking forward to annual camping trips as much as we have started to.

We both have always loved to travel, whether it’s the state next door or another country across the pond. When Covid hit, it really put a damper on our traveling, but we still found places to explore and enjoy like New Hampshire to watch hockey tournaments being played on the frozen lakes up there. We were also able to visit one of our favorite spots, Orlando Florida once things started opening back up. We honeymooned down at Universal Studios and Disney World and try to get down there every year or every other year depending on how busy we are. We love exploring the parks, going on the rides, and floating down the lazy river. We also love to visit Lindsay’s hometown in California when we can, to visit friends, family, and soak up the beautiful weather over on the west coast. We are really looking forward to sharing these trips with your child so that they can experience the magic and make memories for themselves.

We live by the mantra “work hard, play harder” and we strive to enjoy our free time! We both have hobbies we enjoy solo, but we also have several activities we enjoy doing together. One of our favorites is playing video games. While Lindsay grew up playing video games, Clare is more of a newbie to it! We enjoy watching each other play, as well as playing multiplayer games like Sackboy, Pikmin, and Mario Party. We are so excited to teach the next generation how to play video games with us! We also enjoy doing puzzles, as does Lindsay’s side of the family. We jointly have a puzzle swap every few months where we bring together completed puzzles and swap them with each other. Clare is an avid crocheter, and frequently makes handmade gifts for friends and family. If you need a blanket, she can whip one up in no time. We also enjoy watching movies, binging TV shows, and cooking or baking when relaxing at home.

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Racial and Cultural Diversity

We were both raised with an appreciation for different cultures and with a strong sense of accepting those who may be different. As a result, we’ve become very open and accepting people who strive to surround ourselves with diversity. Life would be boring if everyone were the same and we appreciate the differences between cultures and religions. One reason we enjoy our town is because of the diversity, especially in the school systems. We want your child to be raised by and around people who are different religions, different races, or different ethnic backgrounds. Your child will learn acceptance at home first and foremost. We also really like to travel and look forward to seeing more of the world with your child and experiencing other cultures and history.

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Our Promise to You

Our promise to you is that your child will grow up being loved unconditionally. We promise to accept your child for who they are and nurture them to the best of our abilities. We promise that your child will be surrounded by people who will also support them and be there through thick and thin for them. We promise to raise your child to know where they came from, to love and appreciate your decision to make an adoption plan. We will answer any and all questions your child may have about their adoption and always be open and honest with them. We promise to provide for them and strive for your child to have the best life they possibly can.