TJ and Blaire

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From Us to You

We want to say first and foremost, thank you. Thank you for considering us to raise your baby. As we sit here trying to come up with the right words to say, we are lost. There are no right words to say. There are no words we can come up with to help make your decision any easier for you. We want you to know you are a good mother. The time, energy, and research you are putting into this decision is an incredibly courageous one. We are beyond blessed and honored to share this experience with you.

When we first started trying to conceive naturally, we had no idea the hardships that would follow. The heartache and heartbreak every month for over two years was unbearable. From several failed fertility treatments to trying to conceive naturally. All we have ever wanted was to start a family of our own, and while we do know this baby is not biologically ours, we promise you that we will raise him/her as if he/she was our own. We cannot wait to teach, guide, observe and be there every step of the way throughout his/her life. We promise to keep your baby safe, healthy and feel protected. Your baby will be a part of a big family and loving friends, near and far, that all share in the excitement that we do in sharing this life together.

A little bit about us: TJ was born and raised in Woodbury, Tennessee. He has one sister and two nephews. He has a passion for working on old cars and restoring them, hiking, traveling and loves history. Blaire was born in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. She has four sisters, two nephews and two nieces. Blaire has a new passion for gardening and her house plants, traveling, hiking, going to the beach and loves to entertain. We both love to travel and explore areas of TN. On weekends you’ll find us on a new trail, kayaking, hanging out with family and friends, or outside in the backyard. We love to spend evenings on our back patio listening to music, having bonfires, playing cards and grilling out. TJ loves his smoker and experiments with different meats. Blaire enjoys cooking and recently started liking to bake. We are both family oriented and enjoy spending time with TJ’s family having Sunday dinners after church and playing games. We also travel to Cincinnati a lot to visit Blaire’s family and close friends. We love to laugh, be silly, dance in the aisles of the store, play jokes on each other and make the best out of any situation.

We are open to share updates and photos with you, and of you, if that is your wish. We want you to know that even if you don’t, that is okay too. We want your baby to know who you are, where you came from, and know that they have a mother that did everything she possibly could to give her baby the life she wanted him/her to have. We do not want to hide you from their life. If he/she wishes to know their biological family, we will support that decision and help in any way we can.
Again, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for considering us to raise your baby. You are a strong, brave, and courageous woman who is nothing less than selfless. We do not pretend to know what you are going through but we are here for you every step of the way. Your baby will grow up knowing you did everything in your power to provide the best life possible for him/her. We pray you have peace and comfort in whatever your decision may be, and we want what is best for you and your child.

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Why We are Choosing to Adopt

Once we decided we were ready to start a family of our own, which was very soon after we met, we never imagined the difficulties that would follow. After years of trying to conceive naturally and several unsuccessful rounds of fertility treatments, we both knew adoption was our calling. We were at peace with not being able to conceive on our own and we knew this was what we were meant to do. We both want a child to love unconditionally, to guide them, and to provide a safe, stable, and permanent home for them to grow up in. To help them thrive throughout their life and to exchange family traditions we were blessed with all while starting new traditions and making memories to last a lifetime.

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About Blaire, by TJ

There are not enough words for me to tell you about my wife. It all started in late 2018, I was starting a new chapter in my life and moving to a new state, starting a new job and being single for the first time in 17 years. We met through a mutual friend. The first night I was in Cincinnati I walked into the bar where she was working (her 2nd job at the time) and it was as if God had shined a light down from heaven on her. It was only her and I at that moment. We were the only two people in the room. We talked for hours after her shift was over and I have been hooked ever since. Everyone we knew could see a change in both our lives. It truly was love at first sight. When the pandemic hit in 2020, it was hard on us both, but this is where our love for one another grew deeper and stronger. I knew if we could survive this, we could survive anything together. We moved to TN in August of 2020, bought our first home together and got married all in just a few short months. She planned our whole wedding in under two weeks. She managed to get both sides of our families and our closest friends together, and all that comes with planning a wedding, she made it happen. To say this woman can accomplish anything she sets her mind to is an understatement. Even when we have family dinners, she can cook enough to feed the army. She puts everyone’s needs ahead of her own. She is the most selfless person I know. My love grows for her every day and I thank God for putting her in my life. It would be an honor to raise your child with her by my side.

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About TJ, by Blaire

TJ and I met through a mutual friend when I was living in Cincinnati, Ohio. He had just moved there, that day, the first time we met in person. I had previously seen a picture of him about a week or so before his move and I immediately thought “I have got to meet this man.” From the moment we met it has been just TJ and I. He has had his whole focus on me ever since. He is like that. He doesn’t get distracted when you are in conversation with him. When he loves you, you will know it. When he says he is going to do something, he will do it. He is the true definition of a Southern gentleman. To this day, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve opened my own car door, or any door for that matter. TJ is also the hardest worker I know. He provides the life I always dreamed of as a child. He has a “rough and tough” looking exterior, but inside he is the biggest teddy bear. He is the most kind-hearted person I have ever met. To say that he would give the shirt off his back for you is the truth, because he has. He will even get food to go after a date night and feed the homeless person he saw before going into the restaurant. If he has cash on him, he’ll give it. If a friend needs help with bills, he’ll pay it. TJ is hard on himself though. He doesn’t think he is “good enough” and feels like a failure at times. It blows my mind how everyone sees him one way and he doesn’t see it. I want him to know how much better the world is with him in. He does make a difference and he is worth so much more than he knows. He is my counterpart, my beach loving, adventure seeking, travel buddy, foodie, and my best friend. I cannot wait to watch him be the best father I know he will be.

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Our Lifestyle

TJ and I live a very simple lifestyle, or at least we like to think so. We both currently work full time, TJ as a Maintenance Supervisor and Blaire in Physical Therapy. We are homebodies, but we also love to travel. We love the beach, hiking, going to the Smokey Mountains and long weekends exploring new cities. Tennessee has so much to offer when it comes to exploring. We’ve seen some beautiful waterfalls and have been to some amazing hiking trails. We love food. Trying new restaurants and exploring more of what Nashville and surrounding cities have to offer. We love going to concerts, going to baseball and football games. Spending time with family is where we are most happy. We are very close to our families and vacation together every year. We visit Cincinnati at least once a month and spend as much time together as we possibly can. We like to keep our schedules active, but also know the importance of downtime and recharging. We enjoy spending time in our backyard, having bonfires, listening to music and playing cards.

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Our Home & Neighborhood

When we decided to move to Tennessee, we had 9 houses lined up that we saw in one day. Not one of them felt right. That night I went home and increased our budget, just a tad, to see what else was out there, and low and behold, THE one popped up. Listed that day. I immediately called our realtor, and she lined up for a showing that next morning. There were already multiple viewings and offers. We fell in love with this house and did not want to lose out on it. We made our best offer and they accepted! Two months after moving in, we got married under the large oak tree on our property. We live in an older, quiet neighborhood, in a ranch style home on an acre of land. Our home is 2200 square feet and has 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. We also have a large bonus room that TJ has turned into his mancave and named it Halligards Pub, our last names combined. There were not any families with kids that we knew of when we moved in. Three years later there are now several on our street that have kids. Some of which ride their bikes up and down the street and play outside often. As much as we love our home, and plan to stay here for a while, our dream is to buy and build on 30+ acres. You can find us outside in the backyard, with our dog, most evenings on the patio grilling out and listening to music, playing cards, or relaxing in the hammock.

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Family Traditions

During the holidays TJ and I will rotate every Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas each year with our families. We both agreed that this was the best solution as both of us had never spent a holiday without being with them before we met. We vacation two times a year in the Smoky Mountains with TJ’s family. After church on Sundays, we try to get together and have Sunday dinners, although our schedules sometimes don’t allow it. We eat, laugh, play games, and spend quality time together. Blaire’s family would vacation every year in North Myrtle Beach with all four of her sisters and their families. It has been a few years since we have gone. It is hard for all of us to get together as we do live in different areas of the US and with all the kids’ sports activities and such, picking dates that work for everyone is hard, but we do try our best. Blaire’s family would have Friday night pizza and game night, and TJ’s family would have monthly cookouts to celebrate whoever’s birthday month it was. TJ’s family also has 4th of July cookouts with extended family and friends. We look forward to continuing all these traditions while also creating new ones.

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Our families

TJ and I both are very close to each side of the family. TJ has one sister who is married and has 2 boys and lives close by. Blaire has four sisters, two nephews and two nieces. Although we are all in different parts of the US, we are close and talk almost daily. All our vacations are spent with our families. TJ and I go on one vacation every year with his sister and her husband. We often visit Cincinnati to see family and friends as well. We go to the Smoky Mountains about two times a year with TJ’s whole family. I lost my mother at the age of 2, and my father passed away in 2015. TJ’s parents are living in the town over from us and we see them every week. They are the reason we moved here, to be close to them, help out and spend as much time together as we possibly can. The pandemic took a toll on us, and we realized that family is what is most important to us. Tomorrow is never promised. We do not want to have any regrets when it comes to either side of the family and we do whatever we can to be present and spend quality time together. We have one cat, Finn, and one dog, Duke. Finn is a house cat and loves to try to sneak outside and Duke is the most outdoorsy dog can get. He loves chewing on sticks in the backyard, swimming, going on hikes, visiting Nashville with us, and meeting new people and dogs.

Racial & Cultural Diversity

We are open to adopting all races, cultures, and ethnicities. While adopting a child of a race other than our own will be something new to us and our families, we are committed to learning all about your culture and where you came from. We are committed to educating ourselves and will give 100% of ourselves to put in the time, work, and research we need to have a better understanding and will do so until we feel we are confident in knowing everything we need to know.  We understand the importance of incorporating books, music, and activities with your child on a daily basis. We also have a network of diverse friends, extended family, and our church family that we can turn to for guidance. We look forward to teaching your child about his/her race and culture and where they came from.

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Our Promise to You

Our promise to you is to give your baby the best life possible. We promise to give your baby the same unconditional love we grew up with and keep safe, healthy, and feel protected. We promise to carry on our family traditions while creating new ones. We promise to guide your baby, to teach what it means to be a good person, and to be honest. We promise to try to be good role models. We are not perfect, we are far from it, we will make mistakes, we will have struggles, but we promise to do everything we can to give your baby the life he/she deserves. We promise to respect you and to respect your baby. To listen when he/she wants to talk and to respect the decisions they make, even if it is something we don’t agree on, we will respect their opinions. We promise to be open and transparent with him/her. God has a plan for your baby, and we are so incredibly lucky that you are considering choosing us to watch it all unfold. We cannot wait to see and witness the incredible person your baby will grow up to be.