Dear Birthparent…
THANK YOU for taking the time to get to know us. We are trying to imagine the weight of what you are going through right now. Though we aren’t sure of exactly the right words to say, we do want you to know that we are prepared to raise a child in a loving, warm environment filled with laughter and learning, friends and family, creativity and care. The two of us have dreamt of growing our family for many years. Although we cannot have children biologically, we have so much love in our hearts and want to share it by becoming parents.
John F. Kennedy once said, “as we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.” We plan to show our gratitude every day by raising our child in a home filled with love and openness. We hope that you will always be in our lives in whatever way is most comfortable for you. We understand that the road ahead won’t be without some highs and lows along the way, but we know it will mean the world to our child to have a connection to you, the person who brought them into this world with a heart full of bravery, selflessness, and love.
About Us…
The two of us actually met through a mutual friend at a carnival in Kenny’s hometown on July 4, 2000. We hit it off immediately, and became great friends. However, we went our separate ways to college in the fall and naturally drifted apart a little as we did our own thing. On July 6, 2006 we hung out for the first time in five years. Though it wasn’t clear whether it was a date beforehand, we had such chemistry that it became very clear by the evening’s end that we had a very special connection. We have literally been together ever since. Kenny proposed in July of 2008 on one of our favorite beaches while our family was secretly watching from across the parking lot. We were married in July of 2010. In the past twelve years we have taken fun trips, gone to awesome concerts and theater productions, been to exciting sporting events, and enjoyed making memories with family and friends. And while this has all been wonderful, the thing we look forward to more than anything is starting our family. We cannot wait to share with our child the wonders of travel, live music, theater, and sports. More importantly, we cannot wait to share with them life’s simple pleasures like eating dinner together as a family, just sitting around talking and enjoying each other’s company.
Our Home and Pets…
We currently live in a great, two-story townhouse. We are located in a town that is in between where we both grew up, a location that we truly love. There is a lake that’s right in the middle of downtown, not something you can find in most places. We love going for walks around the lake, or grabbing an ice cream or smoothie and just sitting and relaxing by it. We’ll often bring a Frisbee or bocce to the lake too and just play for a while. Our home itself is very comfortable. We have a cozy living room, which boasts a pretty impressive collection of Disney movies that we can’t wait to share with our child. Music is always playing. Books are plentiful, as both of us enjoy reading at night before bed. We have a cute little balcony right off the dining room, where we keep hanging plants and grow tomatoes, basil, and peppers in the summer. We have one cat. Her name is Scout (named after the main character from Arianne’s favorite book To Kill a Mockingbird). She is now 6.5 years old. We rescued and adopted her at approximately 5 months old. She is a pretty, small, gray and cream colored cat. She is super cute and sweet.
Our Family…
We are very close with our families. Our parents and our siblings are, without a doubt, our best friends. We see them all regularly, at least once a month, if not more. We have many traditions revolving around the holidays and other special times of year. Both of parents have always hosted all major holidays. Their homes were always filled with good food and warm hospitality. We are enjoying the prospect of the torch being passed on to us and cannot wait to host many family gatherings at our home. Both sets of grandparents live just minutes away from us (and three of the four are recently retired). We’ll be the first to have children, so everyone is very excited to welcome this child into the family with so much love and joy! We also have some close friends who are like family to us. These are bonds that are strong: routed in laughter, love, trust, and compassion. Many of these people, we have known for nearly all our lives. Some already have children who we babysit regularly. We cannot wait for our child to meet these “cousins,” “aunts,” and “uncles.”
Our Journey to Adoption…
We have known we wanted to be parents since the very beginning of our relationship. This partially stemmed from the fact that we both grew up in loving homes. We couldn’t wait to create the same kind of environment for our own children some day. Furthermore, our love for each other and our desire to spend the rest of our lives together fostered in us the dream to have a family together. After years of trying to conceive, we learned that there was only a very small chance of ever having a biological child. Although we tried some fertility treatments, we reached a point where it no longer felt like a journey meant for us. We had always talked about adoption, and had very positive thoughts about it because two of Kenny’s cousins were adopted. After a few heartfelt conversations, we knew that adoption was going to be way we would start our family. Raising a child is a profound responsibility, one that we are ready for. It will be a new phase in life that we truly look forward to experiencing together. We are excited to nurture and care for our newborn. As he or she grows, we can’t wait to teach them new things with patience, provide them with beautiful life experiences, love them with everything we have, and instill in them the confidence and self-worth that will take them far in life. We envision creating a lifelong bond with our child, one built on trust, love, and fun.
Fun Facts…
Name: Arianne (pronounced Ah – ree – anne)
Occupation: High School English teacher
Education: Master’s Degree in Teaching
Favorite Food: Italian
Favorite Hobby: Yoga
Favorite Movie: Moana
Favorite Holiday: 4th of July
Favorite TV Show: Friends
Favorite Activity: Cooking
Hidden Talent: Singing
Guilty Pleasure: Karaoke
Name: Kenneth
Occupation: Marketing Manager
Education: Bachelor’s of Arts in Journalism and Business
Favorite Food: Lobster
Favorite Hobby: Golf
Favorite Movie: Caddyshack
Favorite Holiday: Thanksgiving
Favorite TV Show: Game of Thrones
Favorite Activity: Family game nights
Hidden Talent: Photography
Guilty Pleasure: Adam Sandler movies
