Our family simply would not be the same without adoption -- our first daughter was adopted (through American Adoptions). Bringing her into our family was the greatest decision of our lives.

We were nervous, as any first-time parents would be, but the entire process worked out exactly as we had hoped. We cared for our daughter in the hospital until she was healthy enough to be discharged, and then we shifted our focus to preparing her for the trip home. Our world completely revolved around her in those early days, with nighttime feedings, pediatrician appointments, and lots of little messes to clean up.

Soon enough, we were home with our daughter and using our extended parental leave to bond with her and help her grow and develop. We still reminisce fondly about those first few months and look forward to recreating that time with our next child. When we finally did settle back into our routine, we made some drastic changes to facilitate family life. We bought a larger house in a quiet subdivision, enabling our child(ren) to have plenty of space, and Evan changed jobs to work shorter hours and spend more time at home.

All of this effort has paid off. Our daughter is thriving and full of joy. Her smile is enchanting, and she constantly impresses us with her cleverness. She loves interacting with other children when she has the chance, and we are certain that she will be an excellent big sister one day.

We have both worked hard to achieve professional success in demanding careers, but we have also learned how to make the most out of enjoying our leisure time. Nothing clears the head and wakes up the senses like a quick hike through the woods. We love observing the seasons change and spotting wildlife while enjoying fresh air and exercise. The winter months bring weekends of skiing (and snuggling in front of the fireplace afterwards), while the warmer months are marked by running in 5k and 10k races that support worthy charitable organizations and community causes.

Indoor leisure time is another way that we recharge our batteries, whether it is reading and listening to music on a rainy day, gathering around a board game with friends or family, watching sports or movies with a huge bowl of popcorn, or firing up some epic video games.

Whenever possible, we also like to travel and explore, seeing new sights, eating new foods, and experiencing other cultures. True foodies, we love a fancy dinner out almost as much as we love to get creative in the kitchen and try out new recipes.

We have always expected that our family would be a multi-racial family. In preparation, we have taken parenting classes that specifically address these issues and how to handle uncomfortable situations that may arise. Our view is that all people deserve rights, respect, and dignity regardless of skin color or ethnic background, as informed by Stephanie's medical background and Evan's human rights work. Our friends are a very diverse group, and our children will routinely interact with people with different appearances and cultural backgrounds.

We view racism, xenophobia, and discrimination as some of the greatest evils of our time, but we also believe in living the change we want to see in the world. Embracing those who come from different backgrounds and breaking down historical barriers is an important concrete step toward a better future for both our family and our community.

We proudly advocate that Black Lives Matter, that no human is illegal, and that LGBTQ+ rights are human rights. We believe it is necessary to understand the struggles of marginalized groups and the history of their oppression to better prevent these ills from reviving in our lifetimes, and we believe that our children should be able to connect to their ancestral culture and understand the struggles of those who preceded them.

We live in a seaside community in Connecticut that has great public beach spaces, a scenic boardwalk, and all the modern conveniences we could need. Our house is at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, where the neighborhood kids ride their bikes and play outside. Our neighborhood features a community pool and sports complex with tennis and basketball courts, all of which are a short walk from our house either along the sidewalks or through the community nature trail, which provides a shortcut through the trees.

Our house has plenty of space for a growing family, with four bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs. The main level has a cozy living room with a fireplace, a reading room, a dining room, and a kitchen that overlooks our deck with a cozy outdoor sitting space and grill for summertime cookouts. Our fully finished basement includes our home gym, a cozy media room, and another full bathroom, and it offers access to our backyard and the swing set. The house is full of vibrant colors and spaces for kids to play together or slip away to read.

We also have a house in rural Maine that we use for long weekend getaways and vacations where we escape our hectic routines and enjoy peaceful days filled with hiking through nature and stargazing. When the weather is right, we go skiing or sailing, but we are also perfectly content to get cozy front of the fireplace with a book or a board game.

We have two fun family groups living near us - one in Vermont and one in New Jersey.

The Vermont family loves to be outdoors. They love playing disc golf, skiing, and taking care of their goats. Our youngest niece there loves to wear fun clothes, play board games and video games, tell funny stories, and go on adventures.

The New Jersey family has a really fun backyard with a pool! Our nephews there love to play soccer, basketball, and all kinds of sports and games. Every visit there feels like a party, with lots of food and an extended group of family and friends to see.

We know that our own children will develop their own interests and favorite family traditions, and we look forward to sharing those with the cousins on both sides of the family. We have a spacious vacation house that can handle lots of visitors, surrounded by woods full of interesting wildlife. We love hosting our friends and family there and always look forward to the next massive gathering!

When you think of us as adoptive parents, you should know that we are committed to adoption as our plan for building our family. We have successfully navigated the adoption process with our first daughter, and we are excited to repeat that process and welcome a second child into our home. We spent over a decade together in a committed and devoted relationship that has only been strengthened by the shared experience of parenting. For medical reasons, we always knew that we would choose adoption to create the next generation of our family.

Even before becoming parents, we were oriented toward creating a healthy family. Evan has a long history of working with kids, both as a teacher and as a volunteer, for about fifteen years. Stephanie has always been a beloved aunt to her nephews and nieces, many of whom see her as a role model. Each of us saw the other as an ideal parent, which was one of the reasons why we chose to get married. Our careers are firmly established, and each of us can take an extended amount of time away from work on parental leave to ensure that our newly adopted child has around-the-clock care during the initial bonding stages while we establish a stable and healthy routine.

We first started preparing for adoption six years ago, investing the time and money necessary to prepare our home and ourselves for parenthood. We took parenting classes, hosted social workers for home visits, read parenting books (including those specific to adoption-related issues), and talked with trusted friends and family members who we admire as parents. We painted and furnished a nursery in each of our homes, and we filled a closet with children's clothing and toys. When we brought home our first adopted child, we were grateful for all the preparation, but we also learned so many new lessons that can only come from experience. As we saw our daughter begin to thrive and develop her personality, we started serious discussions about planning for a second adoption. We love our daughter with all our hearts, but we feel our family is still incomplete without another child. We take great care and satisfaction in creating a happy home for our child(ren) because we both experienced the unhappiness of a childhood disrupted by divorce and strife in the home. We work together as a team to overcome problems, resolve differences, and make sure that the next generation of our family has an easier path than the one we had.

We can promise that any child we adopt will not only be loved and nurtured but will also have access to all the resources necessary to have a happy childhood and a great life. With our income and network of connections, we will be able to address all the medical and educational needs of our kids. We both place a high value on education, and we both have advanced degrees that enabled us to achieve our success as professionals – though we both took unconventional paths. (Evan earned a law degree in France while Stephanie finished medical school in Ireland.) Our commitment to proper education includes teaching our children the truth about their heritage, with a unflinching examination of the history of the oppression and inequities of the past and their lasting effects in creating challenges and stirring new problems today in the future. We know that there is more to education than test scores and class rankings, so we will prepare our kids to succeed not just at school, but also to be ready to overcome the challenges of life in an unfair world.

Also, we place a high value on our leisure time, including some fun activities not all families can afford, such as skiing, golf, and sailing. We both know firsthand what it was like to be left behind from activities because of our parents' limited budgets, so we want to empower our kids to be able to pursue their passions. Our children will be also able to see the world, travelling with us to fun vacation spots, centers of culture, and amazing views of nature. We want to open doors for our children and support them on whatever dreams they choose to follow.

Finally, we can assure you, the birth parent, that you will be included in our child's journey. We will send detailed letters to chronicle our child's growth and accomplishments, sharing the happy moments and the new developments. Similarly, we will share photos of both everyday moments and special occasions and provide that connection for you so you can be assured that our child is thriving.

Evan & Stephanie