American Adoptions -- America's Adoption Agency

CC Helping Mommy Cook

Our favorite thing to do is spend time together. We are both lucky to have easy commutes and flexible work schedules, so we get to cook and eat breakfast and dinner together every day. Chris usually cooks breakfast, and Jen and CC make dinner together with CC sitting on the counter watching (and directing) as her mommy chops and mixes.

Feeding the Ducks

On weekends, we take full advantage of the fact that we live at a crossroads between city and countryside. We often visit the Smithsonian museums and zoo. The best part is getting to see everything new again through our daughter's eyes. We can't wait to enjoy the experience again with another child, and CC is especially excited to show a little brother or sister her favorite animals--dogs, cats, and ducks.

Whenever he gets a chance, Chris takes us to explore the nearby Civil War battlefields. Fortunately, Chris is a great storyteller so the trips are a lot of fun for all of us. We also love apple picking in the fall. We always pick way too many apples, though, so Jen bakes apple pies (with homemade crust!) for her friends at work.

While CC naps, Jen enjoys knitting and doing 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles at the dining room table. Chris prefers reading science fiction or history, dozing on the couch, and watching all manner of sports (and sometimes doing all three at once on a perfect afternoon).

Our Family of Three, Excited to Grow!

Since CC was born, the most important lesson we have learned is that the meaning of parenthood is unconditional love. It is a powerful and sometimes scary feeling to love another person as much as we do our daughter. One of the many reasons we are so excited to adopt is that this amazing love has nothing to do with the fact that CC was born to us; it has everything to do instead with our daily experiences together as a family.

Jen's favorite moments are to fall on the floor with CC in fits of tickles and giggles. Chris's are those times right before CC goes to sleep when she says "Love you" and snuggles down on his chest. We have loved growing and learning right along with CC, from seeing her eyes light up the first time she pet a dog, to hearing her squeal with excitement the first time we went into the pool.

The second most important lesson we have learned is that if we have rice with dinner, we should always expect to find some at least ten feet away from CC's chair.

For us, being parents means nurturing our children so they feel safe, know how much they are loved, and learn to love and care for others. There is no question that being parents has been the most rewarding experience of our lives.

Jen and CC Enjoying an Afternoon Outside

We have always known we wanted to have children and we are so excited to grow our family through adoption!

Before we married over five years ago, we attended a pre-marriage class offered by our church. The class involved a full day where couples discussed their experiences with marriage and children. We both remember a couple who spoke of their decision to adopt. While their story started with sadness as they discussed their infertility, it ended in joy with their adopting and raising two beautiful baby girls. There wasn't a dry eye in the room - the couple's happiness was obvious to all.

We thought of that story often as we struggled to conceive our daughter and as we have not been able to conceive again. While we have been truly blessed already with a wonderful daughter, we both grew up with siblings and would love to have a large family with a house full of noise and laughter. After much prayer, we decided that we did not want to pursue medical procedures but rather came to feel that we were meant to grow our family through adoption. When we made the decision to pursue adoption, we felt an extraordinary peace and happiness. We can't wait to expand our family, and for us, adoption is an obvious choice.