We both have full-time remote/work from home positions, and our dog Molly loves to make cameo appearances on Zoom calls!

Alicia is a lawyer who works in insurance, and Dan works in marketing for a Fortune 100 company. Since Dan's industry is more flexible, he plans on being a stay-at-home dad until the child is of school age, at which point he would likely return to work part-time.

As the main caregiver, Dan can't wait to share all of his favorite childhood toys (Legos), movies (The Iron Giant), books (The Very Hungry Caterpillar), art projects (finger painting) and activities (trips to hands-on science museums).

When we're not working, we love to spend time outdoors in the Florida sunshine with friends. Farmer's markets, dog-friendly beaches, outdoor dining, and long walks around the neighborhood are always on the agenda! Our downtime usually consists of reading, movie nights, board games, and puzzles.

We are also committed to wellness and have a renewed focus on exercise (dance aerobics and Pilates for Alicia and Tae Kwon Do for Dan) and healthy home cooking.

We have built a fantastic life together and can't wait to share it with a little one!

Alicia About Dan: Dan's enthusiasm and thoughtfulness are unparalleled.

I've seen him entertain our friend's toddler on a five hour road trip by singing "Five Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed" in funny voices.

During COVID, he planned the sweetest "drive-in date night," which consisted of streaming "Bad Boys For Life" on his laptop in our car and making my favorite popcorn.

When my sister adopted a shelter dog who was terrified of men, Dan spent an entire year painstakingly gaining the dog's trust and making him feel comfortable (now when we dog sit, I'm the third wheel!).

He is a supportive husband who makes the best of any situation.

Dan About Alicia: Alicia is caring, generous, and insightful. She is always the one her friends call first when they need advice, or just to talk through something. Alicia's ability to see things from different perspectives is outstanding, and makes her an incredible friend and spouse.

When Alicia's friend went through cancer treatment, Alicia organized a "friend-sitting" schedule, coordinating an effort to make sure everything from walking the dog to keeping the candy drawer full, was taken care of.

When I was unable to celebrate my birthday with friends and family during COVID, she arranged for them to send cards and favorite memories, which she then secretly collected and turned into an epic scrapbook.

After one miscarriage and some discouraging fertility testing, we knew that the likelihood of conceiving naturally was disappointingly small.

Dan was immediately open to discussing all of the options, including adoption, fostering, surrogacy, and IVF. Within days, his laptop was covered with open Safari tabs and Google Docs bursting with research.

Alicia's reaction was to cry, cry some more, and then conduct her own type of research by talking to her friends and family. One of Alicia's best friends went through four rounds of IVF (including a scary trip to the emergency room) to have her two kids, and she would do it again in a heartbeat. Alicia's sister offered to be an egg donor or a surrogate.

Next, Alicia reached out to her former boss and mentor, who adopted a daughter five years prior. Before the call, Alicia was ready to jump headfirst into IVF, but she knew that she owed it to herself, and to Dan, to explore all options. The phone call lasted two hours, and one thing that Alicia's mentor said stood out: "Alicia, there's no right or wrong here, but you and Dan need to talk about what's more important – being parents or passing on your genes?" That was our "aha" moment, and the anxiety and doubt vanished. We want to be parents and we choose adoption.

We own a bright, spacious three bedroom home in a fantastic neighborhood in South Florida. We love cooking together in our open kitchen and entertaining outside in our backyard. Our dog Molly makes it her business to befriend all of our neighbors when we're out and about.

The best part is that both of our families are nearby, which means lots of playdates with our new niece!

We're a short stroll from playgrounds, two community pools, tennis/basketball courts, an ice skating rink, and a picnic area.

It's a multicultural suburban neighborhood, with lots of restaurants, beaches, farmer's markets, movie theaters, libraries, and parks. We're close to major metropolitan areas, so we can easily get our fix of theatre, live music, and museums. And when our out-of-town friends with little ones come to visit, there are aquariums, zoos, science centers, splash pads, and amusement parks.

We chose this neighborhood because it's the type of place where we want to raise a family — great schools, welcoming neighbors, and a nearby support network of family and friends.

Alicia: I met Dan's extended family early on at his uncle's retirement party. Truthfully, I had reservations. I'm Jewish and my family is limited to my sister and parents. Meanwhile, Dan's extended family tree is pushing 100 and they're Irish Catholic. I needn't have worried – they were so welcoming that within minutes I felt like family!

I've since been at countless family gatherings – these folks need only the flimsiest excuse to have a four generation, cross-country celebration – and the thing that amazes me is that they spend time with their extended family not out of any sense of obligation, but because they genuinely love and enjoy each other.

Dan: I thought my immediate family was close-knit, until I met Alicia's family. Two months into our relationship, Hurricane Irma was heading towards Alicia's family in Florida, and they needed somewhere to ride out the storm. It went without saying they would drive up to NYC with their three dogs to stay in Alicia's tiny apartment for a week! This is their dynamic – there's nothing they wouldn't do for one another.

Both: We knew our families are supportive, but we were overwhelmed by the pure joy and excitement from EVERYONE at our choice to pursue adoption. They can't wait to add to the family!

We have to admit it.

We're those people.

Our little Shih-Poo dog is the center of our world and has more toys than she could possibly need.

Our love of dogs is one of the first things we bonded over on our first date. We've been together for four years (and married for two), and if American Adoptions asked, we could easily submit hundreds of pictures of us with our Molly Munchkin for this profile.

As we sat here thinking about what to write in this letter, we realized little Miss Molly has a role to play. We recognize we can't possibly know how you are feeling, and we know dogs and babies are not the same thing (despite both sets of parents referring to Molly affectionately as their "grand furbaby"). But as we tried to relate to what you are going through, and see things through your eyes, we thought about how we'd feel if we needed to place Molly with another family:

Just thinking about re-homing Molly (who, again, is just a dog) forced us to examine our feelings if our roles here were reversed. So we didn't fill this profile with stuff that we thought you'd want to hear or claim that we're perfect. We tried to give you a glimpse of who we are as people, and how we'll be as parents, so that you can decide if we're the right family for you. Because that's exactly what we'd want if we were faced with your decision.

And to that end, here are our promises to you:

And if Molly could talk, she'd tell you how thrilled she is at the thought of having a human sibling; she knows there's more than enough love to go around.

Dan & Alicia