We love to travel both internationally and around the United States, often looking for opportunities to get out into nature and hike, one of our favorite activities. Some standout trips have been to the old city of Dubrovnik in Croatia, the red rocks of Sedona, and the gorgeous coastline of Big Sur.

We have a wonderful group of friends and try to spend as much time with them as possible. Many of them have children, so we enjoy backyard BBQs and beach days in the summer, where all the kids can play. We also try to take advantage of all our city has to offer, like art and music festivals, theatre, and incredible dining. At the same time, we cherish our time at home: cooking together, doing puzzles, watching TV or movies (probably something in the Marvel universe or The Great British Bake Off), and playing with our amazing cat, Tommy Lee Jones.

Bridgid About Jack: One of the first things I noticed about Jack, besides his handsome face, is that he's an old soul. He's a deep thinker, super smart, and curious. Jack is always reading or listening to podcasts to learn new things, and he approaches everything with thoughtfulness – work, friendships, and (hopefully soon) parenting. He's also a great listener and always makes me feel supported and accepted for who I am. We can be silly together. We tease each other a lot. We are truly best friends. Every day I think about how lucky I am to have Jack as a partner in life.

Jack About Bridgid: Bridgid and I have a lot of complementary traits. A lot of my weaknesses are her strengths, so she is always covering my blind spots. I really respect Bridgid's intelligence; she has an emotional intelligence that I hope one day to match. I admire Bridgid's patience, especially around children, teenagers and young adults. She takes the time to put herself in their shoes and see the world the way they do. It's a skill that I think a lot of adults lose as they get older. But I think more than anything, I love Bridgid's laugh and her sense of humor. She is a goofball like I am.

To us, being parents means nurturing another human, helping them grow into the person they're meant to be, and providing love, security, and guidance along the way. Parenting means instilling in a child important values, like kindness and integrity, and providing a foundation for them to grow upon. We don't have expectations for what our child will be like; we just want to help them become the best version of themselves.

We're sure that parenting will have difficult moments, but we know that the rewards will outweigh all the challenges. We're looking forward to helping a child explore their world and try new things. We want to be there to give encouragement, celebrate their successes, comfort them on tough days, and provide unconditional love.

We live in Illinois in an incredibly diverse neighborhood with lots of families and small businesses. The diversity of the area is one of the things we love most about it. On one block, for instance, you can find a Mexican grocery store, a Middle Eastern restaurant, and a Korean bakery. We also love our proximity to nature. Not far from us is a forest preserve, which has a series of large parks and wooded areas connected by a biking and walking trail. It's perfect for picnicking, and we love to ride our bikes there whenever possible. There are also several city parks nearby with playgrounds, swimming pools, sports, and even movies in the summertime. We imagine enjoying all of this with children one day.

Our street has lots of families and children of all ages. We often see our neighbors playing basketball in their yard, and the kids across the street love to climb trees and ride scooters. Our house has an open-concept first floor with the kitchen, living and dining rooms all connected. We think this is a great setup for a family, since we could be cooking in the kitchen while keeping an eye on children playing. We also have three upstairs bedrooms, and a backyard with a patio and plenty of grass. Our favorite spot is the living room, where we love to play with our cat and curl up on the couch to read books or watch movies.

We're both lucky to have loving relationships with our parents and siblings, who are all extremely excited about our adoption plans. Bridgid has four siblings, and her sister (Margaret) lives nearby. We often get together with her family and our awesome nephews to play and read with them, do puzzles, and make forts. Bridgid's parents and younger brother (Brendan) are just over an hour away, so we can easily see them for weekends and special celebrations. Bridgid's parents also have a cabin in northern Wisconsin, and we can't wait to bring a child there for canoeing and swimming in the lake, nature walks, cookouts, and family time without the typical distractions.

Jack's family is in St. Louis, including his sister (Kate) and our two fabulous nieces. We see them several times a year for holidays and summer visits. With our families, we love to eat together, play board games, watch old movies, and go on outings to the science museum and botanical gardens. Jack's dad also loves to pass on his cooking and baking skills to his grandkids – particularly his specialty, soft pretzels.

Both our parents are so excited by the prospect of us becoming parents ourselves. A child in our family will have devoted, nurturing grandparents who are eager to spoil a child the way only grandparents can.

First, we can only imagine the difficult choices you are facing, and we are so grateful that you are considering adoption and taking a moment to read this. It has been our dream to become parents for many years now, and we promise to provide a home full of love, security, and fun.

After two years of dating, we got married in October of 2015 and initially prioritized adapting to married life, focusing on our careers, and spending time on friendships and travel. Bridgid had just finished graduate school to become a school counselor, and Jack was moving his way up in his engineering firm. We both feel like our jobs have helped prepare us for parenthood in their own ways.

Bridgid works with high school students, helping them with academic plans, college and career goals, and emotional and mental wellness. She cannot imagine a better job. She loves being a calm presence for students when they're going through a difficult time, and being a cheerleader for them as they take on new challenges and go after their dreams. Being on a school schedule is also perfect for parenthood!

Jack started his career as an electrical engineer. He got to solve tough technical problems and work with some of the smartest people he had ever met. As he grew in his career, he was given the opportunity to manage a team. As much as he enjoyed being an engineer, he feels he has found his real calling being a leader and mentor. He loves seeing his team grow and become successful. He still thinks he works with some of the smartest people he has ever met, and he appreciates how much he learns from them every day.

When we decided to start a family several years ago, we never thought it would be so challenging. Our journey toward parenthood has included numerous doctor's visits, treatments, and painful losses. When it became clear that creating a family this way wasn't working, we realized that having a biological child didn't matter to us. What mattered was just becoming parents. We gladly left all those treatments behind and began exploring adoption. From our very first information session, we felt full of excitement and hope.

We have families and friends (who are like family) who are just as excited to welcome a child into the fold. In our family, your child will have devoted grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and playmates, both near and far, to shower them with love. As parents, we're looking forward to instilling in a child the values of kindness, persistence, and responsibility to others. We will encourage them to explore their interests and nurture their talents, whether that's in athletics, the arts, science, whatever! We hope to raise a child who cares about giving back to their community and sharing their gifts with the world, whatever those may be.

Throughout this process, we've learned so much about open adoption and how special the relationship can be between a child and their birth family. We want to honor that relationship. Your child will hear how much you are respected and admired in our family and that their adoption plan was made out of great love and care. We look forward to sharing photos, drawings, letters, milestones, and visits over the years, depending of course on your comfort level. More than anything, we promise that your child will always know how much you love them.

Thank you for taking the time to consider us as potential parents. You are incredibly brave and strong, and you will make the best choice for you and your child, no matter what.

Sincerely,

Jack & Bridgid