Adoption holds a special place in both of our hearts. Emmie was adopted as an infant and Ryan has a close family member who was also adopted. We both feel a unique connection to adoption and have always known we wanted to adopt.

Ryan learned at an early age that family does not have to be blood related when he found out his Aunt was adopted. He was very close with her when he was growing up and always admired her confidence. He was always excited to go to his Aunt's house which he called the "fun house". His Aunt would talk with him openly about her adoption and he knew that one day he wanted to adopt a child because of his admiration for his Aunt.

Emmie grew up knowing she was adopted and that she was loved unconditionally by both her adoptive parents and her birth mother. Her parents were always open and honest with her about her adoption. As Emmie got older she gained a better understanding of the sacrifices her birth mother made in order to give her a better life. She feels extremely lucky to have had such a loving, fulfilling, and fun childhood. Emmie is forever grateful for the parents her birth mother selected to raise her and for the many opportunities she has had in life that would not have been possible if she had not been adopted.

If we were to adopt a child of another race or culture we would consider what to do both inside and outside of our home in order to help a child develop a healthy identity. We would make sure to have open and honest conversations about race, culture, and diversity early on.

We would also address racism. We do not want a child to feel isolated because they look different so we would give a child as many opportunities as possible to interact with people of their same race and culture to help them develop a positive self image. In addition, we would connect with other families who have adopted transracially so that a child can have additional support from their peers. We plan on keeping up to date on our education, attending family counseling, support groups, and fully embracing this child's ethnicity.

We would also include culturally relevant traditions and holidays into our home life so that a child can see that their culture is valued and is important. We will also participate in different cultural activities and festivals so that a child is able to develop the most positive, confident, and happy version of themselves.

Ryan owns a construction company that employs 40-50 people depending on the time of year. He has worked very hard to get to where he is today. He started out working as a laborer while he was in college and once he graduated was offered a full time position in the office. He graduated with his bachelor's degree in Engineering and has been with the company for over 18 years. Since he owns his own company we are not only able to provide a great life for a child but Ryan also has the flexibility to take time off to spend with family. Ryan is really looking forward to attending a child's extracurricular activities and volunteering to coach and be an active part in a child's life.

Emmie earned an associates degree in Dietetic Technology. However, after she graduated she found that there were no jobs in her field of study and decided to pursue a career in banking. She started out as a teller and quickly worked her way up to Assistant Branch Manager. During her 7 year career in banking she earned many awards and certificates. Although she loved her job, we decided to really focus on growing our family and getting ready to be parents. Because of Ryan's career Emmie is able to pursue her dream job as a stay at home mom. Emmie can't wait to be there every step of the way for a child.

Our families are thrilled about our adoption journey and cannot wait for us to become parents. It brings up a lot of memories for Emmie's father, who adopted her when she was an infant.

Our family is warm, welcoming, loving, and kind. We simply enjoy spending time together. We feel very fortunate that our families live close by and that we see them frequently.

Every Christmas Eve we go to Emmie's father's house where we have a yankee swap and a delicious brunch. On Christmas day, Ryan's mother comes to our house where we exchange gifts, eat homemade macaroni and cheese, and watch A Christmas Story.

Sadly, Emmie's mother passed away a couple of years ago so we make sure to light a candle and have a place setting in her memory. We cannot wait to add a child to our family and share our holiday traditions and to create new ones with them.

Maine - We live on a quiet road in a blue raised ranch with beautiful landscaping on 3 acres of land. In the spring, yellow daffodils line the front of our home. We have a large backyard with plenty of space for a child to run and play. We have 6 chickens and enjoy collecting fresh eggs from them.

There is a neighborhood turkey and guinea hens who stop by to visit from time to time. In the summer we plant a large vegetable garden and love sitting in our patio and watching it grow. We live close to a river which we enjoy walking to and frequently see lots of wild life including river otters.

Our neighborhood is friendly and filled with families. There are always children outside playing and riding bikes. The school is a short drive away and has a nice playground and multiple sports fields. We love our neighborhood and community because it is family oriented and there are lots of activities for children to enjoy. There is also an annual festival which includes a parade and fireworks. We love the opportunity to connect with our community and can't wait to share this fun event with a child.

Thank you for viewing our profile and taking the time to get to know a little bit about us. We think you are incredibly brave, strong, and selfless for taking this first step. We realize this is not an easy decision and it is not something we take lightly. We feel truly humbled for this potential opportunity of becoming parents. We want nothing more than to give this child an excellent life full of love and opportunities. We have longed for so long to be called mom and dad.

Let us to start by introducing ourselves, we are Emmie and Ryan and we have been together for over 10 years and married for almost 8 years. For the past 7 years we have been on the emotional rollercoaster of a miscarriage and then infertility. We have faced incredible hardships related to infertility and have accepted the fact that we cannot get pregnant. We have always known we wanted to adopt and are thrilled to be on our adoption journey. We truly believe that we are exactly where we are meant to be. We feel that since Emmie was adopted she will be able to relate to this child in many ways that other adoptive parents are not able to do.

Although these past years have been especially challenging, we feel very fortunate to have had this time to really get to know one another. We have been able to travel to many different countries and to fully immerse ourselves in the language and the different cultures. This time has allowed us to establish ourselves financially and to really figure out how we envision our future family life.

Since Ryan owns his own company he has a flexible schedule and will be able to take time off so that we can spend time together as a family. Ryan's career will also allow Emmie to be a stay at home mom, a job she has always dreamed of. We have also spent this time creating a beautiful home that is safe and comfortable where this child can learn, grow, laugh, and play.

We cannot wait for our home to be filled with giggles, for toys to be scattered about, and to finally be parents. We are looking forward to traveling and exploring the world together as a family. We hope that exposing this child to different cultures will help them grow as a person. We are also excited to share our favorite place with this child, our family camp. We can't wait to spend time with them on the lake where we enjoy fishing, swimming, and roasting marshmallows by the fire.

If you choose us, we promise to love your child unconditionally. We promise to give them a wonderful life with lots of opportunities for them to learn and grow into the very best version of themselves. We promise to talk about you often and to make sure this child knows how much you love them and how much you have sacrificed to give them the best life possible. We promise to send you pictures and letters and also some artwork for you to hang on your fridge. Most importantly, we promise to teach this child about love, kindness, and that they can be anything they want to be in life.

Thank you again for this potential opportunity of becoming parents. It would mean so much if you chose us to parent your child. We hope our profile provided you with a glimpse into our lives and how we would be as parents.

We wish you the best of luck in your search and please know that no matter what you choose, we want nothing but the best for you and your baby.

Ryan & Emmie