We prioritize exploring new hobbies and spending time with our loved ones, and make a point to encourage each other's individual interests. Jamie continues to maintain contact with lifelong friends through a virtual weekly game night, during which Victoria frequently hears grown men giggling. He is constantly developing new hobbies such as roasting coffee, playing guitar, or biking. Victoria is training with our dog, Albus, and is working towards becoming a therapy dog team with him. She enjoys contributing to the community, such as organizing an 'Adopt a Senior' Christmas gift exchange for seniors at a local nursing home. Victoria is currently exploring volunteer work with the Parkinson's Disease community through becoming a therapeutic dance instructor and co-leader of a support group. We both love board games and like to invite our friends and family over to play at least twice a month. Our community frequently has family friendly events which we attend with our cousins and their kids. Our favorite thing to do together is spending time outside. We regularly go on hikes, canoe, paddle board, grill, walk around the neighborhood, or play disc golf (though not well!). We believe that spending even a little time outdoors on a regular basis is good for the souls of adults and children alike. We look forward to expanding our hobbies to include whatever our future child shows interest in. We believe showing interest in someone's hobbies is a great way to demonstrate that you love them.

Victoria About Jamie: Jamie has an old soul, yet he can also find childlike joy in exhibits at museums or in childhood games. You can hear the kid in him when he laughs. He gets excited about teaching people skills and showing kids new experiences that will fill them with delight. Jamie has managed to find incredible balance in all areas of his life. While he works hard, he also prioritizes free time for his family. While he has goals, he also enjoys the moment that is happening right now. Perhaps what I admire most about Jamie is that he is able to be successful and find joy in whatever life circumstances are thrown his way. I know that will be a huge asset to our family as we navigate parenthood together.

Jamie About Victoria: Victoria has a great love of caring for people, both in daily life and when circumstances get tough. She is always looking for ways she can use her time and skills to help others around her. I look forward to her passing on a heart for people to our future child. Victoria is also driven when she has a goal, and is willing to sacrifice in order to make that goal happen. The ability to plan for the long-term for the greater good of our family has been an enormous benefit in every part of our life. These characteristics will make her a great parent to our child as she helps them navigate the adventures of life.

We are high school sweethearts who have been married for seven years. We are beyond thankful that we have never experienced even one day of adulthood without each other's love and support. We grow together with every passing year. Victoria is an Occupational Therapist who primarily works with kids, though she also loves working with the elderly. She has been doing teletherapy from home for the past year and a half to allow for increased flexibility in our family life. She thoroughly enjoys diving into learning about childhood development, getting on the floor to enter a child's world, and celebrating each milestone they reach, no matter how small it may seem. She firmly believes that kids should be given the space to explore their surroundings, get messy, and create their own world of play. Jamie is an electrical and software engineer who values opportunities to learn something new and to mentor others. He values finding a good work/home life balance which supports his career while making sure his personal life remains the priority. Jamie has worked from home for about 4 years now and has a flexible schedule to help maintain this balance. Outside of working hours, we love to spend time outdoors, try new foods, travel, explore where we live, host family and friends, and seek new experiences

We work from home and have created a comfortable and relaxing environment. Our home has plenty of room to grow, and we enjoy working on projects to make it uniquely our own and welcoming to all. Our home has an open living space, a large deck, and a sunroom where everyone can gather in all types of weather. We embrace all aspects of family life from messy childhood crafts to family meals.

We live just outside of a large city, which makes it easy for us to go to a variety of exciting activities. From large music festivals, live shows, annual community fairs, kid friendly events at museums, to family field days, there is always a fun event to attend. For example, we recently went on a Polar Express train ride with one of our little cousins, and we cannot wait to take our child one day! We frequently visit a large state park which is only 12 minutes from our house. It offers numerous activities for families with kids, such as an ice cream truck next to the lake and nature lessons. Our local schools are highly rated and diverse, including a 30% Hispanic student population. We look forward to our child being raised in a culturally diverse area.

We are incredibly thankful to be so connected to our families. Our parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles are all thrilled for us to be pursuing parenthood through adoption. We have had their unending support throughout infertility and miscarriages, and know they will continue to show up for us and our future child as we grow our family through adoption. Our child will have the support and love of numerous family members throughout their life.

Both sets of our parents live in the same city, about 4-5 hours away, and we visit each other about once a month. We all stay in contact on a daily basis through phone calls and family chats. We have a feeling they will insist on visiting us even more once they are grandparents for the first time! One set of grandparents anticipate moving to our area upon retirement. Victoria's sister is her best friend, and they visit often. Between visits they call, text, and watch movies together over Facetime. Jamie's brother lives a couple hours away and will be the hilariously funny uncle that every child deserves.

Many extended family members live in our area, and we see them on a weekly basis. Victoria's cousins are close friends, and we enjoy spending time with them and their young kids. One of our favorite things about where we live is that we get to see our little cousins grow up (and spoil them frequently). We look forward to growing the 'cousin crew.'

We have thought about what we would like to say to you countless times. It is difficult to write this letter without knowing you, and we frequently find ourselves imagining what you are like and how you must be feeling. Should you choose adoption and us as your child's parents, you will become much like our extended family, and we look forward to nurturing our relationship with you for the benefit of our child. We want to give you space when you might need it, but the door to communication is open on our end. If you would like, we are prepared to make a yearly visit to see you and provide updates with pictures in between visits. Our goal is to communicate with you with authenticity, respect, honesty, empathy, and love. We desire to be very truthful and clear in any promises or plans we make with you. Regardless of what you choose, we recognize that you are an irreplaceable part of your child's story. Please know that we wish to be our genuine selves as you get to know us and determine what potential relationship you want with us.

The words to express how excited we are to become parents through adoption do not seem to exist. Our love for a child that we do not know yet grows every single day. We have been discussing adoption as a possibility for us since before we were married (7 years ago), so there have been numerous discussions about it. The further into the process we have gotten, the more we find ourselves not just feeling our hearts grow for our future child, but also for our future child's first family. It is such a bizarre and wonderful thing to have this love growing for people you have never even met.

Becoming parents has been at the forefront of our minds for years. Victoria feels she has had a mama's heart for as long as she can remember. She has always said that she finds it impossible not to fall in love with kids, even when holding a screaming and distraught toddler. Jamie has a natural calmness and constant love that brings a sense of security and protection, which his child will experience on a daily basis. Victoria says he has been practicing his dad jokes since he was a kid himself, and he looks forward to finally sharing jokes with his child. Discussing being parents and what kind of parents we want to be has been a natural part of conversations between us. Most of our choices as adults, including our careers, where we live, jobs we have accepted, financial planning, etc. have revolved around us creating a family life with children. We are prepared to make personal sacrifices and difficult decisions to support our child throughout their lifetime. We say that our parenting motto is 'helping our child reach their goals.' We will work to ensure that our child has access to life experiences, tools, education, opportunities, healthcare, financial and emotional support, as well as anything else that can support them in building a happy and fulfilling life.

We want our child to grow up in a home where their infancy is filled with physical and emotional needs being met, middle of the night snuggles, each milestone being celebrated, and lots of love and bonding. We want their childhood years to be filled with bedtime stories, family game nights, friendships, exploration of hobbies, getting ice cream from the ice cream truck, swinging high on the swing set, and small moments that will become core memories. We want their teenage years to include personal growth, deep friendships, fun memories, understanding, opportunities for expanding independence, and parents who are there to listen and guide. We hope their adulthood is filled with the courage and support they need to seek out the life they want.

With all that being said, we want what is best for you and your child, regardless of what decision you make. We understand there are many good options available to you, and we give you our sincere support as you navigate this journey.

Jamie & Victoria