Prior to working in human resources, Jimmy was a chef. He began developing an interest in food at a young age through his mother and grandmother. Cooking is a form of personal expression and he especially enjoys creating artisanal meat and meat-less ball recipes.

Jimmy's other passions include tennis, biking, and restoring furniture. He prioritizes spending time with his nieces and nephews. He introduces them to art, food, culture, and sports. With the passing of Jimmy's father, James, at a young age, he and his siblings grew up quickly. They were raised by a single mother and they tried to help out as much as they could. Through this hardship he developed a sense of independence and a deeper appreciation for his family.

Charlie grew up in a very tight-knit family in the Midwest. His parents and siblings lived a state or two away from any other relatives, so growing up, they leaned heavily on each other and their community of friends and neighbors. Charlie now works as a product designer in healthcare technology, and enjoys any kinds of creative hobbies: playing piano, drawing, painting, and cooking/baking. He adores his nieces and nephews and loves seeing the world through their eyes.

As a gay couple, and growing up as members of the LGBTQ+ community, we have been forced to develop our own self-acceptance and self-love while walking through a world that is not always welcoming. We understand the importance of being resilient in who we are.

We promise to love your child unconditionally and always put them first. If you choose open adoption, we would also commit to including you in your child's life in the manner you are most comfortable with. We understand the long-term importance that you will have for them, and we are sure that they will have questions we wouldn't be able to answer without you. We would be open and honest with your child about their adoption, emphasizing the compassion and courage that guided your decision. Maintaining a relationship and communication with you as the birth mother is very important for the child's well-being. If you choose open adoption, we are excited to build a relationship with you in the years to come, by sharing pictures, emails, videos, and stories. We can meet virtually or in person if you would like so you can stay connected.

Our conversation about adoption and everyone involved in this child's story, especially you, will be introduced and discussed from day one. This child's story is exciting, unique, personal, and we want to celebrate every beautiful moment in its entirety. We are wholeheartedly committed to this child our relationship with you.

We have always sought out and looked for people that are different from ourselves. This is something that began at a very young age because it has always been so interesting learning about different thought processes, perspectives, languages, foods, traditions and ultimately about other parts of the world.

We are part of a diverse community of people made up of different genders, races, nationalities and identities and we embrace all of it. Although we may come from different backgrounds, what is consistent among us is that we are all supportive, accepting, love food and enjoy having a fun time.

We want to make sure this child is part of the community they belong to and we intend to live in a neighborhood that consists of the culture this child is part of. We plan to have ongoing open and honest conversations about diversity with this child throughout their life, regardless of their race, so we can make sure to support their own identity and journey.

Books, museums and toys are another great way to start introducing the child at a young age. Introducing them to people we know that they may be able to more closely identify with or at least provide them with the option to do so. It is important for us to incorporate this child into diversity because the world of people is a diverse makeup.

Our community consists of playgrounds, schools, dance studios, farmer markets, theaters, local shops and beaches that are family friendly and/or specifically for kids. Our neighborhood consists of many families, some of which are our friends, who are raising children. There are many local shops and during Halloween everyone brings their child trick or treating down the main strip to display their fun costumes.

We live on the second floor of an antique Chicago-style building. We have nine total rooms, of which three are bedrooms. Our favorite rooms are the two sun rooms where we grow our plants, decorate with art from our travels and enjoy reading in.

We are in walking distance to lake Michigan which has beautiful lake front parks and beaches that are designed with kids and families all in mind. While we live in a major city, there is a lot of nature, trees, flowers, lakes and outdoor activities that are kid friendly.

Near us is a large flower market, a Mexican bakery, playgrounds and lake front paths. Kids can skate board, play basketball, climb jungle gyms, pick Spring flowers, explore fun murals and eat sweets. Our neighborhood is quaint and filled with local shops and friendly people. Our nieces and nephews love visiting and exploring.

When our friends and family are around we enjoy watching movies together, cooking meals, joking, listening to music, singing, dancing and playing games. For example, during Christmas we all got together and each of us, which included our nieces and nephews, cooked a meal together. The dishes included, homemade gnocchi, lemon ricotta cookies, Pop's (Jimmy's Grandfather) Chicken Wings and roasted pork. We watched the Avengers movie and played card games.

Our families live outside of our state and we visit one another frequently. They enjoy visiting our home and exploring our city and we love taking trips to see them.

As a tradition, during the holidays we always visit New Jersey and take our nieces and nephews on a fun adventure to experience together. The experiences have consisted of a theater show, food tours, video games at Dave & Buster's, Polar Express Train Ride, exploring holiday markets, zoos and magic shows. Traditional foods we make are homemade tomato sauce, Pop's chicken wings, homemade pastas, pierogi, sourdough bread and rainbow cookies.

Our families are extremely excited, supportive and can't wait for the new addition of a child. They continuously express their confidence in us and are cheer leading us on. Our nieces and nephews are always hoping for additional playmates, and our parents love being grandparents.

We are Jimmy and Charlie, and we want to first thank you for taking the time to learn about us and our loving community of family and friends. We can never truly understand what you're going through right now. Please know that we are filled with gratitude and admiration for your selflessness in considering adoption. We also want to extend warm thoughts and support in your journey and while we are so excited at the prospect of starting a family of our own, we understand you are facing a very difficult and emotional decision.

Should you choose us, here's a little bit about who we are and the life your child would experience. We met during a hot and sunny summer in Chicago in 2015. Jimmy was completely new to the city and Charlie recently finished college and had already been living in Chicago for two years. After chatting through an online dating App for over a month, Charlie invited Jimmy to at a friend's housewarming party to meet in person. While Jimmy was chatting it up with the other attendees, Charlie was hidden away playing hard to get. Jimmy wasn't sure where Charlie was and started to think that perhaps he wasn't interested. While Jimmy contemplated leaving and shortly before he did, Charlie walked out and said hi. They immediately hit it off. Charlie thought Jimmy was very easy to talk to and was hooked by his laughter, and Jimmy found Charlie to be very warm and sweet. We spent the rest of the evening laughing and dancing together, and our relationship kept growing from there. After getting engaged in January 2019, we became married in February 2021. We knew from very early on in our relationship that we wanted to have kids and grow a family, and we were so excited about beginning the journey.

Our home is filled with joyful laughter, sounds of our favorite music (including everything from Madonna to Stevie Wonder), savory and sweet aromas from cooking dinner and desserts, and lots of love and warmth from us and our loved ones. We love spending time with one another, doing things like cooking homemade pasta, experimenting with new recipes, or going on adventures and seeing magic shows or musicals. It's important to us that this child grows up in an uplifting and nurturing environment filled with different races, cultures, genders, communities, backgrounds, and beliefs. We want to provide this child with every opportunity possible and will do everything in our power to make that possible. We will be open and honest with our future child about their adoption, emphasizing the compassion and courage that guided your decision. We will provide unconditional love, support, and guidance, and will accept them for all that they are throughout their life. We would commit to doing our absolute best to help them grow into a kind, smart, responsible, and loving adult.

We are honored that you are considering us, and we promise to love your child unconditionally and always put them first. If you choose open adoption, we would also commit to including you in your child's life. We understand the long-term importance that you will have for them, and we are sure that they will have questions we wouldn't be able to answer without you. We would be open and honest with your child about their adoption, emphasizing the compassion and courage that guided your decision. Developing a relationship and communicating with you as the child's birth mother is very important. We would be excited to build a relationship with you in the years to come, by sharing pictures, videos, letters, emails and stories. We are also open to meeting again in person, connecting over the phone or video if you would like.

We so appreciate you reading about us and the life we would strive to provide for your child. We hope that this profile will provide a glimpse into the life your child would have growing up as a part of our family. We are so excited to welcome our future child into our hearts and our home. We are grateful for the opportunity to share our story with you, and we wish you the very best.

Charlie & Jimmy