We have struggled with infertility for years. Conceiving was easy for us, but we were never able to progress past the second trimester. After years of conceiving, carrying for 12-15 weeks, and then losing the pregnancy, we decided that natural conception was just not in the cards for us. We were presented with many opportunities to push forward with pregnancies through other means, whether that be IVF, surrogating, or chemically forcing along a pregnancy. All of which we opted to not even consider, as our minds were made up for how we wanted to grow our little family. Being familiar with adoption, and knowing first hand how beautiful families formed through adoption are, we immediately turned all of our attention toward adoption.

Ashlyn's grandparents adopted both her mother and her uncle in the 1970's, after struggling with polio-related infertility for nearly a decade. When her mother and uncle were in late elementary school, her great uncle and his wife began to struggle with infertility as well. After experiencing first-hand how beautiful a blended family could be through the help of adoption, they too decided to adopt their children (two sons). As her family has grown over the decades, even more adoptees have found a home on the branches of our family tree. Adoption is something our family is incredibly familiar with and very supportive of. We feel we are the perfect family to adopt a child, as we know first-hand what it takes to form a family through love instead of blood. We are beyond excited to continue to grow our family through adoption.

Michael is an incredibly positive, kind, and caring person. He has a remarkable ability to always find the “good” in any situation. He has a very calm disposition and is able to maintain a clear mind no matter how much stress we seem to be under. He always tackles situations from the perspective of what would benefit the group as a whole, even if that means compromising his own wants and needs. Michael exudes selflessness, compassion, and understanding, which are necessities when it comes to parenting a child.

Ashlyn exhibits an enormous amount of determination, focus, and support for the dreams and goals of others. She feels there is no hurdle too large in life that she and her family cannot overcome. She is constantly setting new goals for her and her family to aim for. She believes in the importance of goal-setting and the feeling of accomplishment when they are achieved are essential for children to learn and use to improve and grow throughout life. She is incredibly supportive of any and all hobbies, careers, and passions that her friends and family have and can’t wait to watch her child from ones of their own.

We were both raised in culturally diverse families and communities. We firmly believe that teaching our child about cultural diversity, whether they resemble a background that is similar to our own or not, is essential in developing empathy, understanding, and awareness of the cultural differences that exist in the world. Children that are exposed to cultural differences early on are more comfortable and better prepared for the diversity they will experience in school and work environments later in life.

We fully intend to educate our child about their individual culture, as well as expose them to the cultures and traditions of others within our communities and from around the world. We both view cultural diversity as being a positively impactful aspect of our lives, as it is incredibly beneficial to hear the thoughts, ideas, and feelings of people who embody a different living experience from us. We openly welcome a child and family that represents a culture that differs from ours, as we will love any child and any family just the same.

Ashlyn comes from a large family with relatives spread out all over the country. She is the oldest of 7 kids, with the youngest 3 being triplets! Family gatherings are always chaotic, but full of laughter and fun. Her grandparents, lovingly known as Grammy and Pop-pop, moved just down the road from us 2 years ago, so we spend as much time as we can with them each week. Ashlyn's mother, uncle, and cousins are all adopted, so her family is very familiar with the process and is incredibly supportive and excited to watch us grow our family through adoption.

Michael comes from a small, but very close-knit family. His brother and sister-in-law, Nathan and Shiloh, and parents live about 2 hours away from us. We visit them at least twice a month, spending weekends at a time exploring their city, going to community events, sporting events, and celebrating life together. Nathan and Shiloh have given us a niece that we love and adore dearly. As a family, we take many trips together throughout the year, with at least one trip to Disney World around the holidays. Our favorite holiday to spend with them is Christmas. Michael's mother, who we all call "Mimi", cooks a big, southern, home-made breakfast early that morning. We all wake up to the smell of sweet cinnamon monkey bread and bacon, mosey downstairs in our matching pajamas, and curl up around the tree to open presents. We can't wait to continue on this tradition with our children.

We live in the beautiful, southern state of Georgia, about 40 minutes outside of a large, historic city. We live in a smaller, rural town where everybody knows and cares for each other. Our home resides in a big neighborhood, full of people of all ages and demographics. Each home was built in the 70's or 80's, with individual southern characteristics and charm. Most of the neighborhood lots are larger than an acre and full of wildlife and plants, giving us the feeling of living privately in nature, while having the comfort of knowing that your neighbors are just steps away.

A majority of our neighbors are young couples with children. Our next-door neighbors have two small kids, a pool and backyard, and throw neighborhood BBQs regularly. We have only lived here just over a year but already feel we have made life-long friends with the families all around us. Our HOA is incredibly active for each holiday, scheduling golf cart parades, Santa and Easter bunny visits, block parties, events for school kids to meet each other and make friends over the summer, and so much more!

Our house is a one-story red brick home built on nearly 2 acres in 1978. It has 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a formal living room and a family room. We have a big front porch and an even larger back deck. We love to spend time just sitting outside, soaking in the sunshine and listening to the birds sing around us.

Dear Birth Parents,

Our names are Michael and Ashlyn, and we want to start by thanking you for taking the time to get to know us a little better. We met and began dating over 11 years ago, and have been attached at the hip ever since. We are high school sweethearts, college sweethearts, have traveled all over the country and explored a bit of the world together. 

Michael was an elementary school special-needs teacher for 4 years, and has recently moved into the collegiate level of education, working in the admissions department of a large college in our town. Ashlyn is currently a practicing Histologist and was just recently offered a new branch management position for a private Pathology group. Michael’s job allows him to work from home for half of the week, though he intends on becoming entirely remote once we are placed with a child. We both feel very strongly that having a stay-at-home parent during infancy is incredibly important for the safety of the child and helps to promote the bonding and growth needed in a parent-child relationship. 

To be completely transparent, we conceived our first pregnancy while we were still in high school. We were scared and shocked, but before we could even begin to make a plan about what we were going to do, we lost the pregnancy. At the time, it was a bit a relief, as we knew we were far too young to have a child and had a world full of dreams and opportunities ahead of us. However, that initial feeling of relief grew into concern over the next couple of years as we got married and were actively trying to have a baby. After years of conceiving, progressing into the second trimester, and then losing pregnancy after pregnancy, the physical and emotional toll these losses were taking on us was overwhelming. After learning that carrying a natural pregnancy to term was just not an option for us, we immediately moved on to the idea of adopting. 

We know that many families explore other infertility options such as IVF, hormone therapy, and even surrogacy, but none of those have ever felt “right” for us. Knowing that there are many children out there that want and need a loving family home, and with Ashlyn being born into a family full of adoption stories, we knew from the get-go that adoption was the best choice for us in building our family. 

We promise to provide your child with a safe, supportive, loving, and stable home to grow and learn in. We are a household that welcomes diversity and promise to love and care for any child chosen for us! We are kind and gentle people with big hearts who feel we have so much to give a child. We are overjoyed to have this opportunity to grow our family. 

It’s difficult to even put into words the amount of respect, gratitude, and appreciation we have for you and all that you are going through as you make this incredibly difficult decision for your future and for the future of your child. We know what it feels like to lose a child, and we never want you to have to feel that way. You will be an important person in this child’s life, and in ours! We are more than happy to send texts and email updates full of pictures and stories of your child’s growth and progress throughout life. We would love to send you letters full of their artwork, school pictures, and accomplishments as they grow. Your role, sacrifices, and selfless choice will always be honored in our home, and we promise to make that known to your child. This child will know that you loved them so much that you have graciously given us the opportunity to love them as well, and for that, we can’t thank you enough.

We want you to know that you are loved, that your child is loved, and that no matter how hard this process becomes, we are here for you every step of the way. 

Sincerely,

Michael & Ashlyn