Rachel can recall a conversation with her mom when she was 16 years old where she told her that she wanted to adopt a child someday. When we met, we discussed potential fertility issues and we both agreed that adoption was always on the table. We spent a few years trying to conceive and ultimately tried IVF. Fortunately, it was successful and we now have a wonderful, happy, and healthy 4-year-old daughter. The process of IVF, pregnancy, gestational diabetes, an emergency cesarean section, and post-partum were extremely hard on Rachel physically and mentally. However, we always knew that our family was not complete, but when the time came to talk about growing our family through IVF again, we simply could not do it. Our hearts are ready and open for another child, but we do not wish to go through the IVF process again. We want to be the healthiest version of ourselves for a new child. We spent several months visiting the topic and we agreed that adoption is the right decision for our family. We have discussed this with our family and close friends and the amount of excitement they are showing us has made us even more excited and confident about the opportunity.

We are a very active family. We like to take walks or ride bikes around the neighborhood, play games in the front yard, go out for dinner, visit with family and friends, see shows (movie theater, Disney on Ice, Frozen), or go to the local farmer's market. We also love to travel and visit friends around the country. But, if we're not out and about or the weather doesn't cooperate, then we do enjoy our quiet time at home watching TV or putting together puzzles. We love to have date nights to see live music or comedians and have game nights with friends and family.

Dan loves to do wood working projects. He's built several things around the house and for others including the treehouse in our backyard and wishing well for his mom (Grandma). He also enjoys running and has completed several half-marathons.

Rachel loves to dance. She takes jazz, hip-hop, and tap class regularly. She also loves to put together 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles.

We are looking forward to sharing our love of travel and exploration with a child.

Rachel About Dan: Dan has an ability to make anything fun! He likes to make up silly songs to make Elise laugh or play Pretty Pretty Princess. He has the best sense of humor and a calming nature about him. Elise always tells me that she has the best dad in the whole world.

Dan About Rachel: Rachel is a natural project manager which is no doubt why she did it for years at work too. Her brain is always 'on'. She is constantly thinking about next steps. When applying that to being a mom, she is always thinking about how to make life better for Elise. What activities can we plan? What would she like to do? What could be fun? She cares so much about Elise and making sure that she has everything that she wants/needs to be her own person. This builds a very loving home for all of us where a child can be who they want to be and we're here to support anything that they choose to do.

We live in a suburb in Missouri with 36,000 residents. We are 20 minutes from downtown and 20 minutes from rural areas. Our community is very family-oriented and a wonderful place to live. We are situated within a wooded area near a river, so we see deer in our yard daily. We've seen foxes, hawks, and eagles too. It's fun to check our video doorbell each morning to see which animals visited the night before. Our neighborhood is around 100 single family homes (many with small children), very quiet, and we have our own park with a playground only 1/4 mile away.

Our house is 3,600 sq. ft. with 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. Plenty of space for your child to play. The best part is the playroom downstairs that's just for kids. Our daughter spends so much time there. We are on 0.6 acres, but the backyard is a wooded area which we have built a treehouse to play in! But if it's not quite treehouse weather, then we spend plenty of time on the covered porch eating ice cream, blowing bubbles, or drawing with chalk.

Both of our immediate families live within 30 minutes of our home, so we get plenty of grandparent, aunt (Aunt Yaya), uncle (Uncle Daniel), and cousin (Maelynn) time! Usually when our family is together, it's spent playing games, at trivia nights, spending time outside, swimming at Grandma and Grandpa's house (Dan's mom and step-dad) or vacations together. Our daughter and niece love having cousin sleepovers at Mimi and Pop's (Rachel's parents) house.

Rachel has a large extended family that gets together once per year for a family reunion, usually around Christmas time so we celebrate with a lot of food and gifts. Rachel's side of the family has been blessed many times over through adoption, so the addition of your child into our lives would be happily welcome.

Dan's extended family is smaller but usually gets together for major holidays. Thanksgiving is the most prominent with Italian food at the center of it all using his great grandmother's sauce recipe. We're a very close bunch and just the mention of adoption was met with much love and support.

We hope that this letter finds you well and in high spirits. Our names are Dan and Rachel and it's our pleasure to write to you with the utmost respect for making such a courageous decision to place your child for adoption. The level of importance in choosing adoptive parents must be overwhelming and we hope that our profile will aid you in understanding if we are the right fit. We are overly grateful that you are considering us and want to learn more about us.

We met in college and began dating in 2008, were married in 2011, and welcomed our first child in 2019 after many years of infertility struggles. Being parents means the world to us and we admire your strength to consider adoption as the best choice for your child. The love, selflessness, and sacrifice you are making and would entrust in us remarkable. As adoptive parents, we are ready emotionally, mentally, and financially to provide a loving and stable environment for your child. Our home is built upon love, laughter, and family values. We have a large support system of extended family and close friends to help build a community around your child.

We also want to assure you that your child will be surrounded by love and acceptance. We are committed to fostering an environment that celebrates diversity and promotes inclusivity. Your child will grow up in a home where they are encouraged to embrace their unique identity and where their cultural heritage will be honored and respected.

Being that we both have engineering backgrounds, education is extremely important in our home. We are dedicated to providing your child with the best opportunities for growth and development. We will encourage their curiosity, support their interests, and provide a safe space for them to explore their passions. We believe in the power of education to shape a child's future and will do everything in our power to ensure that your child receives a quality education.

We understand that this decision isn't easy and we want you to know that we are here to support you in any way that we can. We believe that an open and honest relationship is beneficial for the child as they grow up knowing their roots and the love that brought them into this world. We are more than happy to maintain an open relationship with you should you desire it. We are committed to sending you letters, pictures, or emails whenever you would like. We are also open to keeping in touch via phone calls, text messages, and in-person visits.

We are committed to providing a loving, nurturing, and stable home where your child can thrive. The trust that you place in our hands would be honored throughout the child's entire life. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and consider us as the adoptive parents for your child. We're open to any and all questions or contact to assist you in making the right decision. We wish you all the best in your journey and we hope that our paths may cross.

Dan & Rachel