Parenthood is chaotic, funny, terrifying at times, deeply fulfilling, and the center of our world. We aren't perfect parents but we always try to be the best versions of ourselves so we can set a good example for Josie and her sibling. We love that we get to show the world to our children and see her face light up at new experiences. We love watching her learn, try new things, and conquer new challenges. We cheer for her constantly and have also taught her to cheer for herself. We can change a diaper or wipe a nose faster than a pit crew on the Indy 500 Speedway. Hanging out as a family is our favorite thing to do. We make each other laugh, especially as Josie tells the cats to sit and stay (they don't listen), or when we all dance to the opening song to the cartoon Bluey. 

For us, being a parent means providing the safety and opportunities for our children to discover who they are. It is our job to guide them while also giving them the independence to learn and explore. Our goal above all is to make sure our children are kind, curious, and confident. They will know that no matter how old they are, they will always have a house to come home to, a family who loves them more than anything, and two nerdy Moms who think the world of them.

Our family is a mixture of cultures and belief systems. Our heritage is German, Polish, Russian, English, and French, and we have family members who are Jewish and Christian, though we are not particularly religious ourselves. Erica's Dad's side of the family is Jewish, although that didn't stop her dad from dressing up as Santa for Josephine. He pretended to do it begrudgingly, but we could tell it was the best ten minutes of his life! We believe that religion and faith are deeply personal and encourage our children to explore them if that's something they desire. In our house all holidays are a celebration of gratitude, self reflection, and family. We also honor the beliefs and people that these holidays are meant to celebrate.

Christmas is books, matching pajamas, taking home baked cookies to our neighbors and driving around to find the house with the best lights. Summer means hiking, swimming, playing outside, listening to crickets in the evening and a big BBQ for Genelle and Josephine's birthday, which they share. Spring and fall are about noticing the changes that are taking place. Fall is also about football. We all get together to watch our favorite teams, eat good food, and talk smack.

It's hard to explain why, but we have always wanted to build our family through adoption. The concept of being biologically related to our children was never important to us because we are not biologically related to, nor do we look the same as many of the most important people in our life. Three of Erica's cousins are adopted and we also have a close friend who is adopted. This means our children have adults to go to when they have questions or feelings about their adoption or who can set an example for them. We decided to forgo a big wedding so that we could marry sooner and begin the process of adopting our first child. When we learned that Josephine's birthmom chose us to adopt our baby girl, and that they wanted an open adoption, we knew we would not only welcome Josie into our family, but her birth family into our extended family as well. We have visited Josie's birth family and Josie has pictures of them on her the wall of her bedroom. Her story will never be a mystery. We wanted to adopt a second child so that the baby and Josie will have each other through life. Both Erica and I are very different from, but very close to our siblings. Also, we have so much joy and love to share with another child. We can't wait to watch our kids building memories together!

Colorado - We call our house "the tree house" because there's a large ash tree in the front yard that we lovingly named Fluffy. The house has enough bedrooms so that our children will all have a space to call their own and to make messes in. We have a wonderful backyard with a raised garden bed and wildflowers. We have bird feeders just outside the windows that we call "TV for the cats".

The walls are covered with paintings done by family members and the furniture is covered with blankets and quilts made by Erica and her mom. On a typical day there are kids toys and books adorning the shelves and often also the floor.

We live in a quiet suburb in Colorado with a highly rated elementary school two blocks from our front door. There are lots of kids and in the neighborhood including four next door. We live on a cul-de-sac and where warned by each of our neighbors when we moved in that we better go all out with Christmas lights because we have a reputation to up keep. They weren't kidding. Every house looked like it should be in Whoville.

We live close to family, close to the mountains, and close to the zoo and museums that are downtown. Weekends are always jam packed with fun activities and we try to be outside as much as possible.

Erica has three wild brothers who all love hiking, rock climbing, and all of the adventures that the west has to offer. They are all wonderful uncles to their niece though they work hard to teach her how to be mischievous. Erica's parents live just a short drive up the road. Erica's Mom is a homemaker and has supported us as new parents with advice and childcare when we've needed it. They love spending time with Josie and are both ecstatic for another grandchild. 

Genelle's family also lives nearby. She is very close to her sister and has a wonderful nephew, Harrison, who is nine. We loving going to see them or taking Harrison out for adventures. He's such a loving cousin: kind, silly, and creative. He loves playing with and teaching things to Josie even though she's much younger than him. The weekends usually include visits to one, or both families, or a get together with everyone. We really are a community of love, support and fun for each other. If someone needs help, we all show up to give encouragement. We celebrate life together and give advice through the tough times. We really admire the accomplishments of our parents and want to emulate the love, stabilities and opportunities they provided for us to the next generation. A new child in our home is also a new niece or nephew, a cousin, and a grandchild.

Mothers are strong, caring, resilient and generous. As moms ourselves, and adoptive parents, we honor that you are making a difficult, selfless, and loving decision. Before ever meeting, we already know we have one thing in common, we want what is best for you and what is best for your child. Life is about finding one’s truth and we will encourage that for both of our children. Our children’s stories will never be a mystery. Therefore, we will always be an open book if they have questions about their adoption because it is a part of their story. Above all, they will know that they have been loved by many since before their first breath.

We are both science and math nerds. Books, cats and family were the first topics we bonded over when we met over four years ago. A wonderful friendship blossomed along with our romantic relationship, and we’ve been lucky to experience life together ever since. Genelle works in cancer research and loves using science to heal people. Erica is a software engineer who develops websites. Being a web developer allows her to bring creativity into a computer science career. We both work from home which gives us lots of flexibility to spend time with our kids and to adjust our schedules for whatever life throws at us.

We got married in a small wedding three years ago because we were so eager to build a family and a life together. We bought the house we live in now to allow a second child to have their own room, to give our kids a big yard to play in, and to have access to one of the best school districts in the state. Our home is filled with books, artwork, toys, music, and has two cats running around. On the weekends we visit with family as both of our parents live nearby as do all our siblings and our nephew who is nine. While a child will get us as parents, they also get four uncles, an aunt, a cousin and grandparents who will love them and be there for encouragement and guidance. We have close friends in the area who also have young kids. We love taking the kids to the library for music and story hour, to the zoo or museum, or to the mountains for a weekend getaway.

Our daughter Josephine is almost two. She lights up a room when she walks in. She is smart, sweet, funny and will be an awesome big sister. We have an open adoption with Josie’s birth family and greatly admire them. We share pictures, videos and updates on a private photo sharing app several times a week so that she can watch Josephine grow and see everything that she is accomplishing throughout her life. We follow her birthmom’s lead as to the contact she wants. We have had video calls on holidays and have been able to visit them for some summer fun! Josie has pictures of her birth-family on her bedroom wall. If you desire openness in your adoption, we would love to discuss how we can best support this during and after the pregnancy. We want you to feel confident in your decision!

It is most important to us to raise kind, curious and secure children. We want to adopt a second child so that our children will have each other. We want them to have the guidance, freedom, and opportunities to be themselves and accomplish their dreams. Our kids will always have a place to call home no matter how old they are. We are filled with gratitude for you! Thank you for taking the time to consider our family as a home for your baby!

Sincerely,

Genelle & Erica