Yes, we have 2 wonderful boys, Milo (9) and Rowan (7). We always knew we wanted kids and would love to add one more. Cat would have had many more children but grad school and working and securing financial stability delayed family planning, so we'd love to welcome another child from a birth mom into our family. Milo is a brilliant kid who loves to build, play sports, swim, and play board games of any kind. He also loves movies and Minecraft with his friends. Most importantly, he’s a sweet kid who is wonderful to others. We consistently get feedback from teachers and coaches that he is able to work well with any kid or on any team. He’s an exceptional teammate. Rowan is our 7 year old and we find him hilarious. He struggles at times with attention but makes the wittiest jokes and comes up with such creative crafting ideas. He loves drawing and writing comics (favorite author is Dav Pilkey who writes DogMan and Captain Underpants). He’s also so smart and clever and a super kind human. He loves caretaking, whether it’s a puppy, our aquarium fish, or a baby. His favorite activity is probably “kitchen dance party” where he plays a silly song and just lets loose. We would describe him as a free spirit. Both kids have generous spirits and are truly wonderful brothers and family members.

Parenthood is the hardest and best thing we’ve ever done. We both grew up in families with siblings and always planned to have our own children. We think of the job of a parent as a guide through life, not telling a child what to do or how to be but rather, guiding them to figure out how to navigate the world.

We believe children reveal themselves to us over time and it’s our job as parents to support and encourage whoever they are and become. The best thing about parenting is watching them experience the world with awe. Things that become boring or mundane to us can be so fascinating and hopeful for them. We love the spark and joy for life we see as they explore it and discover things. We love re-experiencing things through their new perspective, and we love how they are teachers as well. Our kids have also been guides to us: guides to slow down and love the small moments, guides to be present in the moment and remember how magic exists in every day things. 

We believe family, however it looks, is so valuable. Raising a child requires a lot of resources and we are well aware of this: resources of time, emotion, money, space, etc. We feel lucky to have enough of these resources to support another child, especially the emotional support and love we want to offer, that we have chosen to try and find another family member to join us. Cat went through fertility treatment and a few months in, decided she did not actually want another pregnancy, just another human to join the family. So we shifted gears and happily pursued adoption instead. We all think humans are pretty cool and it would be wonderful to have another one join our family. We want to be as open as possible from the beginning - to always tell the child they are adopted, which means they get however many parents they have (for example, an adoptive mom and a birth or bio parents). We will answer any questions within the preferences of the birth parents and we will frame the adoption in positive ways, meaning all the adults involved have care and concern for the child. We hope to know the child’s cultural background to facilitate a connection to it, and to any extended family members, location, or birth parents to the extent they prefer.

We are very close with our extended family. Cat is best friends with her two sisters and we travel several times a year to get all the cousins together. The kids all love one another and always have a blast swimming at the beach, staying up for "movie nights" and riding bikes and scooters together. We generally spend holidays & summers with extended family and very much ascribe to the idea "the more the merrier!

Steve grew up in Chicago, IL and we have many friends and some family there. We have family spread across NC, SC, TX, IL, OH and close friends in CO, CA, NV & NYC. We have family connections in Spain, Australia, and many in the Philippines (including the kids' maternal grandfather and many cousins), plus connections in Portugal, Peru, Canada, United Arab Emirates & Singapore. So we literally have family spread around the world, which has prompted many great adventures together in community with others.

We think our family is unique in that our connections are truly global. Because of this, we are open to and eager to help our next child stay connected with their/our ancestry if that is wanted. We are a family of adventurers! Many of our family traditions incorporate food and we celebrate and connect over meals: Chicago tavern pizza, Filipino pancit and lumpia, and food adventures depending on our travels. We celebrate birthdays and major Christian holidays. The kids have 10 first cousins and dozens of second cousins. 

We absolutely love our neighborhood! We live in a single family 5-bedroom 4-bath home with a fenced backyard that is half grass/half woods on a cul-de-sac/end of the road. We have a ninja line, rope tunnel, and swing in the wooded area and a swingset and climbing geodome in the grass area. We usually play tag, football, townball (baseball with no outs or strikes) and volleyball in the backyard. In the summer, we have a blowup shark water slide. Occasionally we camp in a tent during nice weather. We also spend a ton of time in the front yard on bikes and scooters with several neighbors. We're very good friends with the families on our street, so 8 kids total that ride together. We also do crafting in our open garage with neighbors while we catch up with other parents. It feels like everyone watches out for each other and we love it.

We have a neighborhood pool we walk to as well as another community pool about 5 minutes drive away. The kids are on the swim team there and we swim nearly every summer day. Each kid has/will have their own room (all upstairs). Favorite room is definitely our upstairs playroom with drawing desks, a "Lego City" and tons of toys. We spend most nights up there reading and playing before bedtime routine or having a "drawing party." We are close to hiking, parks, and bike to the neighborhood ice cream shop. 

Thank you for reviewing our materials and for your consideration!?We?have been together for 14 years, married for the past 10, and have 2 wonderful kids (ages 7?& 9). We?tried for a 3rd kid for several years before Cat went through fertility treatment last year. After a few months in, Cat realized she didn't want to be pregnant again (or go through another c-section), we just wanted a 3rd kid. So?we stopped treatment and?quickly shifted to adoption. We?feel?there is a?3rd kid meant to join our family but not with Cat as the birth mom. We have made peace with our decision to?delay family planning in order to complete grad school and secure financial stability. We love our current life and family of 4 but would love it even more if we grew to a?family of 5. We feel strongly that we have resources in many ways (love, time, hope, finances) to support another child and our two kids would love another sibling.?

We both grew up with married parents, a mom and a dad, and?Cat's?paternal grandmother lived in the house her?whole life. She was?Cat's primary caregiver throughout childhood so?Cat grew up telling people?she had 1 dad and?2 moms. That's still true to this day.?We feel?very strongly about offering the same generous love to your child, that they will be so loved and lucky to not just have a mom and dad in us, but?2 moms or 2 dads or whatever the combo may be. Between Steve and I, we have 18 first cousins and tons of 2nd cousins scattered all over. Although we're a small family unit of 4 hoping to become 5, we highly value the connections and relationships we have with larger circles and communities. We would love you to be a part of that for this child and us as much as you desire. I love the idea that we?call multiple places and people home, not?one place. We are all bound by our heart strings in different ways and love can?be daily caretaking or?it can be from afar in just wishing someone well, and lots of variations between.

We will happily share letters and pictures with birth parents and are open to more contact depending on birth parents' preference. For example, we're open to emails, sending photos, calls or even future visits if that's something desired. We would also support a trip to another city/state/country if the child is connected culturally to other locations. We frequently send cards and letters to other family members,?including updates written by our kids, and would happily support this for birth parents and extended family if?wanted. We have no rigid expectations of how communication may look. We recognize it may shift and change over time depending on circumstances and we remain open to conversations about what feels like the?right amount of information to share - if less feels easier or more is wanted at different times, we are open to flexing based on what feels best and your input.?

I imagine it's a lot of work to think about what option is best for your child. Regardless of what you decide, I just want to pause and acknowledge how much love you must feel to make difficult decisions for your child, whatever those decisions look like. We are a loving, fun, boisterous and adventurous family and if this connects with you, we are certain in our ability to receive another family member wholeheartedly - not just a child but their story as well, which includes you and your ancestors. If you move on from our profile to another, we wish you and your baby well on this journey.?

Steve & Cat