Our passions define us and will help define this child. We share many of the same passions: nature, traveling, and good food. We are always looking for ways to maximize the time we spend pursuing these interests and will certainly continue to do so as we welcome a child into the family. Our passion for travel and the outdoors have brought us to many interesting places around the world. We spent our honeymoon in Peru, spending a week hiking through the Andes Mountains and ending at Machu Picchu. We also enjoyed spending time exploring the local markets and restaurants, experiencing interesting foods and learning about the culture. Recently, we also took a trip to Norway and Sweden and did a small cruise in the Arctic Circle, spotting whales, reindeer, fox, birds, and polar bears. We can't wait to bring your child on trips like these and experience the world through their eyes.

Alex enjoys backpacking, camping, cycling, sports, cooking, and movies. Alex often goes camping and hiking in various state and national parks on the weekends, or curling up on the couch with a good meal and a movie. He also enjoys riding his bike on the various trail systems near our home. Meagan also enjoys hiking and camping, but is equally as happy at home hosting friends, gardening, reading and doing puzzles. We are excited to have a new buddy to join our adventures, and to broaden our horizons as we encourage their passions!

We are big tradition people. Meagan has a huge, blended family and Alex comes from a small one. Nonetheless, we always love the time we spend together. We have many yearly and regular traditions. Our favorites include Thanksgiving with Meagan's family. Alex cooks the turkey and always enjoys trying a unique recipe for it. Meagan, her sisters and her mother make many of the sides but mostly spend the time talking and catching up. Cramming twenty family members at a table fit for twelve is always an interesting challenge, but we all enjoy each other's company and the good humor to be shared. We can't wait to find room at the table for a new child!

We also love hosting an annual Christmas party at our house for both sides of the family. We always do a secret Santa gift exchange and like to guess who bought each gift. Of course, this event also centers around food and Alex usually prepares a big meal for everyone. We know everyone is very excited about adding another child for "Santa" to come visit.

Though many traditions center around larger family gatherings and holidays, we also enjoy many smaller ones from family game nights, dinner at Alex's mother's house, or going to sporting events. Big or small, we can't wait to share these traditions with a child and start some new ones!

We recognize that becoming a parent is one of the most important undertakings of our lives. We could not be more excited to become parents and we have already learned one of the more important lessons - not everything always goes according to plan. We believe that becoming parents through adoption is not only a way to achieve our dream of raising a child, but is also presents a unique responsibility in raising this child within that framework. We plan and are committed to ensuring that this child understands the gift you have provided and your role in their life. We will also emphasize that our love for this child is unconditional. As with everything, we expect there to be ups and downs, moments of elation, joy, sorrow, anger, and sadness. But through all of those emotions, we will make it clear to this child that they are loved, supported, taught, valued, and encouraged. We are excited to not only share our lives with a child, but also have this child share their lives with us. As they grow older and more independent, we are excited to learn what interests, dreams, and goals they will set for themselves and how we can encourage and support them. We believe that, as parents, we not only have a duty to protect and nurture this child, but also to give them the tools and skills necessary to set their own path in life, and we are committed to learning and growing together.

We live very close to Alex's mother and are often stopping by each other's houses for impromptu dinners or gatherings. Meagan's extended family live within driving distance as well and we love going up there for larger family gatherings like Thanksgiving and summer cookouts. We love playing games, going on walks, cooking, and watching tv or movies together. Meagan's sister has two young children who are bundles of constant energy which is really fun to experience.

We also love traveling with our families and have gone on a few beach vacations together. We cannot wait to host both sides of the family for Christmas, like we do every year, and do our annual Secret Santa gift exchange - it is always fun trying to guess who gave each gift. Thanksgiving is another big family tradition and Alex always plays in a big game of football each year. We have so much support for all of our extended family and we know they cannot wait to welcome a child into the family.

We live in a very family-friendly neighborhood and most of our neighbors have young children. Our neighborhood is the perfect place to raise a child. It has a large pool, a playground, and lots of green space. We have become very close with our neighbors, all of whom have young kids that would be great companions for a child. Our community is very close knit - we have several events every year including a Halloween parade where all of the kids dress up and walk through the neighborhood. The Easter Bunny also comes through the neighborhood every year to pass out candy, and Santa Claus drives through on a firetruck. The neighborhood hosts family movie nights down at the pool (they recently showed Space Jam), food truck gatherings, and parties.

Our house will provide a warm place for your child with plenty of space for playing. We have a nice backyard with a swing set and many trees and flowers. The kitchen is the gathering place of our home, and Alex cannot wait to cook meals for the whole family. We have a finished basement that will be a great play area for a child. Our neighborhood is within walking distance of top schools and many parks. We live in Maryland and are a 20 minute drive from a major city with museums, waterfront, sporting events, restaurants, and entertainment that will provide an enriching environment for your child. Our neighbors are all excited to start organizing playdates.

Thank you so much for taking the time to review our profile as you consider adoption for your baby. We know this is a huge decision for you to make and we hope that we can provide more insight into who we are as you decide what is the best path for you and your baby.

We have been married for four years, and together for seven years. During that time we have been fortunate to be able to travel, grow in our careers, and build our life together. For the first few years of our marriage we lived in a city and enjoyed taking advantage of all the benefits it had to offer. More recently, we moved out of the city to a very family friendly neighborhood where we hope to raise this child. We chose our neighborhood because of the wonderful schools within walking distance as well as the neighborhood playground and pool. We have been so fortunate to build wonderful relationships with our neighbors, most of whom have young children and we can’t wait for the day where we have a child who can join in on their backyard activities. We still live close to the city and regularly visit for a sports game, museums, dinner out, or just an afternoon walking along the waterfront. Both of us work for a childcare company, with Alex working as legal counsel and Meagan in the marketing department. Our jobs offer great work/life balance, and allow flexible schedules and remote work. Our company has a childcare location right down the street from our office, and we plan to enroll our child. Many of our colleagues and friends have sent their children and speak highly of the teachers, the education, and care that the children receive.

We love to travel, whether a weekend road trip to go hiking and camping, or a flight across the world, we relish experiencing the great outdoors and different cultures. While we enjoy “roughing it” camping, we equally enjoy a nice meal, taking in tourist attractions, and relaxing on a beach. We can’t wait to have a child with us to experience some of our favorite places through their eyes, as well as take on new adventures as they grow older and have interests and hobbies of their own.

Family is very important to us, we live very close to Alex’s mom and within driving distance of Meagan’s parents, siblings, and extended family. We are excited to add another high chair to the very full Thanksgiving table, and our families are excited for another little one to join the family. Meagan’s sister has two young sons, and many of her cousins also have children. While we visit with family a few times a year for long weekends, most of our larger family gatherings are around holidays. Thanksgiving at Meagan’s parents usually involves at least 20 people crowded around the table, and is followed the next day by a group flag football game and leftovers lunch. Meagan’s family also comes to stay with us for Christmas, and Alex’s mom hosts everyone for a large Christmas Eve dinner and Secret Santa. We love that both sides of our family get along so well. While we are very lucky to be close with our families, we also are fortunate to have a great network of friends nearby. Many of them have young children already, and both of us love playing with them and babysitting when their parents have a night out.

We are looking forward to having a relationship with you, while also respecting your boundaries. We will send regular updates of photos and letters, and hope to be able to meet in person so our child can know you. We understand that may not be what you are looking for and respect whatever level of contact with which you feel comfortable. Thank you for taking the time to read our letter and consider our family for adopting your child. We are lucky to lead very full lives and have so much love and support from our family, friends and colleagues surrounding our plans for adoption, and we can’t wait to welcome a child into our lives.

Alex & Meagan