We want our child to know that families are created in all sorts of ways. Your child will always know their adoption story. They will know you chose for us to be a family as a selfless and courageous sacrifice which was made out of love and care for their well-being.

Your child will always know who you are and be reminded of your love for them and we commit to always speak of you with honor and respect. We also welcome you to be a part of shaping how we discuss your child’s adoption with them, what you would like them to know about you and what you would like to communicate to them. You are such an important part of their story and we want your child to have a strong sense of self and identity.

We look forward to having open communication with you through email, photos, videos, and are open to visits in a way that you and your child are comfortable with. We're committed to regular communication and building a good relationship for all of us as an extended family.

Hadley is truly one-of-a-kind. I feel so lucky he is my husband and best friend. He is fun-loving and easy-going, hardworking and dependable. He loves people, befriending most everyone he meets. His energy is boundless and he's always game for any activity. His enthusiasm for life is unmatched by anyone I know. He’s ever- curious, always learning and applying new skills and ideas. I'm always in awe of his ability to achieve everything he sets his mind to, no matter the task. Most of all, he even makes everyday things fun to do together and has the very best heart-warming laugh. I’m so excited to see Hadley delight in raising a child and develop a close bond with them as truly the most amazingly fun dad and mentor.

Allison is such a joy to spend time with. Her creativity translates to every part of our life and helps make every day new and fun. She often has a new recipe to try, ideas for building furniture, music playlists to goof around dancing to, and a general spice of life that we couldn't do without. Even more, she fills our home with lots of love. She's the most thoughtful, gentle, patient and kind person I've ever known. She's always looking for something special she can do for the people in our lives. Her heart melts when she spends time with kids and she’s beyond excited to love and care for a child as a parent. She’s already started a big library of children’s books for our future child and talks about all the activities she can’t wait to do together as a family.

Some of our favorite regular activities are going on bike rides and jogging around our neighborhood. We also like to relax at home by landscaping, gardening and of course playing with our pup Tito in the backyard. When the weather is nice we love playing board games and having puzzle nights with popcorn on the front porch or spending cozy fall evenings drinking cider and roasting marshmallows around the fire pit in our backyard.

Many summer weekends are spent with friends boating at a nearby lake and we're excited to start a family tradition of summer boating trips with extended family at their lake. Additionally, we look forward to trips to see our friends and their kids in the mountains, and family trips to places like Disney World. We're also excited for regular visits to the petting zoo and other kid-friendly activities around our city.

Travel is something that we've always enjoyed doing together. Some of our favorite things to do while traveling are hiking, trying new foods, relaxing in nature, and seeing animals and landscapes we don't have back home. We've been lucky enough to have traveled to France, Switzerland, Italy, Peru, Costa Rica, Mexico and all over the U.S. Hadley has been to Japan and many other European countries during his study abroad time in college. We want our child to be able to experience the world and open their horizons. We look forward to exploring new places and making memories together as a family.

We are lucky to have Allison’s parents and sister close by. Our get-togethers, usually every few weeks, are always filled with home cooking, baking and playing with their sweet spaniel dogs Teddy & Fozzie (“da bears”). Allison’s sister is an amazing second grade teacher who is wonderful with kids and will be a very loving, super involved and proud aunt.

Allison’s parents are overjoyed to become grandparents. Their home will be a magical place for a grandchild. A wooded area lines their property, with lots of wildlife around for a child to discover and marvel at, including families of deer, geese, a pond full of frogs and turtles, even adorable baby foxes. Allison’s mom always makes delicious meals and desserts and will welcome her grandchild with lots of goodies and love. Both of us have great memories spending time in the kitchen with our parents and grandparents when we were young. We can’t wait for our own child to do the same.

We also love that Allison’s cousin Alice and her husband Joe are near us. They’re part of the close group of friends that we have in the neighborhood and we very much look forward to our child having an aunt and uncle so close by. We see them often and can already picture lots of family bike rides to spend time with them and their two pups.

Missouri - We love our home and family-friendly community. Our house is in a charming historic area close to the downtown of a mid-size midwestern city. One of our favorite activities is taking daily walks through all the interesting and beautiful neighborhoods surrounding us. A biking and walking trail is just a few blocks from us. Numerous playgrounds and parks that include a duck and coy fish pond, splashpark, sledding hill, and lots of picnic spots are all within walking distance from our home. Ice cream shops, local stores, and events like parades and fairs are all just a few blocks away. It will be so fun having our child grow up with so much just footsteps from our front door.

We did most of the work ourselves to fully remodel our 1920's house and love how open and light filled it is now. In a few years, we're excited to move a couple blocks away into a similar, larger house we purchased to remodel for our growing family complete with an extra playroom for kids.

We're lucky to have lots of friends in our neighborhood (including friends with young children.) There's never a lack of help if someone needs an extra hand with a home project. We love spending weekends and evenings at neighborhood get togethers. We can often be found on a nearby front porch playing board games or grilling in one of our backyards. Like our house, most houses close to us have large front porches that make for an extra friendly neighborhood. We usually see neighbors and stop to catch- up anytime we're out walking our dog.

We know we can’t even begin to understand all the complex emotions, concerns and desires wrapped into your decision around choosing a family for your child. While this may be one of the most difficult things you navigate in your life, we assure you that our hearts go out to you with compassion and upmost respect for you, your child’s very first mother. Our words, video and photos here just scratch the surface of getting to know us, and we are more than happy to accommodate getting to know one another better in this journey together and answer any questions you have.

A little more about us...we’ve been married now for 14 years and have known each other since we were 18. Over the years, we've seen each other change and evolve, and our love for each other has only grown deeper. Each of us have certainly had our share of difficulties to overcome in life and have always found strength in the other when needed. We can't imagine life without the other one, and know that the same feeling of closeness and love will extend to our child. As we grow our family, Allison is excited to transition to a full-time stay-at-home mom. We both have a very strong desire to be there every step of the way as our children grow, and we know our child will benefit immensely from having a parent at home with them full- time, especially during their critical years of development and bonding.

We’re overjoyed about the chance to become adoptive parents and are similarly excited to have an extended family that includes you as the birth mother. We have so much love that we want to share and can’t wait to discover what your child enjoys, ensuring they feel loved and can thrive being themself with every opportunity available. We plan to share with them many of the things that we’ve been lucky to experience in our lives including travel, great education, hobbies and close relationships with friends, family and pets, with lots of quality time together.

For us, adoption is not a back-up plan for creating our family, it’s something we’ve been interested in pursuing for a long while after having become familiar with it through both friends and extended family who have chosen this path. We also have the unique perspective of having family who have been on both sides of the adoption story. We are so grateful to be part of a birth family who has gotten to know our biological family member and develop a great relationship with them.

While we’ve always been interested in adoption, it became clear in recent years that adoption is, in fact, meant to be. A few years ago, Allison was diagnosed with a condition that causes chronic pain if untreated. With her condition, a pregnancy would be high risk for complications and would likely be a big setback in her ability to manage her symptoms. Though incredibly difficult, Allison’s experience with her condition has given her an even deeper appreciation for the little things in life and compels her to find and choose joy in every moment. It has afforded her the ability to develop an even deeper level of patience, perspective and gratitude that only trying times can bring, which she knows her parenting will benefit from. Being chosen as parents through adoption would be the most meaningful gift either of us will ever receive...one that words cannot begin to express our gratitude for. If we are fortunate enough to be chosen as parents to your child, we hope to provide you contentment and peace in your decision.

We will always be excited to share your child’s journey with you throughout their life, through regular emails, photos, videos, letters and making time to get together in person. We value the connection of this child to their birth mother and will do everything we can to help that be healthy, long lasting and a true extended family relationship. We also welcome you to be a part of shaping how we discuss adoption with your child and will always speak of you with honor and respect as their birth mother. You are such an important part of their story. We will be forever grateful and in awe of the loving and thoughtful choice and selfless sacrifice you are making on your child’s behalf.

With love,

Hadley & Allison