Claire & Drake

There are so many feelings on both sides of the adoption journey. Courage, joy, pain, pride, loss, love... We can never pretend to know how you're feeling, but what we do know is that those feelings are there and they are real. They're present every minute of the day - through the adoption placement and forever after. That's something we won't forget through this process. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about us and our community of friends & family. We hope that this profile will help you get to know us and our hearts. We simply view adoption as God's plan for us. We've had some struggles with infertility, and instead of continuing with the doctors visits, tests, and alternative options, we have chosen to pursue adoption. Soon after making this decision, we felt a sense of peace that had been missing from our lives. We know it won't be easy on either side of the adoption process, but we are ready for the journey and thankful for the opportunity to get to know you better.

A look at the Brownes... - We've been together 10 years & married for going on 5 years - We are hoping to grow our family with more children & dogs in the future (including our dog Otis) - Claire's family lives close by and we enjoy weekly dinners with them & FaceTimes with Drake's family - 3 words to describe Drake: Kind-hearted, relaxed & funny - 3 words to describe Claire: Thoughtful, responsible & loyal We were both lucky to have great upbringings, and it has given us a great example of how we'd like to raise our children. We are very close with both of our families, and it is such a blessing that they get along so well. They even do things together without us! We live very close to Claire's family, so we are able to have family dinners and do things together around town. Drake's family is more spread out, but we like to go on trips together, and his parents come down to visit often. They're all so excited to welcome a child into our family!

We live in the neighborhood where Claire grew up. We love the safe and small-town feel that comes from living in a suburb of a big city. There are great schools nearby (that Claire also attended!), which we feel are important for a child to learn and grow. We are involved at our church, Drake has led the same small group for over four years, he coaches a basketball team (2020 league champions!), and Claire is on the Holiday Festival committee. It is a supportive community - a place for fellowship and outreach - and we feel it is a wonderful place to raise a child. Our group of friends is also a big part of our community. We love having so many close friends nearby, some we've known since elementary school and many are former teammates of Drake's. From themed baby showers, to Monster Jam and movie nights, we love spending time with our friends. We recently moved into our current house to make it our "forever home." We chose it because of the natural light that brightens every room, the yard for Otis to play in and more bedrooms to fill as we grow our family. It will be a real joy to see our house transformed as it becomes a true family home.

Thank you for taking the time to read through our profile! Now that you know more about us, we'd like to close by sharing our hopes for the future and the promises we will keep as adoptive parents. As for the future, we hope to have multiple children and continue to live in our current community. We were married in the church that Claire grew up in, and it's where we plan on raising our family. We know we aren't perfect, and we don't expect to be perfect parents. But what we do expect is to give it our best effort every day, love our child unconditionally, and do our best to raise our child like our parents raised us... With a confidence to take on life's challenges, A gratefulness that acknowledges life's many gifts, A humbleness to know that much of life is out of our control, And a joy that makes life fun to live with those around you. The world can be a crazy place, but we will do everything in our power to give our child the best chance to succeed. We will love them, support their interests, and give them the best opportunities for education, serving their community and any other activities they choose. We promise to provide positive role models for our child. We promise to be fair, discipline when necessary, and always celebrate life's accomplishments. We promise to fulfill our pre-placement agreements, but to also respect your privacy and feelings. Last but not least, we promise to continue investing in OUR relationship. To love each other unconditionally, challenge each other, and grow even closer in our marriage. We know that our relationship is crucial to being good parents, so we will not lose our focus on the entire reason we want to start a family - our love for each other. We hope to talk with you soon, Claire & Drake