Letter
Dear Expectant Parent:
We are so, so grateful you are giving us the opportunity to potentially become a part of your story.
We can't wait to begin this journey as a team
We can't begin to imagine exactly what you are going through right right now. We hope you are excited & feeling hopeful for this next step for your child–and also for the opportunities ahead for you. It must be difficult to be in your position, facing these choices for the next few months, and we understand how tough–and brave–it is for you to explore options to provide a loving future for your child. There must be so much that you have to think through and weigh; we are so, so grateful you are giving us the opportunity to potentially become a part of your story.
Whatever you choose to do, please know that we hope all the best for you, and our thoughts are with both you and your child for a happy, fulfilled, and joyful life ahead.
Whatever you choose to do, please know that we hope all the best for you, and our thoughts are with both you and your child for a happy, fulfilled, and joyful life ahead.
Why Adoption
We have always known that when we were ready to start a family, we'd explore adoption.
We're ready for a unique family dynamic
Melissa: On one of our first dates, Ned asked me what I thought about having a family. I told him I'd always hoped to adopt as the primary way to start a family once I found the right person, and I was so pleasantly surprised when Ned was not only open, but interested and excited, and began to ask me more. Since that day, we have always known that when we were ready to start a family, we'd explore adoption.
This hope started early on and I grew to love the idea when working at Gymboree in college, teaching children's developmental play classes, and met many families with adopted children. I was able to experience how dynamic and joyful they were–it was beautiful and inspiring.
Ned: When Melissa said she wanted to adopt, I was excited as adoption has always spoken to me. As a young adult, I helped referee and coach kids' basketball, where I was also able to interact with groups of parents and their adopted children. I saw the elation over a made basket as well as the parenting that goes into everyday moments. More than anything, I saw the pride of loving parents and supported children, and because of that experience, was excited to explore this with Melissa.
This hope started early on and I grew to love the idea when working at Gymboree in college, teaching children's developmental play classes, and met many families with adopted children. I was able to experience how dynamic and joyful they were–it was beautiful and inspiring.
Ned: When Melissa said she wanted to adopt, I was excited as adoption has always spoken to me. As a young adult, I helped referee and coach kids' basketball, where I was also able to interact with groups of parents and their adopted children. I saw the elation over a made basket as well as the parenting that goes into everyday moments. More than anything, I saw the pride of loving parents and supported children, and because of that experience, was excited to explore this with Melissa.
Our Story
We are fun-loving & love-loving hopeful parents-to-be who can't wait to share adventures with our whole family.
We've never felt more like we have a true partner, and never laughed more with one other person
We are fun-loving & love-loving hopeful parents-to-be who live near the shore & can't wait to share adventures with our whole family. We are so excited to be here on this journey with you.
We met in Hoboken, NJ, in early 2016, in a local running group. Melissa joined the group as she was recently living alone in a new area, and Ned was a great runner always training for something. Ned was one of the faster runners, while Melissa was slower, so naturally, we really actually started talking at the bar where everyone finished the run.
Right away, Ned reminded Melissa of home–Ned shared her sense of humor, and was friendly, generous, and fun, reminding her of her Midwestern roots. For Ned, Melissa was a mystery - she was so personable and funny. After a few months, Ned mustered the courage to ask her on a date.
We've been together since then, and have both agreed that we've never felt more like we have a true partner, and never laughed more with one other person. We've worked on our communication & showing up for each other over the past 7 years together, and we feel so prepared to tackle life and build an adopted family together.
Two years ago, we were married in the backyard of our previous house, which had a large outdoor space and woods–it was so beautiful and special to have such a personal wedding with those we love there.
Now, we live right near Ned's hometown and are so close to his parents and brothers' families. We're so ready to build our family and excited to do it with the support and access to this big, loving team nearby.
We met in Hoboken, NJ, in early 2016, in a local running group. Melissa joined the group as she was recently living alone in a new area, and Ned was a great runner always training for something. Ned was one of the faster runners, while Melissa was slower, so naturally, we really actually started talking at the bar where everyone finished the run.
Right away, Ned reminded Melissa of home–Ned shared her sense of humor, and was friendly, generous, and fun, reminding her of her Midwestern roots. For Ned, Melissa was a mystery - she was so personable and funny. After a few months, Ned mustered the courage to ask her on a date.
We've been together since then, and have both agreed that we've never felt more like we have a true partner, and never laughed more with one other person. We've worked on our communication & showing up for each other over the past 7 years together, and we feel so prepared to tackle life and build an adopted family together.
Two years ago, we were married in the backyard of our previous house, which had a large outdoor space and woods–it was so beautiful and special to have such a personal wedding with those we love there.
Now, we live right near Ned's hometown and are so close to his parents and brothers' families. We're so ready to build our family and excited to do it with the support and access to this big, loving team nearby.
Our Promise
We know you’ll make the right decision for you, and if we feel right, then we honestly can not wait to start the journey.
We promise that we will give this child every opportunity to spark and grab hold of their passion
Thank you for taking the time to get to know us. We want to consider your hopes for this process as well. However the ideal scenario looks to you, we are open, as we know this is complex and believe in mutual respect and collaboration. We know we are not perfect, and we continuously work on our relationships and selves; we promise to give that same dedication to any child in our home, and to this process, continually checking in to understand how our actions are resonating and evaluate what is most meaningful for the whole family dynamic.
We promise too that we will give this child every opportunity to spark and grab hold of their passion: our move to this area was intentional, to be where they can explore nature, sports, studies, arts, anything–all available and in close reach. We are here to encourage them, support them, and be their guides in life. We also wanted to be near friends we consider family and real family. We want to give a child a built-in support network of adopted parents, grandparents, cousins, and friends that will support them, along with an extended network of family further away, and those we love who’ve moved away.
And we want you, if comfortable, to be a part of that journey. Thank you again. We know you’ll make the right decision for you, and if we feel right, then we honestly can not wait to start the journey.
We promise too that we will give this child every opportunity to spark and grab hold of their passion: our move to this area was intentional, to be where they can explore nature, sports, studies, arts, anything–all available and in close reach. We are here to encourage them, support them, and be their guides in life. We also wanted to be near friends we consider family and real family. We want to give a child a built-in support network of adopted parents, grandparents, cousins, and friends that will support them, along with an extended network of family further away, and those we love who’ve moved away.
And we want you, if comfortable, to be a part of that journey. Thank you again. We know you’ll make the right decision for you, and if we feel right, then we honestly can not wait to start the journey.