Nicole was adopted in a private domestic infant adoption and we have many friends and family who are adopted or are adoptive parents as well. Because of this, we are very familiar with adoption and have always assumed (both individually and as a couple) that it would be one of the ways in which we build our family.

As an adult Nicole has a friendship with her birthmother which has given her unique insight into the experience and perspective of that role within the adoption triad. We believe that Nicole will be able to draw from her own experience as an adoptee to better equip her and Jonathan to anticipate potential questions, emotions, and needs that may present for the child as they develop and grow.

Because of the significant presence of adoption amongst our friends and family, our world is very adoption-positive and we think this will create a more comfortable and understanding environment for our adopted child.

We both feel that it is an incredible privilege to be a parent, one that we desired independently even before becoming a couple. This shared desire and understanding bonded us early in our romantic relationship, and it has been something we are both dedicated to and excited about. We are both grateful to have amazing examples of unconditional love and support in our own parents and look forward to passing this on to our own child. We are also lucky to have grown up in environments where childhood was truly special, with lots of time for play, learning, and imagination. We plan to encourage our child to explore their interests, be curious, and find fun in exploring their world. We look forward to sharing our love of travel and family time with our child. We believe that to parent is to watch a child grow into the person they are meant to be, gently guiding and protecting them along the way. It will be an honor to be someone’s parent – that no matter where life takes them, they will always have a safe haven from the world in our home and our hearts.

Our favorite vacation spots are family homes in North Carolina and Georgia. On Nicole’s side, her mother’s home on a quiet, beautiful lake in North Carolina is a wonderful getaway in any season. We love it there, as we get to pair spending quality family time with fun and relaxing activities like making s’mores over the fire pit, swimming in the pool or the lake, cruising on the boat, star gazing on the rooftop deck, winding down in the hot tub, or heading inside to enjoy family movie night in the theatre.

On Jonathan’s side, a family-owned beach house in Tybee Island, Georgia serves as an annual gathering place for siblings and cousins to meet, enjoying fun in the sun whether in the backyard pool or at the beach just a short walk down the road. For the seafood lovers in our family, going out to eat on the island is always a special treat.

Whether we’re on the beach in Tybee or on the lake in North Carolina, we truly cherish this time spent with family and feel very fortunate that we are able to spend it in these beautiful locations!

We are grateful to have unconditionally loving and supportive families on both sides. On Jonathan’s side, we are close with not only his immediate family (parents, sisters, our niece and many nephews) but extended family as well, visiting with aunts, uncles, and cousins throughout the year. This past summer our nephew played in a baseball tournament in Pennsylvania – we traveled out of state to attend, and our extended family filled the stand, creating a cheering section of 14+ people strong! On Nicole’s side, we have two baby nephews who have given us so much laughter & joy the last two years. It has been an honor to watch and love them as they grow into wonderful little people.

Although our extended family is spread out across the country, one of our favorite activities is travelling and this gives us amazing vacation opportunities throughout the year! We love spending time in Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and North Carolina, to name just a few. Not only is it great to spend time with our loved ones, but it is great to have locals to guide our adventures.

Granny, Grandpa J., Nonna, and Grandpa R. are all thrilled to welcome another grandchild into our family and are fully supportive of our adoption journey. They tell us every time we chat how excited they are for the day we get to meet our new addition. We know the child will be unconditionally loved and supported by our families, just as we have been our entire lives.

We live in Connecticut and feel our particular community is the best of all worlds. We live in a large home, purchased to ensure our future child will have tons of space to play and explore. We have a fully fenced-in backyard that is large and flat for plenty of safe, outside play.

We live in a rural area, so our property also includes 2 additional acres of undeveloped woodland, providing a place for many adventures in nature when the child is a bit older. A mile from our home is a large lake that has a beach and has served as a popular leisure spot for people in this area for decades.

Although our town is rural, it is also considered an important town in our county and is a robust and connected community. We have a beautiful library with lots of programming for adults and children alike, a number of museums, and a town “green” on which we have parades and a variety of holiday celebrations throughout the year. People in our town are friendly, civically involved, and always willing to help their neighbors.

Being in New England, our town is also within 20 minutes to 2 hours driving distance of Boston, New York City, Providence, and a number of medium-sized cities offering endless opportunities for culture, learning, and fun!

Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about us! We understand that you are dealing with a very difficult situation and imagine that decisions at this time may feel uncertain and perhaps a bit scary. We hope that you can find peace and comfort in this process, ultimately knowing that this baby will be loved, nurtured, and cared for in their adoptive home. Adoption holds a special place in our hearts. In addition to Nicole being adopted, we have a number of friends and family who are adopted and Nicole is in contact with her birthmother as well. Our world is adoption-positive and we hope that this will help our adopted child feel comfortable and understood in our family and community. Everyone is so excited to welcome them! In addition to being adoption-positive, our world is also extremely diverse. We have family members, friends, co-workers, clients, and professionals in our lives representing a wide variety of races, ethnicities, nationalities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities, and religions. Nicole herself is a member of the LGBTQ+ community and is also a registered citizen of the Cherokee Nation. We love learning about her Native heritage and we enjoy attending cultural events of all types in our area.

Additionally Nicole has degrees in German and Political Science with a focus in International Studies and a Master's degree in Nonprofit Management.

We have a rescue dog, Von, whom we absolutely adore. He has brought us so much laughter and joy over the years. Our family members, especially our niece and nephews, all love him and he is always more than happy to snuggle up or play with everyone who comes to our house. He is such a gentle, friendly, and intuitive guy and we know he will love our new addition as much as we do.

We both grew up with amazing examples of unconditional love from our parents and had fun childhoods full of play, learning, imagination, and adventure. We wish to give this experience to a child, guiding and encouraging them as they discover their own unique talents and interests. Nicole works in higher education, fully remote from home, while Jonathan is a General Manager in the family/sporting entertainment industry. The nature of our work and our schedules will provide the flexibility to maximize our one-on-one time with this child. We look forward to being very involved parents - to our niece and nephews, Uncle Jonathan is always the first one willing to crawl on the floor or play a game, and Aunt Nicole is always up for reading a book or doing something creative like a craft or art project. We are young at heart and no matter what we are doing, we know time spent together is always time well spent!

It is understandable that you will want to get to know us better prior to making a decision and we are open to phone calls and emails before the child’s birth to help ease any concerns or answer any questions you may have. After the birth we are open to sending pictures and letters as the child ages, as well as to a visit during their early childhood. However if you decide that you would prefer less engagement, we will absolutely honor that without judgment.

We have been friends since we were teenagers and now that we are in a loving marriage, we feel that our last missing piece is the opportunity to raise a baby and give them a wonderful childhood like we had. Again, we so appreciate that you are considering us to fill this role, and we are sending you warm thoughts as you navigate this decision.

Jonathan & Nicole