Our story didn't begin with a grand moment, instead it was a passing glance across a Halloween party and barely a second thought about each other. Chris was all dressed up and Amy hadn't known she was going to be attending a party that day, and that might have been it if it weren't for the real beginning that came shortly after the party. Amy was invited to a new gaming group for a table top roleplaying game set in a post zombie apocalypse. She joined mid campaign and upon second impressions thought that Chris must be one of the most abrasive people she'd ever met, until she realized that was just his character, not the true person underneath. As the games passed by and the characters changed, Amy learned that Chris was a genuinely kind and warm person. For years we gathered weekly around the game table, rolling dice and creating stories together with our friends. That's why Dungeons & Dragons hold such a special place in our relationship and through it we found each other and created a lifelong friendship.

To say we love animals would be an understatement, our home is a full, lively, and wonderfully wild place, and we wouldn't have it any other way. At the heart of it all are our two dogs, Aiko and Nika, who greet everyone who walks through our door with the kind of enthusiasm that is impossible not to smile at. They are gentle, loving, and very much the social ambassadors of our household. Then there are the reptiles. What started as Chris wanting just one snake has grown, lovingly, intentionally, and perhaps a little inevitably into an impressive collection. We are home to ball pythons, plains hognoses, cornsnakes, a california king snake, a cape house snake, and a malaysian cave snake, along with our chahoua gecko, Wasabi. Chris introduced Amy to hognoses early on, and that was that. One look at their derpy little faces and sassy personalities and she was completely smitten. Our animals are well loved and well cared for, and they have taught us patience, attentiveness, and a deep appreciation for creatures that most people overlook. We believe growing up around animals of all kinds is a genuine gift, one that builds empathy and curiosity from an early age. A child joining our family would have no shortage of fascinating friends to discover and learn from, scaled, furry, and everything in between.

We have thought carefully about what an option adoption means to us and it always comes back to the same thing: we want this child to grow up knowing where they come from and feeling proud of it.

Our hope is to be able to share this child's story openly and generously: the milestones and ordinary moments, first steps and silly snapshots. Whatever level of connection feels right and comfortable for you, we want to honor that and grow alongside it.

We genuinely believe that adoption isn't just adding a single leaf to our family tree but growing an orchard. We want this child to be able to be as connected to all of their roots as possible.

We're honestly open to finding the right relationship that works for all of us and this child and gives them the best family they could have.

Family and community are at the heart of who we are. We are fortunate to be deeply close to both of our families, and while some of them are spread across the country, distance has never diminished those bonds. We regularly take trips with Chris's family, sharing adventures and making memories together, and we love having Amy's family come visit as often as life allows.

Closer to home, we have a tight-knit circle of friends who show up for us in all the ways that matter. We spend time together weekly sharing meals, laughing, and gathering around the game table for evenings of Dungeons & Dragons. These are the people who will be present in a child's life, cheering them on and loving them as well.

We've also been fortunate to build meaningful friendships online, connecting with a wonderful community of people who share our values and genuinely care about our lives. Our support network is wide, warm, and deeply rooted.

Also, no picture of our family would be complete without mentioning our beloved pets. Animals have always been a big part of our world. We have a special fondness for reptiles and have opened our home to several animal companions over the years. A child joining our family would grow up surrounded by love, laughter, and a whole lot of creatures great and small.

We live in a large city in Illinois, having recently relocate there from Nebraska. We made the move after living in Nebraska most of our lives for the opportunities that come with a bigger city. Our neighborhood is wonderfully diverse and welcoming, and we are lucky to have great friends close by. It's very walkable, with several schools and a large park just a short stroll from our front door. The park is always full of families and we love walking our puppers through it and watching the children play on the jungle gyms or checking in on the community pool. It's so nice to have a community space so close.

Our home is warm and full of our personalities. We both work from home, so someone is almost always here, and we've both carved out a space for our offices. We have a room set aside for a child, that they'll get to make their own, and we can't wait to share our city with a little one! We love getting to visit the arboretum or aquarium and can't wait to get to explore the city even more through the eyes of a child.

We want to start by thanking you for taking the time to learn more about us, and by saying that we cannot even begin to imagine everything you are thinking and feeling right now. We want you to know that even by reading these few words, we feel truly honored to be someone you are considering to raise your child. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

We are Chris and Amy. We have been building our lives together for over a decade, married since 2014, and connected long before that through the kind of friendship that sneaks up on you. We started as acquaintances around a gaming table, grew into best friends, and became partners we can barely imagine navigating this world without. We know we have found our respective person, we love each other deeply, and we cannot wait to share that love with a child.

Our life together is warm and full: full of friends and family, hobbies and pets, laughter and creativity. We are both nerds at heart and cannot wait to share our passions for all types of gaming, stories, music, and making things with a little one. We want to help them grow, shape their curiosity, and have the profound joy of watching them become whoever they are meant to be.

Most importantly, we want them to know their roots, all of their roots, and to understand their story completely. We see adoption not as adding a leaf to our family tree, but as growing a family garden, and we want this child to be proud of who they are and where they come from. We want to share this journey with you through photos and letters, and we genuinely hope that you will feel like part of our family too. We don't know what the perfect open adoption looks like, and honestly, we don't think there is one single answer. We are ready and willing to take your lead, and we are open to far more than just the occasional photo or text. Whatever connection feels right to you, we will meet you there.

We are committed to providing a nurturing and loving home and to doing everything we can to support this child with all our heart and soul. We are also committed to growing our community to reflect not only our child's heritage but the rich and diverse world we live in because we believe that knowing and celebrating where you come from is one of the greatest gifts a family can give.

We go into this with our minds as open as our hearts. We understand that parenting will ask things of us we cannot yet anticipate, that there will be twists and turns we cannot plan for, and that the most important thing is not having all the answers but being willing to find them. We have never believed that being ready means being perfect. It means being present, being honest, and being committed to doing better every single day. We have read, we have learned, we have listened to the experiences of adoptive families and birth parents and adult adoptees, and we will keep doing all of that because we know that loving a child well is not a destination you arrive at but a practice you commit to. We will always be willing to grow, to be corrected, to ask for help, and to put this child's needs above our own comfort or convenience. That is a promise we make not just to you, but to the child you are entrusting to us.

Everything in our hearts tells us we are ready for this journey. We are not naive about what it will ask of us; we know there will be hard days, unexpected challenges, and moments that test us. But we also know ourselves, and we know that we face everything better together. We are steady and loving and we are so genuinely ready to give everything we have.

Thank you for reading our words. Whatever you decide, we are rooting for you, and we are grateful beyond measure for this moment.

Chris & Amy