My Village of Friends

I am so fortunate to have friends that I consider family. I have known my friends Lauren, Alyssa, Jessica, and Jaclyn since our college days (almost 20 years!). We have shared so many good times, including birthdays, bridal showers,  engagement parties, baby showers, and even birthdays for their children. Lauren, Alyssa, and Jessica each have two children who I am close with. I love visiting with them and being an auntie to their kids. Spending time with their children has been such a blessing. As I shared earlier, I have always felt called to be a mother, and being with my friends’ children has really confirmed that for me. Jaclyn and I have done quite a bit of traveling together, and she is my fellow foodie friend. We both share a love of chocolate, desserts, and trying new restaurants.

I am so thankful for these amazing women in my life. They were thrilled when they heard about my decision to adopt, and I know they will be an amazing support system and aunties when I am lucky enough to welcome a little one into my life.

I am grateful to be surrounded by wonderful people at work, too. My friends Amanda and Justine are fellow teachers, and they are so much more than just work friends. Amanda and I started teaching together the same year, and we instantly became friends. She is kind and fiercely loyal to those she loves. She has two children, whom I also love spending time with. I met Justine a few years ago when we were assigned as co-teachers. She has a heart of gold and is one of the most generous and thoughtful people I have ever met.
I hope this has given you an idea of the kind of people that I am surrounded by. I am truly blessed and can confidently tell you that your baby will be surrounded by so much love from so many people.

Felicity (my fur baby!)

When I started to plan out this profile book, I knew I could not complete it without having a section for my fur baby, Felicity.  She is a mini goldendoodle. I got her eight years ago at an interesting point in my life. I was almost 30 years old, and most of my friends were either engaged, married, or pregnant. While I was thrilled and blessed to celebrate these monumental events with them, a small part of me was sad. I had yet to find someone that I wanted to marry, and I worried my dream of becoming a mom was just that, a dream.

I have always been a dog lover and grew up with dogs in the house. As my 30th birthday was approaching, I found myself missing the days of having a puppy around while I was in the thick of dealing with the emotions about my future seeming so uncertain.  Bringing Felicity home for my birthday was such an amazing decision, and she has been such a light in our lives. She is so sweet and can truly feel your emotions. She knows when I am happy, sad, or nervous about something, and she does her best to support and comfort me.

Felicity is also loved by people in the neighborhood. When we take our daily walks, she loves to say hi to everyone along the way. She is also excellent with kids and babies of all ages. There is a sweet family around the corner from us who have three young children. Felicity looks for them, and they look for her. These kids don’t know me as Angela; instead, I am “Felicity’s mom”. She is also great with my friends’ kids when they come over.  

Felicity has also confirmed how much I want to be a mother and what it means to take care of someone you love. I am so excited to raise your child alongside such a wonderful and gentle pet – I keep daydreaming about pushing a stroller and holding her leash!

Holidays & Traditions

Christmas has always been a favorite holiday of mine. Growing up, I loved how my mother decorated the house when my brother and I were young. I remember feeling so excited to come home from school because every day, another decoration would be up. I have taken over most of the decorating at this point. The day after Thanksgiving, I put away the fall decorations and begin to decorate the house. I love to put garland on the banister and decorate our mantle with stockings, and other Christmas knick-knacks.

Decorating the tree was always a family activity. We also have baking Christmas traditions. As I mentioned earlier, my family is Italian, and there is a sweet treat that my grandmother used to refer to as nucatelle. It is basically a sweet fried dough that is in the shape of a bow, and they are absolutely delicious. I am not sure if that is the actual name of the dessert, but that is how my grandmother pronounced it, and that is what we have referred to them as ever since.

Years later, I wanted to make them, but of course, my grandmother never followed a recipe. After some serious trial and error, my mom and I were eventually able to recreate the nucatelle recipe, and we made sure to write it down this time! It is something we have been doing every year since then, and I cannot wait to pass this tradition down.

The holidays are always a time for big get-togethers with our extended family and friends. Being together is what matters most to me, and I look forward to celebrating the holidays with your baby and creating new traditions together.

Once again, words cannot express how grateful I am that you took the time to read my profile book. I hope that these pages have given you an idea of the type of family I am part of, and show how ready I am to be a mom – to love and nurture your child through life, unconditionally, and every step of the way. I have been dreaming about being a mom through adoption and I am honored that you may have made this dream one step closer to reality for me.

With love and gratitude,

Angela