Doris & Andy

Hi there and welcome to our story. It means so much to us that you’re here, taking a few minutes or even seconds to learn about us. But this story is not just about us. It’s also about you – what you’re feeling and what you’re going through. Though we aren’t in your shoes, we know that the choice you are trying to make is not easy – but we believe you are making it with so much love. 

As you read on, you will find out not just about our life together but how we plan to love and raise your baby. We are an open book so please let us know if you have any questions at all. We promise to come to this with honesty and respect, always.

We know that this is huge: it feels huge to us, too. We hope that by getting to know us, we’ve helped you, in some small way, in the journey that lies ahead.

With love and gratitude,

Doris & Andy

About Doris

I grew up in New Jersey and even though I’ve lived all over, New Jersey is still pretty much my identity. I’m Latina: I grew up speaking Spanish at home and spending Christmas with my very big extended family in Peru. I’m pretty much the same person I’ve been since I was a little girl. I always have my nose in a book, and my happy place is lying on the grass in our backyard daydreaming or splashing around at our local pool.

I started my career working for nonprofits abroad as a researcher and project manager. Eventually I got an itch to do something more creative, and I now work as a designer and writer for a music app. I love making people happy through my work.

I can be a little shy and introverted sometimes, but my best friends are my ride or dies. I love having heart to hearts with people and really getting to know each other’s thoughts and feelings. I think I’ll be a parent who encourages a child to be curious and explore. I’ll want to help them know their own feelings and that it’s OK to feel however they feel.

Our Home

Doris has loved the TV show Gilmore Girls since she was little and always dreamed of living in a place like Stars Hollow, where the show is set. We think the small town we now call home is a pretty close match. We are located in upstate New York on the Hudson River. Our town has a tightknit community where neighbors help each other out. It has a local fire department (where Andy is a volunteer firefighter) that runs local traditions like a Halloween children’s parade and a Christmas tree lighting every year.

Our home is an old house with a big backyard and a patch of woods next to a creek. Before we moved in, it was owned by two artists, so it’s full of light and has a quirky vibe. It still feels like an artist’s loft. We love opening our back door and seeing everything from deer to groundhogs to chipmunks. We can walk to our local downtown to visit cafes, the library, and a farmer’s market. We can also walk to hiking trails, where we take our dog every day, and a state park.

We are in close proximity to some amazing schools, parks and recreational activities. We chose to live here because we think it is a perfect place to raise a family.

Holiday & Traditions

Doris is really into holidays, and Andy thinks it’s cute how much she likes them. One of the reasons we moved to America, where she grew up, is because of how much she missed celebrating American holidays.

Halloween is a big deal where we live, and Doris is trying to put up bigger and better decorations every year. We go to our local costume parades and can’t wait to let your child pick out a costume and take them trick-or-treating.

We usually do a double feature for Thanksgiving: first a Friendsgiving with some of our closest friends and their kids, and then Thanksgiving Day with Doris’ family. It’s a low-key vibe (they’re a low-key family): we pick up pies from the bakery near her childhood home, Doris’ brother will roast something delicious, and then we collapse on the sofa and bicker over what movie to watch. We sometimes visit Doris’ mom’s grave which fills our hearts with the love she had for us.

For Christmas, Andy’s mom hosts a magical family gathering in England. Everyone still gets stockings stuffed with presents, no matter how old you are. She cooks a million dishes and desserts (we help), our niece and nephew open lots of little presents, and after eating, we go for a short hike through the country fields nearby. There’s usually some Christmas episode on TV that we all watch until we fall asleep.

We are really looking forward to continuing these traditions but also starting new ones as a family of three one day!