Jessica & Joe
Dear Birth Mom,
We are Jessica and Joe, and it is so nice to meet you! We want to express how incredibly honored and thankful we are that you are taking the time to learn more about us. We want to be open with you, as we know there must be plenty of thoughts and questions going through your mind.
Should you choose us as adoptive parents for your child, we promise to raise them in a home filled with unconditional love, laughter, and kindness. We will do everything we can to honor every part of them, and that includes you. And if you are open to it, we would love to learn more about you – your wishes for an adoption plan, and your hopes for the future.
There is no way for us to know exactly what you are going through, but please know that we have the utmost respect for you and whatever decision you make. Thank you for this opportunity to change our lives in the most meaningful way possible.
With love and gratitude,
Jessica & Joe
Our Adoption Story & Promise to You
The decision to start a family together was pretty simple and easy for us. However, the journey to getting there has been anything but. After more than three years of fertility treatments (which included several surgeries and a miscarriage), we were still left without the family we had been dreaming of. Through all of this, we kept holding out hope, and sure enough, the universe had other plans for us. As we began to learn more about adoption, we realized the right path to parenthood for us had been there all along.
Even though our journey to this moment has come with some heartbreak along the way, it also made our relationship stronger and brought us even closer together. It taught us both that we are more resilient than we knew we could be, and it reinforced the importance of family and love. That brings us to where we are today and pursuing adoption… a journey we both believe was meant for us.
We promise that your child will be raised in a home where they will always know how much they are loved. They will grow up knowing the importance of family. In a home where they can learn who they are and discover their own passions in life. A home where they learn about the culture they were born into and will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in it. Our home is one where your child will have unconditional love and support. Family is extremely important to both of us. Our families (and friends who are as close as family) are as excited as we are to welcome your child into our lives.
We want you to know that your child will be raised knowing their adoption story and we are open to the important place that you will have in our lives as well. If you are open to sharing, we would love to learn more about what you are hoping for in an adoption plan and for your baby too.
About Us
We met in 2017 through an online dating app. Both of us had been dating for some time but never managed to find the right people.
We spoke through the app and then over the phone for a few weeks before we went out on our first date. During our first date, we discussed many topics, including where we both went to college. As it turns out, we went to the same school – at the same time – and had mutual friends, but we never met while there. It would take almost 15 years for us to finally meet. During our first date, after Joe walked Jessica back to her car, that is when he knew he would marry Jessica.
Over the next three years, we spent a lot of time together, doing things we both enjoy: traveling, spending time at the beach, and exploring new dinner spots. Before long, we met each other’s friends and families and became intertwined in one another’s lives. In 2019, we decided we would take the next step and move in together, only to be followed a short time later by the COVID shutdown! This somewhat derailed (or at least delayed!) Joe’s plan to propose until one day in August of 2020. We made it official with our wedding in the summer of 2022.
Today, we live in a very family-oriented neighborhood with our dog, Cooper, on Long Island, NY. Jessica is a 5th grade teacher in a middle school on Long Island. Joe primarily works in the technology world but also has his own small business. When Jessica is not at work, she enjoys reading, yoga, and trying new recipes. When Joe is not at work, he enjoys staying active through CrossFit, building new woodworking projects, and learning about the newest trends in technology. Together we enjoy going to the beach, traveling to and exploring new cities, cooking, and gardening, among other things. We also both love the New York Mets baseball team. We try to get to a handful of games each season to root for them and our favorite players. Jessica loves everything about the sun, the moon, and the stars, and this has rubbed off on Joe. From time to time, we drive up to eastern Long Island, where there is an incredible local observatory. Viewing the night sky through their telescopes is pretty special any time of year.
About Jessica
Through Joe’s eyes:
Jessica is the absolute best person I have ever met in my life. She is kind, caring, and compassionate, to name just a few of her amazing qualities. She has this level of grace that I am in awe of. She has a way of seeing people and the world that is just different. She sees the best in people and situations and doesn’t immediately jump to the worst-case scenario. She takes time to learn and to make informed decisions and not just react. Jessica has this innate ability to ground those around her. For me, she is my rock. I know that everything is going to be okay even when I am feeling discouraged. Her spirit and thirst for life are contagious.
Jessica absolutely adores children. She takes every chance she gets to spend time with our two nephews. When she is around them, you can see her eyes light up. She never hesitates to play with them, whether that is by building different structures with blocks and then watching them knock them over, or just playing with a simple calculator. There isn’t anything on Earth that she wouldn’t do for these two boys. She also loves playing Aunt Jessica to her best friend’s children. From picking out birthday presents and attending birthday parties to just the casual hangout with her friends when the kids are around, she loves having an active role in all of their lives.
Staying active has been really important to Jess, not just physically but mentally. When the weather is nice, I know I will find her out on a long walk with Cooper in our neighborhood, especially when she is off from school in the summer (which will be amazing for your child as well!). During the summer months, she loves to garden and takes tremendous pride in our vegetable garden each season. She is also a big reader and is usually escaping into a new book almost weekly! Yoga is another go-to activity she enjoys, especially because she can do some of that from the comfort of our home.
Jessica has this adorable silliness about her that makes everyone smile. She doesn’t take life too seriously and is a great sport when it comes to taking the occasional joke about herself. And while it may seem utterly silly, she really does want to turn our backyard into a petting zoo… mainly for her own enjoyment! Her carefree nature is one of the many, many reasons I fell in love with her and continue to love her today.
I can’t think of a better person to raise a child with than Jessica. I admire her ability to see the best in life and the world around us. Jessica has always wanted to be a mother, and I have no doubt that she will be an amazing mother to your child.
About Joe
Through Jessica’s eyes:
Joe is one of the kindest and hardest-working people you will ever meet. He is devoted to his family and friends and has been since the day I met him. It was one of the things that first made me love him. Joe is outgoing and makes friends easily. He can talk to just about anyone and make them feel comfortable in an instant. Joe will be an excellent father for these and so many other reasons.
Joe is a good balance for me and has been my strength when times get tough. He also knows how to humor me and all of my silly ideas, like trying to own a real-life petting zoo, with all the animals from Instagram that I find cute. He lets me be me.
Joe is wonderful with children. In one of our first trips together, we went for the weekend to visit his best friend, who lives with his family in Albany. In spending the weekend with them, I got to see Joe be “Uncle Joey” to his best friend’s two boys. He was truly up for anything, from getting down on the floor to play a board game to playing basketball or catch outside; he was attentive the entire time. Joe is also like this with our two nephews. I can’t wait to see him experience times like these as a father, too.
Joe loves many things, including keeping our house looking great inside and out, whether that be by building things like our raised garden beds or new shelves for our bathroom, he is very handy, and although he may not admit it, loves a good project. He is also our expert landscaper and takes a lot of pride in our home and yard. He is so giving of himself and his time and is the first one to help any of our neighbors when they need anything at all. I hope you can see how much I adore Joe and all the reasons why I think he will be a truly fantastic father one day.
Joe also loves the NY Mets and Notre Dame football (He is very proud that his grandfather went to the University of Notre Dame). Attending my first football game with him and sharing in his excitement was an amazing experience. He loves going to sporting events and watching his favorite teams on TV. Joe is also very active and enjoys CrossFit. In our time together, he has done a few CrossFit competitions where I got to watch him go and put his all into something he is really passionate about.
Whatever Joe does, he does it well. He is hardworking and dedicated both at home and at work. He is intelligent and good with finances. He knows how to manage money well and makes smart decisions for our family and our future together.
I know Joe will be the kind of father who is really involved in the everyday moments. He will be the dad who plays outside, teaches your child how to ride a bike, cheers the loudest at games or school events, and always makes time to listen. Joe loves being active and spending time with the people he loves, and I can easily picture him sharing those same things with your child. More than anything, Joe has such a big heart for the people in his life. He takes care of the people he loves and always wants to help others. I know your child will grow up feeling incredibly loved, supported, and encouraged by him every single day.
Our Home
We live in a quiet area on the north shore of Long Island. Our neighborhood includes two parks within walking distance that, during the warmer months, are always filled with kids playing. We have a large backyard that is perfect for playing with Cooper and our nephews. We often host our family and friends for BBQs and just to catch up around the fire pit. There is also a space where we grow our own fruits and vegetables in garden beds that Joe built. We love to cook meals together with our garden harvest in the spring and summer months.
Our house is a cozy 3-bedroom, single-story ranch with a large kitchen where we love to entertain family and friends when the weather outside isn’t the best. At the end of the day, we gather on our large couch to watch some of our favorite TV shows and movies, where each of us has our own spot to relax under a warm blanket.
We’d love nothing more than to share our love of Long Island with your child. Day trips to the beach, going out on Jessica’s family boat, or just walking through the neighborhood with Cooper are the special memories we are excited to have together as a family of three.
Cooper
Cooper is our 4-year-old rescue pup. He is a mixed breed, but 100% our best good boy. We both love animals, and as you know by now, we often joke that if we could, Jessica would have us running a petting zoo in our backyard.
During our honeymoon, we started talking about whether adding a dog to our family would fit our lifestyle. We decided that fostering dogs might be a wonderful way to make this decision. So, in August of 2022, we began working with a local dog and cat rescue. We fostered 2 dogs before we found our Cooper and decided he was the one for us. Cooper loves his treats and his toys, especially a tennis ball (or two or three!). He loves walking around the neighborhood for his sniffs and doing his business. We also enjoy taking Cooper to some of the dog-friendly nature preserves and trails in the area for longer outings. He brings us so much joy and laughter, and we could not imagine our lives without him. Whenever we are able to, we still try to help out with the rescue organization – it feels good to give back when and where we can.
Most importantly, Cooper is a total love bug and is always gentle with the children in our lives. He is a pretty chill and mellow guy, and he fits in great around here!
Our Loved Ones
We are both extremely close to our families, and we both also have a core group of close friends who are our chosen family. Jessica’s family lives close to us on Long Island. We get together with Jessica’s immediate family for birthdays, holidays, and also just to spend time together. Her family includes her dad, stepmom, brother, and sister-in-law, and our two wonderful nephews. We love to go out on her Dad’s boat to go to the beach and sometimes fishing. Jessica’s extended family includes 4 sets of aunts/ uncles and 12 cousins, who we also see throughout the year for holidays as well. Her family loves getting together for any reason, spending time together over a home-cooked meal, as well as family game nights. Jessica’s closest friends have been a part of her life since high school. She is Aunt Jess (and Joe is Uncle Joe now) to their children and they are excited to be aunts to your child too!
Jess and her friends regularly make time for each other, even when everyone’s lives get busy. “The Girls” love to get together to catch up, whether over dinner or at a yoga class, and get all of our families together for quality time throughout the year.
Joe’s family all live out of state, but we try to get together several times a year. Joe’s parents are retired and live in South Florida. Joe’s sister and brother-in-law live in Washington DC with their dog, Pippin, and cat, Petunia. Twice a year, all of them will come up to our home in NY to gather and spend time together.
Joe is very close with his family, as it is the typical “small” Italian family. We will just call and text each other to say hi or share a funny meme.
Joe’s friends are his chosen family. Many of them he has known for over 30 years. We love to get together to just hang out and catch up over a meal, catch a ballgame, and even play fantasy football together.
Travel
In 2018, for the anniversary of our first date, we decided to take a trip out to California. Joe has extended family there and has been going out there his whole life. However, Jessica had never been there. From visiting Santa Monica pier, to downtown San Diego (with a stop to the zoo, of course!), and even a trip to Disneyland, the trip is still one of our favorites to this day. This is also where we created our own cheesy hashtag: #jessandjoeonthego. Since then, we have traveled to many different places such as Maine, Maryland, Chicago, Savannah, Charleston, Boston, St. Maarten, and Italy. We also go down to Florida to see Joe’s parents at least twice a year.
Wherever we go, we usually try to visit at least one zoo or aquarium if we can. Of the many things we enjoy doing together, one thing we’d love to do with your child is exploring the world and making new memories that will last a lifetime.
Holidays & Traditions
The big holiday in both of our families is centered around Christmas. We usually go buy a tree the weekend of Thanksgiving and then decorate it together while watching a Christmas movie like Elf or The Muppets Christmas Carol. One small tradition we have is to purchase a new Christmas ornament from every new place we visit. With Joe’s family being from out of state, this is the time where they all travel to NY to be together and celebrate the holiday. Joe’s family loves to celebrate Christmas Eve in our home, where we do a non-traditional version of the 7 fishes, which includes a lot of shellfish. Christmas Eve is a day spent enjoying homemade Christmas cookies made by Joe’s mom and sister as well as cooking enough food to feed a small army.
On Christmas Day, we go to Jessica’s parents’ house to spend the day with them and her brother, sister-in-law, and nephews. Jessica’s stepmom loves to cook and also makes a ton of Christmas cookies. Jessica also makes the family favorite Grasshopper Pie, which was originally made by her grandmother. One of our favorite things to do is to watch our nephews open and play with their Christmas gifts.
Besides Christmas, we spend other holidays like Thanksgiving and Easter with Jessica’s family. We will also spend Memorial Day and Independence Day with our friends at someone’s home for a BBQ.
We are so excited to one day continue these traditions and start some new ones as a family of three!
Thank you again for taking the time to get to know us through these pages. We know this is not an easy decision, and while we can’t fully understand everything you’re going through, we want you to know how much respect we have for you as a birth mother and for whatever path you choose. The strength and love behind your decision mean more than we could ever put into words.
We promise to raise your child in a home filled with love, laughter and support. They will always know how loved they are by you and by us. We will do everything we can to help them grow into who they are meant to be, while making sure they feel safe, encouraged, and surrounded by people who care deeply about them.
We would be honored to walk through this journey with you in whatever way feels right to you. Thank you again for considering us and for the love you already have for your child. No matter what you decide, we are thinking of you with so much respect and gratitude.
With love,
Jessica & Joe
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