John & Andrew
Hello, it is so nice to meet you here! We are so grateful to you for taking the time to get to know us a bit more. We fully understand that this is a journey for you as well. We have so much respect for your bravery and strength and you have our support, no matter what you decide is best for you and your baby.
We hope that by sharing our story with you, you will have a better understanding of who we are as individuals and who we will be as parents. We are entering this next chapter in our lives with a commitment to openness and we promise to listen and learn from you during this journey.
We hope that we have the opportunity to get to know more about you as well, and want to thank you again for taking the time to consider us as part of your journey.
With love,
John + Andrew
Our Adoption Story
We have been together for almost 12 years now, and starting a family together was something we discussed very early on in our relationship. We are extremely excited (and prepared!) to be building our family through adoption and want you to know that we are taking this process very seriously. We have had many heartfelt conversations about this, and we know we have so much love to give as Dads.
We have been surrounded by children of all ages throughout our lives – whether it’s our niece and nephews, our cousins and their children, or our close friends’ babies and toddlers. We are so looking forward to your baby joining our family and village for future family celebrations.
As a couple, we value kindness, openness, honesty, and empathy in all aspects of our lives. We believe in making the most of each moment and spending time with friends and family any chance we get. Our goals as parents would be to fill your child’s life with these values and wonderful life experiences.
We both work for colleges and so we have a deep appreciation for education. Beyond regular school activities, we hope to further their education by attending cultural events, going to museums, and visiting parks and nature reservations.
Our Promise to You
One of our greatest strengths comes from the community who we have surrounded ourselves with – from diversity in race, to sexual orientation, to a variety of careers, we have friends from all walks of life, and want your child to be exposed to this early on so that as they grow up they too will have an awareness and understanding of the importance of inclusivity. We also know that our child’s birth family may have a different heritage from us, and we are really looking forward to exploring and embracing that in all of the ways possible.
Most importantly we promise that we will provide a home filled with unconditional love, support, kindness and fun. Your child will without a doubt be the center of our lives. We promise to give your child every opportunity to discover what they like and enjoy and become the person they can feel proud of. We want your child to grow up feeling supported and with the understanding that they can be whoever they want to be – and we will be there to love and support them no matter what.
We welcome and hope for openness with you as their birth parent and we would be honored to have a chance to connect with you.
About Us
Believe it or not, we met in 2011 while we were both in India on business trips! At the time, John was living in New York and Andrew was living in Michigan. We were each working for different universities that had sent us on a trip to India to meet with other international students interested in studying in the US. We spent two weeks traveling through India and continued for 4 days in Turkey. We quickly became good friends and traveling together was easy. The more we got to know one another, the more we saw just how much we had in common, and noticed how well our personalities matched up.
It didn’t take long for us to realize that we had feelings for each other that went beyond friendship and so when we returned home from our trip, we started a long-distance relationship. We made sure to connect every day and began making plans to see each other again. As our relationship became more serious, and after 11 months of long-distance dating, Andrew, made the move to NYC and moved to an apartment just a few blocks away from John.
About a year and a half later, we decided to move in together as our love continued to grow and conversations about spending our lives together came up constantly. We were so excited to share and build a home together! Soon after our move, we rescued our two cats (Penny & Stella), got engaged, and started planning our future together. We got married in 2017 – celebrating our love for each other was one of the most special days of our lives.
We both have careers working for large universities. We love the work that we do, and we are fortunate to have similar career paths. When we are not working, we like to fill our time with different activities. We enjoy anything outdoors, whether it be going to the beach or for a hike. We get excited about all things food so you can always find us in the kitchen cooking or baking delicious treats. We love listening to music and going to concerts from Lady Gaga to Beyonce, and Sam Smith! When we are not out and about, we also love hanging out at home watching movies and reality tv as a way to decompress and relax on the couch!
Traveling and exploring are also something we are passionate about. We are lucky in that we have been able to visit some amazing places where we can experience different cultures, new foods, and just a different sense of life. During the winter season, we usually try to visit a warm weather destination 🙂
About Andrew
I try to keep a positive and realistic outlook on life. I move through life trying to make decisions that I can be proud of and those around me can be proud of as well. I care deeply about the close relationships I have in my life because each of them has shaped me in some way.
I am very analytical. I love to dive in and find out why something is the way that it is. I do best when I have a good read on a situation but in moments of hesitation, I am so happy to have John by my side. He is a wonderful balance in my life that makes it okay to not have all the answers and still move on in a way that is comforting.
I absolutely love to cook. In another life, I would be chef or a professional baker, but for now, I’ll enjoy trying and eating all the practice-bakes I can! I find it exciting to try new recipes and build an arsenal of ingredients in the pantry for use at a moment’s notice. I think food is a way to explore without ever leaving the kitchen. It helps us celebrate milestones, heal physically and emotionally, can bond strangers, help create new relationships, and it can even break down cultural barriers. Some of my best childhood memories are of cooking in the kitchen as a sous chef with my mom. Cooking is my version of an artistic expression.
I also enjoy traveling. When I was young, we would regularly visit extended family who lived in other states. I remember being so fascinated by how different our lives could be just by living somewhere else. Not in a jealous or envious way, but in a curious way. My grandmother who lives near Los Angeles has a very different life than that of my grandparents who lived in a small town in Michigan. I loved them all the same, but they lived their lives in such different ways. I think it is safe to say that my fascination then gave way to my passion for travel!
About John
I am extremely hard-working and consider myself a natural leader when it comes to taking on new challenges and projects. I have been working in higher education for almost 15 years and absolutely love what I do. Whether a colleague or a friend, I feel they would describe me as kind, helpful, funny, supportive, caring, and generous. Many of these traits come from the love and generosity I grew up with, which I try to live by in my daily life.
My friends and family mean the world to me, and I make it my goal to always be there for them, no matter what. Over the years, I have surrounded myself (both personally and professionally) with people who love me and who I know will have my back.
My favorite hobbies are swimming, working out, the movie industry and pop culture, outdoor activities, and baking. When it comes to fitness and being active, this is part of my regular routine. I grew up playing a variety of sports so this is what feels good to me! When it comes to swimming Andrew has joined me as we spend many days at the beach during the summertime. My love for movies has also been around since my childhood, and now going to the movies or catching them on Netflix is something I really enjoy.
Andrew and I share our love of being outdoors so as long as it’s not too cold out, you can find us on a long walk exploring our city. There always seems to be a new neighborhood or park we haven’t been to before! I also love to hike and sometimes we will travel outside the city to get some good trails in. Cooking is a more recent hobby of mine that I have done solo and also with Andrew. Andrew is a phenomenal cook, and has peaked my interest in learning more! Baking is something that I grew up around – my mom is an excellent baker, and I hope to bring some of her recipes into my family!
In Andrew’s Words
I value John’s passion and dedication. This is possibly best described in one section of my wedding vows to John when I said, “I love how compassionate you are, how considerate you are, and how everyone around you feels your warmth and kindness even after knowing you for just moments. You have a fiery passion living inside you that I am so lucky to be warmed by. I love you for how simple you made it for me to be me and I am head over heels standing here about to become your husband.”
We are different and the same in a perfect balance. We both love exploring new territory, whether it be with travel plans, a new recipe, or just walking around a new part of our neighborhood. John will make an agenda and a timeline when I show up ready with no organized plan. John likes to wear his heart on his sleeve and brings emotions to the forefront, while I prefer to internally analyze a situation before bringing emotions to light. All of these similarities and differences are what make our life together so full of love and life. I know John will the most incredible father, a role he is absolutely ready for.
In John’s Words
I cannot say enough good about Andrew and how much I value him. I am so lucky to have him as my husband, best friend, and soulmate. The things I value about him most are his sense of calm, his professional and personal drive to accomplish so much in his life, and his kindness. He truly is one of the most generous people I have ever met in my life. When Andrew sets his mind to something he does it quietly and with grace, he always remains humble and is extremely selfless in all that he does. We are a perfect match for one another and we balance each other out in a way I could not have imagined. I am lucky to have him as a partner and I know he will be the most amazing Dad.
Our Home
We live in a large two-bedroom (each with its own walk-in closet!), two-bathroom apartment in a doorman building in an amazing area of Queens, NY. We fell in love with our place because of how much space it gives us, not to mention the huge windows which give us hours of natural light during the day. We have lived here since 2017 and absolutely love it. We share our home with our two small cats who we rescued from a local shelter when they were kittens, in 2014.
There are at least 6 parks and playgrounds all within walking distance. We love how convenient everything is and we are so happy to be able to call this home.
Living in such a diverse community means that we are lucky enough to experience cultural celebrations of every kind all year round. We enjoy trying and experiencing food as a way to introduce ourselves to new cultures. Queens is home to a fantastic weekend international night market that features over 100 independent vendors selling merchandise, art, and food. We also love checking out the performances that take place which all celebrate people and cultures from around the world.
Our Loved Ones
We consider ourselves very lucky to have a life filled with so many loving and supportive family members and friends. There isn’t a month that goes by that we are not getting together for a family party, a birthday, a holiday gathering, or movie night! Spending time with family has always been important to us and we have many happy memories of time with our loved ones while we were growing up. Between us, we have extended family in New York, Michigan, California, Maine, Illinois, and Florida. We love traveling to see them and always look forward to their visits to NYC. Our friends live all over the U.S. (New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Louisiana, Michigan, Texas, Colorado… and all around the world) so seeing them is always an exciting adventure!
We both grew up with wonderful childhood friends who have turned into our life-long friends. We try to see them as often as possible and it has been great getting to see many of them start their families.
One of our greatest strengths comes from the community of friends who we have surrounded ourselves with – from diversity in race, to sexual orientation, to a variety in careers, we have friends from all walks of life, and want your child to be exposed to this early on so that as they grow up, they too will have an awareness and understanding of the importance of inclusivity.
We are very grateful for the love our family and friends have filled our hearts with. Each and every one of them is thrilled to know that we have chosen to grow our family through adoption, and they cannot wait to love (and spoil!) another little one!
Holidays & Traditions
Holidays and traditions are a huge part of our lives. They give us a chance to connect with our family and friends and create lasting memories (and not to mention eat amazing home-cooked food!). In our family, we celebrate throughout the year, including Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Halloween. We also enjoy getting together for backyard barbecues and family gatherings to catch up and have fun playing yard games in the summer.
One of our most cherished traditions is celebrating birthdays. We love to make the day special by decorating the house, baking fun treats, and adding unique touches that make the day feel so special. It’s a time to reflect on the past year and make plans for the future.
We look forward to creating new traditions as we grow our family and become Dads. If you choose to create an adoption plan with us, we will be honored to include you in our celebrations and create new traditions together. Our family is full of love and laughter, and we are super excited to share this with our future little one.
We wanted to take a moment to share how grateful we are to you for considering us as potential adoptive parents for your baby. We know that the decision you are faced with must be incredibly difficult, and we are humbled by the trust and faith you have placed in us to provide a loving home for your child.
We want you to know that we have so much respect and admiration for you, and that we will always hold you close to our hearts. We are so thankful for the time you took to learn about us and our wish to become Dads, and we promise to do everything in our power to provide a safe and nurturing environment for your child to grow, thrive, and be loved unconditionally. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for entrusting us with this incredible gift of parenthood.
With love,
Andrew + John
CONTACT US
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