Kathleen & Tano

Dear Birth Mom,

It means so much to us that you are reading our story. Though this is not our first time on the adoption journey (we became parents to our son, Elly, through adoption nine years ago!), we do know that everyone’s situation is unique and we don’t expect our next adoption journey to look exactly the same. But we do think we come to this moment with an understanding of the very complicated feelings you must be experiencing, especially as you get started on reading about the waiting families. We can only imagine what is facing you personally through these decisions, and so we will do our best to help you feel comfortable in knowing that if you choose us as your baby’s forever family, you can have complete faith in us, in our commitment, and in our family’s love.

We are so grateful that you are making the intentional choice of exploring this path. We have experienced first-hand how adoption is truly beautiful, and we also acknowledge that it comes with some heavy feelings and sadness. This is what makes it one of the most sacred choices to even consider making. Hopefully, if we can walk this path together, we can share in the joy and the tears and help support one another on this journey.

We are always available to answer any questions you have and hope to have the chance to connect with you soon. No matter what you decide, we honor and respect your choices.

With love and gratitude,

Kathleen & Tano

About Kathleen

I had an interesting upbringing in that I had a combined family of biological and step-sisters, as well as two step-parents. I think this gave me a unique perspective on what a family is and what makes up a family. Growing up, I was very envious of families that didn’t go through a divorce, but I also saw first-hand how a family is made out of love and understanding and not just by relation of DNA. I really did have a lot of support and loved ones to turn to!

I get along well with others as I can find common ground with people easily and I’m pretty easygoing. Self-expression is important to me, as is doing things that I enjoy like making art or growing flowers. A lot of what I do these days has to do with taking care of our little family, including our pets! Although I no longer have a full-time job, I’m getting back to my creativity as an oil painter. I always feel grateful for any time I can spend on this part of myself and find it very grounding.

My style of parenting is rooted in love and understanding. I believe nurturing and parenting to be just as important as the traits with which a child is born — it is both nature AND nurture. We hope to help your child experience and feel their feelings and emotions. We will also help them know how to think of others and be a good, kind friend.

My many life experiences have helped to shape the person I am today, including my most cherished role of being a mom. I was able to go to a great college and meet people from all over the world. I also had an acting career in NYC and later was a teacher and artist in San Francisco. Now what is most important to me is my family and I am so ready to welcome your little one into our world.

About Elly

Elly’s full name is actually Tano Emmanuele. The name Tano has a very special meaning within our family. In fact, our son is now the 3rd generation to have the name. To avoid the nickname “Junior Junior”, we decided to call him by his middle name, which we both fell in love with when it came time to name him.

Elly wakes up in a good mood every single day and lives to laugh. He is always ready for a joke and loves animals and spending time in nature. His first pre-school was almost entirely outdoors, and since then, he has nurtured a love for animals and pets, even naming dozens of frogs that live on our pond.

He enjoys all things Star Wars — from TV shows to video games to Legos — but still fast-forwards anything that is too scary. He loves the water, especially the beach, and can spend all day playing in the waves and sand. This year, he is trying out flag football and continuing with tennis and golf. He also has a sensitive side and can be nervous trying new things before he gets his confidence — our Elly is not a daredevil. Since early childhood, he has had a love for languages. We have read to him every night of his life, and he loves books with a good story. We seem to always be reading the Harry Potter series, and it’s a constant “one more page” every night.

Elly is so excited and ready to become a big brother. Your child will have an instant protector and best friend, and we cannot wait to see their relationship grow as the years go on.

Holidays & Traditions

We have a lot of friends and family in the area, so most holidays become events with lots of kids and friends cooking and playing together. As Christians, we hold a special place for Christmas and Easter. Christmas is spent with family on both Christmas Eve (which is traditionally the main day of celebration in Brazil) and Christmas Day (usually with Kathleen’s family). We love decorating our house and have to stop ourselves from playing Christmas music starting November first. Easter starts at church and then we share a meal with our extended families.

Father’s Day and Mother’s Day are spent as a family, and for several years we have spent Fourth of July with Tano’s oldest childhood friend and several of our mutual college friends in Washington, DC. Summers usually involve some traveling, just the three of us, around Kathleen’s birthday and our wedding anniversary, but end in August with a few weeks in Rhode Island with friends and family. We also love cozy winter getaways and do annual ski trips with that same childhood friend and his three young kids.

We know that as our family grows, we will continue with these traditions and start new ones as well.