Lis & Tom
Hello!
We are Lis and Tom. Thanks so much for taking the time to look at our profile and get to know us. We can only imagine how difficult it must be to choose an adoptive family for your child, but we hope that our book will give you some sense of who we are, and what your child’s life would be like with us. We are both so excited to become parents and if you choose us, to give your child the best life possible in a warm and nurturing environment.
We would love to go on this journey with you, in whatever way is most comfortable for you. And if you have any questions, you know where to find us!
With love and gratitude,
Lis & Tom
Our Adoption Story
Early in our relationship, we both knew that we had each found the person we wanted to spend our lives with. As we talked about and planned for what life together would look like, we agreed that when we were ready to grow our family, we wanted to adopt a child. Adoption was something we had both thought about long before we met each other, and it has always been our first choice for growing our family. We never felt strongly about needing our child to be ours biologically. We know there are children in the world who need homes, and we have a home, and love, to give. Even though it has its challenges, and may be hard for everyone involved, we think adoption can be beautiful.
Our Promise to You
We are so excited to become parents and raise a child together. We have been preparing for this for a long time now. We even already have the essentials ready for when the day comes. If you choose us to raise your child, we promise to do our best to make sure you feel comfortable and secure in your decision. We are committed to being as open as possible, to answer any questions, concerns, or fears you may have. And we want you to feel like you can talk to us, and trust that we want to give your child the best life possible. We also promise to support you whether you want an open or closed adoption.
If you choose us, we will love and support your child unconditionally. Always and no matter what.
About Us
We met in 2015 through a dating website, and we were married four years later on a really hot day in July. On our first date, we instantly felt very comfortable with each other – it kind of felt like we had already known each other for years. After dating for nine months, we moved into our first apartment together. We settled into creating a home that was a cozy and comfortable space. We have a lot of the same interests like books, board games, cooking, and traveling.
Our home is always full of plenty of things to read, play, and eat. A lot of our friends and family live nearby. We love hosting people for game nights, dinners, and movie nights, or we all go out together to concerts, trivia nights, and camping. We visit with our family a lot, both in New York and Connecticut, and a couple of times a year we go to Iceland to visit Lis’s family there. If we aren’t hanging out with friends and family, we are usually taking it easy at home, or going for walks around the neighborhood to explore our city.
We both cook a lot so we usually eat home-cooked meals – we love finding local ingredients around where we live. Lis likes to make dishes packed with veggies like casseroles, soups, and salads. Tom is more into cooking gourmet meat and pasta dishes. We like to watch TV shows together like House of the Dragon and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Sometimes we just hang out on the couch, Tom playing video games, Lis crocheting, and our two cats lounging with us. We love to be cozy together, enjoying each other’s company.
We approach everything as a team, and all important decisions about our lives are made together. We respect each other’s opinions and feelings and think it is important to talk things through as a family so that everyone’s voice is heard. These are values we hope to pass on to your child.
About Lis
I was raised partially in New York state, and partially in Iceland. My dad is American, and my mom is Icelandic. After my parents separated, I lived with my mom and two of my brothers in Iceland from 10-28 years old. I am fluent in Icelandic. I have three younger brothers, two full brothers, and one half-brother. My mom has seven siblings, so I have a very large extended family on her side. My dad has one brother, and my paternal grandfather is still living. I am close with all my family, they mean everything to me, and I see them and talk to them a lot.
After finishing my master’s degree in English literature from the University of Iceland, I moved to NYC. I’ve been working in book publishing since 2017, and I love it. I love stories, so getting to be part of bringing new stories to readers makes me really happy. Some of my favorite books are Lord of the Rings, Sabriel, and Daughter of the Forest. Even though I love fantasy books, I also like reading literary fiction, memoirs/biographies, spooky stories, and some non-fiction. I have two book clubs, one with friends, and one with my mom.
Some of my other hobbies are crocheting, writing, swimming, gardening, crafting, playing guitar and piano, singing, listening to music, playing board games, cooking, and traveling. I love being out in nature, hiking and camping, or just having a picnic in the park. I love to laugh and be silly, and I think I’m a pretty positive/optimistic person. I try not to take myself too seriously!
As a mother, I hope to create a light and fun environment, where your child can play and be creative, where we can be open and honest with each other, and where they can learn about the world and figure out who they want to be in it. I want your child to feel safe and secure in who they are and be able to express themselves without fear of judgment. It is really important to me that your child feels like they can talk to me about anything and know that I will listen to them and be there for them no matter what.
About Tom
I was born and raised in Connecticut, as the middle of three children, with an older sister and younger brother. I have a large extended family, so I grew up in a full household with many family events in both Connecticut and New York, where my family was located. My parents separated when I was young, and I was raised with my siblings by my mother, which instilled in me a real sense of responsibility, and caring for the people around you.
I have lived around this area for most of my life. Between travels and school, I’ve created a large network of friends spread around the country. I believe very strongly in creating and maintaining strong communities whenever possible, regardless of distance, and try to keep up with as many of those friends and loved ones as possible.
One of my biggest passions has always been storytelling through reading, watching movies, playing games, and more. Science-fiction and fantasy stories are my favorite, diving into a new and fantastic world is always such a thrill. Some of my favorite storytelling worlds include: The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, superheroes, and many others, so much so that I now work in publishing as a book-editor on those same types of books. I love getting to help writers bring their stories to life.
Aside from stories, I have a deep love of cooking and have been cooking since I was a young kid. Sharing a homemade meal with loved ones is one of the things I hold most dear. I continue to love learning, solving puzzles, playing games, and just generally nourishing an intense curiosity about the world.
As a father, I want to teach your child the value of honesty, and always provide comfort and safety as they face challenges in life. I want to share my own passions and interests with them, not necessarily so that they also share them, but so that they learn the value in caring about things and being excited about the world, even if their interests are different. I grew up learning the value of support systems and community, and it is important to me that I instill in your child the need to care for others, to be honest, and supportive, and generally to live a life by trying to make the world better for those around us.
Lis… Through Tom’s Eyes
Lis is the best person I have ever met. She has what feels like an endless supply of compassion for everyone she meets, and she works hard at being an anchor for friends and family, keeping people connected even across distance. Incredibly smart and wise, Lis approaches every situation, no matter how stressful, with a healthy dose of reality and a determination to work through challenges in a way that is comforting and reassuring.
I love how Lis is always pushing us to explore new parts of the world and experience new things. Her sense of adventure and creativity creates a fun atmosphere wherever we are, and I love that she and I share a continued passion and curiosity for learning and understanding. Since I met Lis, I have wanted to spend as much time around her as possible. Not just because she is lovely and kind, but because she makes things better just by being around. Her laughter is infectious, and her joy is contagious. Whenever I am away from her for any time, I always look forward to sharing the things I learn and experience with her, because her passion, excitement, and support make them better.
Lis is incredibly nurturing and supportive, the kind of person you can’t imagine life without, and I cannot wait to watch her share all that she is with a little one when she is lucky enough to become a mom.
Tom… Through Lis’ Eyes
Tom is one of the best people you will ever meet. He is so patient, thoughtful, and kind. He loves helping people. He often gives talks about publishing at his old college, he does one-on-ones with people trying to get into the industry, he is always available for friends and family if they need him, and he will do absolutely anything for me!
I love how Tom is always coming up with fun things for us to do together, like going to festivals and events in the city, finding new restaurants for us to eat at, and new bookshops for us to explore. He is always looking for fun new recipes to cook for us, movies for us to watch, and new board games to play. He is an excellent listener and is always understanding and compassionate. I know that I can talk to him about anything, and he won’t judge me. He completely accepts me and all my quirks, and he rubs my feet whenever I want! I trust him completely. He is my best friend, I love him so much, and I know he is going to be an amazing dad one day.
Our Home
We live in a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment in Queens, New York, just a short subway ride from Manhattan. One of the 2 bedrooms will be for your baby. Our apartment has a big open-plan living/dining/kitchen area, which we love for being able to host friends and family, and have big gatherings with plenty of space for everyone. You could say our design style is Scandinavian/Boho, clean but cozy, with lots of warm blankets and colorful art on the walls that we have collected from places we have visited. We also have a small balcony where Lis has created a mini garden and grows things like tomatoes, herbs, lavender, rhubarb, and spinach.
Since we both work from home, we created a little office nook within our living area, so we spend most of our days sitting side by side as we work. It’s a good thing we like each other! With both of us working in publishing, and our shared love of reading, we have a ridiculous amount of books in our apartment (around 1,000)! We basically live in our own little library. We also have a whole bookshelf dedicated entirely to board games.
Some of the amenities in our building are a kid’s playroom, an indoor pool, a gym, a lounge, an enclosed grass courtyard, and a rooftop with a great view of Manhattan. Our building also has an amazing community, with lots of young families, and we’ve made a lot of good friends here.
Being in NYC means we are close to so many amazing neighborhoods filled with new things to explore and experience. In our own neighborhood, there is a beautiful library that we walk to and borrow books from, and they have kids’ events there too. We are also within walking distance of a couple of parks with playgrounds. Our neighborhood has great schools, is very diverse, and family friendly. We love it here and we think it is a wonderful place to raise a family.
Our Pets
We have two cats, Lando and Saga, who we rescued in 2017. Lando is grey and white, 7 years old, and very sociable. He is always purring and loves everyone but is especially a huge mama’s boy. Saga is black and white, 6 years old, and she is very sweet, but quieter, and more independent. Lando and Saga are best friends, they play together, clean each other, and cuddle together. They love hanging out on the balcony (supervised, of course!), and sunbathing on the windowsills. Both are affectionate and very gentle. We have introduced them to several babies and toddlers, and they’ve both been very friendly with them.
Family & Friends
We both have big families, including multiple siblings and cousins, and we spend a lot of time with them. Tom has family in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, including a young nephew and niece, and we regularly make trips to see everyone or have them over to our place. Lis has family in New York and Iceland. We travel to Iceland twice a year (once every other Christmas, and often during the summers). Our families are a little spread out, but we all make an effort to visit each other as often as possible, and between visits, talk to each other many times each week. Both our families like to get together to celebrate birthdays, holidays, graduations, and any reason to really be together. Both our families also get along with each other very well, visiting each other in the summer and on holidays.
We both tend to make friends pretty easily. We have old and new friends, near and far. Some of Lis’s oldest friends live in different countries, some in Iceland, and one in India, but she finds it easy to stay in touch via messaging and video hangouts. She has even gone to India to visit with her friend there! Tom has friends spread all across the country, including his best friend who lives in Florida now, but they keep in close touch with each other. We have both made a lot of new friends in our neighborhood, and there are some really great people in our building who we are now very close with.
All of our loved ones are so excited to know we have chosen to become parents through adoption. Everyone has been extremely supportive and they cannot wait to welcome your baby into their lives.
Holidays & Traditions
We celebrate most holidays with our families. Christmas is probably the biggest holiday for us. We usually switch off every other year in either Iceland or Connecticut, but we will probably be hosting Christmas at our place more often in the future.
We like to decorate the tree, bake cookies, cook lots of good food, and give gifts. Tom likes to gift books, and Lis likes to make homemade gifts like crocheted items, framed drawings, and homemade jams. Funny socks are also a must. For us, Christmas is mostly a time to be cozy with our families. We also spend time with our families over Passover, Easter, Rosh Hashanah, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s. Our building has trick-or-treating for the kids on Halloween, and Lis likes to dress up in costume, and Tom always makes sure we have plenty of candy to give out.
Both of our extended families also regularly have large family reunions, bringing together generations of people, which we love to attend as often as we are able.
Birthdays are celebrated with friends and family. Usually, we host a party and/or go out for dinner. Lis likes to bake a cake with candles, and Tom will go to great lengths to fulfill all your birthday wishes with games, food, and presents.
Travel
We love to travel, often together, sometimes with family or friends, and occasionally on our own. Our all-time favorite trip together was a pair of trips to New Zealand. It was so good the first time, we went again the next year! Some other places we have visited are Italy, Sicily, Scotland, England, France, India, and Costa Rica. We also like to travel within the US, taking road trips to Boston, Vermont, and Maine, and flying to cities like New Orleans and Los Angeles.
We are excited to continue our adventures together and are even more excited to do it as a family of 3! We dream of traveling with a little one and getting to watch them enjoy new places as much as we do!
We really appreciate you taking the time to read through our book. We know this must be a very difficult decision for you so we hope we have been able to show you who we are, who we will be as parents, and our commitment to giving your child the best, most loving life possible. We wish you all the best and are here whenever you might be ready to connect.
Sending lots of love your way,
Lis & Tom
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