Steph & Brian

“It’s always better when we’re together!” – Jack JohnsonHello!

We are Brian and Stephanie, a very happy couple who are excited to share a bit of ourselves and our lives with you in these pages. As we write this we can't help but note how thankful we are for our life together and for women like you who have the conviction to explore the path of adoption for you and your child. We may never fully grasp how this decision weighs on you and your future but regardless we can send you a sincere thanks for even considering this option and our family in your plans.
 
We want you to know that our life, hearts and home are today full of warmth and love that will only grow with the addition of a child. We are so excited to welcome a child into our lives and to fulfill our dream of becoming parents. We and our parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, dear friends, God children and sweet dogs are all here to provide a child with a loving, cheerful, stable and nurturing environment from which to grow into a self-confident, happy adult. Ours is a home full of hugs, goofy laughs, bad dancing, good sports, open educated minds, encouragement, faith and morals. We would love for it to be your child's home too.
 
Sincerely,  
Brian & Stephanie

Our Story
We are a “meant to be” story. Both of us had jobs that for years required tremendous amounts of travel all over the US and the world – and we both got tired of sacrificing our personal lives. We were committed to maintaining and nurturing our relationships with family and friends. The problem was we were both doing this separately; not knowing the other existed until we were matched via an online service. Through the years, we had both experienced good relationships but never found “the one” – the person with whom we wanted to build a family. The day that Brian first sent a request for communication to Steph, all of that was done and forgotten.
 
In those first days we emailed like crazy and talked for hours at a time on the phone, being more open with each other than we had ever been with anyone else in our lives. Our first in person date was one filled with nerves but also a strange sense of "What is going on here?!" as we kept discovering commonalities in our life experiences that were truly unlikely. This first date led to a second the next night, a third the night after and so forth – until four inseparable months later we married in an amazing ceremony surrounded by our wonderful friends and family. Four months may sound like a fast courtship, but for us even waiting that long seemed funny since we had known from the beginning, without reservation that we were each other’s ONE.
 
We also knew from the beginning that we would build a family together and that our family would likely be built through the blessing of adoption. So when it was confirmed that we would not be able to conceive a child, we were sad but not devastated. Rather, we saw it as affirmation that we are meant to adopt a child; a prospect that fills us with excitement and joy. We can't wait to include a child in our life's next chapters of boy meets girl and they all fall in love!
Meant to be… from head to toe.

Our daily life is very nice. We are both successful in our careers and have the flexibility to work from home so will be very present in our child's daily life. Having lived a life where we both worked long hours traveling a lot, we are hugely appreciative and very protective of the life we have now been able to establish. We maximize our time together daily, often sharing a commute when needed, eating lunch together, going to the gym together in the evenings, playing with our dogs and generally enjoying each and every day. Having a child will only intensify our commitment to our home and family life.
 
On weekends we can often be found taking a mini-getaway to discover some new place, working on projects around the house, cooking together for the week or for a casual get together that night, watching either Ohio State (Brian's team) or New England Patriot's (Steph's team) football, and always making time to keep connected with friends and family. Our close friends are part of our family and are extremely cherished. We love them and their children and are over the moon with how excited they are at the prospect of us adopting and extending our family.

Why I Love Brian
All about the ONE I love by Steph
Brian is my HS2 (that's Handsome, Sexy, Sweetie)! I can go on and on about all the things I love about him but will try to be a bit more concise. Brian is a balance of all sorts of great things. He is serious when required but a goofball at all other times. You can always rely on Brian, no matter how difficult the task or situation and you can also bank on him making you laugh and groan with his bad jokes – “I’m a card, I should be dealt with!" Brian is an electrical engineer (geek) with social skills (not-geek) so his company lets him out in front of people for work and we are able to easily entertain friends.

Brian is a great cook who most excels at the barbeque and smoker. He makes amazing ribs and pulled pork as well as all sorts of other healthier fare. Brian can often be found entertaining friends and family by the backyard barbeque, kids playing and adults laughing all around. Brian loves to hang out with his nieces and nephew, getting right down on their level playing and laughing but also providing a guiding hand and boundaries to help them grow.
 
Brian is my complement, cheerleader and challenger. He supports me in everything I do but he is also the one that gently pushes me to see and do things in ways I may not have thought of or am reluctant to pursue. He is an Eagle Scout and a classic farm boy with strong values, work ethics and sense of family. He is a great Uncle and has all the makings of a great father. I know he will be just that for your child. Did I mention he also loves doing laundry?!

Why I Love Stephanie
All about my gorgeous wife, by Brian
Stephanie is the most beautiful person in the world to me. She is very physically attractive (far more than she thinks) but her huge heart and fun-loving personality make her an absolutely stunning and amazing woman. Steph is one of those rare people who knows who she is and is very happy in her own skin. She has achieved great things in her professional life but she won’t be the one that tells you this. For her, the only measurements of success are never selling yourself short and having loving, genuine, fun and respectful relationships with family and friends.
I can’t think of a single day that my wife hasn’t made me feel like a million bucks and supported me 100%. When I or anyone we know is facing difficult decisions or situations, Steph is a great sounding board. She listens and offers counsel but never imposes.

She has a very easy going personality and style that puts everyone at ease. She absolutely loves to laugh and has a very goofy, infectious laugh when you get her going, which is pretty often. Steph even has the courtesy to laugh at my often corny humor and engineering related retentive habits.

Steph will be an amazing Mom. She gravitates to all the kids in our life, and them to her. When I watch her making silly jokes, dancing crazy made up dances (leaping butterflies in the driveway anyone?), patiently putting together puzzles, playing go fish and connecting so easily with the kids in our life, I swell with pride. It will be incredible to see these exchanges with a child of our own.

Our Most Loved Ones
Our immediate family is a little spread out but in constant contact. All of them including Steph's family in France (her Mom is French and she grew up spending a lot of time in France with her Aunts, Uncles and cousins there) are very happy we found each other as a couple and that we are now expanding our family through the gift of adoption.

Our nieces (Brian has two - 8 year old Claire and 6 year old Lauren, Steph has triplet nieces – 11 year olds Hannah, Lauren and Sydney) and nephew (6 year old Lauren's twin Brandon) are particularly excited at the prospect of a new cousin and anxious to show our child "the ropes". We are so grateful for our family and their support.

Our Home
We live in a large, comfortable home in a wonderful neighborhood full of children and parks. Our home is described by friends as warm and inviting with kids loving the backyard, pool and super comfy family room couch. We take great pride in having a home our friends and family feel welcome in and happy to visit.
 
We love nothing more than having friends and family over, getting a game of kickball going in the park down the street, barbequing lots of delicious food and generally just focusing on the important things in life - love and friendship.
  
Meet Winston and Frankie: Our “furry children”!
We have two fantastic dogs who keep us company and make us laugh daily! Winston Dunhill is an 8 year old miniature dachshund with a belief he is royalty but with a heart of pure sweetness. Winston most often goes by Winnie (typical), Winnabego (when looking a little plump), Wynona (when being a fuss) and Winboney when we're making homemade pasta. Franklin is a 6 year old very goofy miniature dachshund. He is a total Momma's boy with a playful puppy nature. Like Winnie, he has many names including Frankie, Frankleberry (when being particularly entertaining) and Franconi on Italian night. They too are very excited to welcome a new "brother" or "sister" into the family and will be wonderful protectors and heating blankets.

Little-Known Information…
(Don’t worry, there won’t be a quiz!)
Steph sticks her tongue out of the side of her mouth whenever she is concentrating on something. That’s when I know not to disturb her!
Steph is a tornado in the kitchen and she is incapable of NOT making a mess no matter how hard she tries!
She always finds the silver lining in every situation even getting bad service at a restaurant

He makes the silliest, goofiest faces at the most unexpected times!
He can’t let me cook in peace and has to continuously clean up behind me even if I’m still using the spoon! (drives me nuts at the time but cracks me up too)
He can’t walk by a drawer that isn’t fully closed and not close it (and yes, I leave them partially open on purpose sometimes!)

Our Commitment
Should you do us the honor of entrusting your child to us to parent as our own, we commit to you to give this child a life of opportunity. Opportunity to learn and grow in an encouraging and happy environment. Opportunity to discover who they are with our full support and guidance on a safe path. Opportunity to explore the world with us. Opportunity to enjoy childhood like a child should. Opportunity to understand and value the importance of education, faith and family in life. Opportunity to develop important life skills and lessons through charity and service to others. Opportunity to become a caring, well-rounded and self-confident adult.

Thank you for taking the time to read about us!

If you have any questions for us, or would like to talk to us about adopting your child, please contact an AdoptHelp advisor by Calling 1-800-637-7999 or clicking the "Contact Us" button below.

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