We want to first start off by saying thank you for taking time out of your day to read about us. We would be lying if we said we understand what you are going through. Truth is we cannot even begin to imagine what is going through your mind. We are in complete awe with how much strength and selflessness that you are demonstrating and appreciate your time and consideration while reading about us. No matter what road lies ahead for you, we wish you nothing but health and happiness.
Our Adoption Story & Promise To You
From the second we started dating we both knew that we wanted to be parents. After a few years of being together we started on that journey as a couple. Almost instantly we were met with hurdles and road blocks. Nothing was working so we went to see a specialist who could help us with this part of our journey. At this time in our relationship we were told that IVF was our path to parenthood. After many more hurdles and road blocks IVF did not work out for us. During the IVF process, we started to look into adoption and what that could look like for us as a couple. It was at this moment in our journey that we knew adoption was meant for us. Throughout our journey to writing this, we were met with nothing but support from both of our families. Our promise to you is to provide your child with a home surrounded by unconditional love and support, and to teach, provide and pass on our values as well as yours.
We are very fortunate to be surrounded by family. Dan's mom lives with us and Lyza's family lives a short 5-minute walk from where we live. The rest of Dan's family lives out of state, but we talk very regularly through video chats and phone calls. Dan's mom used to work in early childcare and is thrilled at the idea of us adopting a child! She is beyond excited to become a grandmother! Lyza's parents are close by and because her sister already has two children, they are ready to welcome another member to the family. Lyza grew up very close to her extended family as her Aunt and Uncle with her 4 cousins all lived in the same apartment building growing up. Because of this, Lyza and her sister want the same for our future child and our niece and nephew. We get together almost every weekend and just spend time with one another disconnected from technology, whether that is playing outside, cooking, reading books, hiking or playing board games. Family is very important to us and we both knew that adoption was the right path for us to continue to grow our family. Our family has been our support system throughout our lives and is always there when we need them. We enjoy taking family trips to the zoo or aquarium as well as enjoying time outside grilling and swimming. Since we live so close to family, we already know that there are going to be a lot of wonderful memories to be made.
About Us
Our journey started at the office when we met at work. I (Dan) took one look at Lyza and was instantly captivated by her beauty. It took some time for me to have the confidence to step up and talk to her. After I had finally worked up the courage to start a conversation, it lasted hours. Our relationship developed really quickly and that's when we both discussed that we wanted to have a family one day. This is where our strong communication began. We had lengthy conversations of our past and what we were both looking for in our future. We both knew that we wanted to have children. We both knew that no matter what situations arise, having a strong foundation of communication was the key for us to succeed as partners in life. We both understand that while we have separate hobbies, we enjoy spending time together with our families regularly. Dan enjoys hiking, backpacking and all things related to nature as well as video games. Lyza enjoys reading books as well as playing board games and cleaning. No matter what we do together day in and day out, we are accompanied by our three dogs Samantha, Leon and Jack.
If I were asked to describe Lyza with one word it would be selfless. Lyza always puts other people in front of herself. She is one of the most caring individuals I have ever had the pleasure of getting to know. Lyza enjoys cleaning, and I mean truly enjoys cleaning! She loves watching cleaning channels on YouTube and getting inspiration to organize and keep things fresh and tidy around our house. The other day I came home and the pantry had been completely reorganized with labeled containers. Lyza was so excited to show me all the different organizational bins she had ordered from Amazon and had already begun labeling these containers for all over the house. I couldn't help but smile and admire her drive to make sure that everything was in its place. Lyza enjoys her down time by reading a wide variety of novels from romantic novels to biographies. Lyza is very optimistic and does her best to keep everyone in that mindset.
Despite our hardships throughout life so far, she has always remained positive and true to herself. She has always said she was meant to be a mom. She is very determined and will not stop at anything until she succeeds. Lyza is goal driven and pushes herself and others to be the best version of themselves. She has worked extremely hard in her life to be where she is and continues to push herself at work and at home. To me, she has been my biggest inspiration as she does not settle for anything less than what she sets her heart on.
Dan is the most kind, honest and loving person I have met in my life. He is so emotionally attuned and loves to communicate. He has a huge obsession with anything Star Wars related, especially putting together Star Wars Lego sets. He loves to help people and is always putting his family first. He loves hiking and nature and is always researching places we can go to explore. I remember on one of our first trips together, it was around New Year's in Maine. Despite how cold it was, he made sure to find a place that we could go explore. We wound up taking a short brisk walk along Maine's coastline and took in breathtaking scenery.
Dan is also an amazing cook (thank goodness!). He enjoys looking up different recipes and trying them out. Dan will make an amazing father! He is very hands on and loves playing with and teaching my niece and nephew. He loves music and playing guitar and also making ramps for hot wheels. I have no doubt that Dan will be a loving, kind and very present and active father. I could see him coaching or being part of whatever interest our future child shows. He dreams of becoming a father as much as I have dreamt of being a mother! Dan is extremely hardworking and always making time for our family. He is extremely talented in everything he does and continues to demonstrate the patience of a saint. He genuinely enjoys putting things together and teaching people about the things he has learned. He is also a great listener to all.
Our Home
Our home is a new build situated right outside of a cul de sac where Lyza's family lives. We love that our home is in a rural area where there are plenty of outdoor activities. Little did we know when moving into this house that the cul de sac across the street happens to be the biggest trick or treating area of our town! When we say there were hundreds of kids and their parents that is probably a low estimate. This brings us great joy as we both enjoy dressing up for Halloween, going trick or treating with our niece and nephew and handing out candy to all the kids who come from all over town. We cannot wait to have our child join in all the neighborhood fun! Our home has a fenced-in backyard for dogs, and we like to grow our own vegetables and spend time outside on our deck just simply enjoying the outdoors. There are woods behind our house which helps bring nature to us, as we regularly see deer and turkeys throughout the year. Since Dan's mom lives with us, she will help with child care when we are both working. We are both able to partially work from home. We know that no matter what time of day or night, there will be family home to take care of our child. We are excited to become parents to help share our life experiences, hobbies and passions with our child. We will also be sure that our child is reminded of the strength and selflessness that you have portrayed allowing him or her into our life.
Our dogs are a huge part of our life. We have three dogs that range from 30lbs to 75lbs! All 3 of our dogs were adopted from rescues. Jack is a a very active dog who loves going for hikes and playing with the other dogs. Leon is about twice his size and Samantha is a bit smaller than him. That doesn't discourage Jack as he continually tries to use his smaller stature to run circles around Leon! Leon can be active but is a big ole teddy bear of a dog. He enjoys cuddling on the couch. Despite being 75lbs, he is a lap dog at heart and wants nothing but to be by your side and fall asleep next to you. Then we have Samantha who is our most relaxed dog. She does not really enjoy running around with Jack and Leon but enjoys taking her time and smelling the flowers, if you will. She wants nothing but to cuddle up next to you on the couch or in one of the many dog beds we have around the house. All three of our dogs have experience being around a wide range of children and just enjoy getting attention from all the humans they get a chance to meet. We know that all three of our dogs will enjoy having another human to get attention from and eventually extra food!
Our friend group is close and most have children already. We have friends who are step parents as well as friends who are new parents and having them there supporting us is a wonderful feeling. When our friends bring their kids to our home it is always a party between the three dogs and the wide range of kids ages which most of the time ends in sleepy dogs and sleepy kids. We enjoy spending time in our backyard grilling up some food while the kids play with the dogs or each other.
We know that with all the support we have between our families and friends that everyone is beyond excited at the idea of us growing our family and ready to join us welcoming our newest member.
We would like to thank you for taking the time to read a little bit about us. If there is anything else you want to know, we are more than happy to answer your questions. We can only begin to imagine everything that is going through your mind and hope you get nothing but love and support from the people in your life. Whatever you decide, we know that you are making that decision with nothing but selflessness and love. We know that when we have the privilege of being selected to raise your child, we will be more than willing to tell them about how strong and brave their birth mom is and never let them forget where they came from. We wish you nothing but peace and happiness in your days ahead.