We would first like to say hello and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for just taking the time to get to know us. Words cannot express how grateful we are for you being so brave and for considering us as parents. We know that this is not an easy decision but we know you are doing it out of love for your baby.
Whatever you decide, we are keeping you close to our hearts and wishing you only the very best. We hope we can get to know each other more one day soon.
Darlene & Nick
Dear Birth Mother,
Our Adoption Story & Promise To You
We have known for a long time that we wanted to start a family. After a year of trying with no results, we decided to see a fertility specialist. Through the process, we got bad news after bad news and so we decided to put a stop on all fertility treatments. This was not an easy time for us - to be perfectly honest, it felt like everything we ever wanted was just not happening for us. But what we came to realize is that the reason it hurt so much is because we still truly wanted to be parents. We just could not let go of that dream. Through our heartbreak, we felt a little lost but soon, as we started to open up to our family and friends, someone had suggested we look into adoption. I guess you could say, it planted a seed for us. Soon, we were reading up on adoption and the more we learned, the more we realized that this would be the perfect way for us to have the family we always dreamed of. And this is how our adoption journey began - and this has led us to you. Sometimes life sends you signs and the timing is always key - we know in our hearts that this is how we were meant to have a family.
We promise that your child will always know they are loved unconditionally. They will grow up surrounded by family and friends who will welcome them with open arms. We will do all that we can to make sure they live their happiest life with every opportunity to follow their dreams. We will encourage them to never give up and support them in all that they do. We will be their #1 cheerleaders every step of the way. We want to share memories and build new traditions together.
We also promise to honor you. We know you are making this decision because of how much you love your baby and we will make sure that they grow up to know your love and strength. Your racial heritage is also something we promise to make a part of your child's life, including your language. Darlene is very passionate about languages. If you speak Spanish, Darlene will be able to teach your child and speak
About Us
Like many couples, we officially met on match.com but our story is actually a bit more unique. Once we were dating, we were looking through old pictures together and sure enough, we were actually in the same place at the same time years earlier... but just never knew it! Being the only girl at the bar with an umbrella makes me easy to spot in a picture. And there I am, in a picture Nick has where I am standing behind him and he is posing for a picture. What are the chances? After two weeks of getting to know each other through technology, we went on our first date - lunch at Applebee's. We really hit it off and the rest is history. We are just as much in love now as we were back then. We have learned to grow together as individuals and as a couple and we support one another in all that we do.
We both feel incredibly lucky to have found each other. If there is such a thing as soul mates, or fairy tales, we feel like that is our story. Of course, nothing in life is perfect and we have had our shares of life's lemons to deal with but together, we are a team. When we are together, you will probably find us holding hands, laughing and smiling. Sure, we have disagreements just like any other couple but we always talk things through.
Both of us enjoy traveling together, taking day trips, hosting parties at our home and riding bikes. We also love being home together, just being cozy and watching TV or playing board games. During the summer months, there is nothing better than hanging out in our backyard. We enjoy pushing each other to try new things like riding roller coasters and tasting new and different foods.
We truly feel we would not want to experience the journey of life without the other. The only thing missing is to share our life and our love with a little one.
Meet Darlene
Darlene is the person I had been looking for my whole life. She is the most genuine and caring person. She understands my goofiness - after all, she can be a goof too! We work well together and got through some tough times and came out stronger. I feel Darlene is another part of me and we are connected as one. I am so happy that I met her. Darlene enjoys crafting and even makes her own soaps, candles and lip balms. She also has a passion for languages, including Spanish. Being fluent in Spanish has allowed her to help with translating at school, including for some families who are not able to communicate in English. I have seen many times how Darlene goes above and beyond to help those in need, including providing a laptop for a student during virtual learning last year in the middle of the pandemic.
Darlene is an amazing person for her dedication and for how much she cares about those around her. From the moment we met, Darlene has always had a very easy and natural way about her when she is around children. Whenever we get together with family or friends who have kids, she is always on the floor playing with them. Darlene works at a private school which focuses on children who have Cerebral Palsy. As a Teacher's Assistant, she gets to work with kids who have multiple disabilities and I have seen first-hand what a natural she is with her students. The children's faces light up when they see her!
I know without a doubt that Darlene will be an amazing mother. Her love is unconditional and she is the most dedicated person who will put her all into being a great mom.
Meet Nick
Nick is a fun-loving guy and a bit of a jokester. He is the type of person everyone loves to be around, especially his nephew, and little cousins. He is happiest when he is around family and friends! My husband is my best friend and the person I fell in love with almost 8 years ago. He is an amazing man who treats me with respect and kindness. He makes me smile and laugh every day and we are the perfect balance for each other. I love him more and more each day!
We truly are a great team - we can clean our house together in about an hour (that is our record!), and he has even learned to cook on the grill (fish and hamburgers are his expertise!). Every Tuesday night he makes pasta with jarred sauce, and that is okay with me because it is one night I do not have to cook. He is a simple guy, but he supports me and is always by my side. Nick is very handy and enjoys fixing up our house any chance he can get his hands on a project. He also loves NASCAR and he has been to the Daytona 500 in Florida. Nick also has a passion for photography and really enjoys taking pictures for family and friends at different events.
Nick works as a Human Resources manager for a grocery chain. He is definitely a people person and so this is the perfect job for him. He and his coworkers all get along really well and even socialize together in their free time with the occasional team dinner.Nick will be the most wonderful father. I see it in the relationship he has with our nephew, cousins and friends' kids. Early in our relationship, Nick was babysitting for his nephew who was just a baby at the time. He called to tell me he was on diaper duty - I remember this call like it was yesterday. He handled it like a pro - he is a natural with children of all ages! I am so excited for him to be a father one day soon.
Our Home
We live in a 3 bedroom single-family craftsmen style home in a wonderful community in New Jersey. We enjoy hanging out in all the areas we created in our home - from having breakfast on the enclosed front porch to entertaining and playing games in our backyard patio/garage area or watching movies under the stars by the fire pit or just relaxing in the living room watching TV. Our home is close to the waterfront area that is the quiet part of town. It has a nice walkway along the water with a view of New York City, a boat slip to watch the boats coming and going and fishermen fishing on the pier. We enjoy taking walks and bike rides along the water. There is a very highly rated elementary school not too far from our home and the school bus stop is right on the corner of our street.
Our Loved Ones
Darlene is the oldest of two girls. We actually live only 15 minutes from the town she grew up in. She is very close with her Uncle Joe (her mother's brother) and her Aunt Annette (her father's sister, who is also her godmother). She is also close with her extended family, including her cousins. Sadly, her father, grandparents and other important family members have passed away. She has wonderful memories of them and they are always in her heart.
Nick is the middle of three children. He has an older brother and a younger sister who both live in the same town he grew up in (and just five minutes away from us!). His mom still lives in the house he grew up in. Nick is also very close with his family and we love getting together every chance we get. Both of our families are overjoyed that we are choosing to grow our family through adoption. Everyone has been so supportive and is very excited to welcome your little one into our lives. As you can see, there is a lot of love that surrounds us and we want to share that with your baby.
Holidays and Traditions
We love celebrating the holidays together and really enjoy spending this time with our families. Fall is our favorite season and we tend to go overboard with decorating our home for the season. Christmas is another great time of year! We decorate the house and Darlene makes the most amazing holiday cookies from a family recipe passed down to her.
Every year, just before Christmas, we plan a trip to Cape May with our close friends. One couple has kids and it is so much fun to go see the tree all lit up. We usually just hang out together, go out for dinners, walk around the local shops, and of course catch the annual parade. We usually spend Christmas Eve with Darlene's aunts and cousins and then we continue the celebrations on Christmas Day with our families. We exchange gifts with one another and we play the white elephant game which is a lot of fun!
Nick loves planning our big July 4th party because we usually host family and friends who we do not always get to see during the year. Our July 4th BBQ turns out to be about 40-50 people of just family and friends. It is a great time with kids running around in our backyard. We really enjoy spending time with our loved ones and having everyone gather in our home is very special to us.
Meet Muffin
We would like to introduce to you Muffin! Muffin is a Yorkshire Terrier who we welcomed into our family two years ago. We actually traveled to Pennsylvania to pick her up. Nick remembers the look on my face when I held Muffin for the first time - he said it was priceless. I guess you could say we fell in love with her instantly. We had been thinking about getting a dog but we were definitely amateurs! We both suffer from some seasonal allergies and so decided it would be best if we stuck to a hypoallergenic dog to be safe. And ultimately, this led us to our sweet Muffin.
She has brought so much joy to us and we love her so much. Muffin is a typical dog who loves to play, go for walks, run in our backyard, and snuggle with us. Muffin tests us in many ways with making a mess with her toys and not listening, but she is teaching us life lessons for when we are parents. No matter what, she is truly one of the best things to happen to us. She is so gentle when she is around kids, we know she will be a great big sister.
Conclusion
We would like to thank you again for taking time to get to know us through our book. We hope we have been able to show you just how much love we have and how ready we are to be parents. If you have any questions for us or want to talk with us more, please know that we are ready for that and would be honored.
While we are truly excited for the next step in this process, we know that you are faced with a difficult decision. No matter what you decide, we completely respect you and know you will do what feels right in your heart. We hope that your heart will lead us all down the adoption path together.
With love and gratitude,
Darlene & Nick
