Dear Expectant Parents:
We have always valued family above all else, that was something that drew us together. We thank you for taking a look at our profile and for your consideration during what we can only imagine is a difficult process. We hope this will give you a glimpse into who we are. Thank you again for this opportunity.
Introduction
Adoption for us has been the route we have always wanted to pursue. An open adoption allows us to get to know who you are and keep you in an active role, as much as you desire, in your child’s life. We want your child to know who he/she is and where he/she comes from and to take pride in that as well. We can provide a safe home where laughter and fun are encouraged and structure and support is always available.
Steve Talks About Leo
Leo is a caring and loving father and husband. He works as a kindergarten teacher and enjoys helping mold young minds. He is a science fiction nerd, but also enjoys completing projects around the home. He is an excellent Papa and loves reading to our son as well as chasing him around the house. The summers are spent taking Arthur on various day trips and playing outdoors. He is excited about enlarging our family.
Leo Talks About Steve
Steve currently is the administrator of a children’s mental health facility. When he is not helping others, he is gardening or watching scary movies. His love of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups is starting to rub off on Arthur. He is a great father to our son. Whether it is when he’s make-believe cooking with Arthur or when they are pretending to play tackle football on the living room floor. He is a truly amazing dad and very eager to be a father of two.
As a Couple
“You jump, I jump!”
This was what was Steve inscribed on Leo’s Christmas card. As a gift to us, Steve bought two tickets to go skydiving! This was Leo’s greatest fear, but also something he had always wanted to do. It was an awesome experience! It wasn’t just the thrill of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, but the fact that it was something that we did together that made it extraordinary. The support that we each give the other is truly amazing.
When we first met we were both working different jobs, Leo at Walgreens as a manager, and Steve as a counselor helping inmates transitioning back into society. It has been a challenging couple of years for us as we motivated each other through our Master’s classes and working towards our goals. We sacrificed a lot but in the end, it was worth it as we are both doing what we have always wanted to do. Without each other’s support none of that would have been possible. Steve has become a supervisor at a counseling agency and Leo is now an assistant principal in a middle school.
While we have traveled many places and value spending time with friends and family, on most evenings and weekends you will find us at home. Having a healthy and comfortable home has been a mainstay throughout our relationship. You may find us gardening, cooking out, or watching some cheesy comedy movie on the couch. Dinners together and open communication remain a constant for us and we hope to impart these family oriented values on any children we are fortunate enough to raise.
Our Family and Friends
Early on in our relationship we both learned that we did have one major thing in common, a strong sense of pride in our respective cultures. Steve comes from an Irish family while Leo comes from a Puerto Rican family. Both of us appreciate our respective heritages and understand the importance of family background and how it has positively affected us. As a testament to that we both have visited our homelands and continued to grow in appreciation and respect of our cultures. We want any child to have a strong understanding of their heritage and their culture and know that this will only help him or her continue to grow.
One of the ways in which we have truly been fortunate has been that we have both have been raised in loving and supportive families. Steve is the oldest of five children and has four younger sisters and Leo is the oldest of two, having one younger brother. Both of our families raised us with a strong sense of the importance of family and continue to demonstrate every day. Our family support is solid and they are all living within one hour of where we live, so they are easily accessible. In addition to our immediate family we have a strong network of aunts, uncles and cousins whom we see regularly. Our family not only consists of our relatives but also of very close friends whom we have had for years. While it is not a gigantic number of friends, they are friends whom we have had since we ourselves were children. Small get-togethers and Sunday dinners are a norm for us. Our family and friends are truly driven by good humor and constant support and they are a blessing in our lives.
Religion
Shortly after we bought our house we decided we had been missing something in our lives. We were both brought up as Catholics, but due to their views on homosexuality we stopped attending after our teens. We missed the spiritual connection and looked for a church that welcomed us as who we are, and not who they wanted us to be. We are members of a church in Rockford. We even had our marriage ceremony there on September 18th, 2010. We hope to bring up our child in the same church and teach him or her the same core values.
Openness
Being a gay couple, we both believe that an open adoption for our family is the only way to go; after all we will be asked, “Where’s mommy?” It is very important to us that the child knows that they are adopted and that their birth family cared tremendously for them in order to place with us. We would be happy to work with you in establishing how to communicate and how often photos, letters and visits occur.
Thank You
We both hope that you enjoyed reading about who we are and a little bit about our backgrounds and values. As parents, we know we will not be perfect, but we will strive to provide your child with a loving and supportive home. We wish you the best during your search and do truly hope that you will consider us during this process. Best wishes to you and your family! – Leo and Steve
For more information about this family or other families waiting to adopt, please call Children’s Home + Aid, toll-free, at 1-888-248-4335. We will be glad to answer any questions you may have.
