Emma's and Zach's parents made them who they are today.  Emma's parents have always treated her like a person as well as their daughter.  When she was a child and acted out, they helped Emma learn from her mistakes through consequences, but also made Emma feel loved and respected even when she made mistakes.  Emma's parents made sure she had room to grow, helping her try various sports and musical instruments, giving back to the community, spending quality family time together, and taking Emma to visit friends and family.  As a result, Emma learned compassion, empathy, communication, hard work, respect, and the value of close personal relationships.  And now she is lucky enough to be both a daughter and good friends with her parents.

Zach had a single mom until he was nine, when his parents married and his stepdad adopted him a year later.  Zach's mom, and later dad, taught him sports and so many life lessons.  He remembers the joy of getting a dad and another parent to share his love with.  Zach's parents were at every sporting event and supported him in other activities like Boy Scouts, giving all of their precious time to him and later his little sister.  He learned how to show up for others, even if it's tough, and what a supportive home looks like.

We believe wholeheartedly in the power and beauty of cultural diversity, and we will teach our child that, too.  We live in a diverse neighborhood within a diverse city where our child will see, interact, and become friends with people of a variety of races, cultures, gender identities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and stages of life.  We are lucky to live in an area and school system where our child's schools will be diverse, as will their extracurricular activities.  Our child will also see diverse representation at home - in books, movies, TV, music, and art - as well as in the community - the stores we shop at, the restaurants we eat at, the political candidates we support, the people we spend time with, and the causes we support.

If a child we adopt is of a different race and culture than us, we are devoted to making sure our child has role models and family friends of their culture, to learning the history, holidays, and traditions of their culture, and to helping our child feel connected to their background and this part of their identity.

We absolutely cannot wait to watch a child grow, learn, develop, and become whoever they are meant to be.  We are both blessed with parents who loved, supported, and guided us, but also let us be ourselves and trusted us later in life to use the lessons we learned as kids and teenagers to make our own decisions.  We think being parents means loving a child unconditionally and keeping that child safe, while also giving the child the freedom to be themselves, discover their passions and strengths, and build their own life.

Along the same lines, we expect our favorite part about being parents to be watching the child do all of this.  We're excited to provide opportunities, show support, and provide the love to a child that our families gave us.  We also can't wait to become a family of three, and to see how we all grow individually, as a couple, and as a family unit.

We are lucky to live very close to Emma's mom, brother, and grandma.  Emma sees her mom every weekend for coffee, shopping, or hanging out.  Emma's love for arts and music came from her grandma, who took Emma and her brother to local theater and concerts, made them playlists and sang with them in the car.  Emma's brother and Zach bond over playing golf or talking about video games, sports, or trading cards. Although Emma's dad and his mom (Nana) live a few hours away, they talk on the phone at least once a week.  They are incredibly supportive, comforting, and loving influences for us generally and for our desire to adopt a child.

Zach has a loving, big, blended family - Zach's mom, his dad who adopted him at age 10, two older step-siblings, a younger half-sister, and dozens of aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Zach's parents passed away recently, but Zach got to share the joy of our adoption journey with his mom.  We're comforted by the funny stories and traditions we'll get to share about his parents, like when his dad accidentally told everyone they were engaged on Facebook before Emma got to tell her parents.  Or making the traditional Easter dinner.

We are especially close to Zach's younger sister and her fiance, who will be the best aunts.  We talk every day either on the phone, texting, or sharing Instagram reels about cats. 

We live in Ohio. Our neighborhood is quiet, friendly, safe, and diverse. Many of our neighbors are our age or have young kids, but we have neighbors of all ages, and people often stop to talk to each other on their walks or when leaving the house. We have nearby parks, schools, a community pool, a recreation center, a community center, a library, and events featuring local artists and small businesses. One of our favorite spots close to our house is a long, paved trail that stretches through neighborhoods and is surrounded by trees where people walk, bike, and run. We meet our running club there once a week then stop at a local coffee shop on our walk back home. We cannot wait to start bringing a child with us each week.

We also live close to downtown and main interstates so it's easy to get to the theater, event venues, restaurants, shopping, sports events, and visit our friends and family. We bought our house with plans to build a family, so we have two extra bedrooms, a finished attic space perfect for a play room, and an open plan downstairs so that we can see from the kitchen at one end to the dining room at the other end, to easily keep an eye on kids. Our yard is fenced-in so kids and pets can play safely, and we love taking care of our flowers and landscaping so we're excited to help a child care for nature, too.

It seems overly simple, but when it comes to being parents, we both have only ever wanted one thing - to raise a good human.  To raise a happy child who grows up to be a happy adult who makes the world a better place simply by being in it and being themselves.  We are so grateful that you would consider giving us the opportunity to raise this special human.  We feel called to adoption for so many reasons, but a big one is that we will have the opportunity to raise a child as two families - yours and ours.  This child will be so, so loved.  We would be honored to share this life journey with you and your child.

We are committed to sending regular letters to you with updates and milestones about your child, as well as photos.  We are fully open to more contact at your comfort level, as well, including emails, phone and video calls, and visits. We believe no family is too big, and no amount of support is too much.

Zach grew up in a blended family, with step-siblings and half-siblings and an adoptive father.  But those are technical terms that, frankly, weren't even used when Emma and Zach started dating.  They are simply family, and they made Emma part of that family right away, too.

We have been friends since 2011, dating since 2013, and married since 2019.  We are best friends.  We are two parts of the same whole, but there is a part missing, and we know there's love in our hearts that is designated for and waiting to be showered on a child.  We are so ready and excited to be parents.  When we make dinner, we wish we could be eating with our child.  When we get ready for bed, we wish we were reading our child a bedtime book.  When we go for a walk, we wish we could push our child in the stroller and look at animals and people, or walk alongside our child and talk about our days.  Should you trust us with the care of your child, we would love every day with them and we would make sure they feel loved every day.

We are different people with different strengths, but we complement each other.  Zach is going to teach a child, through his own actions and confidence, to be comfortable in your own skin, to stand up for what you believe in, and to support your loved ones.  Emma is going to help a child learn to communicate and navigate the difficult emotions of life, and to prioritize self-care, self-worth, self-love, empathy, and determination through all of life's challenges.  Where Zach will make sure the child remembers to be goofy and spontaneous and capture all the joy in life, Emma will keep life running smoothly and advocate fiercely for her family.  Where Emma will help with reading homework, Zach will help with math.  Where Zach will cook dinner, Emma will bake cookies.  And both of us will constantly surround the child with love and support.

We hope this helps you get to know us a little better, and we would be happy to answer any other questions and get to know you, also, if you would like.  We know there is a lot to consider, and we are open books.  Thank you for considering us.

Zach & Emma