I love spending time outside, taking my dog for walks in the neighborhood or for a hike on a local trail. Every Saturday you can find me at our local farmer's market- I love browsing all of the local foods, flowers, and crafts! When I get home from the farmer's market, I like to try out new recipes with the fruits and vegetables I bought. Cooking and baking are favorite hobbies, and I often bake special cakes and treats for family birthday parties and holidays. My nephews are often my helpers in the kitchen and they love sampling the cookie dough when we bake together! Since there is wonderful warm weather where I live during many months of the year, I am able to spend lots of time gardening. I enjoy planting flowers in my yard and have two large garden beds where I grow herbs and vegetables in my back yard. There is nothing better than a fresh garden salad with veggies you grew yourself! I also enjoy sharing my love of gardening with my nephews, and they've enjoyed making special little fairy gardens with me. While I love the outdoors, I enjoy relaxing indoors as well. I am an avid reader and love curling up inside with a good book. I also have fun working on crafts and decorating projects for my home and my classroom. One of my favorite activities to enjoy with family and friends is playing board games together.

It is a priority for me that my child learn about their cultural background and identity and that I educate myself as well so I can support my child in this area. As a kindergarten teacher teaching diverse students, I have always made sure to teach my students about different cultures and traditions, and make sure every child's culture is included. I look forward to learning more about the culture my child comes from, and working to incorporate new traditions into our family life so they can fully appreciate their cultural heritage and be proud of it. I advocate for diverse curriculum and educational equity and inclusion in the school district where I work and I will be an advocate for my child as well. Having diverse children's books in my home will help my child to see characters that reflect their own culture as well as open doors to learning about the cultures of others. Beyond books, it is important that toys, dolls, and other items the child plays with reflect diversity as well. Living in a big city, my child will encounter diversity in their daily life as we live in a diverse neighborhood. I am lucky that the city where I live also has many different cultural festivals we can attend throughout the year, different shops and restaurants where we can find food reflecting diverse cultures, and diverse role models in the community.

I have a French bulldog named Henri. He is an easy going dog that loves people and makes friends on all of our walks. My neighbors love him so much they buy special treats just for him! I love taking him on walks in the neighborhood or playing with him in the backyard. He even accompanies me on trips to our local coffee shop and the farmer's market. While he enjoys the outdoors, his favorite activity is taking naps on the couch! At 12 years old, he sure loves his naps! Henri loves to snuggle up right next to me as I read a book or watch TV, and often I can hear him snoring even when I'm in another room! Henri loves that one of my favorite hobbies is cooking- whenever I am in the kitchen making something he is always right there next to me in case a little piece of food drops! The only thing bulldogs love more than naps is food! He is such a sweet dog and I love to see him playing with my nephews- he loves when they throw toys for him and scratch his back.

I live in a large city in Missouri. I love living in a diverse city that has lots to offer!

I live in a historic neighborhood on the edge of the city in a 3 story condo building. My large condo has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a large living room, dining room, kitchen, and sun room. The kitchen is one of my favorite places in my home with lots of windows that let in natural light as I'm cooking.

My home also has a large backyard with a patio, yard, and garden areas. I love sitting outside and eating dinner on the patio, cooking dinner on the barbecue grill, playing with my dog in the yard, and planting flowers and vegetables in the garden.

The neighborhood I live in is very friendly- neighbors can often be seen chatting in their yards with each other and there are many families with children. There is an elementary school and playground right on my block.

My home is within walking distance of little coffee shops, restaurants, and several playgrounds. A child would especially love the little candy shop and ice cream shop in my neighborhood- both of which are just one block away. A large urban park with walking paths, trails, bike paths, museums, and even a zoo is also within walking distance and the perfect place to explore on the weekends.

My neighborhood is very family friendly and living in a big city means there is always something fun to do!

I have a large extended family that I enjoy spending time with and they are a great support system for me. In addition to my parents, I am very close with my two sisters and spend lots of time with them and their children. When we're not together, we're always calling or Facetiming each other. I also have many aunts, uncles, and cousins that make up my large family. We love cooking up big family dinners! When the weather is warm, we love to be outside in the yard barbecuing, chatting with each other, and playing games with the kids. We love the outdoors and go on hikes and bike rides as a family, too.

My family enjoys getting together to celebrate holidays- we especially enjoy carving pumpkins at Halloween, cooking Thanksgiving dinner together, picking out a Christmas tree at the tree farm and taking it home to decorate, and going on an egg hunt at Easter. I love being an aunt and getting to share all of these special family traditions with my nephews. One of our favorite family traditions is wearing matching pajamas- we love getting cozy in our jammies and baking cookies or having a movie night with homemade popcorn!

My family goes on family vacations together too- a recent favorite was a beach vacation- we loved having the whole extended family there getting to relax and enjoy spending time together. My family can't wait to add another child and welcome them into the family traditions!

I have always wanted to become a mother, and I am looking forward to what the future brings. As a kindergarten teacher, I am lucky to spend each day working with children and getting to be an important part of their lives. I love seeing the joy when they learn something new, like how to read a book or tie their shoes. I love seeing the growth they make. I love hearing all of the sweet and funny things kids say- I truly have the best job in the world. You spend so much time with the children in your classroom sometimes they even start to accidentally call you "mom." I have always loved children, but now I want to be able to experience these things with a child of my own.

As a teacher, I am so thankful for a work schedule that will allow me lots of time for a child. My work days end early, and I have plenty of time after school to spend with a child. I also have lots of holidays and my summers off, which gives me 3 months to be a stay at home mom each year. I am looking forward to all of the fun we will have together in the summer, visiting playgrounds, the pool, the zoo, and taking family vacations. Another great part of being a teacher is that I will be able to bring the child to work with me and they can attend the school I work at when they are school age.

Adopting as a single parent it is important to me that I have a large support network for me and my future child. I have a wonderful and diverse group of friends, neighbors, and coworkers that will be there for me and the child. I also have a large extended family the lean on. I am very close with my sisters and their families- I love spending time with my nephews and they are looking forward to when I have a child. We can't wait to share all of our family traditions with the child, and of course start to incorporate some new traditions too. Many of the things I love doing as "Aunt Mer" with my nephews I can't wait to do with my child- baking cookies, playing games, reading bedtime stories, making sandcastles at the beach, and so much more. I have so many wonderful memories from the time I have spent with my family, and I can't wait to make special memories with my own child.

While I have so many things I am looking forward to doing as a mom, the main thing I want is for the child to be happy and to be able to confidently grow into the unique person that they are. I know that every child is different and I want them to feel recognized and loved for who they are. I will support them in whatever their interests are- art, music, sports, and anything else. Education has been so important to me in my life, and is something I highly value as a teacher. I will make sure that the child has every opportunity when it comes to education so that they can pursue their passions and dreams in life while I cheer them on. One of the things that has made a huge impact on my life is travel and getting to see the world. I hope to share my love of travel with my future child, and through travel help them see new and different perspectives and consider what they can do to make the world a better place.

Please know that your voice matters and I want to hear what is important to you. I am committed to an open adoption and building a relationship with you. I will send you letters and pictures to update you. If you would like more contact, I am open to that- emails, phone calls, yearly visits- we can make a plan together that will work for you. You will always be an important part of the child's life and our family, and I want them to know you and the love you have for them.

Meredith