Adoption has affected our lives in the most amazing way possible. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, we embarked on our adoption journey. About a year later, we got the call that a birth family had chosen us and that our daughter had been born the night before and was ready to meet us! We nervously rushed to the hospital, where we got to spend a little time with Emmy's birth parents. For us, it was a truly magical experience, but it was never lost on us that it was a very difficult time for them. Emmy's birth mother showed us how to feed and burp her, while her birth father showed us how to swaddle her like a pro. It was in these moments that we all became family, and some of our most cherished memories were made. They have two other daughters, whom they parent, and it is incredibly important to us that Emmy grows up with them in her life. Rachel and Emmy's birth mom text regularly. We do family video calls on the holidays. This past fall, we were able to visit them in their state, and Emmy got to meet her sisters in person for the very first time. We cannot wait for the next visit! It's an impossible task to put into words what they mean to us. They gave us the greatest gift that we will ever know. The respect and love that we have for them is unmatched.

We are very open about adoption with Emmy as we'd always planned to be. She deserves to know everything about her story and it's our job to ensure she does. We have been telling her her adoption story since the day she was born. Adoption will always be a positive topic in our household, but we will never shy away from talking about the hard parts with our children. We will make sure to validate all of their feelings surrounding their adoption stories.

Our absolute favorite thing to do is go on family adventures. Whether it's our local farmer's market, a festival, the beach, or a trip to the mountains, we always have a blast when we are all together. Emmy is a social butterfly and loves making new friends. We enjoy getting out in the community with our weekly music and gymnastics classes. Tim works a lot throughout the week, so we really value our weekends together and try to cram in lots of activities and get the most out of our time together. We have an annual pass to the local children's museum and Rachel and Emmy spend many weekdays there.

Rachel is very passionate about her volunteer work. She volunteers weekly with at risk women and girls. A Night to Shine, a prom for individuals with special needs, is one of her favorite annual events. She also loves getting creative in the kitchen by finding ways to make her favorite foods vegan friendly. She loves to exercise and stay active, with her favorite activities being rowing, weight lifting, pilates, and yoga.

We are completely open to becoming a transracial family and it's something that we will both take very seriously. We are currently educating ourselves on the challenges of transracial adoption and make it a point to read as much as possible on the topic. We will first and foremost make sure to instill in our child that our differences are what make us strong, beautiful, and unique. Differences should never be feared, only embraced and proudly expressed. We promise to create an environment in which our child feels safe in expressing all the things that make them the unique individual that they are. One way we will do this is to ensure that our child has toys and role models that look like them. Rachel has an extensive library of children's books that explore racial diversity from her time working with children. Tim works in a racially diverse environment with several mixed race families. These relationships will be vital in ensuring that our child grows up around not only individuals that look like them, but families that look like theirs. We live in a diverse and accepting community and we believe that will help foster a safe and loving environment for our child to grow in.

Our city is incredibly supportive of families of all ages, with activities such as art and children museums, nature reserves, botanical gardens, and several beautiful lakes. Annual events throughout the summer and for every holiday make our city an ideal place to raise a child. There are lots of baby and toddler friendly classes available in our community. Rachel and Emmy do a weekly music class together and the whole family attends a toddler gymnastics group every Saturday.

We live in a safe and quiet neighborhood with families and kids of all ages. Emmy has a friend that lives right next door. He's 8, so quite a bit older, but he is so patient and sweet with her. They love playing in the cul-de-sac together. We have a four-bedroom, three-bathroom house with a big fenced-in backyard. We love spending time together in Emmy's playroom where she's able to freely explore her environment. We also enjoy playing outside on the swing, or in Emmy's inflatable pool, or running through the sprinklers together.

Rachel's family consists of her mother, several aunts and uncles and an army of cousins. Unfortunately, Rachel has lost her sister and father which has understandably led to a very close bond with her mother. The majority of Rachel's family lives in our city so we get to spend time with them regularly. We have several family gatherings throughout the year like Easter and Thanksgiving. Everyone brings a signature dish and we play outdoor games with all of the little cousins. About two years ago we moved back in to Rachel's childhood home and built an in-law suite for her mother to live in. It's so nice for Emmy to have her grandmother, or as she affectionately refers to her "GaGa," in her daily life.

Tim's entire family lives in England, including his parents, older brother, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Tim's parents come to Florida every other year. We try and visit England on the alternating years. Tim's mom is planning to retire next year and they look forward to visiting us more often. Tim's uncle and his family also vacation in Florida every summer so we always make a point to spend a couple of days with them at the beach.

Despite there being an ocean between us, our families are especially close. Both of our parents have enjoyed long marriages of over 40 years and we're positive that one day we'll be able to say the same.

We are so incredibly grateful that you're taking the time to review our profile. We can't imagine the wave of emotions you must be experiencing regarding this monumental decision. You are doing something completely selfless and from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you. Adoption is a brave decision and we have so much respect for you no matter what you decide. We have an enormous amount of love in our hearts for you and we will be praying daily for you and the baby.

While we of course have never been in your shoes, we have so much empathy for you and the challenges you have and will undoubtedly face. Our top priority throughout this journey will be to support you. If you decide that we are the family you desire for your child, we promise to never let either of you down. We would always respect your feelings on how much contact you would want to maintain with us throughout your child's life. It would be our honor to send you regular letters, pictures, and videos. Rachel loves chatting on the phone and calls would always be welcome. We would also be open to ongoing visits. It would honestly be up to you and we would respect whatever level of contact your heart desires.

If we are the parents you choose for your child, please know that would be the greatest blessing and most important responsibility of our lives. We will devote ourselves entirely to this baby and provide them with every opportunity you dream for them. Your child would grow up knowing all the best things about you and how much you love them. They will be loved fiercely everyday of their life.

We have been together for sixteen years and married for nearly fifteen. We have experienced loss and heartache together and strengthened our bond over the years. Our relationship has been tested and every time we have proven that our bond is unbreakable.

Rachel has her master's degree in counseling. After graduating, she began working with children with special needs, primarily those on the autism spectrum. She did behavior therapy for a few years and learned many valuable parenting skills during that time. For the last two years of her career, she worked as a school counselor at a small nonprofit school for children with special needs. Being a stay-at-home mom is important to Rachel, so together we made the decision that she would step away from her career when we began our first adoption journey. We feel so privileged for Rachel to be able to stay home and care for Emmy. Helping Emmy grow and discover the world around her is the best job Rachel has ever had. Tim's company values family and promotes a healthy work/life balance. Even with a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders, Tim is able to be present in Emmy's daily life. Having Rachel's mom live with us is an amazing help for everyone. Our family has the capacity to shower a new baby with unlimited love and attention.

We have a big extended family local to us that we are very close with and our child will grow up with lots of little cousins to play with. We live in a family friendly community with loads of functions throughout the year catered to children. Living in Florida, our child will get to experience the wonder of the outdoors and grow up on the beach, just like Rachel did. We can't wait to take our child on regular holidays to England, where Tim grew up, and introduce them to the culture over there. They will have a whole family waiting for them in England every time they visit.

We want to thank you again for allowing us to share our story with you. Rest easy in the fact that whatever choice you make for your child will be the right one.

Sincerely,

Tim & Rachel