One of our favorite things to do as a family is play music. We both play instruments (Jessica plays drums and Andrew plays guitar and bass). We get together with friends at least once a week to jam and sing rock, funk, folk, country, and pop favorites. We love playing music because it's relaxing, fun, and uplifting. It also really builds community. Playing music and singing with others creates an unbreakable bond!

Jessica also loves volunteering. For the last few years she has been supporting an Afghan family that had to relocate to the United States. She helps them navigate American culture and get to doctor's appointments, and does fun activities with the kids, like introducing them to their first quesadillas!

Andrew has a lot of hobbies, including woodworking, home DIY projects, leather crafting, and learning new songs on the guitar. Jessica loves trying out new smoothie recipes. Andrew is obsessed with coffee! We both love cooking new recipes and connecting with our community through food and music.

We deeply value education and learning, and we are committed to understanding a child's natural interests and strengths and providing many opportunities to develop them. We are both lifelong learners and see learning as a fundamental part of life. Jessica was a very traditional, school-focused learner growing up, while Andrew went his own way and forged an independent path. So we appreciate that there are many ways to learn!

In terms of schools, we have great options nearby! We live two blocks from a wonderful elementary school. There are also special schools that focus on language immersion, STEM, arts, and more! We'll make sure this child attends the school that best meets their needs, and that they receive any help they need outside of school. We're also excited to share many opportunities to learn for fun, from science museums and outdoor activities, to art, music, and creative projects! Jessica used to be an art and writing teacher, so she has tons of projects ready to go. We also will also take care to impart skills to help this child navigate through life, including communication skills, empathy, kindness, respect, hard work, and emotional skills. We can't wait to watch a child discover the world.

From Jessica: Andrew is extremely kind, thoughtful, and conscientious. He is someone who is always growing, discovering, and learning. He is a very hard worker and is loyal and true to his word. He says what he means, so I never have to wonder what he's thinking! He is a great teacher, and always excited to share his latest discoveries with others. He is generous with his time and attention, always willing to help someone out. He can also fix anything and is great at household DIY projects. (He figured out how to fix our washing machine!) Lastly, he is hilarious and makes me laugh every day with funny stories and general goofiness. .

From Andrew: Jessica is a total sweetheart and the most FUN and interesting person I've ever met. She's my favorite person to talk to. She is compassionate, giving, and remarkable-- I can't imagine having anyone else as a partner. I really respect how much she cares for the people in her life and nurtures her friendships. I admire how she has built an incredible community. I'm also so impressed with the amazing career she has developed from scratch through hard work and talent. She has an infectious sense of joy and is the most fun person I've ever been around.

We both come from warm and loving families. Jessica's parents live a few hours away, and we are very close to them. Jessica's dad is a retired doctor (always on hand for medical questions!) and her mom stayed at home. Jessica is also very close to her younger sister. Jessica has LOTS of cousins-- we've recently spent time with cousins in London and California! We get together with Jess's extended family every year for a week of food and laughs.

Andrew's dad is an artist; he also has two brothers and an uncle who is just like a brother. Andrew's beloved mom, a fashion designer, sadly passed away from cancer a few years ago. This was a life-changing experience for both of us. Andrew was her caregiver for part of the time, and we learned a lot about what really matters.

We love hosting big Thanksgiving meals with family and friends. Our families cannot WAIT to welcome a baby. Everyone is so excited! We also have a strong, supportive community of close friends nearby, including other adoptive families, with kids ranging from babies to 5th graders. They are our extended family! We play music in our music room with friends every week, and we share tons of meals. Our two orange kitties, Pounce and Barb, are big bundles of love and silliness!

We live in a peaceful, family-friendly neighborhood in a large, diverse Midwestern city. There are so many fun family activities in every season! Outdoor concerts in the summer, a kite festival and skating in the winter, apple picking in the fall, and tapping maple trees for syrup in the spring. We are a block from a beautiful park and love packing a basket for summertime picnics. Our block is very close, with a summer block party and winter soup potluck. We live near many friends with kids. We often meet them at the farmer's market or at the lake for an ice cream and a swim. There are even two other adoptive families on our block!

Our home is a spacious, calm, classic 4-bedroom home. Our kitchen is a frequent gathering place for friends and neighbors. Andrew can often be found in the kitchen testing out new recipes or in his workshop doing DIY and household projects. Jessica loves making smoothies and lounging in the hammock in the summer. In the winter, we hang out by our cozy living room fireplace with books, our cats, and hot chocolate. Our finished basement is our music-and-movies room where we play instruments and sing with friends. On weekends, we curl up with popcorn to watch the latest stand-up comedy. Our cats, Pounce and Barb, are sun-lovers and can be often found snoozing under the skylight.

We are honored you've taken the time to get to know us. We have the greatest respect for you and we are holding you in our hearts as you move forward in your process. We hope that sharing more about ourselves will give your heart some peace as you consider adoption for your child.

We met in the last place we ever thought we'd find love-- a computer meet-up! Andrew was the organizer. Right away, Jessica noticed how Andrew made everyone feel welcome. We became good friends and eventually realized this relationship was "the one." We were living in different states at that point, and talked every day on Andrew's long commute as we nurtured our long-distance relationship. A year later, Andrew moved to Minnesota. We have now been married for eight years.

When we first married, we were very focused on our careers and worked hard to build a stable foundation for our future family. Andrew is a software engineer and enjoys mentoring younger colleagues. Andrew is completely self-taught and grew his career through hard work and determination. Jessica is a writer and author, focused on issues related to social justice including racial and gender justice. As a book lover, she feels grateful to be able to do work that touches people's lives and makes a difference.

We are so excited to grow our family through adoption. We promise to provide your baby with a loving, warm, safe and secure home. We are committed to providing your child with every opportunity to become who they are meant to be. We will encourage them and help them discover their gifts. We will teach them the value of hard work, kindness, and responsibility, and instill confidence in them. We deeply value education and learning, and we will nurture your child's potential. We have also spent years building a strong community, and we cannot wait to welcome this child into our entire community of care and support.

We are looking forward to getting to know you and you will always be an honored part of our family. We will send email updates with photos, letters, and artwork and keep you up to date on milestones. We are open to visits when the time is right as well. We hope to have an ongoing connection with you, and we are committed to working to develop a relationship that feels good for everyone. You will always have a place of honor in our home. We will always speak about you with the greatest respect. Your child will grow up knowing their birth story and adoption story, and knowing they are loved by their birth mom. They will grow up loving their birth mom and knowing we love you, too.

Thank you again for considering joining us on this journey. We cannot wait to share our love, joy, and curiosity about the world with a child. You will be in our prayers as you make the decision that is right for you.

Warmly and with gratitude,

Andrew & Jessica