Michael: Being a parent is a gift. We'll be in charge of an infant who is totally dependent on us for food, clothing, and shelter. Over the course of their childhood, this baby will grow into a full-fledged independent person, and I can't wait to help that happen! I am excited to read to the baby every night. My parents instilled a love of books and learning in me before I could even understand language, and I can't wait to share that gift with my own child. I love all the parts of watching a baby grow up, but watching a kid learn to speak, read, and communicate gives me the most joy. I'm also a musician, and my dad taught me to read and play music from a very young age. I'm hopeful that my future child will enjoy making music as well!

Tim: I'm very excited to dive into this new role. From caring for our baby's every need to watching them grow into their own person, I'm excited for every step. I look forward to sharing my love of hiking and teaching them how to ride a bike or skateboard. There will be plenty of dad jokes along the way to keep things fun and light-hearted. Finally, I can't wait to introduce my child to music - whether that's playing an instrument or just dancing around the house listening to something on the radio!

Tim: I really enjoy spending time outdoors. Whether it's taking a walk or relaxing on our screened-in porch, I love unplugging from technology and reflecting on life. I'm also a longtime skateboarder and biker. Whether it's a leisurely ride around the neighborhood or hitting up local trails, I love the chance to get outside and explore.

Michael: Reading is my favorite leisure activity. I love many types of books, but fantasy, science fiction, and horror are my favorites! At the end of a long day, I can't wait to curl up with a cup of coffee and an exciting book. I enjoy going to thrift stores and used bookshops to find my next read - sometimes the search is just as exciting as the reading! I have an entire library at home that is getting perilously close to full. I also enjoy playing the piano and the saxophone. Music is a great stress reliever after a tough day at work.

As a same-sex couple, we always knew that it would be unlikely for our child to share our genetic makeup. We are both white men from Georgia, but we promise to ensure that our child is exposed to people of all different races and ethnicities. Regardless of what our child's background might be, we are sure that they will have role models that look like them in their life.

We have a diverse friend group, many of whom we have known since our time at the University of Georgia. Our friends are white, Black, Hispanic, Asian, and everything in between. Michael speaks Spanish, and we hope to raise our child with exposure to Spanish as well, with assistance from our friends and community members who are native speakers.

Regardless of our child's race or ethnicity, we promise to teach them about our state's complicated history in an accurate and respectful way. From Martin Luther King National Historical Park to New Echota, former capital of the Cherokee Nation, Georgia is a place with many different historic connections to people of different backgrounds. By teaching them about history and ensuring that they'll be living near people who look like them every day, we know our child will be able to develop a connection to their cultural heritage, whatever that may be. We promise to teach our child to love and accept diversity in all its forms.

Our home has four bedrooms and four and half bathrooms. Michael's favorite room is his library, which is already running out of space for books. He can't wait to share his favorite childhood classics with his own kid! Tim's favorite room is the finished basement, which has a projector and surround sound system that will be perfect for children's movie nights! The house is nestled in a mountainside community in north Georgia. Our neighborhood has a community pool, tennis courts, pickleball courts, a basketball court, a walking trail, a pond, and an enormous playground. Many of our neighbors have young children, and our child will have plenty of nearby friends as they grow up!

We live a short drive from a quaint downtown area full of local restaurants and shops. In particular, we love to visit our local coffee shop. We also have close access to many large parks such as Red Top Mountain and Kennesaw Mountain. Lake Allatoona is just minutes away, and it's perfect for kayaking and boating. Both of us love the beautiful natural scenery of the area. We can't wait to take our child on their first camping trip!

Our child will be surrounded by a loving support network including two dads, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and too many cousins to count. Our parents and siblings all live just a short drive away and will be very involved in our child's life.

When we told our parents about our adoption plan, all of them were ecstatic! Tim's parents enjoy hiking and exploring local restaurants. They hope to raise this child on 1970s and 1980s yacht rock. Tim's favorite family tradition is watching classic Christmas movies with his parents. Michael's parents are always excited for regular family game nights, and they hope to teach their newest grandchild how to play Scattergories and several card games when they get older. Each year, Michael's extended family does a white elephant gift exchange and Christmas dinner at his grandparents' farm. Our future child will also have the opportunity to spend time with the cows, horses, and donkeys in addition to their family members!

We spend at least one weekend with each side of the family per month. We recently celebrated a cousin's birthday, and more than 30 family members attended! It can be loud and rambunctious to have so many family members in the same place, but we wouldn't have it any other way!

From the bottom of our hearts: thank you for considering us to be the fathers of your baby. We promise to raise your child with love, patience, and joy. We want you to be a part of our lives in whatever way you feel comfortable. We are committed to an open adoption. We will share regular letters, photographs, text messages, and as many phone calls as you would want. We would love to have in-person meetups if that is something you would enjoy, and our doors will always be open if your desire for contact changes as time goes on. Regardless, our child will always know where they came from and will know that your decision to place them with us was an act of love and courage.

As Georgia natives, we are excited to be raising a child near the area where we both grew up. We're only a short drive from Atlanta, with all of its rich history and vibrant culture. We live in the north Georgia mountains, where our child will be able to see the beautiful geography of the Appalachian foothills. Our town has all of the convenience of a larger city with a small-town feel, and we chose this area knowing that it would be the perfect place to raise a child. We are only a short drive from Tim's parents' home, as well as Michael's family farm. In addition to a large number of grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, this child will also have the opportunity to play with cats, dogs, donkeys, horses, and cows whenever we visit!

Looking back on our own childhoods, we both believe that the most important memories are the ones where we were spending time with our loved ones. We promise that this child will know how much we love them every single day. Some of our favorite memories include spending time with our own extended relatives. Our parents and grandparents are eagerly awaiting a new arrival to our family. This child will have countless board game nights, camping trips, theme park excursions, museum visits, and hiking trails to enrich their childhood. Our house is full of books, and we can't wait to share those stories with a new member of the household. We have at least seven musical instruments between the two of us, and we can't wait for the day when we'll be able to get them a toy piano or drum set! As they get older, we are excited to travel and explore the world with them! Whether that's a local park or an international trip, we know that getting to see more of the world will make our child more well-rounded and empathetic to all types of people.

We have been in love from almost the moment that we met, back when we were students at the University of Georgia and members of the Redcoat Marching Band. Through our ten years of romance and six years of marriage, we have learned to bring out the best in each other. As we journey toward parenthood, we'll be able to take the lessons we have learned from each other and share them with our future child.

We understand that the decision you are considering right now is not an easy one, and we hope that our profile has shown that our home will provide a safe, fun, nurturing, and loving environment for a child. From our parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, and friends, and especially from us, thank you.

Michael & Tim