Jim & Christopher

Our everyday life is pretty simple, and we love it that way. During the week, we wake up, feed the dogs, get ready for work, and start our day. After work, we come home, make dinner, and spend the evening relaxing, watching TV, and playing with the dogs.

We know that becoming parents will change our routines, and we are excited to create new ones around our child’s needs. We picture our child joining us in everyday moments—playing with the dogs, helping make dinner, snuggling on the couch, and sharing stories about the day.

Weekends are about family and fun. We enjoy big breakfasts, spending time with our three-year-old goddaughter, visiting the aquarium or park, hiking with the dogs, swimming, and playing outside. Sundays include errands, meal preparation, and family dinner with our nieces and nephews.

We also love gardening and being outdoors. We look forward to planting seeds, watching things grow, picking flowers, and creating bouquets together. We hope to teach our child to appreciate nature, care for living things, get their hands dirty, and find joy in simple moments together.

Our hometown in Connecticut is a quiet, welcoming community where we know familiar faces and enjoy being close to the things we love. James grew up here and attended the local schools, so this town holds many special memories that we hope to share with our child. We love walking around the town green, visiting the library, and stopping at the farmers market.

Our three poodles are a big part of our family and bring so much personality and joy to our home. Being close to the beach, we spend Summer days at our beach house, which are filled with swimming, relaxing, family, and friends.

We look forward to our child growing up surrounded by familiar places, traditions, and a community that feels like home.

Sundays are especially important to us. We regularly have family dinner with Chris’s family, including his brother and sister, their spouses, his parents, and our nieces. It is a time to slow down, catch up, enjoy a meal together, and simply be with the people we love.

We love celebrating birthdays, too—and in our family, we even celebrate half birthdays because waiting a whole year feels far too long! Every reason to celebrate is a good one.

The holidays are filled with special traditions. Every Halloween, James’s niece and nephew come over to carve pumpkins with us. At Christmas, we get together to make gingerbread houses, creating a little friendly competition and lots of laughter. Christmas Eve is another favorite, when our family gathers for the Feast of the Seven Fishes, an Italian tradition.

These traditions are about more than celebrations. They are about being together, creating memories, and making everyone feel like they belong. We cannot wait to share these traditions with our child while creating new ones of our own.

Adoption has been a meaningful part of our family for many years. James’s brother was adopted as a newborn, so adoption is not something we are simply learning about—it is something that has touched our family and shaped James’s life in a very personal way. Growing up with an adopted brother showed James firsthand that family is built through love, commitment, and the bonds we create with one another.

His experience has given us a deep appreciation for the love and courage behind an adoption decision. It has also shaped how we think about family and the gift of welcoming a child into your life. Because adoption is already part of our family story, we feel a special connection to the journey we are beginning and hope to create our own adoption story filled with love, support, and commitment.