Choose A Family : Parent Profile
Shannon and Stephanie
Dear Birth Mother,
Hello! Thank you for taking the time to learn about our family. We know this must be a difficult time for you and we know that your decision is not an easy one. Rest assured that in the end you will make the right decision for you and your baby, and the adoptive parents lucky enough to be chosen by you, whether us or another family, will love that child with all their hearts. We wish you the best of luck in your journey and your decision making.
The Way it All Began
We are Shannon and Stephanie and, in late January 2000, Stephanie was out with friends after attending a basketball game and wandered into a restaurant in Washington, DC, where Shannon was working at the time. We started talking and Shannon asked Stephanie to come by another night. Our first date was shortly after that. Within a few dates we both knew that we had found the person that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives with. The way we see it - - it was fate, and to this day we truly believe that things happen for a reason. Our first date was a week later and there was no turning back.
How We Got Where We Are
After that first date we quickly realized that we shared the same dreams and values and that family was the most important part of that. Within a few months we knew it was meant to be and, on the anniversary of our first date, Shannon proposed during our vacation to Disney World. That was April 2001. We immediately set out to plan our wedding and set the date for December 31, 2001. Our goal was to get all of our close family and friends together for a wonderful New Year’s Eve party and it worked out perfectly. We both come from very energetic, fun-loving families, so New Year’s Eve was perfect for everyone to get together for a celebration.
Our love of sports, the outdoors and travel brought us together in many ways and has continued to shape who we are. We have traveled to many places in our eight plus years together, including the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Mexico, England, Bermuda, Disney World, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, the Falkland Islands, and all up and down the East Coast to visit family and friends.
From almost our first date, we realized that we shared the dream of having a large family and both hoped we would be parents by the time we were 30. Since we were 28 when we got married, we decided to try and start a family shortly after our wedding. We were fortunate and were able to conceive our son, Callahan. However, Stephanie had several serious complications during the pregnancy that resulted in bed rest for the last seven weeks of the pregnancy and required that Callahan be delivered several weeks early by C-section. Luckily, Callahan is a very healthy baby. We hoped that a second pregnancy would go smoother. Stephanie’s pregnancy with our son, Tyler, involved more complications that resulted in multiple hospitalizations and significant bed rest. Once again we were very blessed that Tyler entered the world in good health, although early like his big brother.
Even before we had our first son, we talked about adoption as part of our future. We always envisioned having a large family and hoping that we would have both biological and adopted children. After two very difficult pregnancies we decided that now was the time to continue with our desire to have a large family through adoption. The thought of adopting always meshed with our overall belief that family is not just those people you share blood or marriage ties with, but those you choose to make a part of your life and a lifelong commitment to. Now we hope that fate will bring us the child we have always dreamed of, and for whom two older brothers are eagerly waiting.
Shannon’s Story
I was born in Michigan near Detroit but my family moved to Northern Virginia when I was 4 months old. I grew up on a street that was filled with kids of all ages and ethnic backgrounds, which was something I wanted my own children to experience someday. I loved being outside and to be active. I especially loved to play soccer and hockey. I was one of those people who didn’t know what I wanted to do for a career so I didn’t go to college and instead worked in a restaurant. I worked in the restaurant industry until I met Stephanie. I feel that we complement each other very well and cannot think of my life without her in it. I am now a very proud stay-at-home dad and I feel very lucky to be able to watch first hand how Callahan and Tyler grow up every day. We try to make sure that they have a chance to experience lots of activities so that they may find what they really enjoy. I am very eager to be blessed with another child and cannot wait to grow as a family.
In my spare time, I like to play ice hockey, go to sporting events, play on the computer, and play a little golf.
Stephanie’s Story
I grew up in Rochester, NY with my parents and younger brother. I was always outside “getting into things” and put most of those energies into playing sports as a kid. For some reason, at the age of 12, I got it in my head that I wanted to be a lawyer. I was able to make that dream come true in 1998. I moved to Washington, DC for work, where I met Shannon and fell head over heels in love. After Callahan was born in I reduced my work schedule to make sure that he, and later Tyler, always knew they were the first priority in our lives. I recently accepted a job at a major corporation in Charlotte, NC, where we now live. We are excited because this will give us a better overall quality of life in a more family friendly environment.
The biggest joys in my life come from Shannon and the boys. Shannon is my knight in shining armor – my rock. He is always here taking care of us. I do not believe there is a man with a bigger heart, and I love him more with each passing day.
When it comes to the boys, I am generally in charge of bath and bedtime each night – which can be a circus act, but a fun one. I also try to volunteer at the boys' schools each year so that I can see firsthand how they are doing and share those experiences with them. On the weekends I try to plan special time with each of the boys doing fun activities or we just spend some quiet time together at home reading stories or playing.
In my spare time, I like to run, read, and go to sporting events or local attractions to get a better understanding of the area that we live in.
Our Family Tree
We know first hand that every child is unique and has their own gifts and quirks. Callahan and Tyler could not be more different. Callahan, who we call Calle, is 5½. He loves being the big brother to Tyler and talks with us about what it will be like to have another sibling. He is already convinced that he will be the one to teach the baby to talk and play with his cars. He is a very sweet child, who always expressed concern for everyone else; he loves to read, color, play soccer, hockey, and attend gymnastics.
Tyler, who is 3, is our miniature bull in a china shop. He is always on the go, usually trying to keep up with his big brother. Some of his favorite things are to dance, with or without music, draw, and run around the yard with his neighborhood friends, play soccer and take gymnastics. We talk with him about having a younger sibling and he is constantly pointing out babies when we are out.
Another integral part of our family are our dogs, Lucy and Millie, and our cats, Poncho and Cisco. They are wonderful with the children.
Our Home and Daily Life
We moved from Northern Virginia to Charlotte, North Carolina where we were very fortunate to be able to buy our dream house. It is a brand new house with five bedrooms, a playroom for the kids, a large play set in the backyard and it is in a neighborhood filled with young children. The neighborhood is the kind that we always dreamed of raising a family in - full of a diverse group of wonderful families - and there are children by the dozens for the kids to play with. We even helped organize an impromptu Labor Day BBQ on our street, and hosted the first annual potluck Christmas Party at our house last year. We are in the process of planning the second annual Christmas party as we speak.
Callahan started Kindergarten at our local public school, which is highly regarded, and Tyler attends preschool at a local gymnastics academy taught by former elementary school teachers. Both boys also attend Sunday school at our church on a regular basis. The also play on soccer teams and take gymnastics. Shannon and Stephanie both coach the kids’ soccer teams, as both played for over ten years themselves and hope to teach kids that sports can be fun and build self esteem. In addition, we have started Spanish classes for Tyler and try and teach Callahan at home to help increase their understanding of other cultures. At different times during the year they also take swimming lessons, play hockey and have taken kids cooking classes, which they really enjoy.
Shannon is the chef in our house and makes dinner during the week (Stephanie is the baker and special event cook). After dinner Stephanie lads the boys through our nightly ritual of bath, stories and bedtime. After the kids are in bed we try to have some time to ourselves, but usually find ourselves talking about the kids while we catch a few minutes of TV.
Every couple of weeks, we try to have one “adventure.” Sometimes we go to a local museum or zoo, sometimes for a walk in the woods in a new park, but we always try to introduce the kids to something new and different for them to learn about. We also set aside Saturday nights for movie night, where we pick one kids’ movie, make some popcorn and go up to the TV room to watch it on the big screen.
We also do a fair amount of traveling to visit family and friends and for vacations. Two summers ago we rented a beach house in the Outer Banks of North Carolina with both of our extended families for a week. The boys have spent lots of time in Rhode Island and Virginia with Shannon’s family, western New York and Ohio with Stephanie’s family, and on various trips to Texas, Minnesota and up and down the east coast. In 2008 we took the boys to Disney World for the first time. We had so much fun that we bought a timeshare right at Disney and are taking Shannon’s family for the holidays this year and Stephanie’s family down next summer. We hope to make lots of wonderful family memories at Disney with Mickey Mouse over the years.
Our Extended Family
We are both very close to our families, and talk with and see them quite regularly. Since Callahan was born, we have seen both sets of grandparents at least every 6-8 weeks. We are also fortunate to both have one grandmother still alive and each has loved being a great grandmother. Shannon’s brother, Chris, and sister-in-law, Cindy, are also exploring adoption and we hope our children will have cousins soon. Uncle David, Stephanie’s brother, loves to play with his nephews. Both sets of grandparents plan to move farther south to be closer to their grandkids in the future.
Our families have been very involved in our adoption planning and we have included them in the discussion throughout the process. They are very excited about having another child to dote on and shower with all of the love they already bestow on the boys.
What the Future Holds
We believe that life is what you make it, not just what you let happen to you – that is how we live our lives. Not everything goes perfectly, but we try to make the best of it and find a silver lining wherever we can. We are blessed to have a good marriage, two wonderful children, a wonderful home and financial security. We hope to share all of that, and more, with all of our children – current and future - and promise to love all of them equally and with all of our hearts.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about our family and best of luck during this time. No matter what happens, we are sure it will be the right thing for both you and your baby.
If you would like to speak with us about adopting your child or have any questions for us, please contact your Adoption Advisor at AdoptHelp by calling 1-800-637-7999 toll free.
Take care,
Shannon and Stephanie
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