Choose A Family : Parent Profile
Theresa and John
Dear Expectant Mother,
Hi! We are John and Theresa. We are honored that you are considering us as your child’s adoptive parents. We are in awe of you and the difficult decision that you are making regarding your child. What can we say to the special person who is about to embark on such a selfless and courageous act? We can’t seem to find the right words to express our heartfelt gratitude and deep respect. Actions speak louder than words, so we’ll show you by giving this child a home where he or she will be loved and cherished forever!
Our Beginning
In June of 1995, one of our mutual friends set us up on a date. When John picked me up, we realized how close we lived to each other. My house was literally down the street from him. John likes to tell everyone we got together because I was geographically desirable! On our first date, we went to a surprise 30th birthday dinner and a retirement party all in one night! We had many laughs, chatted and danced the night away. The evening ending with the perfect kiss! We began dating and have been together ever since. From that first moment we enjoyed each others company and felt like we fit together. We had fun no matter what we did! We watched football (go Giants!), went to the movies, played miniature golf, traveled, went dancing with friends and loved to cuddle on the couch.
We recently celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary, but have been together for a total of 13 years. Like most couples, we have had our ups and downs…infertility, the birth of Gillian and career changes, just to name a few. Through it all, we learned to rely on each other, our faith and our sense of humor. We feel our time as a couple has strengthened us and well prepared us for parenthood.
Our Family
In 2006, our beloved daughter, Gillian was born. Words can not express the joy in our hearts that blessed day. As a family, we enjoy taking walks, playing at the local park, attending “mommy and me” classes, saying prayers at meals and bedtime, visiting family, spending time with friends and cheering on John’s football team.
We’ve begun creating our very own holiday traditions, such as pumpkin picking in the fall, picking out our own tree for Christmas, and coloring/ hunting for Easter Eggs. Our days are now happily filled with “family hugs”, picnics in the park, dancing to princess music in the kitchen, playing dress up, singing songs in the car and reading books before bedtime.
Our hearts long for another child. Since both of us have two siblings, we know first-hand the joy they bring to our lives. Our wish is for Gillian to have a sibling to share life experiences with. We have always wanted a big family. Due to our infertility, this can’t happen in the traditional way. Another child will make our family complete! We look forward to creating treasured memories with our newly formed family.
Both of our families support our decision to build our family through the miracle of adoption. When we mentioned our desire to adopt, they gave us their blessings. They can’t wait to welcome another little one into the family. Our nieces and nephew are very excited to play with their newest cousin!
Theresa's parents and two sisters live on the East coast. Weekly phone calls and planned visits keep us close. Both of her sisters are married with two children. We go back home as often as possible and every summer for a family vacation on the Jersey Shore. While back East, we spend lazy afternoons chatting, lounging in the pool, building sandcastles, attending little league baseball games, playing Dominos, and sharing in birthday and holiday celebrations. The women out number the men, so we sure do talk a lot!!
John’s family lives on the West coast. His mom and step-dad live a few hours away which provides Gillian with many opportunities for weekend visits with her Mi-mi and Pa-pa. John’s sister, Deborah lives in town. She loves to babysit and spend time with her.
John’s youngest sister, her husband and their 2 daughters live in a California. Jessica was adopted as an infant. John’s dad passed away when Jessica was only 8 years old. John became the prominent male role model for his sister. They have a very close relationship. John has always wanted to grow our family through adoption. Witnessing the special bond John’s family and Jessica share has made Theresa even more eager to adopt and to complete our family in such a special way.
About Theresa
I grew up in a suburb of New York City in a Christian family. Each Sunday was spent going to church, having a big dinner with family and/or traveling to see relatives in the tri-state area. Each summer we spent 2 weeks vacationing in the Catskill Mountains. We would swim, play Bingo, play shuffle board, feed the pigs, and go to the Catskill Game Farm. Remembering those special times shared with my parents, grandmother and sisters puts a smile on my face.
Whenever, I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would say a MOM. In high school, I began babysitting for many of the neighborhood children. In the summer of 1994, I became a Nanny for a family of three children. It enabled me to experience the responsibilities of motherhood early on. My love of children and the need to make a difference in their lives led me to pursue a career in education. I was an elementary school teacher for 13 years. My favorite position was teaching my special education kindergarten students. I worked with small groups of children. I loved being able to work closely with each student, helping him/her to achieve success and to learn at their own pace.
I always felt supported by John throughout my career. He would attend events at my school, for example, class plays, end-of-the-year concert, etc. Also, his football players read to my students as part of a community reading program. When I decided to go back to school to get my special education degree, he was my biggest fan!
The day our daughter, Gillian was born, my dream of becoming a mom came true. I feel that my teaching career properly prepared me for this most important role of my life. I learned that children need routines and can achieve success when they know what is expected of them. Praise children in public and discipline in private. Most of all, be able to laugh at yourself!
About John
I also grew up in the same suburban area as Theresa. Faith was a very important part of our family. After going to church on Sunday, we would visit my grandmother’s house and share in a big home-cooked Italian meal.
Some of my fondest childhood memories are having a catch with my Dad in our yard and being coached by him on the football field. Our close relationship made me realize that the bond between a father and child is of great importance.
Summers were spent driving to the Midwest to visit my maternal grandmother and other relatives. A number of summers were spent milking cows and baling hay on my Uncle Tony’s farm.
My house was warm and welcoming to all. It seemed to be the place where all the neighborhood kids liked to hang out. Theresa and I hope to create that same type of atmosphere for our children and their friends.
As an adult, I followed in my father’s footsteps and became a police officer. I have since retired from the police force after a successful career. The police department afforded me the opportunity to provide financial stability for my family at a young age. It also exposed me to many brave and capable men that have positively influenced my life.
I have been involved in football all my life. Currently, I am a football coach at a major university on the West coast. I believe athletics provides men and women with many life lessons, such as teamwork and responsibility. It has also provided me with opportunity to become close friends with the men I have coached and played with. I learned a great deal from each of my experiences and feel they have made me a better father.
Our Closing Thoughts
We will provide a child with a loving, stable home. We promise to give your child unconditional love, lots of hugs & kisses and unending support. We hope to pass on the importance of faith, family and friends.
Theresa will be a stay-at-home mom until Gillian and future children go to school. We both feel that it is important that our children are raised by both parents and not placed in childcare. We are responsible for instilling our Christian values, love of learning and self-confidence in our children.
Whatever you decide regarding the future of the child you are carrying, we wish you contentment and peace. Wishing you all the best!
It is in your hands, you can make our dreams come true!
Thank you once again for considering us!
Please call one of our adoption advisors at AdoptHelp toll free at 1-800-637-7999.
Check Our Rating