Choose A Family : Parent Profile

Alyson and Jason

Not a day goes by that we don't talk about what it will be like when our lives are filled with the love of a child and the joy that comes with being parents. We are so excited about the prospect that one day soon we will have the honor of changing dirty diapers, singing lullabies, reading bedtime stories, and showering a little girl with hugs and kisses. As you embark on the brave and challenging decision of finding the right parents for your baby, thank you for giving us the opportunity to share with you a little about ourselves, our family, and our dreams and hopes for a child. It is so important to us that whoever honors us with the gift of caring for their baby feels peace in their heart about the adoption plan for their baby. We hope in the following pages you get a glimpse of the type of people we are, the love we have for one another, the parents we hope to be, and the great family and friends we have who are as excited as us to welcome a baby into our lives.

How We Met:
We met eight years ago when we were both students at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Alyson was an undergrad and Jason was in medical school when we were introduced by Jason’s brother Robert and his girlfriend (now wife), Kyleen. We were both a little shy and started out just as friends but soon Jason got the nerve to ask Alyson out on a date and the rest is history. About six-months into dating we both realized that we had met a year earlier and had not hit it off (never say a first impression lasts forever)! We were married the summer Jason completed medical school and have been happily married for over five years.

A Little About Jason (or “Doctor J”) From Alyson’s Perspective:
Anyone who knows Jason, whether as a husband, brother, child, friend, or patient can agree that he is probably one of the most likeable people you’ll ever meet. Jason is warm, patient, caring, and he has an excellent sense of humor. These are all traits that he will bring to his role as a father and I know he is going to excel at it.

Jason was raised in the Washington, D.C. area and is the fourth of five children. He has two sisters – Jessica and Melissa – and two brothers – James and Robert. Growing up Jason loved sports and science and he split his time between the science lab and having fun hiking, playing tennis, and canoeing. Every summer Jason would spend half of it with his brothers and sisters at his grandparents’ farm in Connecticut and the other half would be spent at his parents’ vacation home on a lake in New Hampshire. His parents instilled in him an appreciation and love of nature and Jason still enjoys spending his free time outdoors. On weekends he often drags me on hikes in the nature preserve near our house, kayaking in the ocean, or going on long walks on the beach. And he still loves sports. Although he no longer plays on an organized team, he loves to play tennis with friends and the two of us are currently taking golf lessons. Jason is a loyal fan of all the Washington, D.C. area teams (football, hockey, baseball, basketball, and soccer) and he cheers them on even when they are losing.

Jason is also incredibly smart. He is a cardiologist at a large hospital in Southern California and all of his patients lovingly refer to him as “Doctor J.” I see the way he has cared for both of our grandparents and I know he treats all his patients with the same level of respect, empathy, and care.

As a father Jason will encourage academic pursuits but will also encourage fun. He’ll be there to help build a volcano, to coach a sports, team, and to sit in the front row of school performances. Jason has so much love to give and as soon as child enters our lives, she is going to become the number one focus of his love. Jason will definitely have a “Daddy’s girl” because there is nothing he wouldn’t do for his child (even if that means having to play dress up with her and have tea parties during a championship game of one of his teams).

A Little About Alyson From Jason’s Perspective:
When I got to know Alyson I realized I had hit the jackpot. Alyson is incredibly loyal and gives her all to her family, friends, and me. She is traditional in the sense that she values family, she enjoys cooking (cupcakes are her specialty), gardening (tulips are her favorite flower), and taking care of our house (although I do help)! But Alyson is not one to sit at home all day and she is an independent and free thinker. She loves new adventures and is not afraid to try anything. If Alyson could go jet skiing or snow mobiling all day long she would love it. She is also passionate about politics, a voracious reader, loves visiting new countries and learning about different cultures, and enjoys collecting artwork from up and coming artists.

Alyson was raised in Southern California about twenty minutes from where we live now and she has a younger sister – Ashleigh – who she is incredibly close to. Growing up Alyson was an excellent student and a competitive tennis player. Because she lived only 5 minutes from the beach, she spent a lot of time there during the summers. Her family also would always go on a big trip every summer and her parents instilled in her a love of travel.

After Alyson graduated from high school she moved to Washington, D.C. to attend college and law school but because she is so close to her family they ended up buying a house in Washington, D.C. so they could visit her often (and eventually her sister Ashleigh also moved to D.C. to go to Georgetown). Alyson is currently a practicing lawyer but she plans on staying home as soon as we adopt because she wants to be able to be there for every moment – the first smile, first word, and first steps.

Like everything that Alyson does, I know she is going to give her all to being a mother and that the little girl we adopt is going to be so blessed to have Alyson as her Mommy. Already, Alyson is a favorite among our friend’s kids because she always gives them her undivided attention and love. She is known for throwing make your own pizza and ice cream Sunday parties for our friend’s kids and she absolutely adores our nephew Zachary. I can guarantee that Alyson will spend months planning childhood birthday parties and you can bet she will be the first one to volunteer to be the classroom or team “Mom.”

What We Love to Do Together:
Whatever we do together, whether it is traveling on exciting trips or just running errands on the weekend, we have fun because we are a team. As a couple and with our family we have taken some amazing trips to South East Asia, Egypt, Central and South America, Europe, and all across the U.S. and Caribbean. We can’t wait to have a little one join us on our adventures. When not traveling, we spend quiet afternoons at our home in Orange County, often biking to the beach near our house, going to the movies (Jason loves action movies and Alyson loves a good girly movie so we trade-off every couple of weeks), or having BBQs with family and friends. We also love to go out for big Sunday brunches with our friends and family (Alyson loves biscuits and gravy and no she has never lived in the South and Jason always orders French toast).

Our Home:
Three years ago we moved to California from Washington, D.C. so that we could enjoy the beautiful weather year round. We live in a lovely beach community in Orange County (half way between San Diego and Los Angeles) and our house is a short walk or bike ride to the beach. We are in a family friendly development with two parks, a pool, and a ton of kids always riding their bikes or playing on the street. We have become very close to several of our neighbors and they can’t wait for us to have kids.

We have a four bedroom home that we bought with children in mind (we already converted the fourth room into a big playroom). We have a lovely backyard area with a built-in-BBQ and we love to spend our evening grilling and eating outside. We even have a miniature table and chairs for visiting children to sit at when they come to our house.

Our Family:
We both love our families and our very close to them. We often get together for holidays with both sets of families together and because Alyson’s parents also have a house in D.C. just two blocks from Jason’s parents, we love traveling to the East Coast to spend time together. Jason’s family also loves to visit us in California and we probably see them between our visits to D.C. and their visits to California at least once every two months. We feel like we get the best of both worlds between Alyson’s family’s love of the beach and Jason’s family’s love of the snow.

Our Goals as Parents:
We love children and we can’t wait to be parents (and thanks to our family and friends they have let us get a lot of practice babysitting their kids)! We believe that our most important job as parents is to love your child unconditionally so that she can have the confidence to go out and explore the world always knowing that Mom and Dad are their to pick her up if she falls down and to cheer her on when she crosses the finish line. We look forward to lazy Saturday mornings where we can all lay in bed eating pancakes and watching t.v. in our pajamas. Your child will always be our number one priority and we will be there for her forever. As parents, we promise your child and you that we will be there for the first day of kindergarten to wipe away the tears and be waiting to pick her up at the end of the school day. We promise to frame all of her artwork and to encourage creative pursuits (even if that means having to listen to banging on piano keys or drums). We’ll be there to decorate cookies at Christmas and Easter and to make wonderful Halloween costumes. Santa, the tooth fairy, and the Easter Bunny will always be sure to leave lots of presents and goodies.

We’ll get up early for Saturday morning soccer games or swim meets and will make sure to read a book every night before bed. From kindergarten graduation to college graduation, we promise to be there. We promise to provide your child with the best education and to encourage her to discover her talents and develop them to the fullest. We’ll be there to help her move into a college dorm room, to unload the moving trucks for her first house, to celebrate her wedding day, and love her children as only grandparents can do. We were both blessed with wonderful childhoods and we can’t wait to incorporate our family traditions and to make new ones.

Our Experience With Adoption:
Our family has already been blessed by adoption because two of Jason’s siblings (Jessica and James) are adopted. Because of this, as soon as we found out that we were unable to have a child we immediately knew that adoption was the right decision for us. Grandparents, uncles, and aunts are all excited to welcome a new baby into our family and we are especially excited that the next generation of our family will also be built through adoption. In addition, we feel blessed that our child will have an uncle and an aunt to serve as a resource for any adoption related questions she may have. They have been there and both have such a positive outlook on their experience as adopted children that we know they are going to help us to be better parents and will help our child if she ever has any questions. We view adoption as the greatest gift that anyone could give and we are so thankful that you are considering us. The mother and father of our child will always have a place of honor in our family and we will raise your child to understand that you made your decision out of great love for her.

We Are an Open Book (Ask Us Anything):
We would love the opportunity to share more of ourselves with you so that you can make an adoption plan for your child that will give you peace in your heart knowing it was the right decision for you and her. We are an open book and you can ask us anything. Our hearts are open and ready to welcome a child, and we promise to love unconditionally, provide opportunities for growth, and be open and supportive whatever your child decides to do and whomever she decides to become – a ballerina, teacher, doctor, lawyer, artist, chef, or whatever she can dream up.

View Other Parent Profiles