Choose A Family : Parent Profile
Lisa & Erik
Dear Birth Mother,
Thank you so much for reading our letter and getting to know a little bit about us. Choosing an adoption plan for your baby takes an incredible amount of love and selflessness, and we have a tremendous amount of respect and compassion for you. Because you are reading this letter, as well as many others, we know that you share in the same hopes we do that your child will be raised in a secure, nurturing and supportive home. We hope our story will let you know a little bit about our life and our values, and how excited we are to realize our dream of raising a child. We would be honored if you select us to be your child’s parents and hope that you will find peace and comfort knowing that your child is safe, happy, and deeply loved.
Our Story
We met about nine years ago when we were both doing a lot of swing dancing at a local dance club and we then began carpooling to San Francisco looking for more places to dance. During our drives together, we started talking more and more and we discovered that we shared common values of family, honesty, communication, and compassion for others. Over time our strong friendship blossomed into romance. After dating for two years, Erik proposed on top of a mountain during a hike together and we got married one year later in a joyous celebration of friends, family, nature, and music. We have been together for seven years now and we know that we will be partners for the rest of our lives. We love to explore together, whether it be hiking in the rain forests in Costa Rica, snorkeling in the warm waters of Mexico, exploring European cities or other parts of the United States, kayaking in the nearby wildlife preserve, or just biking around our neighborhood together, and we cannot wait to share our adventures with a child. Even before we got married, we had discussed adoption as a possibility. Now, turning to adoption just feels right, and we are so excited to expand our family in this unique and beautiful way.
Lisa Says...
I grew up a quiet neighborhood in a sunny suburb in southern California with a very large extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins. My grandparents owned an Italian restaurant so we always had fresh pasta and homemade pizzas at family gatherings. I remember putting on plays and dances with my younger sister, taking family vacations to the mountains, and having family game nights. I practically grew up in the water, as I was a competitive swimmer for more than twelve years. I went on to college at Cal Poly in the small coastal town of San Luis Obispo, where I studied Biochemistry and Spanish.
My entire life I have absolutely loved children, so all my early jobs had something to do with kids in one way or another. I started babysitting the neighborhood kids by the time I was twelve, and later was a nanny, taught swimming lessons, and tutored students who were having trouble in the classroom. After college I lived in Barcelona, Spain for a few months as an au pair (nanny abroad). I really enjoyed my time in Spain as it allowed me to combine many interests at once—those of the Spanish language, of kids, and of exploring new places.
After returning from Spain, I moved to northern California to pursue my PhD in Biochemistry at Stanford University. I fell in love with the bay area and with Erik too, and have lived here ever since. Some of my favorite things to do nowadays are pilates, bike riding, and gardening. I also love curling up with a good book and can’t wait to share that joy with our child. Currently, I work at a biotechnology company in South San Francisco. I’m a scientist working on breast cancer research and diagnostics. I am very passionate about my work, as it truly impacts the lives of patients with cancer. However, when I become a mom, I look forward to taking plenty of time off to spend with the new love of my life, my baby boy or girl!
Erik says…
I was born into a loving family while my mom was a student at UC Berkeley and my dad was working in construction as a roofer. I remember living in a small house, climbing trees in the back yard and having cookies with our landlady who lived next door. After my dad finished law school, we moved to the foothills of California gold country. It was there that I was exposed to a small community with room to explore in safety. I played all the seasonal sports: football, baseball, and basketball with the kids on the block until we ran out of light. Because we lived near Lake Tahoe, I learned how to ski and developed a love for the outdoors.
I went to college to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of California at Davis. After the completion of college, I became an officer in the Navy and spent the first couple of years living in all four corners of the country. My time in the Navy was a priceless experience that taught me so much about life.
After my service, I joined a medical device company. I was excited to use my skills in a way to help people live better, healthier lives. I have designed tools used in knee surgery and I currently work on stents that help people with heart problems. Remembering the loving closeness of my family makes my heart yearn to have an experience like this with Lisa. I look forward to everything from holding them on my chest when they fall asleep, to playing in the park, to showing them how to play sports or helping with their homework. It will all be a priceless journey.
Erik’s thoughts about Lisa
One thing that stands out for me about Lisa is her compassion for others. Prior to us dating, when my dad had a life-threatening heart attack, she was there for me as a friend sending e-mails and calling to offer support. She always knows what to say to make me feel better. Fortunately my dad pulled through, but Lisa had really showed me her depth of character and this let me know that she was the partner I wanted in my life. With our friends, she is the one that everyone turns to when they need an ear to listen, a shoulder to lean on, or a different and honest perspective.
Another very different side of Lisa that I adore is that she can be goofy, charming, and a bit of a ham. When I’m tired at the end of the day, she will make up a little dance or sing-a-long which instantly lightens the mood and puts life into perspective. It warms my heart to see Lisa play and interacts with our friends’ children. She is very patient with them if they are in a difficult mood and playfully animated when they are happy. Lisa is full of love for a child and will be a great mom. A child will be as fortunate to have her as she will be to have the child.
Lisa’s thoughts about Erik
Erik is the sweetest, most gentle man that I have ever met. His easygoing nature balances me out and keeps me grounded. He is my very best friend and the love of my life, and I every day I feel so lucky to be his wife. One of the qualities I most admire about Erik is that he has a gift of making anyone and everyone trust and feel comfortable with him, whether it is friends, acquaintances, coworkers, or in-laws. As most of our friends now have young children, I have enjoyed watching Erik play and interact with the kiddies. He is a very caring godfather to our adorable goddaughter Hannah and he loves to play tag or catch with some of the other little ones in our circle of friends. I cannot wait to see him be a daddy—I know he is going to be just amazing.
Erik really enjoys doing both active and laid back activities. On weekends he often takes long bike rides either on the road or in the mountains near our home. He also loves to play board games and is probably the best Scrabble player I know. Lucky for me, Erik likes to cook and is quite good at it! More often than not, he is the one who plans our meals and takes the lead in cooking our dinners. He always knows how to make me feel loved and taken care of. In his workplace, Erik is considered a strong leader and an excellent teammate. Even though he is a very successful engineer, Erik always puts family first and I know he will be an equal partner as we raise our child together.
Our home
We live in a 3-bedroom home on a quiet cul-de-sac in the culturally diverse community of Redwood City on the San Francisco peninsula. One of our bedrooms is all painted and ready to welcome a child, and we have an extra area set aside to be a downstairs playroom. Our street is constantly filled with neighborhood kids tossing a ball around or biking up and down. Our community has a pool that we share, and Lisa is really looking forward to teaching our child to swim in it. We live within walking distance to a large park filled with several playgrounds, soccer, football, and softball fields, tennis courts, picnic areas, and even a skateboard park. During the summer months, the city puts on lots of free live music events, movies, and street fairs in the warm and welcoming downtown square. The Santa Cruz Mountains border the city and provide us with lots of fun hiking and biking adventures. If we drive over the crest of the ridge, we can quickly arrive at the seaside town of Half Moon Bay or the secluded beaches of San Gregorio.
Our family and friends
We feel very strongly that two types of families exist—those that we inherit and those that we create. In addition to our inherited families, who all live within a few hours driving distance of our home, we are extremely fortunate to have a strong network of friends in our local area that we consider family. We were recently honored to become godparents to our close friends’ daughter Hannah and we try to spend as much time with her as we can.
Our friends and our community in general are varied in culture, heritage, and ethnicity. We celebrate many different holidays and traditions, and we feel that it is important for our child to be raised in a community that values multiculturalism and acceptance of all different points of view. All of our families are so excited for us to adopt a baby and will welcome him or her into the fold with wide open arms!
Our promise to your child
We promise to raise your child in a home filled with unconditional love and support. We hope to share our sense of adventure and love of nature. We will expose your child to many different cultures and traditions, and will encourage him or her to explore his or her own spirituality. We will provide opportunities to pursue education to the highest level your child desires. Above all, we will instill in your child a sense of confidence and well-being. From the start, we will be open and honest about the miraculous way he or she came to be in our lives, and about the selflessness, love, and courage of you the birthmother.
If you would like to speak with us about adopting your child or have any questions for us, please contact one of our Adoption Advisors at AdoptHelp by calling 1-800-637-7999.
Sincerely,
Lisa and Erik
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