Choose A Family : Parent Profile

Erin and Gabe

Dear Birthmother,

Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to introduce ourselves and tell you about our family. We are grateful for the love you have for your unborn child and your consideration of us as you move on with your adoption plan.

We met in 2004 and have been steadily building a strong foundation for our family. We are best friends and partners, and above everything else, we really know how to make one another laugh. We have known both joy and sorrow together and are proud to love each other more and more every day. We’ve always been drawn to children, and children have always been drawn to us. Before we even met, we both felt a calling to adoption. We work as summer camp directors at the camp we own. This allows us to spend time outdoors working with children during summers, while working from home during the winter months. Camp life is adventurous and rewarding, and we can’t think of any better way to live than to help make a difference in the lives of children. We think that our greatest journey is yet to come, and feel ready for the challenge and joy of becoming parents. Though our work with the campers is fulfilling and has prepared us well for parenthood, we have been saving and nurturing a special love just for your child.

We live in a lovely suburb where Gabe was raised and love the family values of our hometown. Gabe’s mom is only three minutes down the road and many of our friends with growing families live right in our neighborhood. We have a large supportive network of friends and family, and they are all waiting with open arms and hearts to welcome the baby we hope to be blessed with. Our holidays and special events are often celebrated with family and friends, but sharing bike rides, barbeques, museum trips and other everyday joys is a big part of our lives. If you choose to place your child in our hearts and home, he or she would be our first child, the first grandchild to our parents and first niece or nephew to our siblings. Along with all the love, guidance, security and support we have been saving for our first child, we have also created a college education fund for our future family. We live just minutes from one of the best schools in the country. We value family and education, and want nothing more that to help our child realize his or her dreams.

We have dreamed of loving this child and experiencing life through his or her eyes. We love to travel and we hope to explore the world as a family. We want to share our love of adventure, reading, music and art, learning and love of nature. Most of all, we dream of giving a child a home of warmth, support and encouragement, and to help him or her to find purpose in life and to become a confident and compassionate adult. We are blessed to have been raised by parents who embraced our interests, and we are looking forward to signing our child up for soccer, gymnastics, music lessons, or whatever he or she is interested in and being their biggest cheerleaders.

Families created by adoption are special, and we want your child to always know about the wonderful way we became a family. Your child will know that you love him or her beyond measure, as well as the care you showed in finding the very best home for him or her. We want to thank you for taking the time to consider us as parents for your child. If your heart leads you to us, please rest assured that we will provide your baby with a safe, loving home and a life filled with family, friends, and happy adventures. We wish you continued strength and peace as you work to find the very best home for your baby.

About us
Our relationship began in 2004, when a family friend insisted that we meet. After our first date we both know we had met someone special. Our spirituality, life experiences and desire to spend our lives working with children immediately bonded us together. We dated for two years, and after a romantic proposal on the Brooklyn Bridge, we were engaged for a year before our wedding in 2007.

Our relationship is built on honesty, mutual respect and love. We truly believe in one another and agree on almost everything. We cannot wait to share parenthood together. We have been fortunate to work with children throughout our entire relationship, and have seen just how amazing we can be when we work as a team. We can’t wait to nurture and nourish your child; we feel that we have so much love to give, that it’s bursting at the seams as we prepare for the amazing gift of raising and loving a child in our home.

Erin by Gabe
“Erin was born to be a mother. From the moment I met her, I knew that we would be together for the rest of our lives. She is funny, charming, smart, friendly and most of all—she is the most loving person I have ever met. Erin is incredibly nurturing, and her love for teaching children is undeniable. She is a wonderful classroom teacher and I know our children’s lives will be enriched by her sense of play, her enthusiasm for learning, and her caring nature. Erin loves playing with children; whenever there are kids around, I know that I will find her on the floor playing a game or building something with them. She has so many strong friendships with people she has known since childhood, and she is always there for the people in her life. Everyone knows that if they need a little TLC, they can come to Erin. Erin loves being a teacher and will miss her job, but being a full-time mom and having a child has always been Erin’s “dream job.” She can’t wait to be a stay-at-home mom, caring full-time for your child. She already talks about her plans to write little notes in your child’s lunches, and has been collecting children’s books since she was a teenager. I am so lucky to have such a generous and kind wife, and I look forward to watching Erin teach that kindness to our children.”

Gabe by Erin
“Gabe is my rock; his unending support and compassion have enriched my life in so many ways. He is a kid at heart and is very playful and energetic. He loves to keep up with all the latest technologies and toys, and has even built a dune buggy! You can always count on Gabe for an adventure. His comfort level with children is remarkable, and is something that drew me to him early in our relationship. Gabe is incredibly dependable, reliable and safe. All of our siblings and friends come to Gabe when they need advice when buying a car or a house or making other big decisions. He can be spontaneous and fun, but he is also smart and practical. Like me, Gabe grew up in a family where togetherness was valued above all else. Knowing that Gabe was able to sit down at the family table for dinner every single night while growing up explains how solid and well-grounded he is. Anyone who sees Gabe working with the children at camp can instantly see what a wonderful father he is going to be.”

Erin’s family
I grew up in a close knit family that included my parents and my younger brother. My brother was born when I was seven years old and there was enough of an age difference between us that I always felt very maternal toward him, and still do. We’re very close to one another.

When I was fourteen years old, my mother died. It was a painful experience, but one that drew our family still closer and showed us that we had strengths we were unaware of. My father has since remarried, to a wonderful woman whom both my brother and I consider a second mother.

My brother recently graduated from college and was commissioned as an officer in the Marine Corps.

My parents are eager to welcome the first grandchild into the family, and my brother can’t wait to be an uncle. Our entire extended family awaits our first child with open, loving arms.

Gabe’s family
I grew up in a close family with my parents, older brother, and younger sister. We ate dinner together every night and kept each other involved in whatever was happening at school and with friends. My siblings and I loved following in our parents’ footsteps by spending time outdoors. As adults, the three of us still love to get together for camping and ski vacations. Though my siblings and I do not live in the same city, we visit often and get to spend a lot of time together, growing closer as the years go by.

Sadly, my father died of cancer when I was 26 years old. By coming together in our grief, my family and I have been able to honor my father’s memory in our everyday lives. We know that he would be proud of our decision to adopt, as adoption was something my father advocated.

My older brother works as a teacher and lives only a few hours away, with his wife, who is a nurse. My younger sister, who lives in another state, works as a writer. My mother lives nearby, and the whole gang comes together several times throughout the year.

My entire family is anxiously anticipating the arrival of your child. My brother and sister talk nonstop about their plans to spoil their new niece or nephew, and I know that my mother will be the world’s greatest grandma.

Our dog Brooklyn
We’ve had Brooklyn since she was eight weeks old and weighed only 4 ½ pounds. She is a wonderful dog with a gentle temperament. She is quiet, smart and funny. Brooklyn is extremely popular with our campers, and because she has grown up playing with hundreds of kids, she is one of the most calm, best socialized dogs you can imagine. She has exceptional manners. She can sit, shake, stay, lay down and can even eat a treat that is balanced on the top of her nose. She has attended puppy school and will soon earn her K-9 good citizen certificate, which will permit her to visit schools, libraries and hospitals. We can think of no better dog to welcome a child into our home than Brooklyn, the sweetest dog we know.

Home
We spend the summer months at our homey cabin located on the hundreds of acres of camp we own and run. There is a lake, activities too numerous to count, and lots of room to run and play and just be a kid. The rest of the year we spend at our suburban home, which is within driving distance of Gabe’s mom and extended family. It is a safe, nurturing, and fun place where we hope all the neighborhood kids will want to play. We plan to make our house the one where our child and his or her friends want to hang out and feel comfortable, from the pre-school years through high school. We cannot wait to hear the basketball bouncing, the baseball bat cracking the ball, and squeals of laughter. It will be the best “music” to us both.

Camp
We spend our summers at the camp that we own and run. We cannot wait to have a little one there with us to enjoy the fun and adventure of our 400 acre playground. Our home faces the lake and as he or she grows, your child will be able to enjoy swimming, canoeing, and water skiing with us. In the evening we watch beautiful sunsets over the water right from our kitchen table. As our camp is activities based we have a huge rock climbing wall, and arts and crafts room, mountain biking trails, pontoon boats, sailboats, tennis and basketball courts, trampolines, tether balls, sports fields, gymnastics and yoga, acting stages, entertainment rooms, waterskiing and so much more. Camp makes for a wonderful summer for the campers, but your child will have the opportunity to experience all of the things that camp has to offer, while enjoying them as family memories with Mom and Dad.

Holidays
We love to celebrate Birthdays, unbirthdays, holidays, anniversaries…anything, often with family and friends. We can’t wait to celebrate with your child.

Every year Gabe’s mom hosts a huge Thanksgiving dinner, attended by both sides of our family. It is a time when our family truly comes together in thankfulness for one another and for all we have been blessed with. We look forward to the day a little one joins us at the table and we are able to give thanks for that child and all he or she brings to our family.
Halloween is one of our special holidays. We decorate the house and pass our treats to all the kids who come by. We can’t wait to share this holiday with your child.

We spend Christmas in New York with Erin’s extended family. We attend Church services with Erin’s parents and brother and then spend the day with her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and other extended family at Erin’s aunt’s house. It’s always a wonderful combination of New York City’s Christmas lights and the warmth and love of family.

Friends
We are so fortunate to have friends who are close to us; they are really more like family. We travel together and support each other. We have celebrated the arrivals of each of their children and truly enjoy spending time with them. We look forward to the day that we have a little lone to join in all of the fun! Our friends share the excitement and anticipation of our little one’s arrival and will make a wonderful “extended family” for the arrival of a little one.

What will make us good parents

Erin about Gabe:
“Gabe has been involved with his family’s camp since he was ten years old, and his experience shows. More than anyone I know, Gabe loves being around children and is an expert in their care and nurturing. He is a frequent speaker at national conference on camping and raising children. I can’t imagine sharing the joy and challenges of parenting with anyone better suited to it than Gabe.”

Gabe about Erin:
“Erin is the most loving, nurturing person I know. I believe children have a natural sense about whom they can trust and love, and they feel that in Erin. Time and gain I’ve seen how kids are drawn naturally toward Erin, and Erin toward them. It’s why she chose to be a teacher, why she’s so good working at our camp, and one of the main reasons I love her so much.”

Thank you
There is so much we would like to tell you about ourselves to help you in your decision, but most of all we want you to know that we have a lifetime of love to share with your baby. If chosen, please know that your child will be raised with devotion, love and attention. It is our goal to be involved in his or her life in a meaningful way, by helping him or her to develop confidence, individuality and compassion. We want you to know that you will always be honored in our home; your child will always know how much you love him or her. Above all, your child will know what a loving, selfless decision you made for him or her.

Words cannot express how grateful we are that you are considering our family. If you choose to place your child in our home and hearts, rest assured that we are committed to providing your child with everything he or she needs, along with unconditional love and day-in and day-out support. We wish you peace and comfort in your decision and in your life.

Erin and Gabe

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