Choose A Family : Parent Profile
Chuck and Erin
About Us: Chuck, Erin & Ginger
Hello! We are Chuck and Erin. Along with our daughter, Ginger, we’re a happy family of three, hoping to soon be a family of four. Thank you so much for taking the time to learn a little bit about us, and our life together as a family. If you decide that an adoption plan is best for your baby, we would be incredibly honored to be part of that plan.
About Chuck (by Erin)
Chuck is warm, loving and easygoing. He loves to laugh, is very social and connects easily with new people. He enjoys learning new things and has a definite sense of adventure. If the weather is nice he’s usually up for going on a hike, camping, barbecuing, going to a park—or just hanging out in the back yard or on the deck. He’s already begun teaching Ginger to love and respect nature by taking her on short hikes on the trails near our house, and even set our tent up in the family room to get her excited about going camping when the weather was nice again. If Chuck says he’s going to make dinner, more often than not it will be grilled . . . and absolutely delicious. A few years ago he won 3rd place in a huge barbecue contest in San Francisco for his pulled-pork sandwich!
One of Chuck’s lifelong interests (and his major in college) is photography; and his favorite “subject” so far is definitely Ginger (as evidenced by the three zillion photos of her on the computer!).
Chuck works as the Associate Director of Operations and Production for the magazine of a large non-profit environmental organization, making sure everything gets done on time and on budget. He’s been there for over five years now, and is liked and respected for his professionalism, skills and personality.
Chuck loves being a dad, loves showing Ginger new things and taking her on mini adventures. He took four months off for paternity leave after my maternity leave ended. If, when I came home from work, Ginger was wearing her little overalls and green hooded vest, I knew they’d been off exploring. He has so much love and amazement in his eyes when he looks at Ginger, or is marveling at something she’s said or done. Chuck has such a playful side, and it’s always adorable and heartwarming to watch or listen to the two of them playing hide-and-seek, building (and knocking down) super-lego towers, reading books or just being flat-out silly together.
Chuck’s love of life, appreciation of little things, adaptability, humor and generosity are some of the qualities that make him an amazing husband and father. He can’t wait to become a loving, devoted and proud father to another child!
About Erin (by Chuck)
Erin has captivated me over the years, not only with her adorable good looks, but also in her great ability to balance really silly fun with responsibility, hard work and determination.
She’s wanted to be a mom forever. Seeing her with Ginger, it’s obvious that she absolutely loves being a mom and is in her element! She can spend hours on the floor playing with her, following her from one activity to another at the same breakneck speed. When our friends ask her to babysit she doesn’t see it as a chore, she gets excited that she’ll have more kids over to play with. And she’s one of the only moms in the group that actually likes carrying around two toddlers at once—and they love it too!
Erin has a Bachelor in Fine Arts in graphic design and works part-time as a web designer for a nearby university. She went to part-time last year in order to spend more time with Ginger during the week, and plans to take off at least three months of maternity leave when we become parents again.
Other than kids, travel is what makes her tick. She believes that traveling throughout the world in her mid-20s helped her to become more outgoing, gain a deeper love for knowledge and learning, and to be more open-minded and objective. Learning about new cultures and places, and taking lots of trips together as a family will be the basis for many of the memories we’ll have of our lives together.
Erin loves to cook and try different foods, and she happens to come from one of those places known for scrumptious food—New Orleans—and she knows (and even taught me) how to cook Cajun cuisine like a native. Comfort food for us is red beans & rice and gumbo—stuff you don’t often find well made outside of Louisiana (and our kitchen!).
She also loves watching movies, reading, doing yoga, and currently working out with iron kettlebells. Always the artist, she has dozens of arts and crafts projects going (especially knitting and making mosaics), except now she gets to do her crafts with Ginger too! The end result is rarely the project she had in mind when the two of them begin something, but that’s a big part of the fun!
About Ginger
Ginger is a loving, energetic, funny, social, adventurous and happy 2-1/2 year old. She loves reading books, going to the playground, doing puzzles, dancing, coloring and playing with her friends. She also loves pretend play, with her favorite games being feeding and putting her baby dolls down for a nap, (the patient gets a checkup, their hair brushed, and a book read to them) and cooking in her little kitchen.
She is fascinated with and loves babies. When we’re out she studies moms with their babies, then reenacts what she’s observed with her baby dolls when we get home. She’s sweet and nurturing, and is really looking forward to being a big sister!
Home, family and our promise
Our home and community
We live in a three bedroom house in the coastside town of Montara, California—and we love it here! The neighborhood is very friendly and safe, with lots of families with young children.
Our home is filled with books, toys, art, games, photos and art/craft supplies. We have a yard with play structures, and are near the beach, hiking trails, a great elementary school and a few shops and restaurants.
On family & parenting
Chuck’s parents and brother live in northern Virginia, near Washington, DC. His brother just got married this summer (Ginger was a flower girl in the wedding). We love his wife and are thrilled to have her as family.
Erin’s family is more spread out. Her dad, stepmom and youngest brother live in Georgia, her mom and younger brother in Louisiana, her older brother in L.A., and grandma in northern Virginia. Despite being so far apart, we do manage to see most of them a good bit of the time, and all of them some of the time.
As parents, we believe our purpose is to love, nurture, protect, educate, guide, encourage and inspire our children. We will treat them with the respect they need to have develop ample self-confidence throughout their lives. We highly value education and we will give our children the best education we can, and be active participants in their education as well. We are not religious (kind of spiritual, if anything) but we do plan to teach our children about various religions and their common teachings of love, respect, compassion, tolerance and understanding.
We became a multiracial family as soon as Ginger joined our family (Chuck likes to tell people that he’s half Vietnamese—on his daughter’s side), and our next child will be part of a multiracial family as well. We’re aware this can add additional and unique challenges to a child’s developing sense of identity and belonging, and we are ready to take on any and all challenges as they arise.
We will encourage our children in their passions, show them as much as we can of the world and its beauty and diversity. Most of all, we’ll be always be there for them—through thick and thin—with unconditional love, support and affection.
Our promise to you
We look forward to the possibility of having a continued relationship after the adoption is finalized, whether that means an annual visit, exchanging cards and letters, or simply providing you with photos and updates. We will honor your decision in regard to the amount and type of contact you are most comfortable with.
We will strive to ensure a happy, healthy, stable and secure life for your child. Your child will know about the bond the two of you share, and that it was you who loved, carried, and gave birth to him or her. We will speak about and with you always with love, honor and respect. We will provide education and opportunity, and will be there to guide and nurture them as they discover their unique potential and place in the world. Most importantly, he or she will be loved and cherished always—immeasurably and unconditionally.
In closing
We trust that this is just the beginning of a life-long friendship, and look forward to getting to know you.
Warmest wishes for a peaceful decision and a healthy delivery!
Sincerely,
Chuck & Erin
If you have an questions for us, or would like to talk to us about adopting your child, please contact an AdoptHelp advisor by Calling 1-800-637-7999 or clicking the "Contact Us" button below.
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