Dear Birth Mother:

Hi there!  We are Amanda and Jax from Southern California!  We are so honored that you are taking the time to read our story, and hopefully, through learning about us you will be able to feel our love, and see how our family can provide an amazing life for your child!  What we know about you so far is that you are a strong, compassionate, selfless person, but we hope to get to know more about your hopes and dreams for your child as we continue this journey together.

About Me

I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, but moved to California for college, and fell in love with it, so I have been here ever since!  I am the youngest of three children- I have an older brother, Josh, and an older sister, Lydia, and to this day, my favorite times are those I spend with my siblings and their families.  I have an amazing six-year old biological son, Jax, from a previous relationship.  I have always felt that no child should be an only child, and life is simply better with siblings!  After realizing I was not able to have another biological child I began to consider adoption as a wonderful way for me to complete our family. Jax loves every minute he gets to spend with his cousins, and he wants a sibling of his own as much as I want one for him.   Your child will have a fun-loving, curious, and compassionate older brother to share in all the adventures life has to offer.  Together, Jax and I love to read, listen to and play music, learn about animals, and explore all that living in a great city like Los Angeles has to offer. We also love any and all things active – especially if they involve water!

We live in mid-city Los Angeles with our two cats and two dogs.  Our house is close to all the places that Jax and I love to visit- his favorites being The Natural History Museum, The Science Center and of course the beach!  California living is incredible – it is never too far to go, whether you want amazing beaches, gorgeous redwood forests or the mountains, and we take full advantage of that!

Things we love:

Amanda: 

Food – Spaghetti

TV show – SURVIVOR

Dessert – Brownies

Kid’s Movie:  Finding Dory

Colors:   Purple and Emerald Green

Jax:      

Food:  Burrito

TV Show – Wild Kratts

Dessert – Ice cream

Kid’s Movie:  The Lion King

Colors:  Dark Blue and Dark Purple

My Work

I was a gymnastics coach throughout my whole life, and I have always had a passion for helping kids discover just how much they are capable of achieving.  I am now a middle school teacher in mid-city Los Angeles, and I truly love my job!  The best part about being a teacher, other than being able to impact young lives, is that I get my summers off, and I will have two solid months where I can travel and share amazing adventures with your child and their awesome big brother! When Jax was born I was able to stay home with him until he was six months old, and I hope to be able to do that again with your child.

If you are asking yourself how a single Mom can handle another child in my life, the reason is simple.  I work with 50 preteens every hour at work, and I love that challenge, but when I get home to only one little guy that needs my love and attention it feels like the easiest and most natural thing in the world.  It has always been my dream to have two children, and a house full of love and laughter.   I feel like the best gift I can give to my child, and to yours, is a built-in playmate and best friend, to endure all of life’s challenges with, and to share in all our adventures together.

My Favorites:

• Reading to Jax
• Splashing in the waves of our favorite beaches
• Playing “Chopped Junior” with Jax – I’m the chef – he’s the judge
• Going to movies, plays, and comedy shows
• Discovering new places in LA that I have never been to before

Meet Jax:

Jax is a smart, funny, loving and inquisitive six-year-old, and I am so honored to call him my son.  He loves all kinds of animals, and wants to be either a veterinarian or a marine biologist when he grows up.  For his third birthday party, we had a petting zoo at our home, and our lawn is only now starting to recover!  His favorite thing to do on weekends is to visit his cousins, Rhys and Jude, in the Hollywood Hills and swim with them- they are his favorite people in the world, so the more playdates and sleepovers he gets with them – the better.  We love to explore Los Angeles together, and visit all the parks and museums we can find, and I know Jax wants a sibling that he can share all our good times with.  His most recent adventures were learning to Kayak, watching his first 3D movie at the La Brea Tar Pits (watch out for that woolly mammoth!) and finding 31 turtles at Echo Park Lake!  Jax also loves all things Halloween, and all kinds of sea creatures, so last year he decided he absolutely had to be a bioluminescent jellyfish for Halloween.  Safe to say there are no such store-bought costumes, so I spent a month laboring over a blue jellyfish costume, complete with LED lights, and he proudly trekked the bulky costume all over our neighborhood, trick-or-treating.  Watching Jax learn and grow has become the most amazing journey, and adding your child to our family would make our dreams come true.

Jax’s Favorites:

• Playdates, sleepovers and vacations with his cousins
• Trips to the Natural History Museum in LA and the Desert Museum with his family in Tucson
• Swimming in any pool he can find
• Library trips and reading books together in our hammock

Our Pets:

We have four fur babies that help to fill our house with love.  Our awesome rescue dog, Kaiya, keeps us busy throwing her tennis balls forever, and our mini dachshund, Shady, spends her time trying to convince our cats, Moo and Tilly, that they love her.  I grew up in a family that had cats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, fish and birds, and I have instilled my love of animals in Jax.  We would love to share our passion for animals with your child.

Our Family and Friends:

My brother, Josh, lives close by in the Hollywood Hills, and Jax and I are up there a lot, swimming in his pool and playing with Jax’s cousins, Rhys and Jude.  They are also part of our Trick-or-Treating posse every Halloween.  My sister, Lydia, and her two awesome kids, Nola and Silas, live outside of Tucson Arizona, as does my mother, Saralaine, so we visit each other often, and our family alternates Christmas vacations between Los Angeles and Tucson.  We also travel to the Bay area a couple of times each year to reunite with my extended family – my college friends and their families, and we look forward to sharing these trips with your child.  My best friends from my college years at UC Santa Cruz are still my best friends to this day, and even though many of us live in different places, it gives us a great excuse to travel to different states so that we can continue to connect and experience our families together.  Your child could join us as we explore the amazing redwood forests in the Bay Area, go boating at the Jersey shore or discover all the amazing beaches along the California coastline as I visit my family of friends.  I also travel to Georgia every year, as I am part owner in my family’s pecan farm there.  The income I get from the farm definitely allows me to be financially secure enough to do the summer traveling that I love to do. I look forward to continuing to explore amazing places I have not yet visited, and nothing is more incredible than seeing the world through the eyes of children- it only makes those experiences all the more magical.

My Favorite Trips So Far:

• Visiting the rainforests and repelling down waterfalls in Costa Rica
• Zip-lining and amazing hikes in Kauai, Hawaii
• Family trips to Belize and Mexico- I guess I love all places tropical!

Bucket List of places I want to Visit with Jax and Your Child:

• Australia and New Zealand
• Italy and the Greek Islands – for the Pasta and cliff diving
• Thailand- I want to take cooking classes there – I love Thai Food!

Our Home and Community:

We live in a cute 3 bedroom bungalow in a great neighborhood called “Faircrest Heights”.  We are in a great school district, and we are close to both Culver City and Beverly Hills, where we go to parks, museums, restaurants and the movies pretty regularly.   The beaches of Santa Monica and Venice are twenty minutes away, and we love spend time at the beach, and visit the Santa Monica Pier and the aquarium there regularly.  Los Angeles is an incredible city to explore, and Jax and I continue to discover new activities to do here all the time.  Your child will grow up in a great community that provides so many fun opportunities for young people to be exposed to all walks of life, and to truly be able to uncover where their real passions lie.  I will encourage your child to follow their dreams, no matter where in the world that leads them.

My Promise to You, Birth Mother

I know that the decision you are making right now is the most difficult one you have ever had to make, and I admire the strength you are finding within yourself to give your child the best life possible.  Your actions, by choosing adoption for your child, are the truest model of selfless love that can ever be shown, and I promise to try my best to live up to the standard you are setting.

• I promise that you will always be a hero in your child’s eyes, as you are in mine.
• I promise to always let your child know how fiercely they were loved by you, and I promise that you will be loved by us, and included in your child’s life to whatever extent you are comfortable.
• I promise to tell them I love them every day, and to guide them and protect them with all that I have. I promise to allow them to take their own path in life – wherever that may be, and to encourage them every step of the way.
• I promise to pick them up when they fall, but also to teach them how to pick themselves up, and to know the importance of resilience and independence in this life.
• I will expose your child to music, theater, art and sports, and allow them to determine who they want to be in this life.
• I will encourage them to learn new languages and how to play an instrument, and to understand the value of always wanting to learn more, and of always striving to reach their fullest potential.
• I promise to raise your child in a household full of love and laughter, and to always put your child’s needs before my own, just as you are doing now.
• I promise to instill in your child a sense of pride in who they are and where they came from, and to always let them know that they are so incredibly loved and supported in all that they do.

They will always be taught to value friendship and family, and to practice kindness and compassion throughout their lives.  I know that your child will make this world a better place, because they are starting off as the greatest act of love, and they will continue to be raised by a mother who knows how valuable a gift she has been given.  Together we will help each other make our dreams come true.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my profile, and for considering me as a possible adoptive parent for your child!  I am in complete awe of your strength in considering adoption for your child, and just the fact that you are taking the time to find the best possible family for your child lets me know that you have an incredible heart.  You are in my thoughts, and should I be the right parent to raise your child, I promise they will be loved unconditionally, with all my heart and soul.

If you would like to speak with me or have any questions for me, please contact your case worker at AdoptHelp by calling 1-800-637-7999, toll free.