Hi there! I am Amanda and I live in Southern California with my son Jax!

Dear Birth Mother: I am 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 I know about you so far is that you are a strong, compassionate, selfless person, and I 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 and moved to California for college. I fell in love with it so I have been here ever since! I have an amazing four-year-old biological son, Jax, from a previous relationship. He spends two nights a week with his father who remains active in Jax’s life and is a good friend of mine to this day. I have always felt that no child should be an only child because 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. 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 four cats and our dog. 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!

Meet Amanda

Amanda’s Work: I am a MIDDLE SCHOOL PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER who is passionate about working with kids and tries to give them an alternative to some of the more traditional PE experiences. The best part about my job, 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 Jax! 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 pre-teens 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.

My Favorites:

Reading to Jax

Splashing in the waves of our favorite beaches

Playing “Chopped Junior” with Jax – I’m the chef and he’s the judge

Going to movies, plays, and comedy shows

Discovering new places in LA that I have never been to before

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:

Italy and the Greek Islands – for the pasta and cliff diving

Australia and New Zealand

Thailand – I want to take cooking classes there – I love Thai food!

A Few of our Favorites:

FOOD:

Amanda: Spaghetti

Jax: Burrito

TV SHOW:

Amanda: “Survivor”

Jax: “Wild Kratts”

KID’S MOVIE:

Amanda: “Finding Dory”

Jax: “The Lion King”

COLORS:

Amanda: Purple and dark green

Jax: Dark blue and dark purple

Meet my son, Jax: Jax is a smart, funny, loving and inquisitive four-year-old, and I am so honored to call him my son.  He loves all kinds of animals and spends his time at home playing with our 4 cats and throwing balls for our high energy dog, Kaiya. 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. Our most recent adventures were learning to Kayak, watching a 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.

Our Home: I live 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 often. The beaches of Santa Monica and Venice are twenty minutes away, and we love to 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.

Our Pets: We have an awesome rescue dog Kaiya, and four cats, Knox, Moo and Tilly, and Nash. 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.  Jax and I just discovered the annual Pet Expo that happens in Southern California, and now we plan to go every year. We would love to share our passion for animals with your child.

Our Family & 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. 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. We also travel a couple of times each year to reunite with my extended family and close friends –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.

Closing Thoughts

My Promises 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.

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.

To EXPOSE YOUR CHILD TO MUSIC, THEATER, ART AND SPORTS, and allow them to determine who they want to be in this life.

I promise your child will 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.