Hi! We are Ruud and Bendert from the Netherlands. First of all, we would like to thank you for letting us introduce ourselves. We are honored to be a possible part of your journey and the future of your child. We can’t imagine what it must be like to make this difficult choice, possibly the hardest to make. We think you are so strong and brave by choosing this future for your child and we hope you will find what you wish for your child in our profile.

It is our way to introduce ourselves to you. An impression of who we are, what we like to do and what we would like to offer your child. In each part you will read that family is a big part of our lives, we are real family men. Our biggest wish is to extend our family by becoming dads, share our love and our hearts with a child. It is more difficult to adopt in the Netherlands, so we are grateful to be able to start our family through adoption in the United States.

We met each other ten years ago. A mutual friend introduced us to each other. From the moment we met we knew that there was something special. It felt right, we could totally be ourselves and we felt safe and stronger together. So only nine months later we moved in together. Bendert took his dog and cat with him, Ruud brought his two cats.

In September 2016 we decided to start the adoption process and also to get married. Our first home together was an hour and a half away from our family and friends. Because of the strong family bond we drove back very often. On the road we talked a lot about how much we would love to have a family of our own one day. When we became uncles this feeling became even stronger.

We didn’t want a huge wedding, so we decided to have a small ceremony and high tea with our nearest family and friends.

Almost 2 years ago, we moved closer to our family and friends. We would like them to be an important part in the life of our child. They are really excited for us.

We love the outdoors - Taking long walks with Kees, our dog, over the beach or through the forest, while taking photographs or just enjoying the sights.

We also like cultural things like reading, going to the theatre, the movies and exploring cultures and architecture in foreign countries.

Bendert likes to go horseback riding two times a week. He rides a Frisian horse and competes a few times a year. Some Saturdays, Bendert and his grandfather join a classic car ride.

Ruud likes to take pictures, listen to music and sing. When he was younger he performed often. Now he likes to sing with the children that he teaches and of course when he’s taking a shower.

Most of the things we like to do, we do with our friends and family. It’s a way to share the fun and stories. Even when Bendert bakes cakes, he bakes for family, neighbors and friends. But from time to time there is nothing better than being at home, working in the garden, watching a movie and just have a quiet time together.

I was born in the north of the Netherlands and grew up with two younger sisters. I had loving and caring parents who made it possible for us to discover what we love most in life and to explore what we’re good at. I played hockey and violin, then tennis and piano, but I learned I’m more of a horseback riding guy. Being outside and being surrounded by animals.

At university I studied Agriculture and Equine Business Administration and after graduation I started working at an accounting firm. I enjoy working with numbers, analyze them and making connections to help companies reaching their goals. I can use my precision in my work.

Outside the office I’m more of a person’s person. I like to be surrounded by others, enjoying life together and sharing love and happiness. I like to take care of others and help them wherever I can by babysitting their children, baking a birthday cake, walking their dog or just listen to their stories.

My name is Ruud. Together with our dog, cats and chickens Bendert and I live in a small town in the Netherlands. I have two jobs: I’m a communication advisor at the local government and a substitute teacher at primary schools. This might seem like a very strange combination, but believe me when I say that both jobs help to keep motivated to do what I like the most; working with people/children. Stimulating them to learn, to try new things and grow.

Being a family man I love to spend time with my family and friends. When my nephews or niece come over we love to have fun together by playing games, taking walks, making jams or watching movies. Bendert even calls me a big child when they are with us. He might be right, but who cares. It’s just a lot of fun.

In my time off I like to visit cities in the Netherlands or abroad for a shopping trip or to do some sightseeing. Taking pictures is a hobby of mine. That’s also why, when we made this profile, we realized that while we have a lot of pictures I’m not in the most of them because I always take the pictures.

In our search for a new home we found a detached house in a small village only two hours away from Amsterdam. It has a big garden and we fell in love with it right away. A house which allows us to extend our family because of the space downstairs and the amount of rooms upstairs. Excited as we are, we have already set up a nursery room.
We have built a chicken coop in our garden and we planted fruit trees and multicolored flowers. There’s a lot of grass for kids to play on and for the dog to lay on. In the back of the yard is a lovely place for us to relax and enjoy the sun.

We live a few hundred meters away from Bendert’s sister and only two miles from Ruud’s brother. We can just wave at each other while passing by or visit them for a quick coffee, which actually happens every week.

Across our home is a small playground for children up to the age of ten. There’s even a small lake with a beach for families to swim or to picknick and for teenagers to water ski
in our village.

Elementary school, the sports hall and playing fields are only ten minutes by bicycle. The next city, where we both work, is a ten minute drive away and has everything you could possibly need.

Our biggest animal friend is Kees, an 8 year-old Labrador. He’s a real friend to children and he’s so patient with them. We have two cats called Dex and Johan. Johan is a kind, but very old cat who loves to be inside sleeping all day. Dex is a real cheeky one who will do anything for food.

In our garden we have 9 chickens. When our nephews come over they always want to visit the chickens. Together they walk through the garden to feed them, to pet them, or to see if there are any eggs. Bendert loves using the eggs for his baking. The eggs we don’t use ourselves will go to our neighbors, friends and family.

All of our family and friends can’t wait to meet our future child!

Family and friends are an important part of our lives. That’s why we spend a lot of time with them. We especially enjoy birthdays because all family members come together and there’s always so much fun and laughter. And homemade cake... delicious! Every year there’s a family dinner in the garden with Bendert’s family. It is so wonderful having our grandfather together with his great-grandchildren enjoying their meal on these days. We weekly see Bendert’s sister and Ruud’s brother for coffee or to deliver some eggs. And of course they very often visit us with their children to collect the eggs themselves. During the weekends we love to invite them to a family dinner or to have dinner with our friends, play boardgames on a Friday or Saturday evening or to babysit their children at our home.

We also like to go on a trip with friends once in a while. For instance having a joint holiday or when we both separately go for a city trip with our best friend, which we both know for over twenty years.

We are very grateful that you took the time to read our profile. It’s impossible for us to imagine what must be going through your mind after reading this, but we hope that this has given you a first impression of who we are and what our life looks like. We would love nothing more than for you to choose us as the forever dads for your unborn child, but we also know that this is probably the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do. The most important thing that we would like you to know, is that we offer unconditional love and safe surroundings where our future child can grow, laugh, cry and explore life. Where it can be whoever he or she wants to be. No matter what. We look forward to learning more about you and we would love to share more about us if you would like us to. We wish you all the luck in making your choice. Please just follow your heart.