Hello! We are Manny and Bryan from sunny Long Beach, California, along with our daughter, Aspyn! We have been together for nearly 15 years and have grown so much together over that time. We are so excited to take the next step to grow our loving family! Adoption has always been important to us, as it made our dream of becoming parents possible. We were incredibly blessed to adopt our daughter in 2023, and we are excited about the possibility of welcoming another child into our family. We are beyond grateful for you taking the time to read our profile and get to know us, and for considering us as adoptive parents to your child.

As a same-sex married couple, adoption has given us a wonderful opportunity to become parents. We also appreciate that adoption can be a way to support and connect with a birth parent, and we hold deep respect for you and your experience as you consider what feels right for you. We are excited to share our story with you and hope that our values align with what you’re looking for in adoptive parents.

We met in 2012 through an online dating app and we still remember our first date together at a movie theater in Times Square, New York. Although the movie that we saw was terrible, it still holds a special place in our hearts. From that first date we were practically inseparable and three years later Bryan proposed to Manny in such a sweet way, including poetry that Bryan wrote himself! Throughout these wonderful years, we have not stopped laughing, traveling, and being the best partners possible to each other. Three years ago, we welcomed our first child into our family through adoption. Raising our daughter, Aspyn, has brought us so much joy, and we would love to continue growing our family and creating a home filled with love, holidays, birthday celebrations, and family traditions.

Our favorite things to do as family are traveling and spending time together. Every year, we plan at least one big trip and two to three smaller trips. We love visiting museums and trying different foods in the places that we visit. Manny considers himself to be a foodie, so he is always finding unique restaurants to eat and snapping photos of our food before we can even take a bite. Overall, we are all about seeking out new adventures and staying present in the moment. When we’re not on the move, you can usually find Bryan listening to a mix of music and singing along (even if it’s a bit off key!). Aspyn has recently taken up swim classes, so we have been spending a lot of time in the water lately. Currently, we are having a friendly competition to see who can master an underwater handstand!

I grew up in Buffalo, New York where I spent most of my life, which included many cold winters and shoveling what seemed like endless amounts of snow! In 2011, I decided to move to New York City for college to pursue my dream of being a pharmacist. I met Bryan during my second year of pharmacy school, and he was such a supportive partner during that stressful time, that it made me love him even more! I currently work as a pharmacist in a hospital, and I truly love what I do. Working in a hospital gives me such flexibility as a parent because I can adjust my schedule from days to nights and work remotely as needed. Outside of my career, I love cooking, going to the movies, doing outdoor activities, trying new restaurants, gardening, and interior decorating. One of the things that I look forward to doing with our future child is making lifelong memories doing things I never had a chance to experience growing up, like going to Disney World!

Manny has the biggest heart in the world which is what attracted me to him! He is genuine, kind, and has such a go-getter attitude that pushes me every day to be a better version of myself. Whenever I am scared to try something new or doubt myself in any way, Manny always encourages me to dream big and reach my goals. Also, Manny is very family-oriented, and his family always gets excited to see him – especially his nieces and nephews. Whenever Manny walks into a family gathering, all the kids run over to him because he is known as the fun uncle. One of Manny’s best qualities is that he is so nurturing and patient. He makes sure to spend time with and teach our daughter new things every day. That’s just a few of the many reasons why I love him!

My family moved from the island of Jamaica and settled in New York City where I was born. I have six siblings including an identical twin brother that I am very close to. My family enjoys spending time together and taking family vacations. Our most recent family trip was to Italy where we were able to celebrate our daughter Aspyn’s third birthday! Outside of spending time with family, I have always had a passion for helping others including in my career. I have worked in healthcare for many years and recently accomplished my dream of becoming a lawyer. I truly love being able to advocate for both doctors and patients every day. My hobbies outside of work include writing songs, singing, exercising, watching court shows, and riding bikes. One of the things that I look forward to doing with our future child is watching cartoons on Saturday mornings like my family used to do when I was young and catching all the new Disney movies.

Bryan is without a doubt the nicest and most thoughtful person I have ever met! My first memory of Bryan is when we went on our first date to a movie theater and he asked if he could put his hand on my leg (we often laugh about that memory now). Though it may seem like a small gesture, I have never forgotten that moment because it truly showed me how respectful he is as a person and his morals. Bryan also has the amazing ability to light up a room with his smile and personality and it’s one of the things that I love most about him. Bryan is such a caring person and has such a positive spirit that people always call him when they need cheering up. He always goes above and beyond when taking care of our daughter and I know he will do the same for any child that comes into our lives!

Our daughter Aspyn has brought so much joy, laughter, and love to our family. We adopted her at birth in 2023 and have watched her grow into an independent toddler right before our eyes. She is very energetic and curious and enjoys playing outdoors with our dogs. She is also hilarious, but of course we may be a little bit biased as her parents. She is certainly at the age where she is willing to take on some sisterly duties.

We live in a single-family home in a quiet, diverse neighborhood in Long Beach, California. Located just a few miles away from both Los Angeles and Orange County, there are so many exciting things to do in our neighborhood. There are so many nice parks and beaches nearby to go on a stroll or simply enjoy the amazing scenery. There are even a few dog beaches in the area so Tux and Chase can join in on the fun! Not to mention, we live just a half hour away from an aquarium, a museum, and Disneyland! One of our favorite things about Long Beach is that the city hosts many yearly festivals, including the annual Sea Festival where kids can learn how to sail. Not only is our neighborhood packed with fun activities to do, but it is also home to some great elementary schools and is located near some of the best colleges in the country that will ensure our children have the best educational opportunities. We’re also surrounded by a warm, supportive community, and many families in our neighborhood enjoy raising their children here.

We currently have two wonderful dogs by the name of Tux, a Shih Tzu mix, and Chase, a Cocker Spaniel. We rescued Tux from a shelter in 2013, so he has been with us for almost our entire 14+ years together! Manny always wanted a cocker spaniel growing up, so Chase was a birthday gift from Bryan in 2015. Both dogs are full of energy and love being around us, other people, and children. We are sure they cannot wait to welcome a baby into our little family as well!

Bryan comes from a family of five brothers and two sisters. Manny has three sisters and a brother. We are all very close and talk almost every day in our different group chats and over FaceTime. Bryan’s twin brother just had his first baby in 2024, and Manny has 2 nieces and nephews under the age of four – so we are excited that our future child will have cousins that are similar in age. We love that our extended families are a mix of different ethnicities and cultures because it really creates a melting pot of experiences for the children in our lives. From Bryan’s mom teaching the grandkids how to make her famous jerk chicken, to Manny’s brother-in-law explaining how to eat traditional Korean dishes with chop sticks, our families are truly diverse in so many ways.

Our friends are just as central to our lives as our family. They come from all walks of life, and we share bonds built on supporting each other’s accomplishments, catching up over brunch, laughter, and of course healthy competition in a game of cards. Our friends have all been so supportive of our adoption journey, and have all said that they cannot wait to be bonus “uncles” and “aunties.”

We believe that one of the best parts about being a parent is creating lifelong shared memories. We cannot wait to share our family traditions with our future child and look forward to creating new ones. Some of our current favorites are making homemade pizzas for the Super Bowl, our annual Easter egg hunt in April, wearing matching pajamas on holidays, and finding where the “Elf on the Shelf” is hiding each day in December leading up to Christmas.

Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about us! We are so grateful that you are considering us as adoptive parents, and we would be honored to give your child a loving and supportive home. We understand this is a deeply meaningful and emotional decision, and we have so much respect for the care, love, and thought you are putting into what feels right for you and your child. We promise to always take care of your child and help them grow into a kind, caring, smart, successful, loving person. We hope that our profile has given you a glimpse into our lives, but if there is anything additional that you would like us to share on how we are as parents, please feel free to contact us. While we would be honored if you chose us to share our love with your child, we wish you the absolute best whatever you decide. We look forward to hearing from you!