Hello and thank you! We’re Lisa & Sean from Los Angeles, California. We are thankful to you for taking the time to learn more about us. We have shared our lives for fifteen years and feel blessed to have found each other. But our world changed for the better when our daughter, Maude, was born. As parents, we have learned so much about patience, communication, and unconditional love.

We respect your journey and are honored you might consider us to be the family to care for your child. The most important thing we hope you take away from these words and photos is how loved a new addition to our family would be. Every day, Maude knows how much she matters in our lives. We promise to surround your child with that same kind of love.

Sean grew up in North Carolina, Lisa in Connecticut. We shared the same dream of becoming television writers, and both moved to Los Angeles to pursue it. Years later, we met on the set of a popular television series. We fell in love and moved in together, supporting each other through our challenging careers in show business. Sean proposed to Lisa on a boat in the middle of the lake at her family's vacation home in Vermont. Our desert wedding in Palm Springs, California was such a special day. The interconnected group of family and friends who witnessed our vows was a testament to the life we have built together. Now, we live and work in Los Angeles, and enjoy a busy, happy life full of laughter and adventure.

When we welcomed our daughter, Maude, eight years ago, our family grew a little bigger and lot happier. Our struggle with infertility led us to the realization that we were meant to grow our family through adoption. Lisa's mother, Carol, was adopted and showed us how beautiful it can be when parents are open about a child's adoptive story. We can't wait to tell that story to our child and build our family in this special way.

I grew up in a small town in Connecticut. I loved to sing as a child, and my parents enrolled me in voice and piano lessons. This led to my lifelong love of music. I decided to attend college in New York City, where I studied musical theatre.

The big city opened my eyes to all of the exciting careers in the entertainment industry. I now have a career as a television writer. I still surround myself with all facets of the arts, an interest I enjoy with my talented husband. I feel so lucky to have Sean as my partner and my daughter's stay-at-home parent, because I know Maude is so loved and secure. I love my work, but my family is my greatest joy and highest priority.

The qualities that attracted me to Lisa were her strength of character, integrity, and sense of humor. Lisa knows how to find the joy in life and share it with those she loves. She is the strongest woman I know, and parents by example. I love that our daughter has her mother as a role model, and I know that as our family grows, Lisa will be able to share that guidance with our future child.

My parents were from Ireland, and I was born the second of their three boys after they settled in America. As a child, the arts community in North Carolina helped me realize how much I enjoyed being creative. I decided to study screenwriting in college.

When I graduated I drove across the country to Los Angeles. That's where I met Lisa, and our journey as a family began. After the birth of our daughter, I made the decision to stay home as Maude’s primary caregiver. I now write comic books, which allows me to remain creative and work around our daughter’s schedule. Being a stay-at-home dad has been the hardest job of my life, but also the most rewarding.

Sean’s most admirable quality is his kindness. He is the most thoughtful person I have ever met. Lucky for me, he is also extremely smart and funny. He is incredibly empathetic, which makes him an amazing partner and father. Maude both adores him, and feels safe with him because he understands the balance between having fun and setting limits. I feel lucky we found each other and that I have such an amazing person loving me and guarding my heart.

Maude is a spirited kid who sings and dances her way through life. Her favorite activities are reading and art, which can range from drawing a picture to sculpting with objects from our recycling bin. She loves elementary school, and enjoys swimming, ballet, karate, and piano lessons. Maude has always wanted a brother or sister. She tells us she will "share her room," and "make them feel better when they cry." She has the biggest heart and will be a loving big sister.

We live in Los Angeles, California in an area that offers both the comforts of a suburb and the opportunity of a busy city. Our street is on a cul-de-sac, and we have a lovely community of neighbors, including children and dogs to keep Maude and our dog Nora occupied.

We reside in a quality school district with an elementary school just a short walk away. Everything a family could want is nearby – our local park, public library, and other venues offering culture and education. Not to mention the best part of California living – the mountains and the beach are both a short drive away.

Nora is our ten-year-old Welsh Corgi mix. We rescued her as a puppy from a Los Angeles shelter. Nora took to Maude quickly and is now fiercely protective of the youngest member of her pack. It helps that one of Maude's "chores" around the house is to feed her. We love that Nora helps teach our daughter about how to respect and care for animals.

Much of our family lives across the country, so we rely on visits and traditions to maintain those treasured relationships. Lisa's mother, Carol, has a cabin on a lake in Vermont that has been in her family for years. We visit every summer, and those days are full of boat rides with Lisa's brother Adam, his wife, Chaya, and their kids Juni and Alma. Most of Sean’s family is still in North Carolina. Whenever we visit, Sean’s brothers Seamus and Brian ensure a lively reunion. We love to accompany Seamus, his wife, Jean, and their kids Maeve and Finbar to their local diner for big weekend breakfasts.

We have a special circle close to home as well. Sean’s mother, Anne, lives nearby and joins us for weekly Sunday family dinners. Lisa’s other brother, Brian, an artist, lives nearby, too. We all love to attend his gallery openings. Our Los Angeles community also includes our chosen family of longtime friends. We love to gather for pizza nights and pool parties with our children. We feel so lucky that our family is always surrounded by love.

Our most important goal as parents is to teach our children kindness and empathy for themselves and others. We hope that in doing so, we can nurture a family bond that will sustain all of our lives.

We promise to love our children unconditionally. We will laugh with them, dance with them, hug them, and wipe away their tears. We will always encourage them to be curious, to learn and create. We will both teach them and model our values, helping them understand the importance of integrity, honesty, and compassion. We want our children to treasure their family, maintain and grow our traditions, and move through life understanding how very much they are loved.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know our family. We are so grateful to you for considering us for the privilege of sharing this journey with you and loving your child. We would love to get to know you and understand your story. It would be a great honor to welcome your child into our little family. We promise that if you choose to trust us with that honor, we will spend our lives filling that child's days with love.