Thank you for SO MANY THINGS, but especially for taking a few minutes to read about us. We are deeply grateful that you are considering adoption. We both have always had the strong desire to be parents and to nurture a child. When Karineh was 15, her aunt and uncle adopted a baby girl, and she has been like a little sister to her to this day. Although we are not able to have a child biologically, it feels just as natural to start our own family through adoption.

Parenthood will be the biggest blessing of our lives, and it is humbling to know that it takes a very brave person to make this decision. We admire your strength and commitment to life, and we PROMISE that we will provide a happy, healthy, stable and above all LOVING family + home for the child that God brings into our world through you. In our home, your child will always know and be proud of their heritage, and you will ALWAYS be at that foundation.

We met in 2014 through online dating. Karineh noticed that on Zaven’s profile, he had a photo of himself standing with the Stanley Cup (which the Los Angeles Kings had recently won). Karineh just happened to have tickets to an upcoming LA Kings hockey game, so she took it as a sign and very plainly asked him out. This thoroughly impressed Zaven, and after our first conversation on the phone, we were totally smitten with each other.

We got married in 2017, after a marriage proposal gone wrong (Zaven ended up getting on one knee in a puddle, in a dirty/stinky alley behind a warehouse and next to overflowing dumpsters). For our wedding, we recreated a 3 day summer camp and called it “Camp Zavineh” (a combination of our names). We had guests of all generations share cabins, shoot archery, hike, build arts & crafts, play sports, enjoy games, sing campfire songs, and participate in a costume contest! Our wedding is a good representation of our values: all we want is to surround ourselves with people we love and spend quality time doing fun things together!

I grew up in Los Angeles, in a large family and strong Armenian community. I have several cousins around my age so growing up we always had slumber parties and pool parties. My aunts and uncles are like second sets of parents to me and I feel blessed to have so much family support.

I attended the University of California Berkeley where I studied environmental and geotechnical engineering. After graduating, I worked in San Francisco for 9 years, then moved back home to Los Angeles to be closer to family. I currently work as a soil engineer where my role is to help prevent infrastructure damage in natural disaster situations. I’m passionate about my job and love that I know I can make a difference.

My dream has always been motherhood, which I value more than my career, but it feels good to know I will have the flexibility and support within stable employment to prioritize raising my family.

There are more things I love about Karineh than I can count! She exemplifies what a strong woman is, but at the same time is more graceful and modest than anyone I have ever met. She also complements me in EVERY SINGLE WAY. She is a beautiful Armenian woman who is extremely intelligent and accomplished. She is close to her family and community yet so independent and unhindered by societal expectations. I admire that she works hard to achieve her goals and she is not afraid to challenge anyone that is in the way.

Karineh will make a FANTASTIC mother. She will teach our children to be fearless and to love themselves; she will let them grow and develop on their own, while feeling as supported and advantaged as possible.

I grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina and am proud to have graduated from UNC at Chapel Hill (Michael Jordan’s alma mater). After college, I decided to move to Los Angeles and try my hand at ‘the advertising game’ and fortunately found success. Some of the reasons I have stayed with this profession are also well suited for parenting: the work/life balance tilts heavy on the life side, and my schedule will always be very flexible.

As a father, I look forward to sharing all of what I enjoy about life with my child; more than that even – I look forward to nourishing my child’s own passions and providing as much support and encouragement as I possibly can throughout their own journey of life.

What I love most about Zaven is how patient and caring he is towards everyone and how natural he is around kids. But more obvious than that is how much kids love being around Zaven! All our nieces and nephews always ask if he will be at the next family gathering. Zaven leaves such a positive impression on children; they simply look forward to interacting with him.

In September 2019, Zaven tragically lost his father, Roupen, who was one of the jolliest men I have met, with the kindest eyes. He always had nuggets of “life advice” to share with his sons, or anyone who cared to listen. I see Zaven emulating many of his father’s characteristics: kindness, patience, and prioritizing family. Family is very important to him and he makes every effort to show his love to his loved ones.

Lyla is a miniature poodle that Zaven rescued in 2013; she commands attention but is exceptionally sweet around children. She has traveled with us to so many places!

Paplik and Ampik are our cats that we initially fostered but we fell in love with these 2 siblings because of how cuddly they were and how they treated Lyla like their mom so we decided to rescue them too!

Habibi is an African Sulcata Tortoise that we rescued after seeing a post on Facebook, from someone asking for help. Zaven custom-built him a shelter, complete with a safety heater for the winter!

Fun Fact: We have silly voices for all our pets and have special songs and dances for each of them.

As a bi-coastal family we are able to experience life across different communities and regions.

Some of our holiday traditions include: Karineh’s mom preparing a traditional Armenian meal (smoked fish with rice and “kookoo” (similar to a frittata with lots of greens + herbs) and Zaven’s mom baking a Linzer Torte (raspberry and walnut pie), which is a tradition from her German heritage. Karineh’s immediate & extended family all live within a 30 minute drive; we get together for dinner on a near weekly basis – and frequently spend time with the children. Karineh is the go-to babysitter for her nieces Audrey (4) and Grace (1)! Our holidays are comprised of big gatherings, lots of food and rambunctious youngsters; we have hosted 30+ guests a few times for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know us! We know life can be hard at times and we are all faced with difficult decisions, but please know that we empathize completely and commend you for wanting the best for your child.

We promise to love your child unconditionally, and to provide a nurturing environment to support them during all stages of life. We will welcome and honor your decision to be as involved in your child’s life, as much or as little you wish. Your child will also have an auntie, who was adopted herself, to talk to and spend quality time with.

Love,
Zaven and Karineh