Chris

I’m Chris. Thank you for taking the time to read through all of this. My whole life I’ve known I was meant to be a father and for me adoption has been the best path to begin my family. I’m grateful that you’re considering this as an option, and considering me for the future of your child. This will probably be an intense journey for us but like most things in life, the hardest work can bring the greatest joy. I try to bring humor and positivity to all aspects of my life, and I intend to do so with this process and the life of my future child. I hope we get the chance to meet, embark on this wild ride together, and share some smiles along the way!

My Story: I’m a very loyal person so my family and friends are the most important to me. I talk to my parents a few times a week, and my brother is constantly sending updates about my niece and nephew. Since I live away from my family, my friends are my extended family out here. And since I’ve been at my job for 15 years and they’ve watched me grow up (I started when I was 23!), many of my coworkers have also become my extended family. We’re always getting together for dinners, birthday parties, or just a random night of watching tv and laughing. I feel very lucky to have found so many people who share my interests, humor and most importantly my values. Oh and they always give me really good ideas for new recipes!

What Makes Me Happy:

• My family
• My friends
• My cat
• The Taylor Swift video for “I Knew You Were Trouble” with goats
• “Schitt’s Creek” TV show

My Thoughts on Parenting: I love seeing experiences and the world through a child’s eye. There’s so much excitement and wonderment, and I really hope to help them keep that optimism through their entire life. I’ve tried to keep it myself, and I think in a way it helps me relate to kids. I want to travel with my child, play games, have dance parties, build forts in the living room, fall asleep watching movies, dress up for Halloween, decorate the house for Christmas, try different types of food, learn another language, go to the beach, hike in the Redwoods, read books before bed and so much more.

I want my child to experience life and have a broad perspective on people, because ultimately I want my child to be unafraid of the world while still being compassionate toward everyone. Raising a good person is my dream goal.

For me one of the most important values is kindness. I feel like so many other strong values trickle down from that (patience, honesty, respectfulness etc.), so if I can build that foundation early on then I know my child will end in a good place.

5 Things I Will Teach My Child:

• To be kind
• To be patient
• To be curious
• To believe in himself
• To laugh!

When I was in high school I baby sat for twin boys 5 days a week (after school and on weekends). They were six months old when I started and a little over 3 when I left for college. The first summer after college, I coordinated with the boys’ mom to surprise them. When I got to the house they were so excited to see me that the extroverted twin literally jumped into my arms, and the more introverted one jumped up and down until I gave him a hug. That was when I really knew adoption was for me, because for me loving a child doesn’t mean I have to be biologically related to them.

My Career: I’m an agent for hair and makeup artists, and my job is very easy to do from home. Having worked there for 15 years, my company is very open to being flexible for me. They’re all so excited for me to become a parent too!

My Friends Say That I Am:

• Caring
• Understanding
• Easy-going
• Passionate
• Respectful

I’m a huge movie nerd so really look forward to sharing my excitement with my child. I love story-telling of all kinds, I write a lot in my spare time and even went to college for it. When I was in high school I interned with the Cleveland Playhouse, where they have a Deaf Theater program, and one of the activities we did was bring in pre-school aged kids to teach them how to sign various animals and then act out a story. It was so fun watching the kids get really into acting out the stories, so I really look forward to creating moments like that with my own child. I’m also big into the outdoors, I run a lot and take a lot of hikes around my neighborhood, so want to be active with my child as well.

My Favorites

• Favorite Animal: Elephant
• Favorite Childhood Activity: Playing board games and video games
• Favorite Children’s Book: Matilda by Roald Dahl
• Favorite Children’s Movie: Alice in Wonderland
• Favorite Color: Purple
• Favorite Dessert: Anything chocolate
• What I Collect: Movie Posters
• Favorite Holiday: Christmas
• Favorite Superhero: The X-Men
• Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Double Fudge Brownie
• Favorite Author: Edward Albee
• Favorite Place to Take A Child: On an adventure
• Favorite Vacation Spot: Anywhere on a beach
• My Zodiac Sign: Capricorn

Kind Words from My Best Friend: I’ve known Chris for over twenty years. We met our first year of college and because of our similar senses of humor and values, we’ve remained in each other’s daily lives. He has an enormous heart – his capacity for love and empathy astounds me. For my baby shower last November, I was eight months pregnant, feeling overwhelmed and uncomfortable, but every time I popped into the activity room, there was Chris with yet another kiddo on his lap. He was pointing out shapes, colors and cheering them on in their creativity. Heartwarming doesn’t even begin to describe it. It was a sweet scene with more going on: other parents and I knew that the children were not only engaged with Chris, but they also felt safe enough to interact with him, despite having just met him.

I live in the Laurel Canyon area of LA, which is really quiet and removed from the main hustle and bustle of Hollywood and West Hollywood but still close enough to get there quickly. I’m in the neighborhood of Wonderland Elementary School, which is widely considered to be the best public school in LA and on par with any of the really expensive private schools. As I mentioned I hike a lot around my neighborhood, and there are a lot of great views of the city very close by. I have a cute little patio in the back where I have a dining area and a comfy couch section, so enjoy eating and hanging outside. My living room is pretty large so I like to stretch and do yoga there in the mornings, and a lot of times my cat Junior likes to participate along with me!

Five Places in My Community That I Really Love:

• The beach (I love laying and reading a book, having a snack, sometimes falling asleep…)
• The Nesmon Café (they have amazing crepes and truly the best egg sandwich you’ve ever eaten)
• Franklin Canyon park (there’s a beautiful lake to hike around or sit on a bench, and a smaller pond nearby that always has a slew of turtles and ducks)
• Westfield Mall in Century City (it’s a great outdoor mall where I always go to the movies and then grab lunch at one of the great restaurants there)
• Pony Sweat aerobics (it’s a body positive alternative dance aerobics class I do with my friend every Saturday, they always have the best playlists to dance to, with music ranging from Whitney Houston to Nine Inch Nails to Dolly Parton, and a lot of people bring their kids)

I’m very fortunate to come from a loving and large family in Ohio. My immediate family is just my parents (who’ve been married over 40 years) and my brother with his wife and 2 kids. But my extended family is immense – my mom is 1 of 5 kids, my dad 1 of 4, and growing up we got together to celebrate every aunt, uncle and cousin’s birthdays, so we’re very close. And even though we all live apart now we still all get together every Christmas, and now that most of my cousins have kids there’s a lot of love (and a lot of people!) at the holiday. My parents come out to visit me a few times a year, and in addition to Christmas I try to get home at least once over the summer as well. When my grandpa passed away 8 years ago I adopted his cat Junior, and he’s been my little sidekick ever since. He’s very friendly and quite a character, so even he makes me laugh.

Did You Know?

• I sang one of the boys I baby sat to sleep with Toni Braxton’s “He Wasn’t Man Enough.”
• I’m terrified of heights but went skydiving once.
• I took yoga for credit toward my degree in college.
• My dad was an extra in “The Avengers.”
• I got everyone in my office to dress up as our boss for Halloween one year.

In Closing: Thanks again for getting to know me a little bit. I’m truly ready to start my family, and know that my child is out there. I hope we have the opportunity to meet and figure out if we’re the right fit for each other. Because I do believe that everything happens for a reason, and when it’s right we’ll each just know it. I’m looking forward to hearing from you, and please stay well!