Tom & Jen

Dear Birth Mother,

Thank you for taking the time to read our profile, it means so much to us. We can’t even begin to imagine what you are feeling, and we understand what an important decision this is for you. You are incredibly brave, and your selflessness shows how much love you truly have for this child. We hope you let your heart be your guide in your choice as we have with our decision. The thought of welcoming your child into our family fills us with so much joy.
We’ve always dreamed of having a second child.

My pregnancy with Brian came easily. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for a second one. After a few years of trying on our own we decided to meet with a fertility specialist. During this process we learned that I had endometriosis and a large cyst growing on my ovary. I ended up needing surgery and it couldn’t have gone better.

A couple years later I am back to my healthy self. It was important for us to go through this experience because we found that infertility treatments weren’t for us and really just never felt right. The more we talked about adopting something about it just felt right in our hearts.

How We Met
Tom and Jen met through mutual friends at a party 16 years ago. Tom loved Jen’s green eyes and appreciation for silly humor, so he asked her out. After their first date, Jen ran in and told her roommate, “I met the man that I’m going to marry!” A few years later, Tom proposed to Jen on a secluded beach while on vacation in Bermuda.

About Us
Hello! We are Tom and Jen and we live in the San Francisco Bay Area. We have a sweet and funny nine year old son named Brian.

Both of us grew up just across the Golden Gate Bridge form each other, but we didn’t meet until a few years after we graduated college. We now live in a beautiful community in the Silicon Valley.

We were married about twelve years ago in Las Vegas. It was so special to us to have so many family and close friends share in our day.
We both enjoy traveling, being out in nature, trying out new restaurants (especially one we saw on Diners Drive-ins and Dives), seeing movies, watching Marvel super hero series or Stranger Things on Netflix. We both still love Mexican food, and Tom has developed a famous guacamole recipe!

Our families are both extremely supportive and all live within a couple hours drive.

Fun Facts about our Family
• We love to travel and make it a priority to explore the world as a family
• We love Star Wars and have seen all the movies
• We enjoy visiting national parks and have traveled as a family to Sequoia, Kings Canyon, The Grand Canyon, Zion, Crater Lake and Olympic
• Every year we plant a vegetable garden in our yard
• In 2015 the three of us traveled to Norway with Tom’s mom and had an unforgettable time

Tom is a wonderful husband and father. His silly sense of humor is what drew me to him on our first date. He made me laugh and everything seemed easy and relaxed with him. We both have similar family backgrounds and values. When I’m down Tom knows how to cheer me up and vice versa. We are a perfect balance to each other.

Tom loves getting out in the backyard with our son and shooting hoops or playing catch and it fills my heart to see them spending time together. The patience he shows with Brian is amazing.

Tom takes so much pride in being able to provide for his family. I can always count on him to be home to have dinner as a family. It means so much to us that Tom values the time we all spend together. Tom is such a great dad, I can’t wait to see him become a father all over again.

Fun Facts about Tom:
• I minored in history in college and continue to study the Civil War and naval history
• I have visited 29 different countries
• I took up golf four years ago and have lowered my handicap every year
• I enjoy home improvement and can fix most things himself

In many ways Jen is my opposite. I am firmly based in science and engineering, and she is a talented artist and graphic designer. These differences are reasons why I love her so much and why we make a great team.

Our complementary backgrounds ensure that we have no weak spots.
Jen is also an amazing mother. She provides a loving, nurturing environment for children in our home as well as in the school that she volunteers at. Jen truly cares about others and instills these values in those around her.

I am excited to see Jen become a mother again, and I know she will provide the same loving environment. Best of all, Jen is an awesome cook!

Fun Facts about Jen:
• I like to sew, especially things for my family
• After graduating from college, I had a brief internship at a photography gallery in London, England
• I enjoy going for walks with my friends and family
• I enjoy reading and am in a book club through my moms group

Brian is a sweet, smart and funny nine year old. He is in fourth grade, loves to read and enjoys all types of sports. Brian has four cousins. He is very close with all of his cousins, but especially with six year old Emma and her baby brother Joey. Emma and Joey live about an hour away, but we try to get together as much as we can. Seeing the way Brian interacts with Emma and Joey, I know he will make the best big brother to our future child.

A Message From Brian
I am very excited to become a big brother! I can’t wait to read books to my new sister or brother and teach them how to play sports. We will have fun swimming at Grandma’s house in the summer. I will have fun with my new sister or brother.

Favorites by Brian
Food: Barbecue
Movie: Star Wars
Book: The 13-Story Treehouse Series
Sports to play: Soccer and Baseball
Sport to watch on TV: Baseball
Favorite Teams: San Francisco Giants, Warriors

We live in the San Francisco Bay Area, in a small town that is home to cherry orchards, farmland and tight knit community. Our home is two stories with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Our neighborhood is very safe and we know many of our neighbors. There are sidewalks and three parks within our development.

A big reason why we chose this neighborhood is because of the good schools nearby. Also, our homeowners association puts on an egg hunt at our park with the Easter Bunny and Santa visits at Christmas.

We also live close to hiking and biking trails which we visit often. We are so happy we chose this community to raise a family.

Skittles The Cat
Skittles is a feral cat we rescued as a kitten shortly after we were married. He earned the name Skittles because he is a little shy. If we have company over he usually hides, but he loves his family. When Brian came into the picture Skittles didn’t want much to do with him, but eventually Brian won him over with some tuna, and now they are good friends. I’m sure Skittles will be happy to have another playmate, especially if he can get a tuna treat!

Our Family & Friends
We are very close with both of our immediate families.

My parents, Joyce and Jack, live in our same town and we see each other often. It’s so nice that they are close to help out with Brian when we need them. It is very important to my parents to be close to their grandchildren. I also have a younger brother named John, who lives near by.

Tom’s mom Sharon, lives in the same house Tom and his sisters grew up in, about an hour and a half away from us. Tom has three sisters! Kristy is the oldest; she is married to Paul and has two boys, Jack and Kyle. Jack is in college and Kyle is in high school. Patty is the second oldest, she lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Mark and two dogs. Tom is next in the birth order and Susie is the youngest. Susie is married to Brad and they have a daughter Emma (6) and a son Joey (1). With the exception of Patty and Mark everyone lives within a two-hour drive.

Top 5 Favorite Family Holiday Traditions:
1. Building gingerbread houses with the cousins at Thanksgiving
2. Attending the town’s annual Holiday Lights Parade
3. Baking with Grandma
4. Walking the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights
5. Coloring Easter eggs with Grandma

Thank You
Words can’t express how thankful we are that you would consider us for this precious gift. We promise to provide a loving and supportive family environment. Our entire family is beyond excited to welcome a new addition and we know in our hearts that this is what is meant for us.