Our adoption profile

Derek & Ryan

Family Type: Gay Couple
State We live in: Pennsylvania

dear expectant mother

We want to thank you for your courage. The strength it requires to get here does not go unnoticed, and we are forever grateful for the opportunity to achieve the dream we talked about on our first date together. That opportunity requires both a mutual faith and a dream, from you and from our family, that we both clearly share for a child surrounded by love.

Love is everything in our home and is the foundation for our beliefs and values. As a gay couple, our family was created through authentic and beautiful self-discovery, with an honoring of our families’ traditions and the forging of a modern-day definition of love. If you choose us, your child will feel the love of two dads who commit to each other and choose one another every day, the love of our extensive network of friends and family, and the unconditional love that their mom and dads see them and accept them, no matter who they grow to be.

This love and our circle has been cultivated daily through curiosity about the world, an empathetic helping hand to neighbors and strangers, and a joyous belief that life is short and we need to cherish the ones we are with. Your little one will be safe, heard, and valued and will have opportunities to learn in school, travel the world, and to discover their own love and passions.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know us and considering helping us realize our dreams of growing our family.

Watch Our Video

Thank you for taking the time to get to know us and considering helping us realize our dreams of growing our family.

-Derek & Ryan

About Us

We met on 2nd Avenue in New York City in 2018. We locked eyes and recognized each other from a dating app, and our first date was a few days later. We didn’t realize we lived just a few blocks from one another, so our chance encounter was a bit serendipitous. We officially got married in 2020 and celebrated our wedding in 2021 with all our friends and family in Florida. Derek is dedicated and nurturing and leads a customer success team for a tech software company. Ryan is selfless and adventurous and works in operations and strategy for a nutraceutical brand. We are avid foodies, enjoy taking workout classes together, and love to travel. We love spending time with our families and our dog and enjoy a good television series or movie.

Our Home & Pets

We live in a residential area with a great balance of beautiful architecture, amazing food, and quieter city streets. The community is very close knit, with folks being here their whole lives and many newcomers as well. We are close to several playgrounds and dog parks as well as a grocery store, gym, etc. Our three-story brick home sits on a cobblestone street and is very spacious, with tons of natural light. We both work from home and have plenty of dedicated quiet space. We are also walking distance to several nearby quality elementary schools and minutes away from many historical landmarks and museums. We take pride in the design and cleanliness of our home, but Otto never lets us forget his daily show-and-tell with his toys!

Our Extended Family

We both have very large extended families, and if you count our friends who feel like home, it’s well into the hundreds. We are uncles to five (soon to be six) nieces and nephews, who light up our life every time we see them. Derek has one older sister, and Ryan is the middle child of a younger brother and older brother. We have three siblings-in-law and over twenty first cousins as well as grandparents and great-grandparents waiting to shower a little one with love.

Traditions are important to us, so we make sure to spend all holidays, birthdays, and milestones with our families and fill our trips with quality time and joy. More importantly, we go to our extended family for hard times, a timely laugh, and all of life’s in-between moments. Some of our traditions include trying new recipes, Christmas movies on repeat, and food scavenger hunts at state fairs.

What Led Us To Adoption

Above all, we want to provide a safe and loving home for a little one whose mom is looking for the same. We cannot wait to become dads together. If we can raise one human who will make the world a better and brighter place, we would consider that the ultimate test of a meaningful life. We want to teach our child that a father can be soft, strong, kind, vulnerable, and wise. We want our child to know we will care for them, guide them to the best of our ability, and witness them for who they are. Our concept of family extends beyond blood relation, and we knew adopting a child into our family was the choice for us.

more about Derek

more about Derek

Occupation:
Manager of Customer Success
Religion:
Catholic
Race:
Caucasian
Education:
Bachelor’s degree
Food:
Sushi
Hobby:
Running, fitness
Movie:
The Parent Trap
Favorite Tradition:
March Madness bracket challenge
Sport:
Basketball
Holiday:
Christmas
Music Group:
Sara Bareilles
TV Show:
Schitt’s Creek
Book:
Like Streams to the Ocean
Subject in School:
English
Dream Vacation:
Italy

more about Ryan

more about Ryan

Occupation:
Director of Operations Strategy
Religion:
Catholic
Race:
Caucasian
Education:
Bachelor’s degree
Food:
Tacos
Hobby:
Cooking
Movie:
The Lion King
Favorite Tradition:
Grandma’s backyard Easter egg hunt
Sport:
Soccer
Holiday:
Thanksgiving
Music Group:
Elton John
TV Show:
Friends
Book:
Tuesdays with Morrie
Subject in School:
History
Dream Vacation:
Fiji

Contact Derek & Ryan

Interested in learning more about this family?