Hi there, and thank you for reading this. Learning from other families and adopted people, including Katelin’s own mother and nephews, we have prepared our hearts and our lives for this moment. We have an extremely close-knit family that values family above all else. We are a family that values culture, hard work, and education while not taking ourselves too seriously. Our goal is to provide the happiest childhood to our children as possible and, as they get older, to expose them to all facets of life so they can figure out for themselves what they are good at, what they enjoy, and the path they want to lead. They will never have to pass up an adventure or opportunity because of a lack of means. At the end of the day, we care most about nurturing them to simply be a good person.
We want you to know how much we admire the strength and care you’re showing—wanting your child to have a life full of opportunities, happiness, and security. We’d be honored to provide that life, but no matter what decision you make, you are doing what is best for you and your baby.
Thank you again for considering us. We’re truly grateful for the chance to share a little about ourselves, and we’d love to get to know you and hear about your hopes and dreams.
Katelin had recently moved to Chicago and was working as an art dealer when she met James on a dating site catering to young professionals. James would frequently visit her gallery hoping to take Katelin on another date (while also nodding his head when she blabbed about art). It worked! Our love grew pretty quickly and just in time to get engaged a couple of weeks before the pandemic hit. The fun part of life for us is developing new skills! Our city has an amazing atmosphere of continued learning and experiences. James knows a lot about business and finance, but does he know how to bake fresh bread? Nope, but there’s a class for that he will happily take to grow his skill. Katelin knows a lot about art, but does she know anything about science and technology? Thank goodness for the science and history museum!
We own a three-bedroom home in a safe and family-friendly neighborhood. We live near playgrounds and a nice big park that has swan boats to rent and paddle around the ponds. Our balcony overlooks a daycare center that we love visiting for their lemonade and hot cocoa stand. We also live beside an elementary school. Our five-year-old cockapoo, Matzah, enjoys walking by and letting the kids pet her during recess. She also is a certified emotional therapy dog. We realized she had a talent and decided on further training during the COVID downtime. The ice cream truck makes its rounds religiously. There’s also fun block parties with food trucks, art, music, and more! We also live within walking distance of our family.
We have seven nieces and nephews who range from one to 16 years old. James’s brother has two children, and Katelin’s sister has five. Katelin has one older sister, and James is the middle of two brothers. He has a big family coast to coast! This makes things easier when traveling because we most likely know someone. There’s a larger family group chat on his side that we all stay connected through with the silly name “Chimichanga Bluetooth” (inside joke at its finest). It’s active daily with funny posts and pictures. Katelin also has a family chat with her mom, dad, and sister, who still live in Tennessee.
Recently, the reason to all get together has been for weddings or anniversaries as well as holidays. James’s parents held a joint anniversary celebration with his aunt and uncle in Costa Rica. Anyone who wanted to attend was welcome. Katelin’s father came as well. Our family has melded very well together. We all have similar senses of humor, which makes for a cheek-hurting gathering. Any embarrassing moments turn into absolutely legendary stories to pass on.
Katelin’s side of the family has lots of experience with adoption, starting with her mother being adopted. Her sister also adopted two boys from China. After struggling with IVF and miscarriages, we believe adoption is our true path. The conversation of adoption is always open with our family. We also have a great community of family friends who have experienced adoption as well. We are truly excited to grow our family with genuine and unconditional love.
