Hi, we’re Jen & Tony. We live in Oakland, California, where we love to be outside — running, biking, or drinking coffee in the sunshine on our deck. Jen runs operations at a tech startup in San Francisco. Tony, a pastry chef, will be a stay-at-home dad.

Adoption runs in our family — Tony’s mom was adopted — and should you decide adoption is best for you and your baby, we’d love to welcome you both into our family.

About us

How we met

We met in Alta, a ski town in the mountains in Utah. We both moved there to be ski bums. Being a ski bum by day requires a job by night; thankfully, Jen got a job as a waitress at the same restaurant where Tony was a pastry chef. Our first date was memorable to us both, but for different reasons: Tony asked Jen out to dinner, and Jen was embarrassingly under-dressed for the fancy restaurant Tony chose for this special occasion! Our second date was ice climbing, and thankfully Jen chose the perfect outfit.

After two ski seasons, Jen moved to Berkeley for grad school, and Tony followed shortly thereafter. We got married 5 years ago — and of course we got married in the mountains!

Our values

The Outdoors: We both love to be outside. Fresh air, sunshine, beautiful scenery… nature makes us relaxed and happy. Jen wanted to understand how everything in nature is connected, so she studied ecology & marine biology in graduate school. Tony’s free-time pursuits — climbing and triathlon — bring him outside every day. Our child will run outside, soak up the sunshine, and learn about the plants and animals that surround us here in California.

Travel: We believe that seeing new landscapes and experiencing new cultures helps us learn how we are all part of a larger world. Jen went on lots of family vacations as a kid, and loves taking travel photos — they cover our walls at home. Tony didn’t travel much until he finished high school, but now he can’t stop. Our child will have his or her own passport (actually two — Jen is Canadian and will seek Canadian citizenship for our child), and we’ll travel to all our favorite places (Barcelona, Stockholm, Vancouver, Yosemite National Park) as well as places none of us have seen before.

Education: We both love learning. Jen is the nerd in the family — she went to an Ivy League school and earned a PhD. We’ll encourage our child to pursue his or her passions, inside and outside the classroom. As parents, we’ll make sure that homework is finished every night, we’ll be hands-on with science fair projects, and we’ll be so proud on the day when our child graduates from college.

Meet Jen

"I look forward to reading books, visiting museums, and doing crafts with our child."

Jen is the Director of Operations at a technology company in San Francisco. This suits her because she is the master planner. She is always the one organizing picnics, parties, and adventures with friends and family.

Jen has a passion for science and sharing it with children. While working on her PhD at Berkeley (Marine Biology), she volunteered at local schools, encouraging kids to pursue their curiosity about science and technology. She then worked at a children’s science museum. San Francisco has many museums, and Jen wants to get family memberships to all of them!

Jen’s mother is from China. Growing up biracial, Jen learned the importance of maintaining a firm connection to her roots. She feels it is important to help our child learn about and develop a connection to their own racial and ethnic background.

Jen looks forward to reading books with our child, and her mom saved all her favorite childhood books. She enjoys music and hopes our child will, too — starting with piano lessons on the family piano! And Jen wants to share her love of creating things by hand with our child. She already has craft projects in mind: Halloween costumes, pajamas, and hats for ski trips to the mountains.

Meet Tony

"I look forward to exploring the outdoors with our child and being a stay-at-home dad."

Tony is never sitting still. He was an avid rock climber for many years, and traveled all over the United States and Europe on climbing trips with friends. Recently, he started doing triathlons. His proudest accomplishment is the Ironman World Championship triathlon in Kona, Hawaii — a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26 mile run. He runs and bikes almost every day in the Oakland hills near our home.

Tony is a pastry chef at a small restaurant in San Francisco. He enjoys cooking for friends and family. At any dinner party, you can find him in the kitchen — even if the party is at someone else’s house! He makes amazing birthday cakes — and our kid will be lucky to bring Tony’s cupcakes to school.

Tony will be a stay-at-home dad. He can’t wait to share his love of the outdoors with our child. He’s looking forward to swimming lessons at the pool, running on trails with a jogging stroller, visits to the climbing gym — all followed by homemade cookies!

Our home and neighborhood

Home sweet home!

We live in a quiet, tree-filled neighborhood in the Oakland hills. We own our home, and we recently renovated the kitchen so Tony can cook feasts for friends. There is nothing better than having our family and friends gathered around our big dining table and lounging on our back deck for a brunch or barbecue!

Our child will have his or her own room, with windows that look out over big trees, a wall of bookshelves, and a cozy chair for reading all those books.

We’re a short walk to the Sunday farmers market, the public library (as a stay-at-home dad, Tony will attend weekly story-time with our child!) and several spots for ice cream on summer evenings.

Our family

We are lucky to have loving families who are excited that we’re going to adopt a baby. Here’s who will welcome you and your child:

Tony's family

Tony is from Lexington, Kentucky, where his mom and brother both live today. Tony’s mom, Ruth, was adopted when she was a baby. Ruth met her birth family when she was an adult, and became close with her brothers. She wishes she had known them growing up. Her experience as an adoptee encouraged us to pursue open adoption — we want our child to have the opportunity to know his or her birth family from the beginning. Ruth looks forward to talking with our child about their shared experience as adoptees.

Jen's family

Jen is Canadian, originally from Ottawa, and her extended family lives in Ottawa and Vancouver.  Our child will have dual Canadian/American citizenship. Jen’s brother and his wife live in Baltimore and have a young son. And Jen’s parents live near Washington DC, and plan to spend half the year in their second home in California so they can be active and involved grandparents to our child.

Becoming a family & thank you

As first-time parents (with Tony as a stay-at-home dad), we can’t wait to:

- Help a child grow and learn and become ready for the world

- Share all the things we love: thin-crust pizza, our favorite books, the redwood grove in the park nearby

- Teach our child all the things we’ve learned: how to ride a bike, read a map, and be a good friend

- Support our child as he or she explores whatever captures their interest: soccer or school plays or hip hop dance

- Have new adventures together as a family: travel to new places, try new foods, and learn new things

We look forward to being loving, active parents, and we are humbled by the gift you are considering giving us. Tony’s mom was adopted, so we fully appreciate the hopes you have for your child’s future. Should you entrust us to be parents to your child, we and our family will welcome you both with open arms.

With love and respect,

Jen & Tony