Hola! We are Jessica and Josh. We know that considering placing your child for adoption must be a very difficult decision, and we are humbled by your courage as you explore options for your life and the life of your child. We too have been humbled by life as we have tried to build our family, and appreciate you considering us to parent your child through open adoption.

Adoption has always been close to our heart - a few close friends have built their families through adoption and we have been so inspired by adoption’s power to turn loss into love. These friends and their children will be a great source of support and mentorship for our family as we embark on our own adoption journey.

Jessica will be a stay-at-home mother for the first years of our child’s life. We want to be there for every milestone - their first smile, first word, and first step. This constant closeness and connection from the very beginning will help our child know that they are always safe and loved.

Getting To Know Us

We met 13 years ago while working together in a youth program, and were both initially attracted to each other’s ability to connect and care for young people.  After working together as a team, we realized we were in love and wanted to see what kind of a team with could make together in life!

Five things you might be surprised to learn about us:

• We are both at our silliest and most goofy when we are alone together!

• Josh used to be quite the outdoorsman, once spending 25 days in the wilderness with his best friend.

• Jessica was a dancer for many years and even knows how to tap-dance!

• Josh used to babysit in high school and had two god-sons by the time he graduated from college!

• Josh loves pizza and burgers, and Jessica can’t get enough vegetables and tofu, but our favorite restaurant in San Rafael serves Puerto Rican food!

We have both dedicated our careers to helping youth and adults live healthy, connected lives and we are both currently working as Executive Directors of youth-serving nonprofit organizations in San Francisco. Both of us consider our non-profit jobs a fulfilling way to promote our social justice values and make a positive impact in our community.

We love to travel both locally and abroad, particularly in Latin America. Jessica speaks Spanish and lived in Mexico for several months in college. Travel helps us to refresh and see ourselves and our lives through a new lens.

Five favorite places we have traveled to:

• Puerto Rico

• Kauai

• Panama

• Costa Rica

• Barcelona

Meet Josh, by Jessica:

“This is the kind of man you want to raise a child with - Loving, Laughing, and Loyal.”

Josh is very warm and open hearted.  This open lovingness is most on display when he is around children. He intuitively knows how to make children of different ages feel comfortable, often meeting them at their level to join them in play. More than once, I have seen Josh pick up a friend’s fussy baby and within minutes, the baby is quietly cuddled up in his arms, trusting and content. When our child cries in the middle of the night, Josh will be the father who gladly gives me some rest while he rocks the baby back to sleep, exhausted but happy beyond measure.

Josh loves being with people and is both dynamic and funny, which often makes him the center of both small and large groups.  When we are with people we don’t know, I am amazed to watch him instantly connect with people who were strangers to him moments before. He is genuinely curious about who they are, what they think, and what they do. By the time we leave, it usually seems like we are leaving a group of good friends!

Josh is incredibly loyal and trustworthy. He goes above and beyond to support his family, friends, and coworkers when they need him. I have seen him take a day off work at the drop of a hat to help a friend in crisis. He is a natural leader, and is seemingly at his best when the stakes are highest. When we were on a short trip out of town and heard a loud car crash further down the road, Josh didn’t hesitate before he ran to help the injured and control the scene. This is the kind of man you want to raise a child with: Loving, Laughing, and Loyal.

Meet Jessica, by Josh:

“This is the kind of woman you want to raise a child with: Sympathetic, Supportive, and Steadfast.”

I was struck very early in our relationship with Jessica’s ability to empathize with others and determine the unique support they needed. Several years ago, when she found out that two immigrant teen sisters in her program were on their own because their parents were still living in Venezuela, Jessica took them under her wing. She helped them get into college, find jobs, and secure housing.  To ensure they don’t feel so alone, she celebrates milestones with them, attending graduations, taking them out for their birthdays, and bringing them holiday dinners.

Jessica is, without a doubt, the most thoughtful and conscientious person I have ever met. She loves to show others she cares through meaningful gestures that make them feel seen and understood. When her beloved grandmother suffered a stroke and lost her short term memory, Jessica visited her frequently, patiently addressing her grandmother’s repetitive questions to help her feel safe and secure. Our child will learn from her that life is made rich by caring for others as you would like to be cared for.

Jessica possesses an incredible personal strength and never gives up on anything she starts. In challenging situations that most would avoid or quit, Jessica just takes a deep breath and forges ahead with courage and perseverance. During the economic downturn, Jessica was the only staff person at her organization for six months, singlehandedly keeping the doors open for the girls that needed her. For Jessica, values aren’t something you believe in, they are something you do. This is the kind of woman you want to raise a child with: Sympathetic, Supportive, and Steadfast.

Our Home and Community

We love living in Oakland, California with its great culture, diversity, food, and progressive outlook. Our Lake Merritt neighborhood is very racially and ethnically diverse, and many of our closest friends live nearby. We often meet up with them for movie nights, walks around the lake, the Farmer’s Market, or a meal together. 

Five places/activities in our community we can’t wait to share with our child:

• Visit nearby Children’s Fairyland

• Ride paddleboats on Lake Merritt

• Enjoy a picnic by the lake on a warm summer day

• Ride the Steam Train through Tilden Park

• Summer trips to Santa Cruz beaches and winter trips to ski in Lake Tahoe

We believe our neighborhood is the perfect place to raise a child - it is close to all of the activity and culture of the city, but is still green and peaceful. We have cultivated strong relationships with our neighbors who are mostly families with children, and we are excited for our child to join this community, learning to ride their bike on our neighbor’s long driveway, playing on the rope swing across the street from our home, and walking just two blocks up the street to attend elementary school.  

Our home is beautiful, spacious, family-friendly and it has become a place of great refuge for us.  We spend weeknights together cooking healthy, creative dinners in our cozy kitchen, followed by relaxing on the couch to debrief our days and enjoy our favorite television shows.  On the weekends, we soak up the sun with friends in our backyard and take frequent dips in our hot tub to warm up as the sun sets.  Our house is the frequent gathering place for Josh’s game nights with his buddies and we can’t wait to include our child in the fun!

Five Favorite TV Shows:

• This is Us

• The Big Bang Theory

• Stranger Things

• Game of Thrones

• Gilmore Girls

This Is Our Village

Our entire family has been waiting with great anticipation for us to build our family.

Josh’s parents are retired and live nearby, and look forward to creating hand-made toys for their newest grandbaby.  Josh’s brother also lives nearby with his wife and two-year-old daughter, Talia, and we are excited for these first cousins joining in Josh’s family traditions of camping in the Redwoods, making up creative outdoor games, and going to Giants games.

Jessica’s parents live in Arizona - they are both retired and despite the distance, will be frequent visitors to our new family.  Jessica’s sisters live in New York and Los Angeles with their partners and are thrilled to meet their first niece or nephew!  Jessica’s family are world travelers, avid boaters, and serious ski bunnies and they are excited to bring their first grandchild along on their adventures!

Our Promise To You and Your Child

Should you choose and honor us to love, support, and raise your child, we promise:

• Your child will know you and their birth family and will have opportunities to develop their own relationship with you over time if this is something you want.

• Your child will have the opportunity to explore how adoption has shaped who they are and the many families to which they belong.

• To ensure that your child will be connected to their ethnic and racial heritage and live in a diverse community where they will play with, go to school with, and have adults in their life who share their racial and ethnic background.

• Your child will grow up feeling safe and confident to be who they are, free of judgement and fear.

• To provide your child with tremendous opportunity in life. We will open every door we can so they are never on the outside looking in.

• To make their education a priority, so that he or she can reach their highest potential in life.

• To travel with your child and expose them to different places, people, and cultures, so they feel at home in the world.

• Our family will eat well, and stay healthy and active so your child will have the best possible chance for a long and happy life.

• Your child’s childhood will be filled with fun, encouragement, and delight. We will nurture their curiosity, unique needs, and joy.

Above all, we promise that we will unconditionally love and cherish our adoptive child, your birth child, every day of our lives.

Thank You

Thank you for taking the time to learn about us. If you’d like to learn more, feel free to reach out to our adoption agency, Adoption Connection, [email protected] or 415-355-4635

We wish you the best during this difficult time and hope that you find a path forward for you and your child that feels right to you.

Respectfully,

Jessica & Josh