Hello, we are Joel & Hermann from the San Francisco Bay Area. We met nine years ago and from the beginning we wanted to start a family. Hermann is from Germany. Joel is from Virginia and speaks Spanish. We will be first-time parents in our early 30s and both be stay-at-home dads at first. We are excited about open adoption, as one of our best friends was openly adopted and has had a great relationship with her birth family.

We admire your decision to consider open adoption.

OUR LIFE TOGETHER

We fell in love as housemates nine years ago. In fact, we are so in love that we celebrated our wedding three times (in Germany where Hermann is originally from, in Virginia where Joel is originally from and in San Francisco where we live today). We have a stable and loving relationship and a supportive network of friends and family.

We love hosting friends and love getting outdoorsWe fell in love as housemates nine years ago. In fact, we are so in love that we celebrated our wedding three times (in Germany where Hermann is originally from, in Virginia where Joel is originally from and in San Francisco where we live today). We have a stable and loving relationship and a supportive network of friends and family.

We love hosting friends and love getting outdoors. We can’t wait to share these loves with our future child, and to develop new ones based on their passions.

OUR HOME

We live in a cozy condo in Albany, California. Hermann bikes to his work as a scientist. Joel works from home as an attorney, who helps immigrants. After work, we relax by grocery shopping and cooking a nice meal together. On special occasions we also bake treats to share with our family and friends, who in turn fill our home with love and laughter.

We also enjoy hanging out in our family room playing music, reading a good book or watching a captivating movie. Joel also has a green thumb – last season he grew sunflowers and rainbow chard in our yard.

We are so excited to play on the ground in our family room on one of grandma’s handmade quilts or to get cozy in our ginormous bed while reading our child a bedtime story. We live in one of the best school districts in the Bay Area, close to lots of great activities for children. We are looking forward to taking our future child to the playground, library, park, and pool - all in walking distance!

ABOUT JOEL - In Hermann’s words

As a boy, Joel grew up on the Virginia countryside playing in the forest and lake behind his house. He still loves to get outside by running and sailing. Joel has always been intensely curious about the world around him. He is gentle with his nieces and sensitive, as he cares how his words and actions make the people around him feel. He is a strong person, physically and mentally, but at the same time loving and empathetic, as he has dedicated his life to helping others. Currently he gives immigrants a voice as an attorney.

I cannot wait to parent with Joel! I see Joel putting our baby to sleep while singing a lullaby or softly playing the guitar.

He is eager to take our baby for walks in a baby carrier around the neighborhood. He loves using his Spanish and looks forward to reading kids’ books in Spanish with our future child.

ABOUT HERMANN - In Joel’s words

My family calls Hermann the “baby whisperer” because he is so good with babies. He is tender and fun - kids love to play with him. He also has a great sense of humor and when playing charades will have everyone rolling in laughter. Hermann is also a brilliant scientist but you might not know at first because he is so humble and easy going. He was a ballroom dancer in college and at family gatherings can be seen twirling our nieces around.

I can almost already hear the laughter of them playing on the ground and being silly together.

Hermann fondly remembers playing “The very hungry caterpillar” in a school play so he cannot wait to read the German kid’s book version to our daughter or son.

And, I admit, I am looking forward to all the amazing birthday cakes he is going to bake our child.

I cannot wait to see Hermann taking care of our child, holding them in his arms, feeding them and rocking them to sleep.

OUR FAMILY

We have large families and together we have 8 siblings! We have lots of extended family all over the country and in Europe, which makes for exciting family gatherings. One brother lives in the Bay Area and cannot wait to be the fun Uncle. Another brother and his wife live in San Diego and are expecting a baby soon. We love spending time with our nieces and our nephew ranging from “to be born” to age 15. In fact, one of Hermann’s sisters and her husband in Germany are going through the adoption process right now as well. We imagine it will be a special adoption bond between these two cousins. 

We look forward to getting together with our families and our friends for summer barbeques, trips to Hermann’s family’s farm in Germany on Easter or Christmas and Joel’s family’s house on a lake in Virginia for Passover and lots of outings throughout the Bay Area and northern California, from the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco to Yosemite National Park. Our big families will shower our future child with love and support.

 

OUR HOPE

We are so incredibly lucky that we found each other from across two different continents. We have large and loving families, steady jobs that we also happen to be passionate about and a strong support network of friends, including a best friend that was adopted at birth and has always had an open and positive adoption with her birth family. Nothing would make us happier than sharing our love and fortune with a child. Thanks for considering us, as you make this important decision.

Take care, Joel & Hermann