Hello! We are Abby and Kate from sunny Oakland, California. We are in our early thirties, have been together for nine years (married for five) and are very much looking forward to starting our family through adoption. Kate is a first grade teacher in Oakland and Abby is a work-at-home librarian for an online school. We sincerely hope that by reading our profile and viewing our photos you will see the love in our lives and all we have to share with you and your baby.

We acknowledge that even just considering adoption is an incredibly courageous and selfless act and have the utmost respect for you as you make this decision. Thank you for being open to learning a little bit about us - we look forward to getting the opportunity to get to know you, too.

Our lives together

We met in 2007 when we both worked part-time in the mail room at our college in Massachusetts and fell in love instantly. Seeking sun, warmth and a new adventure we moved to the Bay Area after graduating in 2008 and have been together ever since.  We were officially married, surrounded by our loving families, at Kate’s sister’s house in Toronto, Canada in the summer of 2012.

Our relationship is best described as a partnership full of love, mutual respect and a genuine desire to fully enjoy life together.  On any given day we might be out at a basketball game cheering on our favorite team (Go Warriors!), enjoying a hike and picnic on a nearby trail, or making music together in our living room (Abby plays guitar and Kate loves to sing). We are total board game nerds, and never turn down the chance to play our favorite games (Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride and Scrabble are just a few!) with our friends and family. During the Christmas season we can’t resist staging a photo in front of the tree and cannot wait to include our baby in this tradition. No matter the activity, you are guaranteed to find us smiling, laughing and enjoying life and each other’s company.

We value kindness and honesty and seek to embody those values in our daily interactions with each other and those around us. We overcome life’s challenges through open communication, having great senses of humor, and remembering that we are a team. We are absolutely thrilled to begin a family and to share our love and kindness with our child.

About Abby, by Kate

I love Abby for her kindness, patience and huge heart. Abby cares deeply about her friends, family and community and shows her love with thoughtful words and actions every day. She enjoys surprising those she loves with little things to make them smile - a chocolate bar, big hug, or a secret note in their lunchbox when someone close to her needs a pick-me-up.

In her work as a librarian, she is always going above and beyond to help her graduate students, and I love watching how passionate she is working with people from all over the world. As a work-at-home mom, I know that all of her kindness and passion will go towards taking the best care of our child, making sure that our son or daughter is always safe, happy, and knows they are loved enormously.

While Abby is very methodical and logical in her decision making (she has already put in hours of research to find the safest and most comfortable car seat for our baby), she is also always playful and is never afraid to be silly! I expect to “catch” Abby and our son or daughter sneaking a before-dinner ice cream treat more than once, as well as choreographing their own dance routines to pop songs in the living room while I make dinner in the kitchen. I look forward to Abby sharing her love of music with our baby, playing lullabies on her guitar and sharing music from around the world as he or she grows up. Whatever the activity, I know that Abby will guide our child through life with unconditional love, patience, and a good dose of humor.

About Kate, by Abby

Kate is the warmest, sweetest person I know. She is someone who instantly puts others at ease and makes them feel safe to share their thoughts or feelings. At the same time she has an adventurous spirit, inspiring me to try new things and break out of my comfort zone. I know she will encourage our child never to fear the unknown and to enjoy new experiences such as tasting interesting foods (likely desserts), travelling to new places, or trying an activity such as horseback riding or skiing (both of which she has exposed me to)!

Literally no one was surprised when Kate announced her intentions to become an elementary school teacher.  If you know Kate, you know she adores children, loves helping them learn and grow, and enjoys learning from them as well. As a 1st grade teacher in East Oakland, Kate works with a diverse group of clever and energetic students. Nearly all of her students primarily speak Spanish and Kate enjoys using and strengthening her Spanish language skills daily with these students and their families. I love when Kate brings home a video of her students working on a science project or engaged in an activity. I can see the way she inspires them to be creative and use their curiosity to learn about the world and I know she will do the same for our child.

I cannot describe Kate without mentioning her love of food—both cooking and eating it! During her free time you are likely to find her in the kitchen testing out a new recipe and if there’s a holiday sometime soon you are sure to find her baking a pie. I’m so excited to spot her in the kitchen putting a little apron on our son or daughter and showing them the proper way to use a rolling pin or letting them steal a lick from the spoon. Kate has an infectiously sweet and optimistic spirit, whether in the kitchen or out in the world. I look forward to seeing what she inspires our child to do and to become.

Our family

We are fortunate to have family and friends all around the country and even in Canada who are eager and enthusiastic to welcome a child into their lives. 

Abby is originally from Missouri and her parents, brother and sister still live there.  We love going to visit over the holidays to enjoy a dose of winter weather (with occasional sledding!) and all of the usual Thanksgiving and Christmas festivities.  Abby’s mom is a serious Christmas decorator and it will be her greatest joy to help her future grandchild hang stockings and string lights around a tree. Abby’s dad loves the outdoors and will enjoy letting a child get dirty, learn to ride a bike, swing in a hammock, or play a rousing game of t-ball just as he did with Abby and her siblings when they were growing up.

Kate is from the Pacific Northwest and most of her family now lives in Portland, Oregon and just outside of Toronto, Canada.  It is a tradition for us to spend a few weeks in Canada each summer with Kate’s sister, brother-in-law and their son.  We make sure that a good chunk of that trip is spent camping by a gorgeous lake in northern Ontario.  There we enjoy swimming, canoeing, and having our nephew educate us about all of the frogs, fish, and insects in the area. Not to mention, of course, stuffing ourselves with s’mores around the campfire every night! When we aren’t together in person we are in constant contact with our families, sending each other photos, videos and care packages, and chatting about our lives.

And let’s not forget the two furriest members of our family, our cats Beans and Dragon Pepper. We rescued them from the shelter when they were both kittens, and now they are best buds. Not only are they excellent snugglers day or night, but they are also great entertainment during their playful moods!

Our home and community

We live in the beautiful and diverse Lake Merritt neighborhood in Oakland. Our home is on a quiet, residential street within walking distance to the lake, library, playground, and local elementary school. We look forward to turning our guest room into a nursery for our little one - in fact, it’s already equipped with the rocking chair that Kate was rocked in as a baby! We love our home, and spend most of our time in our comfortable living room, playing our guitars, hosting board game tournaments with friends, or curling up with a good book (or movie!) and our two cats – Beans and Dragon Pepper - in our laps.

Our neighborhood is full of parks, playgrounds, and family-friendly eateries, and there is always somewhere new to explore and enjoy. We look forward to bringing our baby down to the water to watch (and probably chase once they are older!) all of the ducks and geese as they jump in and out of the lake. We are also excited to share our Saturday morning tradition of walking down to the outdoor farmer’s market to pick out fresh fruit and vegetables for the week. We imagine adding an extra stop at the library and playground so that our son or daughter can play in the morning sun as they snack on all the fresh goodies we pick out together from the market

Our promise

As parents, we promise to:

* Provide unconditional love and support

* Be kind, stable, consistent, open and honest

* Encourage curiosity and reflection (even if it involves getting dirty!)

* Share laughs and cuddles every day

* Embrace challenges by tackling them with good attitudes and open communication.

Thank you

Thank you so much for taking the time to get to know a little bit about us. We hope to get the chance to get to know you, too.

Should you choose us as adoptive parents, please know that your baby will grow up in a very loving home with hands-on parents (Abby will be a work-at-home mom and Kate will have summers off as a first grade teacher). To whatever extent you may or may not wish to stay connected with us, we truly believe in being open and honest about your child’s birth story, and at the center of that story is you. You will forever hold a special place in our hearts.

Warmly,

Kate and Abby