Hi – we’re Laura and David. We know your heart is heavy with this decision you’re wrestling with – who should you choose to parent this baby you love so much? We know the caring staff of The Children’s Home is helping you at this confusing time, and we pray that you have the support of family and friends at this important time. Thank you for taking the time to consider us. If you choose us, we will love this child who you are blessing with life. There are also 3 grandparents, 14 aunts and uncles, and 19 cousins waiting to share their family and share their love.
It’s hard to put into words all of the thoughts and feelings we want to tell you about so you can know us better. We are excited to be parents, and will give the baby a safe, happy environment in which they can learn and play. Dave works for a marketing and advertising company, and Laura has worked for a health care company for the past few years, but plans to be a stay-at-home mom when we have kids. Having 19 nieces and nephews, we have watched the fun of raising a child, and look forward to having children to complete our family. We laugh a lot – and luckily we both have the same sense of humor. We know that our house with children in it will be even more fun and filled with laughter.
We dated for 3 years, and have been married for 11 years. We like to travel (as you’ll see from our pictures), walk our dogs (Molly and Gus), eat out at restaurants, watch sports, and spend time with our families. Laura’s parents live on a big lake in Virginia, and the 4th of July is a big family celebration (she has 5 brothers and sisters – 3 in Connecticut, 1 in Virginia, and 1 in Florida). There’s swimming, boating, fireworks, games, and lots of eating. Dave’s family all lives locally in the Pittsburgh area. Dave’s mom, his brother and family, and one of his sisters live practically within walking distance. His other sister and her family live in the New Kensington area. Dave’s aunts, uncle and cousins are also here in Pittsburgh, so holiday time means big, fun parties!
We live in a brick house with a long driveway that will be perfect for riding bikes, playing ball, and using sidewalk chalk. Our house is in a suburban neighborhood south of Pittsburgh, an area known for its great schools. The elementary school (with its big playground) is right up the street. Our neighborhood has lots of young families, and kids are always playing outside, which is something we enjoyed as children and want our kids to experience. Although we grew up hundreds of miles apart (Dave in Pittsburgh, Laura in Connecticut), we both played outside – rode our bikes, roller skated, played kick ball, went sled riding, and played spot-light tag at night. Our neighborhood will be a great place to have similar fun.
We have two dogs – Molly and Gus. Molly has always enjoyed having our nieces and nephews around, and will love to have a kid in the house to rub her belly. Gus will love to have someone to throw the ball for him. When someone comes to visit, the first thing he does is run to get a toy – he LOVES to fetch! We like to take them for walks around the neighborhood, although in the winter, Gus prefers to stay home – he’s not a fan of the cold or the snow.
We will welcome a child of any race into our family and will make sure our child stays connected to his or her race.
We look forward to participating in activities that will help our child celebrate their heritage. One of our nieces is Asian and is adopted, and our extended family is looking forward to growing through adoption again.
Even though we also tried fertility treatments, we always knew adoption would be part of our family building. Although our first fertility treatment worked, Laura was 16 weeks pregnant when we lost the baby in a miscarriage. We sometimes think about how old our son would be now, and we wonder what he would look like, but there’s no one who can tell us. That’s why we’ll understand and be supportive if you would like to stay in contact with us. We can agree together what that relationship will look like.
If you are interested in learning more about us, please contact The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh & Lemieux Family Center at 1-800-961-7704. They have a counselor on call to speak with you 24 hours a day, every day, to help you during this difficult time. If you can, you might want to check their website - www.childrenshomepgh.org – where you can learn more about their services.