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Lily and Karen

Hi! We are Lily and Karen and we want to thank you for considering adoption and learning a little bit about us by reading our profile. We have wanted to add children to our lives for over five years. We are incredibly excited about the prospect of adopting a baby and expanding the family we have built together! We can only imagine how difficult this process is for you, but whatever choice you make, we have great respect for you and your decision to create an adoption plan.

We are so fortunate to have found in each other a partner we deeply love and respect; we truly are soul mates. We met almost 9 years ago and were legally married in Canada in 2005. We are more in love now than ever and our love continues to grow every day. We want to adopt a child because we have so much love and joy to share, so much to teach, and so much to learn.

We complement each other well and, because of that, have a very even and peaceful relationship. Karen is playful and spontaneous; while Lily is focused and protective. Karen is clever and insightful; while Lily is witty and perceptive. We are both kind-hearted and compassionate, gentle and maternal, responsible yet creative, and we know the importance of consistency and stability in what can be a crazy world. Together, we believe that we can provide good balance and a well-rounded life for a little one.

Lily has always been drawn to the arts and learning, and very much wants to share her love of these things with our child. She plans to introduce our child to many different types of creative activities, encouraging him or her to try new things and meet new people. Storytime will be an important part of our daily routine, and reading together will help our child’s imagination to flourish. Art, theater, and music, which encourage creativity and self-expression, will be a regular part of our lives. We both also highly value communication and openness and feel strongly that these things will encourage our child to be confident and have good self esteem.

Karen has a deep love and respect of nature. She was raised on a family farm, surrounded by animals and outdoor activities; her childhood was full of discovery, and she hopes to share that discovery with our child. Her family still has a farm and we always have a good time helping her parents to bale hay, harvest vegetables, and collect chicken eggs. Karen plans to teach everything she has learned to our child so she or he can have the opportunity to experience the same joy and serenity Karen has found by being in touch with nature, whether it’s working in our own urban garden or visiting the family farm.

Our home is in a neighborhood near Pittsburgh, which we love because of how walkable, urban and diverse the area is. Our neighborhood will allow our child to be introduced to many different kinds of people and cultures on a regular basis. In fact - because of where we live, our love of trying new things and the diversity in our lives in general - our child will be exposed to many different kinds of experiences. That exposure will be a part of our child’s education and will help our child to be accepting and respectful of all types of people from all types of backgrounds.

Both Karen (an analyst) and Lily (a project manager) have found career success and are very fortunate to have employers and co-workers who are supportive personally and in the workplace. We both have flexibility in our office hours and work for companies that place high importance on work/life balance and offer terrific pay and benefits.

We have large, loud, and fun families who are involved in our lives and who will be involved in our child's life. Each year we join our families for numerous celebrations, reunions, and get-togethers. Our family events are always colorful and full of laughter and storytelling.

We are incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by so many friends we love and respect and consider to be our extended family. They are kind and generous and come from many different backgrounds, religions, and cultures. Many of them have small children, so our child will have friends to play with at gatherings and parties throughout the year.

Our dogs, Ruby and Piper, are friendly and energetic and equally enjoy playing and snuggling. They are adorable, affectionate and funny characters that are happy and loving, and we are grateful every day to come home to their wagging tails and unconditional love. We both strongly feel that giving a child a chance to interact with animals at an early age is a terrific way for him or her to learn respect and kindness for all creatures, and these gentle doggies are a perfect introduction to the animal world.

Traveling is something we both adore, and we plan to take our child to experience different parts of the country and the world. We want to share the wonderful excitement of exploring new places and cultures. We love history, art and science and know how much fun learning can be! We’re in favor of strong education but know from our own experiences that education doesn’t only happen in a formal school setting. Our lives are enriched by books, concerts, theater, festivals, and many other events, but we're also big fans of snuggling on the sofa with a good movie and a bowl of popcorn.

Volunteering is important to us and it is our desire is to teach our child the value of compassion and empathy. We strongly believe that we can help the world to be a better place by actively participating in organizations that help others, being advocates for those who have no voice, and doing our best to use our actions, and not just words, to show our support. We also try to be thoughtful of the planet and because of that we are careful with natural resources. We try to have as few chemicals in our home as possible, and we think it’s worth the effort to find safe and healthy products and cook with sustainable organic foods.

As we go through the journey of our lives together, we always try to be positive, have fun and laugh as much as possible. We are especially looking forward to a future of love, laughter and fun as we see these things fresh through the eyes of our child.

More than anything, our primary goal is for our child to know happiness, security, and affection. We will do everything in our power to help our child to grow up healthy in mind, body and spirit; confident of his or her worth; respectful of people and the planet; and safe in the knowledge that she or he is unconditionally loved.

We can be reached through The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh and Lemieux Family Center, a licensed and well-respected local adoption agency. Someone is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-961-7704 or 412-441-4884; please ask for a birthparent counselor.

The Children's Home of Pittsburgh & Lemieux Family Center • 5324 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15224 • Phone: 412-441-4884 • Fax: 412-441-0167