Jim and Jessie

About Jim

My story started a long time ago (1990’s) in a galaxy far, far away (California) where my Mom moved away from her family in Pennsylvania to be with my Dad, a Navy Sailor stationed out there, after both had fallen in love very quickly and knew they wanted to have a family together. Only a few years and a new baby sister later we moved back to PA to be close to my Mom’s family. With her 6 brothers and sisters and their kids, my Mom’s family is large, loud, and loving. I have 18 first cousins on her side with their own growing families that are always around for holidays, birthday parties, and graduations. My Dad’s family, although smaller in number and greater in distance, is not lacking in love and support. In short, I have been blessed to have inherited a huge support system from my parents.

I grew up playing sports in leagues and on the street, reading books, learning how to play instruments, and playing board games and video games with friends and family. Since a young age, I was a part of a Christian scouting group that taught me outdoors skills like camping and fishing, as well as how to respect and appreciate any individual for being who they are. After high school, a solid group of friends began to form. Seven of us, including my Dad, meet every week to play Dungeons and Dragons, over 8 years and counting! I still love reading, listening and playing music, relaxing with video games, and watching sports on tv, especially hockey.

About Jessie

Hi, I’m Jessie. I’m Pennsylvania born and raised. I’m from a loving family that is continuously expanding. Parents, grandparents, siblings, a nephew, nieces, aunts, uncles, and cousins galore. Our years are always filled with family functions, from reunions to holiday parties and celebrations of all the milestones in life.

As I get older, I’ve realized that you never truly seem to outgrow the things you loved early in life. I still enjoy many different things from my childhood including dancing, painting, video games, yoga, and any activity I can do outside. I have the greatest love for all things water – swimming is my favorite thing to do. I’m the type of person who is enamored by the “little things” in life. I’m typically the first to point out stunning sunsets, radiant stars, beautiful butterflies, or just random animals as we’re driving down the road. I’ve wanted to be a mother for as long as I can remember. I hope to inspire this child to see the beauty in the world, even on the most mundane of days.

Our Life Together

We have been together over 13 years now and married almost 10 years. We met as teenagers on the Gateway Clipper during prom and developed a friendship. 4 months later, we had our first official date at Kennywood. We have been inseparable ever since.

Together we enjoy playing video games, hiking, dining out, and traveling. We like to attend sporting events and comedy shows. We enjoy our weekend getaways as much as our longer vacations. We have wonderful friend groups and large extended families on both sides that we thoroughly enjoy spending time with. Whether it’s a game night, a celebration, or a quiet night at home, we always have a fun time. We also have two cats that we raised from 8 weeks old, Willow and Strider. They are majorly spoiled and have the sweetest souls.

Why Adoption? Why Parenthood?

Early on in our relationship, we discussed our desires to be parents one day. We agreed to wait until a couple of years after we were married to allow us time to enjoy ourselves as a couple. Infertility was the last thing we anticipated. It was a hard chapter in our lives, but being open with our struggles helped us to connect with others around us who were experiencing similar journeys. We took a step back from family planning for awhile to allow ourselves time to heal. However, there are some dreams you just never let go of – being parents was that dream for us.

We’ve had many conversations over the years about why we would like to be parents and what we look forward to most in terms of having a child. We recently had this conversation again. Jim wants to be a father so that he can nurture and watch a child grow and develop their own talents and passions. Jessie wants to be a mother simply to love a child the way they deserve. She truly enjoys spending time with children and can’t wait to have that parent-child connection. We both are very interested in seeing the world from our child’s eyes and learning from their perspective.

Jim is most looking forward to supporting a child in whatever activities bring them joy. Whether that is watching them play a sport, spending time while they practice an art, or just exploring a new passion of theirs as they arise. Jessie originally was looking forward to the fun memories to be made through trips and holidays and experiences. While that is still very much an exciting prospect, as time goes on, she’s most looking forward to the day-to-day things such as good morning hugs, reading bedtime stories, and everything in between.

We have done so much in our lives in anticipation of bringing a child into our home. We have plenty of space, time, and more love than we can contain to dedicate to a child. We’re looking for the missing puzzle piece to our family. We are open to a child of any race or gender. We’re fully prepared to provide everything we can so that this child will always feel safe to be themselves and will never for ONE second doubt how loved they are by us and by you.

Thank you!

Thank you for taking the time to read about us and our lives together. Check us out on Instagram @jessiejamesadopt to get an additional glimpse into our lives. If you have any questions, or are interested in meeting, please reach out to us at JessieJamesAdopt@outlook.com and/or contact The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh and Lemieux Family center directly at 412-736-2908.