Renee and Melanie

About Us

We are a queer couple that has been married for 17 years, and we’ve spent those years living in
or just outside Pittsburgh. Our house has a large front and back yard, and a public park one
block away. We chose this home specifically because we wanted to have more room to grow
our family. The neighborhood we live in has great schools, with lots of activities for a child as
they grow up.

We have 2 -ADORABLE- cats that we love dearly. They are sisters that are 3 years old named
Catra and Adora (after characters from cartoon She-ra) – they demand love when they want it,
enjoy watching cat TV, talk lots and are a constant delight!

In our free time, we like to travel to different countries, see new sights, and try new things. We
particularly enjoy visiting Tokyo and Banff, and love shopping, sightseeing, and of course trying
new foods.

But, we also do all of the everyday stuff together- we cook meals together, talk, do housework,
go for walks, and watch TV (we are especially fond of Star Trek and anime). We also enjoy
getting together with friends for movie nights and spending time with our niece (10) and nephew
(2) who also live in Pittsburgh. Lately we’ve been into hunting for fun decor together as we look
to decorate our house and make it a home.

Renée

I grew up and attended school in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with one younger sister and two
loving parents. When I was around 3 years old and my sister was on the way, my parents bought
a home computer (back in a time when almost no one had one!) so that I would not feel
neglected while they were caring for a newborn. Little did they know that it would form the basis
for my career and many of my hobbies.

From that young age, I was always deeply interested in learning and technology. I could often be
found spending my time with a good book, watching the latest Star Trek on TV with my family, or
deeply engrossed in teaching myself everything about the latest new computer trend. Now, I
work as a software engineer at a company that uses technology to carry out its mission of
bringing free education to people around the world.

During my down time, I like to tinker with my collection of retro computers from the 1980’s and
90’s. I especially love finding ways to make them do new things, and find it to be a fascinating
way to learn about how they evolved to be such an important part of our modern lives.
About 7 years ago, I came out as a transgender woman. Although my journey has been difficult
at times, particularly because my transition has been slowed down by our desire to welcome a
child into our family, our relationship has remained strong and I am so lucky to have had Melanie
by my side.

As we try to bring a child into our family, I am excited for the chance to share my love of learning
and experimentation with them!

Melanie

I moved around a lot as a child because my parents were in the military, but spent a lot of my
school years living in eastern Pennsylvania with my parents and an older sister. I was always
into creative arts and crafts as a child with my mom even teaching me and my friends all how to
sew at an early age. I was also really into computers and technology, so my dad, who was an
electrical engineer, encouraged me to learn programming as a child.

Then one year, while we were vacationing at Disney World we got invited backstage to see the
development of a new ride and I realized I could combine my love of creating things with
programming. That’s why I chose to study computer science and actually ended up making
theme park rides myself! Currently I work for a well known non-profit media company here in
Pittsburgh making educational video games for young children.

In my spare time I still love working on crafts like making paintings, sewing costumes, designing
home decor, etc. If it’s a craft, I’m probably interested in trying it out! I also collect vintage toys
from the 80’s and the craft room is a colorful rainbow room filled with various toys of my
childhood.

I hope to one day be able to share my passion for creating things with my child.

The Parents We Want to Be

We don’t currently have any children of our own, but we have dreamed of having a child for a
long time, and have thought deeply about how we’d like to raise our family. Our most important
goal as parents is to raise our child in a welcoming environment filled with empathy and
kindness. As a queer couple, we would raise our child to know that they are loved, accepted, and
seen no matter how they identify or who they love. We want them to grow up in a home filled
with happiness.

We have been blessed to have good lives and strong families, and want to share those blessings
with a child. We want to give them all the opportunities we can, and set them on a path where
they can grow and thrive.

Thank you for taking time to consider us!

-Melanie & Renée