To potential expectant parents who are considering adoption:
Dear expectant parent,
It is a privilege to have you reading this profile and considering us as an adoptive family for your child. We admire the love you have for your child and your brave steps to find them a home in whatever circumstances you may find yourself.
Adoption has been on each of our hearts since before we were married, for Michelle, a desire to foster, for Tim, an appreciation for his own adoption story and a hope to do the same in the future. We still hold both in our hearts. Our journey to building a family has been a difficult one, having several losses before our daughter was born, and several more while hoping for a sibling. Today we know this is the right time to pursue adoption for our family and couldn’t be more excited!
Our family is made up of two very supportive sets of grandparents as well as Tim’s birth mother and her family with whom we have ongoing contact. Tim was adopted, but within his family, there are an additional two international adoptions represented. You can rest assured your child will be welcomed wholeheartedly by our loved ones.
We value family, adventuring, inclusion, and openness, and would hope to extend that not only to your child, but yourself as a valued part of the adoption triangle.
As we go through this process, we have been, and continue to pray for you and your child in whatever path life holds for you,
Michelle and Tim
Who we are as a family:
Michelle has worked in a number of therapy settings since the completion of her master’s degree, but recently transitioned into private practice, where she will have additional flexibility to adjust her schedule to the needs of the children. She primarily works with individuals who are experiencing impact from trauma. Long-term, she hopes to grow her practice to allow greater flexibility to step away for extended travel as children get older.
Tim shifted out of an auto mechanic career shortly before COVID and returned to college to pursue commercial aviation. He now works full time as an airline pilot and is based in Minneapolis. This affords him more time to be at home with family. Although he enjoys flying airplanes, his priority still remains on spending as much time at home as he can. This flexibility is something he continues to pursue, especially as children’s events will be coming into play in the near future.
Together we have one child, Valerie. As a family, we love to go on walks, go hiking, travel (we like to travel A LOT), kayaking, skiing, and biking. Valerie has been joining us out on the water or on hikes since before she could walk and slid on her first pair of skis at 1.5 years old. We value being outside and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation, so we have cultivated hobbies as a family that allow us to spend time together.
Our views on openness in adoption:
Tim was adopted from New Life in a time when open adoptions were not common, but his family shared photos and letters about Tim until he was at an age to communicate with his birth mother. As time went on, that relationship changed and as adults, we have had the privilege of his birth mother coming to our wedding, to our baby shower and getting together with her family at least once a year. She regularly joins in family events, and this is what we would hope for in our own adoption experience. Tim’s birth mother is a bonus grandparent to our daughter and is a beloved part of our extended family (see a letter from her included in our formal profile.)
Our family values the idea that more the merrier with family – our desire would be to develop an open adoption relationship that allows connection and a long-lasting bond. No two adoptions are the same and we understand that there will be ups and down along the way, but we desire, strongly, to build a relationship with you as well as your child. We have been so blessed to have extra hearts and hands loving on Valerie through chosen family and Tim’s birth family, and we would welcome you as well as extended family or biological siblings, to be a part of our lives. Together we can love on them and watch them flourish.
In a cross racial adoption especially, we know the value of having people in the child’s life who can reflect back the strength and character of their race. We know the experience we have as a white couple will change, and while we commit to educating ourselves, standing beside and in front of our child in the injustices of our country, we value the contribution of a birth family in the identity formation of our children.