Being parents means taking on the responsibility of nurturing, guiding, and supporting a child through adulthood. It involves providing for their physical, emotional, psychological needs, and ensuring their safety, and fostering their growth and development. Parenthood is about creating a loving and stable environment where a child can thrive.

We anticipate that creating a lasting bond, watching our child grow and discover new things will be some of the best aspects about our parenting journey. We are looking forward to the joy of watching our child mature, develop, and sharing in the profound love and connection that develops over time.

We are hopeful to have an open adoption with our child's birth family and therefore, we plan on sharing our child's adoption story with them very early on in their life. We will explain that adoption means that we chose each other to be a family. We want our child to know that their birth parents made a loving and courageous decision because they wanted to give them the best life possible. They chose us to be their parents because they trusted us to love and, care for them.

Rita: I feel that I am an extremely determined individual. I enjoy setting and achieving goals even when faced with challenges and setbacks. I possess a strong work ethic and I'm able to stay focused on long-term objectives. My determination has fostered a proactive mindset and encouraged me to take initiative to make strides in my own success. My determination has been a key factor in turning my aspirations into reality and achieving personal and professional growth.

Ethan: I feel that my willingness to help others is one of my greatest strengths. My willingness to help others stems from an understanding that collective well-being enhances individual lives and communities. I try to live my life in a way that exemplifies my faith through acts of service.

As parents and a culturally diverse couple, we hope to embrace and preserve the cultural heritage of our child by celebrating traditions, values, and customs that reflect our child's cultural background. We would like to foster both an appreciation and an understanding of our child's roots if different from that of our own and be sure that they have a strong sense of their individual identity. Celebrating our child's heritage may look like cooking traditional recipes, attending cultural events, or connecting with others in our community with shared backgrounds. We want our child to grow up with an appreciation of how cultural diversity has shaped and will continue to shape our family.

We live in the largest metropolitan area of Virginia. We are lucky enough to have access to several beaches, city parks, historical sites, and we are a short drive from mountains and Blue Ridge Parkway. Most of our summer weekends are spent in the Outer Banks of North Carolina which is a little over an hour drive from our home. There is never a shortage of activities within the community and we are home to several large annual festivals. Our community has a large aquarium, a zoo, several farms, and many different museums.

We live in a brick ranch home with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. We have a huge backyard with a spacious deck where we enjoy spending time and having barbecues or playing outdoor games. Our favorite room in the home is our kitchen where we enjoy trying new recipes and hosting family and friends for dinner. We have large family room where we spend most of our time at home and enjoy watching movies, playing board games, or just relaxing.

We are incredibly lucky to have our immediate family nearby. Ethan's parents and younger sister, Karen, live in Virginia Beach, about 20 minutes from our home. Rita's mom lives a short 5 minute trip down the road, and her dad is living in her hometown of Williamsburg. We get together several times a month, typically at our home or Rita's dad's home and have BBQ's, go out for meals, or enjoy an activity such as bowling.

Our family is made up of individuals with very different personalities, backgrounds, and perspectives, that contributes to a dynamic and multifaceted tapestry of what makes our family unique. We all recognize the value in supporting one another in various capacities. This includes Rita's divorced parents. The family get togethers have offered opportunities for healing and reconciliation, allowing family members to create new memories and redefine their relationships in a positive light. We love that we are all able to come together for celebrations and believe it speaks to the enduring bonds and endless love our family has to offer.

Thank you so much for taking the time to learn more about us. We appreciate that you are making an incredibly selfless and difficult decision and we want you to know how much respect we have for your choice. While we cannot begin to understand all of the emotions you must be feeling as you are navigating this process, we hope that as you get to know us more you feel some comfort in knowing that we are dedicated to providing this child with a life filled with love, encouragement, and opportunity to explore their dreams.

We have been married almost eight years and together for twelve. We were friends long before we began dating and feel like that friendship provided a strong foundation for the marriage we have today. We strive to prioritize our relationship and are very intentional with our time together. We enjoy traveling, going to concerts and plays, finding new recipes, and going to the beach as often as possible.

Our life together is grounded in a sense of stability and balance. We both work our dream careers and have established a healthy work/life balance that allows us flexibility with our schedules. We both recognize the opportunities that have been provided to us and it is important that we are able to offer our child the same life that we have been afforded.

We are lucky to live nearby both of our families. We are all very close and enjoy spending weekends and holidays together. We have a small, close-knit group of friends, most with small children of their own. We have a wonderful support system full of truly amazing people who are anxiously waiting to surround our child with love.

We are so excited to become parents and have always known that adoption is the path we are meant to follow. We believe in having honest conversations with our child about their adoption. Our child will always know the story of their beginning and the incredible bravery that brought them to our family. We feel that an open adoption can be an opportunity to create a meaningful relationship between our family and yours. Open adoption, to us, is about creating a supportive and honest relationship where everyone involved feels valued and respected. We are open to discussing how you would like to stay in touch, whether that looks like letters, photos, or occasional visits. Our goal is to work together to create a dynamic that feels right for everyone. We are here to support you in any way we can.

If you have any questions or would like to get to know us better, we would be honored to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Ethan & Rita