You decide whether you would like to let them adopt your baby.

We are here for you to help make the decision that best suits your needs.

Dear Expectant Mother:

Although we have not met, please know that you have our greatest admiration and respect. You have already made perhaps the most difficult decision of your life, and now you bravely take on the task of picking the adoptive parents you feel will best provide for your child. In our home, a child will be loved, will be kept safe, will be given access to a world of experience and opportunity, and will thrive.

Growing our family through adoption is not a decision we have rushed into or taken lightly. We have been diligently and deliberately working towards this moment for more than four years, making sure that we are ready – emotionally, physically, financially, spiritually -- to provide the best home possible for a family. We feel we owe that much to you, to ourselves, and to a child. 

About Us

We have been together for more than eight years – first in Seattle and now in the San Francisco Bay Area – and in fact are now in the process of planning, with plenty of input from family and friends, our marriage ceremony and celebration. From day one we found that we had many interests, beliefs, values, and passions that were in common, and a handful that were not. Our relationship has not only strengthened our appreciation for the differences of others, but also taught us how much we actually enjoy experiencing diverse activities together as a couple.

While David is passionate about classical music, Ben was raised on classic rock of the 1960s and 70s. We are both visual artists, but David is a professional painter while Ben uses photography as an escape from work life. Still, we love to work together to create a feast every Sunday night whether we have guests or not, we both agree that classic Looney Tunes cartoons rock, and no one can convince us that August wasn't specifically invented for beach house vacations in Kauai. 

As we have begun to announce to our wide circle of friends and family that we are looking to adopt, the response has been ecstatic; one of our dearest friends was even brought to tears. They know, as we hope you will soon see that we are deeply committed to providing boundless love, unconditional support, and never-ending encouragement for the children who will eventually be part of our family as they discover their own interests and passions.

About Benjamin

I was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the youngest of four children. Much younger than my siblings, my family and I often joke that rather than having two parents, I was in fact “raised by committee,” having essentially five parents – an older brother and two older sisters, in addition to Mom and Dad – doting on me all the way in a house full of music, conversation, laughter, books, good food and friends.

Summers were filled with trips to the family’s mountain cabin or beach house. The holidays were times of good cheer and trips to grandparents’ houses. More than anything, family came first, whether in deciding how to spend summer vacation, where to spend the holidays, or simply what to do on a random Tuesday night. Even now, if you get us together it will probably turn into a party. To introduce my mother to a new grandchild, to share the gifts my family gave me with the next generation – nothing would give me greater happiness.

My mother and sisters still live in the Atlanta area, and my brother lives near Charleston, South Carolina. Sadly, my father passed in 1993, and while that passing left a hole, it brought the family closer together than it had ever been before. I make a point of visiting my mother several times throughout the year, and most years, she comes out to spend a week with us. My sisters both have children and watching my niece and nephews grow has been one of the joys of my life. Without exception, I have won their hearts as the "favorite uncle" (although my brother might try to argue the point).

Today, I am proud to say I have achieved the security and satisfaction that can only come from a job you love. I am an executive at a San Francisco-based media technology company that was recently acquired by Microsoft. As a father, I look forward to bedtime stories, taking countless pictures of playtime at the park and making funny faces, while also nurturing a child from infant to little explorer to inquisitive child and beyond.      

About David

I grew up in Laramie, Wyoming with two younger brothers. My parents divorced when I was six but despite the challenges of being a single parent, my mother worked hard to keep us happy and healthy, active and well educated. As a child I had an insatiable curiosity to know everything about the world, about science, about history. I learned to read at a very young age and books taught me endless facts about dinosaurs, the solar system, and world geography while at the same time offering me truly never-ending stories. As I grew a little older I also discovered a love for music and art, interests that I shared with a diverse group of friends.

I am now estranged from my biological family, but have been enthusiastically embraced by Benjamin's family – immediate and extended – as one of their own. Unlike my own quiet family, this amazing group of people could never been described as anything short of lively, boisterous, and affectionate. Over the last decade, I have regained family – not the family I was born into, but rather a joyous family of choice that I helped create.

Though an artist at heart, I have worked in the book business, both in independent and corporate settings, and as a freelance technical writer and graphic designer – jobs that I enjoyed but were ultimately a means to an end. In 2005, I stopped working outside the house and devoted my time solely to painting. It has been the most satisfying time of my life and I am excited about being able to easily segue into full-time stay-at-home dad.

Through hard work and a bit of luck, Benjamin and I have everything we could have ever asked for and now we are ready to open our life to a child who we can love and nurture.  No matter where our conversations begin these days, every one eventually turns to things we will do together with a child. Nothing in our lives is more exciting than one day teaching the little one to swim or ride a bike, showing him a live giraffe for the first time, or watching her decide whether Where The Wilds Things Are or maybe Madeline in London is her favorite book.

Our Home

We own a wonderful and roomy three-bedroom house on a tree-lined street in Berkeley, with fenced front and back yards (and a space already designated for the swing set), a large family room and library, a home office, and a huge deck that we have converted to a roof-top garden where we grow a variety of herbs and vegetables. We share our home with three of the best dogs you could ever meet – Sadie, Titus, and Ernie – all gentle, playful mixed-breed pound rescues who don’t seem to mind that our home is always overflowing with music, movies, and books.

Our neighborhood is lively and diverse with children in almost every home. On our block alone there are three young families with newborns, as well as neighbors from Japan, India, Latin America, Germany, and Italy. A lovely city park with basketball, tennis, baseball, soccer, and community center sits just one block away, and we are easy walking distance to several highly-rated private schools, the public library, a fenced tots-only playground, and the local YMCA. Of course, living in the Bay Area means we are always close to beautiful beaches, numerous parks, and countless fun activity places for children.

Our Values and Our Hopes for The Future

We believe that it is our responsibility to raise children with the utmost care, to give them every opportunity and advantage in life, and to guide them into becoming the best people they can possibly be. A child should always know that they are the most important thing in their parents' lives and that they are loved unconditionally.  We feel they must be offered an endless supply of affection and honesty, encouragement and support. And we believe, perhaps most importantly, that a child should be given cause to laugh out loud at least once a day.

We believe that there are many ways people can improve their corner of the world, but there is none greater or more enduring than to create a family and – through children – help shape not only the next generation, but the future. As parents, we will give a child the gift of access to this big, wide world and the endless opportunities it holds. In turn, we are confident that the child we raise will be our gift to the world, our humble but important way of leaving this planet just a little bit better than we found it.

Making Contact

Thank you so much for taking time to read our letter. If you would like to speak to us directly, you may call us TOLL FREE at 1- 877-736-1497 or e-mail us at benjaminanddavid@gmail.com. Or, you may contact our friendly adoption attorney Susan Romer at 1-800-U-ADOPT-US (1-800-823-6788) and via e-mail at adamsromer@aol.com.

You can also find out more about us and see many more pictures at our website: http://www.benjaminanddavid.wordpress.com

Benjamin and David

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