Our family enjoys each other’s company and can have a good time doing just about anything. From ordering in pizza and watching movies of all kinds to seeing the Nutcracker Ballet at Christmas, we’re a family who simply enjoys being together. We’re a short drive from downtown Pittsburgh and definitely take advantage of what the city offers. We enjoy going to professional sporting events, festivals, museums, concerts, as well as the symphony, ballet, and plays in the cultural district. We also partake in all kinds of outdoor activities, such as hiking, softball, tennis, and riding bikes. Playing Nintendo Switch, board games, or card games are activities we love to do from time to time at home. My daughter and I have been creating art together lately. We frequently drive to visit family members, too.

More than anything, I’m looking forward to Jenny holding our baby and reading to them. We’ve been busy putting together the nursery and have compiled quite the collection of books, so it’s easy to picture her doing this! Jenny’s been a perfect parent to my daughter since coming into her life when she was only seven years old, so I’m excited to raise a child with her from the very beginning.

I can’t wait to see our new baby in a carrier on Jenny as she creates floral arrangements for work. As our new child gets older and since Jenny’s such a good cook, I look forward to them getting messy in the kitchen and cooking together.

It’s incredibly obvious to me she’ll be the best parent of a young child. Sharing that experience with her is sure to be wonderful and rewarding.

Jenny is comfortable to be around and she has a relaxed, supportive energy. The baby won’t be able to say anything, of course, but I believe they will instantly and inherently be able to feel Jenny’s energy… and that they’re safe. Jenny is loyal and already recognizes that family – and the love and support within it – is the most important thing, so caring for our baby will always be the top priority. With that said, we know our partnership is foundational, so we’ll continue to care for each other and be empathetic while raising our newborn and teenager.

Adding a child to our family is a way to strengthen our bond and get even more out of life. It’s a privilege to be able to raise a child, show them endless love, and help shape their life and experience in the world as they grow older. Knowing that our existing family unit – including extended family – is so strong, we know that we’re set up to succeed from the get go. While there will be challenges, we’re equipped and confident in our ability to take them on. I also remember the early days of raising my teenager and look back on them fondly. It was such a genuinely fun experience (the majority of the time) and I know it’s something I want to do again.

I’m currently the Marketing & Communications Lead at a nonprofit organization serving as a strategic advocate, connector, and promoter for the life sciences ecosystem in the Pittsburgh region. I’m only a few months into the role and it’s been a delight to feel empowered and work with the small and smart team there. I will keep my full-time role when the baby arrives and my wife’s occupation as a wedding and event florist allows us great flexibility. However, I work from home three days per week, which will allow me to jump in pretty easily.

We believe it’s important to not only love and provide for our child, but also ensure they grow up feeling seen, represented, and proud of who they are. We’ll surround them with toys, books, art, and movies that represent many cultures and races. We’ll also increasingly learn about specific customs, holidays, and more that we can incorporate into our life. We view it as continuous life experience and education, and as generally curious people, are looking forward to it.

Our home is the optimal size to raise a family like ours – not too big, not too small. Put another way, the home has everything we need and nothing we don’t.

It’s a three-story home and our new child will be in the bedroom next to ours on the second floor. Our safe, fenced-in backyard, which is already one of our favorite spaces, will absolutely become a favorite place to play outside with our new child.. We also love our front porch and if the weather’s cooperating, Jenny and I will sit outside working and drinking coffee. In addition to our bistro set, we have a small loveseat out there to take in a beautiful view filled with trees and seemingly endless squirrels, rabbits, and birds. Inside our home, we’ll undoubtedly spend a lot of time with our child in the nursery and living room.

Aside from our immediate family, we spend most of our time with extended family. Many times a year we travel to visit family or they’ll visit us. This will continue once we adopt our baby, and these extended families will become a huge part of our child’s life. We consider ourselves lucky to have such a loving and involved extended family who’s thrilled for us to be adopting. As just one example, my aunt will help with babysitting when my wife has large weddings in the summer and Jenny’s dad and stepmom plan to visit more often to spend time with the little one.

As far as our teenage daughter, she’s been wanting a sibling for her entire life and is extremely happy we’re growing our family. She’s already asking if she can help with feedings, diaper changes, and more. Just last week, she helped Jenny build a book case for our baby books that’s now in the nursery, and she’s picked and organized cute newborn outfits as well. I can’t imagine a better big sister than her.

I love our neighborhood and am excited to walk our main street with our child in the stroller, grab coffee, and pop into stores. It’s obviously good to get a little exercise, too. Our little town always has something to offer no matter what time of year it is. We have a wonderful Christmas light up night with Santa in the winter and numerous festivals and farmer’s markets in the summer. It’s fantastic to have such amenities within walking distance and is especially great with a young child.

Unsurprisingly there’s a lot I could mention here, but the experience of finding and cutting down our first Christmas tree together is difficult to beat. We traveled an hour or so away to somewhere none of us had ever been, found the perfect tree, strapped it to the car, and came home to decorate it that evening. Even though it was late in the day, there was zero chance we’d have been able to sleep without decorating it that night! A beautiful family experience through and through.

I realize I mentioned this upfront, but we really love ordering pizza and turning on a 90’s movie! Now that our daughter is 14, she’s been increasingly enjoying all of the 90’s and early 00’s comedies and classics. It’s just fun to laugh together, you know? There’s also something to be said for this kind of unstructured time as a family being the very best time you can actually spend together.

I also love to spend a liiiiiittle too much money on coffee and get out to coffee shops to get professional and personal work done. Changing my environment and being around the energy of others helps me feel inspired and sparks creativity.