Our Story

Since it took us nearly 15 years to figure out that were meant to be, we wanted to start a family right away. After trying for years to have a biological child, we had to decide what was more important -- having a biological child or becoming parents. The answer was very clear to us both; we want to be parents more than anything in this world. We have built a home that is filled with true love and laughter. We can't wait to grow our family.

We have chosen open adoption because we believe that it is important for children to know where they come from and that making an adoption plan is truly an act of love. We are committed to working with you to meet your specific needs and requests just as we will address the needs of our child.

OUR LIFE TOGETHER
We live in a family centered community in a sunny bungalow in the suburbs with our awesome dog Marco. He is extremely gentle and we love to take him for walks around the neighborhood where there are plenty of parks and tree lined streets for him to investigate.

Annette has a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Art and Art Education, and works at a large Chicago-based advertising agency where she is surrounded by creativity everyday. She manages the creative department's workload and considers herself lucky to work in an environment that is fun and allows her flexibility with her hours.

Dan earned a Bachelors Degree in Communications from a Big Ten school. After years of not feeling quite fulfilled, Dan went back to school to earn a Master's Degree in Education. He loves being a teacher, and also coaches football and lacrosse.

Family has always been extremely important to both of us. We were both raised in loving homes by both of our parents. We have a network of supportive and caring relatives and friends that surround us. Our families look forward to welcoming a child into our lives.

We are both godparents to multiple families. We have lots of practice with laying the foundation of faith, good morals and the type of qualities that we hope to instill in our child one day. They bring true joy to our lives.

In our spare time, we love to visit with family and friends, attend sporting events, go to games to watch Dan coach, and travel when we get the chance. Chicago has a ton to offer -- Cubs/Sox games, Bears games, museums, beaches, Navy Pier, Brookfield or Lincoln Park Zoo, to name a few. We look forward to taking our child to all of these places. We often visit relatives in Wisconsin and spend the day on the lake, tubing and fishing. At night, we roast marshmallows in a fire pit, listen to music and play games.

WHAT WE THINK OF EACH OTHER
When I think of Dan, I think of a big teddy bear, someone who makes you laugh out loud, and makes you feel safe. He is the life of the party and people love to be around him. Through his humor and gentleness, I am learning to let go of the little things and enjoy life the way it was meant to be enjoyed. He loves with all of his heart and loves unconditionally. Those qualities are so important to me and will be instrumental in raising our child.

When I think of Annette, I think of a sensitive, generous person with the kindest soul. She is smart, funny, a hard worker and very outgoing. She makes friends easily, and cherishes those relationships. As her sister says, "if Annette talked to a mannequin, it would talk back."Annette is the kind of person that is always there for you. She is empathetic and will go out of her way for you. She's also a great cook!

We love spending time with the children in our life and encouraging the values that we hold dear: importance of family and friends, faith and loving with all your heart. One thing is for sure; our child will never doubt how much they are loved.

LOOKING FORWARD
We are so excited to become parents. We know that being a parent is giving, teaching and loving unconditionally every day of the child's life. There will be easy days and hard days, tough times and fun times, but there will never be a day that we will give up or stop loving our child. We cannot wait to watch a child learn and grow in their own individual way. We deeply value education, faith, self-esteem and self-expression. We want to give our child all the opportunities to learn, explore and have fun doing so. We will provide every opportunity for our child to develop into a loving, giving person who can be anything they want to be.

Since we were both raised Catholic, we intend on raising our child Catholic. Although we may not attend mass every week, we do believe in Christianity and the values that it maintains. We do not believe in spanking, talking down to children or threatening children, rather we will use positive reinforcements, time outs and consistency as discipline methods.

We are lucky to have many options available to us regarding daycare. We have Dan's mother, a close friend who is a first grade teacher, as well as on-site daycare at Dan's work and flexibility in Annette's work schedule. We know we will make the best daycare decision with our child's best interests at heart.

While we will never truly know what you are going through while making this decision, we know that you are doing what you feel is best for your child. We hope that after reading this letter, you can see that we are a happy, fun and loving couple who are eager to share our lives with a child. We hope that you will consider us when making your decision.

If you would like to get to know us better, please contact us at the Cradle's toll-free number
(800) 272-3534 or via email at adoption@cradle.org