I work from home, so my house has definitely become my home base. Most days my dog, Buddy Wilson, is here with me when he's not hanging out with his friends in doggy daycare once a week. We go for three walks a day, exploring the neighborhood and chatting (or doggy wrestling) with neighbors regardless of the weather. I love it because he gets me out of the house and moving around or checking out a new park or lake all week long. I used to huddle inside from cold weather but not anymore! It would be so fun to teach your child how to play catch in the summer or build a snowman in the winter.

On the weekends, I visit family or host dinners at my house. I usually take Buddy with me, unless I'm having brunch or dinner out with friends or family. I enjoy staying active, so I'm starting to explore local places to hike and run with Buddy. But for the most part, I often spend a relaxing weekend working in my yard or cooking.

I try to sprinkle in a trip or two every year because I love to travel. This year I went to Amsterdam and Greece to celebrate a friend's birthday, where we took a Greek cooking class and tried olive oil tasting. I also took my parents on a European cruise to Montenegro, Croatia, Greece and Italy. They would love to plan a family vacation with a new grandchild.

I've always loved dogs since I was a little girl. Growing up we had a cockapoo named Sheba that we adopted from a shelter as an adult dog. She was my absolute heart and passed away while I was away at school. I'd been waiting for the right time in my life to adopt a puppy of my own and decided to take the leap after I started working from home full-time and moved into a house with a fenced in yard.

I brought little Buddy Wilson home in March 2022. He was just 8 weeks old and I knew nothing about raising a puppy. Let's just say it was a time of trial and error but we both made it through and are truly inseparable now! He's such a sweetheart, so kind and loving towards everyone. He loves people and other dogs. He's very affectionate and has a caring way with kids and young/senior dogs that can be tentative or unsure.

I'm so thankful to have him in my life. He's helped me to understand what it means to truly care for someone other than myself. For the routine that I lost that was all about me, I gained a new shared routine that definitely revolves around him but that also fulfills me and makes me a better person.

I think in general I've been fortunate in life and I attribute that largely to having supportive parents growing up. They weren't overly involved but they did plant the seed in me early that I was capable of more and should be curious about what's possible in life.

I laugh now thinking about it but the early part of my life through high school was pretty mapped out mentally. I decided I wanted to go to college around 12 years old. I remember my aunt took me and my cousin to tour the local university. We visited the medical school and the law school, and I decided then and there that I was going to be a lawyer. The rest was me working a loosely calculated plan, part research and part random discovery. Getting into college and figuring our how to pay for it was work and an adventure in itself. Then there was getting into law school and paying for that. And finally, passing the bar exam (twice)!

Fast forward, I'm 15+ years into a successful career and when I think back at where it all started, I still think of that little girl and her dreams with my parents supporting me in the background. I wasn't sure it was possible but I was determined to find out.

I live in Minnesota, where I was born and raised. I moved back here about a year and a half ago and purchased my first single family home with plenty of space and a fenced in backyard that my dog, Buddy Wilson, loves to romp around in and chase away all of the squirrels and bunnies. Coming from California, my new home feels very big, but I wanted to have space to grow a family and a place for my elderly parents to live if needed someday. I can't wait to welcome a child. I love using the space to entertain friends and family. I also plan to start a garden and I'm looking forward to training my little gardening assistant ;-)

The neighborhood is super friendly and welcoming. I'm constantly out and about walking Buddy (snow, rain or shine) and we're always running into families with kids and dogs of varying ages. Buddy has quite the social network. We frequent a nearby dog park where I've come to know many of the owners and their pups. And there's also several playgrounds within a mile of my home. I love having such a safe and walkable neighborhood where everyone watches out of each other and doesn't hesitate to lend a helping hand.

I'm the middle child between two boys in my family. I've always been more of a big sister and caregiver for everyone, trying to help and make sure they have what they need.

I've lived in a variety of different places over the years, but I decided to relocate back home to be closer to family. My parents, brothers and nieces all live close by, along with several of my aunts and cousins. I host family dinners at least once a month. We love to cook together, from summer BBQs to Thanksgiving, Korean to Italian, you can always find us in the kitchen exploring new recipes. My teenage nieces often spend the weekend and bring friends to try a new dish and play board games or watch a movie. These are the times I love the most and what makes our family so special.

And to me family extends beyond blood ties to sharing memories with my close friends and their families too. One of my oldest friends lives just a few miles away and has a young daughter. Everyone is so supportive of my decision to adopt and can't wait to welcome a new child to our family with their very own "little chef in training" apron!

My name is Carmen. I'm 44 years old and I've made the decision to adopt without a partner. Some might say that seems crazy or wonder how I will handle it all by myself. The simple answer is that I'm going to figure it out, one day at a time, and lean on my caring "village" of support.

Don't get me wrong, when I was young I had it all planned out. I would be married by 30 and have two or three kids by 35. I even froze my eggs as a back-up plan. But, sometimes life has other plans and you find yourself on a different path. Due to unexplained infertility, I was unable to have children but it took several years of trying to figure that out.

I'd always wanted to adopt as part of my family planning and I'm grateful that you would consider me to raise your child as I would my own. Thank you for being willing to share such a precious gift.

I hope that you've come to know me a little better through my profile and the glimpses of my life that I've been able to share with you. It's been my dream to become a mother and I can't wait for it to come true. And while everyday won't be perfect and I can't promise that I will never make a mistake, if given the opportunity, I would commit my whole self and all of my heart to your child.

There's going to be love and laughter in our home. It will be a safe space where they can grow, learn and experiment through childhood and beyond. My family and friends are so supportive and cannot wait to welcome a child. My dog, Buddy Wilson, is probably the most excited. He's always wanted a kid to play fetch with and chase around the yard! There's so much I want us to do and experience together from cooking to gardening, swimming, sports, Girl/Boy Scouts, traveling, etc. -- the list goes on!

But more than anything, I would want your child to know where they came from to better understand who they are to explore who they want to become in this world. Their adoption story would be celebrated in this house as the story of how you helped us build our family. And if it's right for you, I would want them to know more about you and your family. I would also like to stay in contact, so you can watch them grow up and have peace of mind that they are safe and happy. I would write to you and send pictures of major milestones, celebrations or just fun moments that I don't want you to miss. And when the time is right, we could arrange a visit.

I won't pretend to understand how this feels for you, but I do hope that you can put your trust and faith in me. I'm new to motherhood but because of that I feel like I have so much love to give. You can rest assured that I would provide the security and the support that your child needs.

Sincerely,

Carmen