Being a parent means that you have the love, dedication, and selflessness to put the hopes and dreams of your child above everything else. We can dream big dreams about what our children may be, but the most important thing is to guide them in finding their own path. A parent is someone that will do everything they can to make sure that child has the options to discover their passions and talent. Ben and Margaret were lucky to have parents that gave them a solid foundation but let them explore the world and make their own choices.

Being a parent also means being a constant source of support and encouragement. It involves celebrating the small victories and providing comfort during the tough times. We believe that every child deserves to feel loved and valued, and we are committed to creating a home filled with warmth, laughter, and understanding. Our goal is to nurture our child's individuality and help them grow into a confident and compassionate person.

We're excited to watch our child discover who he or she is meant to be. As we know from experiencing it with our nieces and nephews, it's an amazing feeling to watch a child experience something for the first time. From slides and swings, the first trip to the beach, figuring out how to do a puzzle, and so much more – we want our child to be able to try everything and learn all about the world around them.

Ben About Margaret: My wife is one of the most brilliant people I have ever met. She is so intelligent and so thoughtful, I've never experienced anything like her. Margaret has so much love in her heart for not only me but her family, her friends, our pets, and the world in general. She is also passionate about life and about making the life of everyone that she loves better. And she does this through not only the big gestures but every day she shows me and the ones that she loves just how much she cares.

Margaret About Ben: Ben is incredibly sweet and sensitive. He's always the one to remember anniversaries or to bring home new slipper socks just because he saw them and thought I'd like them. He shares his whole heart with people he loves and wants to include everyone in celebrations. He's constantly finding fun new restaurants and small hidden gems in our neighborhood. He's the first to apologize if there's ever an argument and is good about talking through tough topics. He's already working on music playlists for game time and nap time and car rides and every other situation we're looking forward to experiencing with our child.

We know there is a possibility that our child will have a different background than us. We're committed to learning about our child's cultural background and ensuring they feel a connection to their history. We're ready and excited to create new traditions for our family, whether it's something we create together or something we learn about that we can incorporate into our family. We're dedicated to being as open with our child as possible and teaching him or her from an early age that adoption is a gift and we're so grateful that we get a chance to expand our family. Ben was raised by his mother and stepfather so he knows firsthand that a genetic connection isn't required to love a child, but we also want our child to be proud of where he comes from and understand his history. Ben and Margaret each bring their own cultural backgrounds to the family and are enthusiastic about celebrating the heritage of their child as well.

When we were looking to buy our house in 2020, we were certain that we wanted to build a life in Margaret's hometown. Her family is close by, but it's also a wonderful community that looks out for each other and provides amazing opportunities. We have community arts festivals in the summer, tree-lighting ceremonies at Christmas, dozens of city parks, and great public schools.

There are families of every race and background, which was also important to us when looking for our forever home. Our neighbors are fantastic with a good mix of families and couples – young and retired. We have a block party every summer with a huge potluck, bike races, dogs in costumes, and lots of sidewalk chalk. The local middle school is also at the top of our street and there's always a parade of kids, parents, dogs, and bikes as school lets out for the day. Our town is very walkable and is in the process of installing bike lanes on all major roads to make things even safer and more accessible.

We're the first suburb west of Cleveland, so we also have all the benefits of being close to a major city. There's nothing better than seeing a Guardians game during the summer with fireworks to follow!

We come from close families that are very excited to welcome a new addition! Margaret's family - including her two brothers and their families, her parents, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins – live nearby and are always together for birthdays, holidays, and everything in between. Ben's extended family is more spread out but his sister and her family, and their parents are just a few hours drive away. They're close enough that we're able to see everyone on both sides for Christmas holidays and during summer months. We spend Christmas Eve with Margaret's immediate family doing a candlelight dinner and our own take on the Feast of the Seven Fishes to honor Margaret's mother's Italian heritage. On Christmas Day, we visit with Margaret's extended family, and then head a few hours north to visit with Ben's family. It's always been important to us to live near family so we can give our child the largest "village" we can. The more people to share the love, the better! Both Ben's family and Margaret's family have been very supportive on our adoption journey. They're already talking about future sleepovers with Grandma and fishing trips with Grandpa. Margaret and her cousins grew up side by side, and we're excited to watch our child grow up with his or her cousins as well. Margaret's brothers are both within bike-riding distance and we expect that will become a great summer tradition!

We met when we were both living in Chicago. Neither of us grew up in the Windy City, but somehow, in the middle of almost 10 million people, we found each other. We were incredibly lucky then, and we feel just as lucky now by having you consider us as adoptive parents for your baby. In finding each other, we each found a person to love and that loved us for who we are. We each push the other to be the best version of ourselves. After years of exploring all paths to becoming parent - something we both want with all our hearts - we decided that adoption is the best path for us.

Margaret is an attorney and Ben works in education. We both value education but we also know that nothing comes without hard work. We understand how to set goals and work to get what we have. We know that we can raise a child to understand that rewards are earned and the process of getting there is just as important as the goal. Our journey to adoption had many ups and downs but we feel like we're now exactly where we're meant to be. Without the ups and downs, we wouldn't have come this far and it's brought us closer as a couple.

We've been together for 12 years, married for 8. As we've grown together as a couple, we've slowly widened our world. From an apartment to a house, from exploring the shores of Lake Erie to the shores of Ireland, from being a sibling to being an aunt and uncle to our siblings' children: each step has been grander than the last and we've loved the new experiences and introductions to new people. We keep trying to add to our world and a child would be the ultimate addition. We're so ready to take this step. We're just missing the piece of the puzzle that is You.

We cannot begin to express the gratitude, respect and deep sense of appreciation for you. We are truly humbled by the love you're showing your child and, by extension, showing to us. We will never be able to repay your generosity. It's amazing to witness loving your child so much that you are willing to give their life, future and the responsibility of raising this unfathomable gift to us. We want you to know that we would be so grateful to you if you picked us. We have talked at length and we both agree that it's our responsibility and privilege to make sure that you and your child always know how much love we have for you and for the gift you have given to us. We take the responsibility of parenthood so very seriously, and so do you. You have made a choice that we know did not come easily, but you made the choice because you want the absolute best for your child. We will honor that for the rest of our lives, out of respect and gratitude to you. We're open to building a relationship with you that lasts for our child's entire life, with updates and photos, and we're also open to visits when the time is right. Your child will know where he or she came from and we'll embrace that as they grow.

The adventure of parenthood is the biggest adventure we will ever take on. When we imagine the highest points of life, every single one of them involve having a child. We are so excited to experience the joy of raising a child, and of watching them discover all of the beauty, magic and love that is in this life. We have dedicated our lives to each other and we want to dedicate that combined love to seeing what wonders this child can experience.

We thank you for taking the time to learn about us and to helping us move forward with the next steps in our adventure!

In gratitude and love,

Ben & Margaret