Dear Expectant Mother,
We’re Lauren and Graham, and we are incredibly excited to expand our family as first-time parents! We appreciate the courage and love you are demonstrating in making the decision to find a loving adoptive family for your baby. We know that you want the absolute best for your baby and we would be honored if you would consider us as you continue your adoption journey. A child that grows up in our home will be showered in love, laughter, knowledge, empowerment, and encouragement!
Our Story
High school sweethearts, we started dating after meeting in our freshman year history class. Little did we know at the time that we had found our soul mates! Together for nearly 20 years, we’ve had a ton of adventures, shared a lot of life experiences, and have grown into the perfect team of devoted and fun-loving best friends, becoming each other’s greatest cheerleader, and complementing each other’s unique traits and interests.
After graduating from college, we lived in France together for a year when Lauren taught English to French students, Graham worked in music and marketing, and we got engaged! Married in July 2011 surrounded by our loving family and friends, we’ve since had the blessing to travel often, seeking out new cultures, languages, and food-something we can’t wait to share with our kids.
We love spending time with friends & family whether it’s meeting up for dinner, going to a game or concert, or just hanging out and watching a movie. We enjoy spending time outdoors and are always looking for a great impromptu hiking spot (we found an amazing one on a recent road trip to Nashville)! On weekends, you’ll find us cooking together, going for a long bike ride, or snuggling up on the couch with our dog to watch our favorite TV shows.
After graduating from law school in 2013, Lauren began working as an attorney for a bank where she still works today. Graham is a marketing director for a commercial real estate company where loves being able to express his creativity. He also enjoys producing and mixing music for artists and bands.
We’ve always known that we wanted to have children and look forward to the day that we become parents! Adoption is already a part of what makes our families so wonderful, so we’ve always known that we wanted to grow our family through adoptoin.
About Lauren (by Graham)
From her infectious smile to her amazing baking skills (homemade cake, ice cream, or my great-grandma’s Swedish cardamon bread? Yes, please!), Lauren has the ability to make anyone feel like the center of the uuniverse-I love absolutely everything about her!
When Lauren isn’t staying active, practicing meditation, or supporting me in my passion for making music, she’s looking to surprise and delight someone in her life. She’s selfless, loving, and has been my greatest champion since we first met. I know Lauren will also be our child’s greatest champion!
Lauren’s mom, older brother, and his wife live in nearby suburbs. Her mom loves hosting family dinners and is an amazing cook (she makes the best Christmas ham on the planet)! Her younger brother and his wife live in Orlando, Florida, near Disney World (a fun place to visit on family vacations!). She has a large extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins. They’re all incredibly excited to welcome another little one into the family!
About Graham (by Lauren)
He is so creative, adventurous and loves music more than anyone I know. Graham is goofy and is always trying to make me laugh with some random dance moves or an impromptu song. He always knows how to brighten my day by surprising me with my favorite dessert or snack after my day at work.
He loves the outdoors and relishes time at our family farm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where we like to go camping, hiking, and enjoy s’mores over the campfire. As a kid, Graham spent countless family holidays and summer weekends up there. We can’t wait to share this joyful place with our child.
Graham’s parents live nearby and eagerly await another grandchild! Graham’s older brother and his wife and two kids live in a suburb of Minneapolis-they look forward to lots of fun cousin sleepovers and a niece/nephew to love! We visit them several times a year and love spending time with our niece and nephew-playing on the swing set, doing science experiments, (like building a volcano!), watching Disney movies, or playing “Frozen” the board game.
Our Dog
Penny is our 13-year-old dog who we rescued at only a few months old. She’s great with kids and loves to cuddle, go for long walks, lay in the sun, and burrow under blankets.
Our Home & Community
We live in a western suburb of Chicago, where we have a home with a sun-filled fenced-in yard in a friendly neighborhood with lots of other families with children. One block away from an elementary school, we are also walking distance from restaurants, a movie theater, and ice cream shops, our favorite after-dinner treat.
In Closing
Thank you for taking a moment to learn more about us! We would love to learn more about you! We hope that we’ve given you some insight into our lives, shared our excitment, and offered a glimpse of the love and encouragement that awaits a child in our home. We already admire your strength, love, and courage considering adoption!
You can contact our adoption counselor at 800-869-1005 (toll-free), or [email protected] or email us directly at [email protected]
