Raphael and Rick

Dear Expectant Parent(s),

Thank you for taking the time to read our profile. We can only imagine what you are experiencing has been difficult, and we are incredibly grateful for your consideration. Although our love is the driving force fueling our desire to grow our family, we would not be able to do this without you. Our love for each other, our family, and your baby is boundless. We know your decision is based in love, too. Whether or not you choose to move forward with us: Thank you for everything you are doing.

Dear Expectant Parent(s),

Thank you for taking the time to read our profile. We can only imagine what you are experiencing has been difficult, and we are incredibly grateful for your consideration. Although our love is the driving force fueling our desire to grow our family, we would not be able to do this without you. Our love for each other, our family, and your baby is boundless. We know your decision is based in love, too. Whether or not you choose to move forward with us: Thank you for everything you are doing.

About Us:

After many conversations on OkCupid, we finally met on a windy, rainy night in September 2009. Rick was a new college student in Chicago, a transplant from Connecticut – and thought it was a great idea to arrive without an umbrella. Raphael will never forget seeing Rick standing outside the Chicago Red Line station, drenched. As would later become a metaphor for the love we share, Raphael was quick to provide shelter under his umbrella. The rain was coming strong, but our instant connection was stronger.

About Us:

After many conversations on OkCupid, we finally met on a windy, rainy night in September 2009. Rick was a new college student in Chicago, a transplant from Connecticut – and thought it was a great idea to arrive without an umbrella. Raphael will never forget seeing Rick standing outside the Chicago Red Line station, drenched. As would later become a metaphor for the love we share, Raphael was quick to provide shelter under his umbrella. The rain was coming strong, but our instant connection was stronger.

We walked around downtown, connecting on our favorite things: biking, movies, animals, the Golden Girls, musicals, holidays (esp. Halloween & Christmas). We started dating Halloween 2009 and three dogs, two cats, a wedding, and two cross country moves later – we are more in love than ever and ready to expand our family.

For a while, we lived in New York, and got to immerse ourselves into the “Big Apple” experience! We got engaged in Grand Central station and married in Central Park. While New York was an exciting experience, in 2017, it was time to start a new chapter and we decided to come back to Chicago and lay down the foundation to start growing our family.

We have a lovely three-story house on a tree lined street with parks just minutes away. There’s a strong sense of community and diversity in our neighborhood! Our parents love to visit and can’t wait for an excuse to be at our house all the time (aka a grandchild!).

We’re grateful to have a large chosen family as well. People that we’ve known for a long time that we share a close bond with that is both supportive and loving. We’re surrounded by a lot of love from good people, with big hearts.

Raphael:

I was raised in the South and grew up in Virginia with my two older brothers, Mom, and Grandmother. My father was a retired veteran, and an amazing role model. Although he passed away when I was 6, he taught me the importance of putting family first. As a widowed single mother supporting three kids, my mom showed me early on the meaning of hard work and the importance of a strong support system. I’m proud to be a loyal, caring, and supportive son, friend, and husband.

I work for an insurance company, managing offices across North America. In my free time I enjoy taking care of my houseplants, meditating, and embracing my spirituality, spending time with family, and snuggling up with Rick for a movie. Most of all, I love spoiling our amazing god kids and our beautiful foster daughter!

Raphael:

I was raised in the South and grew up in Virginia with my two older brothers, Mom, and Grandmother. My father was a retired veteran, and an amazing role model. Although he passed away when I was 6, he taught me the importance of putting family first. As a widowed single mother supporting three kids, my mom showed me early on the meaning of hard work and the importance of a strong support system. I’m proud to be a loyal, caring, and supportive son, friend, and husband.

I work for an insurance company, managing offices across North America. In my free time I enjoy taking care of my houseplants, meditating, and embracing my spirituality, spending time with family, and snuggling up with Rick for a movie. Most of all, I love spoiling our amazing god kids and our beautiful foster daughter!

Rick:

I grew up in a small town in Connecticut, surrounded by a massive Italian family. I was raised by loving parents. My sister and I always enjoyed spending quality time with our grandparents. I am outgoing, fun-loving, and passionate. One of my passions is working in Professional Development for one of the top consulting firms. I never thought I would go to work every day doing what I love, and I am so grateful for where life has brought us. In my spare time you’ll find me writing, spending time with family, playing with the dogs, brushing up on current events, running, and watching movies with Raphael. I also love spending time with our foster child and god kids. They are some of the most wonderful people who have ever come into our lives.

Rick:

I grew up in a small town in Connecticut, surrounded by a massive Italian family. I was raised by loving parents. My sister and I always enjoyed spending quality time with our grandparents. I am outgoing, fun-loving, and passionate. One of my passions is working in Professional Development for one of the top consulting firms. I never thought I would go to work every day doing what I love, and I am so grateful for where life has brought us. In my spare time you’ll find me writing, spending time with family, playing with the dogs, brushing up on current events, running, and watching movies with Raphael. I also love spending time with our foster child and god kids. They are some of the most wonderful people who have ever come into our lives.

What we look forward to:

We’ve always loved going on adventures. Our favorite experiences have been honeymooning in Thailand, the food and art in Italy, and immersing ourselves into the culture of the Greek Islands. But nothing can compare to the journey we’re on right now, becoming parents. We cannot wait to share the world with our future child.

When we became foster parents to a baby, we were gifted a crash course in what it is like to be parents: the late nights, the giggles, the diaper-changes, the sick days, story-times, the tantrums, the morning snuggles…We are better people because of her. We are looking forward to the bedtime stories, the runny noses, the belly laughs, wiping the tears away, the zoo trips, the picnics, the hugs, and always being there to provide your child with unconditional love.

What we look forward to:

We’ve always loved going on adventures. Our favorite experiences have been honeymooning in Thailand, the food and art in Italy, and immersing ourselves into the culture of the Greek Islands. But nothing can compare to the journey we’re on right now, becoming parents. We cannot wait to share the world with our future child.

When we became foster parents to a baby, we were gifted a crash course in what it is like to be parents: the late nights, the giggles, the diaper-changes, the sick days, story-times, the tantrums, the morning snuggles…We are better people because of her. We are looking forward to the bedtime stories, the runny noses, the belly laughs, wiping the tears away, the zoo trips, the picnics, the hugs, and always being there to provide your child with unconditional love.

This situation is a major reason why we chose to do and hope for an open adoption. It is so important to us to keep the lines of communication open between us, you, and your child. Every child deserves to know the boundless love that the adults in their lives have for them. There may be feelings of uncertainty, of not knowing what the future will hold. We will work with you to minimize those feelings, making sure you know how they’re doing, what they’re learning, and what’s new in their life while respecting your level of comfort.

Our promise:

Thank you again for taking the time to read our story. We are happy to have the opportunity to share it with you, and we are excited to add new chapters with our future child. If given the opportunity, we promise we will give your baby the best life possible, instilling our values of honesty, integrity, kindness, and compassion; while ensuring that they always know the immense amount of love you have for them, which will forever be a part of their story. We dream of having a forever family and would never be able to do it without you.

We would love to hear from you! Feel free to reach out to raphaelandrickacfb@gmail.com or you can reach out directly to our adoption counselor, Linda Fiore by texting/calling (773-919-5702), or e-mail (Linda@centerforfamily.com).

With gratitude,
Raphael and Rick

Our promise:

Thank you again for taking the time to read our story. We are happy to have the opportunity to share it with you, and we are excited to add new chapters with our future child. If given the opportunity, we promise we will give your baby the best life possible, instilling our values of honesty, integrity, kindness, and compassion; while ensuring that they always know the immense amount of love you have for them, which will forever be a part of their story. We dream of having a forever family and would never be able to do it without you.

We would love to hear from you! Feel free to reach out to raphaelandrickacfb@gmail.com or you can reach out directly to our adoption counselor, Linda Fiore by texting/calling (773-919-5702), or e-mail (Linda@centerforfamily.com).

With gratitude,
Raphael and Rick