To us, being parents means being a source of unconditional love, support, guidance, and encouragement. It means creating a home where our children feel safe being exactly who they are and know they will always have someone in their corner. Being a parent means celebrating the big milestones, but also appreciating the small, everyday moments that make family life so special. It means teaching, listening, learning, setting an example, and sometimes simply being there with a hug when words are not enough.

What we like most about being parents is getting to experience the world through our child’s eyes. There is something incredibly special about watching them discover something for the first time, develop their own interests and personality, and become more confident and independent each day. It has been a true joy introducing Maren to some of the things we love and watching her enjoy them alongside us, whether it’s soccer, shopping, crafts, or cooking. At the same time, we love giving her the freedom to explore new activities and discover interests of her own, like trying dance class or yoga. We love that she is a part of our family and shares so many of the things that make us who we are, while also being her own unique person with her own personality, interests, and passions. One of the most rewarding parts of being parents is watching her grow into the person she is meant to be and encouraging her to follow what brings her joy.

We met at move in day freshman year of college. Both of us were moving in early to the honors dorm on North Central College's campus. Madison completed her move early and after settling in went exploring in the building. She started to say hello to everyone in the building eventually making her way to the dorm room right below hers - Carl's. We then went to a meet up with all the honors freshmen, before leaving for a new student retreat. At this meet up, the head of the honors program told the group to "look around, as these people may become your lifelong friends, colleagues, and who knows some of you may even end up married". What felt like a far-fetched statement became our reality. We dated through all of college, including studying abroad together for 6 months in Glasgow Scotland, our junior year. We got engaged on the lawn of the main campus building right before graduation and married two years later in the little chapel on campus. NCC will always have a special place in our hearts, and we love visiting and sharing our origin story with our daughter. We cannot wait to do the same with this new baby.

Our journey to building our family has been anything but easy. It has been a journey filled with many winding roads, bumpy spots, detours, and unexpected turns. Over the years, we have walked through challenges we never expected, including Madison’s battle with endometriosis, appendiceal cancer, infertility, and ultimately an unexpected life-saving hysterectomy after the birth of our daughter, Maren. Each step came with grief, uncertainty, and difficult decisions, but through it all, one thing has remained constant: our love for our family and our desire to grow it. We have always wanted our daughter to grow up with a sibling. Maren is especially excited to become a big sister. She already has so much love to give and cannot wait to share her world, her laughter, and her heart with a sibling.

After finding out we would not be able to have any more biological children, we started to explore alternative options. One night while we were researching the option of adoption, Maren, without any prompting, asked "Can we find a baby that needs our family". It was at that moment that we knew this was the next step in our journey to growing our family. We are so excited to add a new member to the family and very hopeful to build a relationship with this new baby and their birth family.

We live in a suburb of Chicago, IL, in a single-family home, on a cul-de-sac, across the street from a park. Maren loves to refer to the park as "her park" and we go there almost daily to play. We love living in the suburbs because of the close access to amazing schools, parks, community events, park district facilities, and a wide variety of restaurants. We love exploring other cultures and trying new things as a family, and our community makes that easy. We believe in exposing our children to as many different activities and want them to never be afraid to try new things.

Living close to a large city expands our access to sporting events, theaters, museums, and an amazing zoo. We get a family season pass to the zoo every year and it is one of our favorite places to explore as a family. We love learning about new animals, getting time outside, and seeing the zoo life in all seasons. We have made amazing family memories there and cannot wait to experience it all again with the new baby. We have already started putting together a nursery in our home for this child and have chosen a zoo animal theme. We hope this child loves animals as much as we do and that the nursery reminds them of our favorite family spot.

We are lucky to have both sets of family close by. We love getting together for holidays, celebrations and just an average weekend hangout together. Carl's family loves to plan holiday get-togethers and backyard parties. They love to try new styles of food, go to local sporting events, and travel. Maren, our daughter, is currently the only grandchild on this side of the family, but they are all so excited to welcome this new baby into the family. Grandma and Grandpa (Carl's parents) are both retired, so they love volunteering and spending time with the family. Carl is one of three children and his siblings love being Aunts and Uncles. They are a huge soccer family, and we love to go to local games or watch tournaments on TV together. Go Fire!

Madison's family is smaller, but just as tight knit. There are currently 4 grandkids on this side of the family, and everyone is excited to add this child to the cousin crew. Nana and Papa (Madison's parents) are also retired and love spoiling the grandkids. They love to get all the kids together to make memories including visiting parks and swimming pools, attending theatrical events/shows, and visiting the local farmers market or thrift store. Madison's father loves to thrift and always has a new find to share with the kids. Both sets of family are in full support and so happy to watch our family grow.

Thank you for taking the time to learn a little more about our family. We know that considering adoption is an incredibly personal and courageous journey, and we feel honored that you would allow us the opportunity to share a little bit about who we are and the life we hope to build with another baby.

We are Carl and Madison, and our story began when we were teenagers. We were college sweethearts who have had the privilege of building a life we truly love. We have walked through so many of the promises we made to one another on our wedding day. We have battled through sickness and health, supported each other through richer and poorer, and built memories through the easy seasons and the difficult ones. We have learned how to support one another, laugh together, grow together, and choose each other again and again. Our family is one of our greatest blessings, and we hope to create a home for our children that is full of love, security, laughter, and the freedom to become exactly who they were meant to be.

One of the greatest joys of our lives is our daughter, Maren. She is so excited about the possibility of becoming a big sister. She talks about having a sibling to play with, teach things to, laugh with, and grow up alongside. We can already picture the two of them sharing the little moments that become the memories of childhood. We hope together they will enjoy adventures, inside jokes, trips to the zoo, holidays, family traditions, and countless ordinary days together. More than anything, we hope they will grow up knowing that they have each other and that their family will always be a place where they are deeply loved and supported.

If we are blessed to welcome your child into our family, we want you to know that we wish for an open adoption relationship. We don't want your child to grow up wondering about where they came from or feeling as though an important part of their story is missing. We want them to know how much they were loved and how much thought and courage went into the decision that brought you both to us. We hope to stay connected with you in a way that feels comfortable and meaningful for everyone involved. We plan to send many letters and pictures so that you can see the child growing, learning, laughing, and becoming their own person. We hope to share the big milestones as well as the little everyday moments; the first holidays, birthdays, favorite activities, funny stories, and all the things that make your child uniquely who they are. Most importantly, we want our child to know that their story began with you and that we will always speak about that story with love, honesty, and respect.

We cannot imagine the emotions that may come with making an adoption plan, and we don't take your decision lightly. We want you to know that if you choose us, we will cherish the incredible gift of being your child's parents. We will love your child wholeheartedly, protect their story, encourage their dreams, and do everything we can to give them a childhood filled with love and opportunity. We hope that as you learn more about us, you can picture your child growing up surrounded by a family who will love them completely. A family where they will have a mom and dad who adore them, a big sister who is already excited to meet them, a dog ready to be their favorite companion, and a home filled with laughter, traditions, adventures, and unconditional love.

Thank you for considering us and for allowing us to share a small piece of our hearts with you. Whatever your journey looks like, we hope you feel surrounded by love and support. We would be honored to walk alongside you and, if chosen, to love your child for a lifetime.

With love,

Carl & Madison