Introduction

Dear Expectant Parent(s),

Hi! We are James and Denny, and together with our son, Roman, who we adopted in 2018, we truly thank you for taking the time to read some more about us.

Our Story

We met each other in 2013 on a snowy night for a quick dinner that turned into a three-hour conversation. Denny would later say that he knew instantly that they would get married and for James, it might have taken another day before he had reached the same conclusion.  

On another snowy night three years later, we got married. And almost two years later – on yet another snowy day– our wonderful son, Roman, was born. Our hearts have been growing with love and joy since the moment he arrived! 

We are excited to continue to build our family and know that there is still one thing missing, and that’s a brother or sister for Roman. We’re excited to see him share, play, and even fight with a new sibling and hopefully develop a close relationship we will see grow over the years. We love our little boy so much and can’t wait to share that same love with another child.   

We are deeply grateful that you are reading this and we hope that in the coming pages, you’ll find something that stands out to you and makes you feel a connection to us. 

About James by Denny

The Top 6 Things You Should Know About James:

1. He knows everything: whether it’s geography, sports, or pop culture he knows it all; someday James will be on Jeopardy!

2. He loves movies: documentaries, comedies, dramas, animated films, and more. In fact, in our wedding vows, I promised to see every Oscar best picture nominee with him every year.

3. He is driven and works hard: James worked a full-time job while also going to school to get his MBA. After graduation, he was hired as a senior business consultant at a Fortune 100 company.

4. He is hilarious: from silliness to sarcasm to finding the best viral videos, James can always make people around him laugh.

5. He is patient and supportive: whether it’s been something big like supporting me in my career or something simple like waiting as I pick a restaurant to go to, I have never met someone so caring and kind.

6. James is the most amazing father.  From pretending to play restaurant, dancing to music, or reading “Dear Zoo” for the 100th time, he loves Roman with all of his heart and I can’t wait to see him interact around and be goofy with a new addition to our family.

About Denny by James

The Top 6 Things You Should Know About Denny:

1. He lives for his family and friends. Denny is incredibly close to his mom and has an amazing group of best friends who he can’t go more than a few days without seeing. And they’re all starting their own families, so we’ll have tons of friends for playdates!

2. He is passionate about education. Denny is a teacher and goes out of his way to meet his students on their level. His students love him, and more than a few have reached out to him years later to say thank you for believing in them.

3. He’s Roman’s best friend in the whole world. They are inseparable. At any given moment, you might find Denny and Roman reading a book, building an amazing set of tracks for Roman’s wooden choo choo train, or strolling through the neighborhood together drawing pictures all over the sidewalk with chalk. Denny’s true calling is being a dad.

4. He works hard. Denny is a boss. No, really. He’s in charge of the entire history department, building lessons for every kid in the district – from Kindergarten to 12th Grade! 

5. He believes in balance. Yes, Denny works hard. But, he’s also a total goofball who doesn’t take life too seriously. I can’t tell you how many ridiculous GIFs and memes he texts me everyday.

6. He’s adopted. Denny will make an amazing adoptive dad because he knows what it’s like to be an adoptive child. He was adopted from South Korea when he was just five months old.

About Our Son, Roman

Roman wants a little brother or sister so bad! And he’s already practicing by reading books to his teddy bear and gently putting teddy to sleep every night.   

Like every toddler, Roman’s interests change all the time as he learns and grows. But, right now, some of his favorite things are playing with trucks and trains, splashing in the water table on hot days, and visiting any zoo we can find. He’s also never met a cookie he didn’t like.   

Roman has a loud, incredible laugh that you can hear across the house.  

Roman loves singing: his current favorite songs are “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” “Baa Baa Black Sheep,” and, hilariously, Post Malone’s “Sunflower.”  

Roman is also adopted. So, he’ll share a unique bond with a brother or sister that will make both of their lives even better.  

Where We Live

We live in a wonderful three-floor townhouse with plenty of room for our dogs, Truman and Ollie, and for our son, Roman, to play.   

One of our favorite places to spend time is on the deck relaxing, grilling, or looking out for birds or rabbits.   

Our house is where we can always be our genuine – sometimes goofy – selves.  Whether it’s one of us singing silly songs as we do dishes or pretending to be a giant and chasing Roman around the house, we try to fill the day with fun and laughter. 

We currently live just outside of Boston in a peaceful, tight-knit community: lots of space to ride bikes, run around, or take long walks, talking with our neighbors  

Living in the suburbs is great, but we love being just a quick 30-minute drive to Boston where we can visit our favorite restaurants, shops, and museums.

Our Family & Friends

Both of us come from humble backgrounds. Neither of our families had a lot of money, but our parents made sure we had everything we needed–something we want to do for our family as well.   

Our immediate families will play a huge part of a child’s life. We have two very enthusiastic grandmothers who have been asking us about another grandchild almost as soon as Roman was born.   

We will take lots of trips to Georgia, where James’ mom lives, to Pennsylvania, where Denny’s mom lives, and New York City, where Denny’s sister lives.   

We have a very close circle of friends who have become family to us. We know all of them will be a significant part of a child’s life. And, when the child goes through their first loss or breakup, they’ll have a huge group of friends and second-family to talk it over.  

We are excited about beginning another adoption journey, and know that our friends and family will engulf this child in love and support. 

Our Hopes, Dreams, & Values

Our dream is to continue to grow as a family: to grow the love and relationships we already have with each other as well as our friends and family, but by adding a new face to the family portrait.  

What We Hope To Give The Kids:  

• Empathy: We want every member of the family to be able to put themselves in someone else’s shoes, and stand up for what they believe in.  We also want the kids to be resilient, and equipped with the skills to persevere even when life gets difficult. 
• Uniqueness: We are excited for the kids to develop their unique personalities and interests and become their own people who can think for themselves.  Our home will always be a place where everyone can be their authentic, genuine selves.  
• Time: Regardless of how busy life gets, we will always make time to make new memories, whether that is an impromptu weekend road trip or grabbing ice cream after a long day.  
• Tradition: We gather a new Christmas ornament in every city we visit, go strawberry picking every spring, celebrate summer with our first BBQ, and make traditional Guatemalan tamales on Christmas Eve.  

Thank You!

As we come to the end of our letter, we want to take this time to say thank you. The choice you are making is going to change a lot of people’s lives. We realize that this may not be an easy decision but, through all of this, please know that you’ve chosen to turn your choice into a gift. We truly cannot think of a greater act of love. So, even if we aren’t matched, and we never have any connection beyond this paragraph, we just want to say thank you for making a choice that will change people’s lives for the better. But, if you do choose us, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for giving us the greatest gift we could ever receive, a child to love and bring into our family. 

Sincerely,

Denny & James (and Roman, Truman, and Ollie)