Introduction
Dear Expectant Parent(s),
We are Ron and Laurel.
We knew in the first half-hour of our first date in 2010, that we were meant to be. Laurel says, “He had me at Disney!” With nostalgic memories of family vacations to Disney World, trips that shaped us into the adults we became, defined the types of relationships we wanted, and influenced the parents we’d become. Ron met Laurel’s family for the first time at Disney World, where he was a hit with all of her siblings. He later proposed there. These experiences solidified the fact that every special moment in our lives would eventually be celebrated in Disney fashion.
Our mutual love of all things Disney brought us together, and our comedic personalities, and love of books, movies, and family solidified our relationship, which is based on the importance of friendship, offering us a greater appreciation for each other. We had a Disney-themed wedding in 2014, surrounded by people from different points in our lives.
From the beginning of our relationship, we knew that we were meant to be parents. We struggled to conceive and finally became pregnant through fertility treatments. Sadly, we lost our son. We took some time to mourn this big loss and think about our next steps. Ron and his sister were adopted and we had thought that adoption would be a part of the plan for growing our family, so we easily embraced adoption as our path to parenthood.
When we matched with our daughter’s birth family, we began our journey as a transracial family. Our daughter was born in 2019 and we have loved being parents. Our daughter is now looking forward to becoming a big sister. We brought her on her first trip to Disney when she was seven months old where she met the fairy godmother from Cinderella. As we begin our second adoption journey, we keep Disney in mind to remember that if we keep believing, our dream of parenting another child will come true.
Laurel, Ron’s Partner in Life
Laurel is the yin to my yang, complimenting me in many ways – wise when I’m not, strong where I’m weak. People are drawn to her, and she puts people at ease with just a few sentences, relating to them instantly. This probably comes from being part of a large family where she learned to listen to other people’s needs at a young age. It’s just in Laurel’s nature to care about others, which makes her an incredibly caring mother.
Her easygoing nature does not make her a pushover. She is strong and assertive, not letting anyone get the best of her. Throughout her life, she has been a rock for her family through tough times, knowing when to help people and when to just give them space. She has an empathy that is truly special, as she emanates compassion. This empathy makes her an excellent mother, as she’ll always give her children what they need, but not always what they want.
Laurel works remotely for an international staffing agency. She has worked her way up the company ladder to become a specialist working with a high-profile client. She has a flexible and accommodating schedule.
It’s remarkable how Laurel has affected me as a person, and broadened my horizons – in particular by expanding my appreciation for arts and culture. She has traveled around the world, diving headlong into various cultures in Europe and Asia with grace. After each trip, she brings not only gifts for those in her life, but lessons about how we can all do better. These travels, along with the lessons she has learned from them, have taught me a lot and makes her an insightful parent.
Ron, Laurel’s Partner in Life
Ron is not just my husband, but my best friend. As such, it is hard for me to select only a few wonderful things to say about him. Ron is the most intelligent and the funniest person I know. He is a contemplative person, who is in tune with his emotional side. His inner strength is a godsend, and he is as emotionally intelligent as he is logical. Cool-headed when things are challenging, he is responsible and reliable in all things. He is also very intuitive and always knows when I need a hug – a trait that makes him a great father.
After graduating from law school, Ron became an attorney focused on corporate and real estate law. He chose to work with a mid-sized firm, that appreciates the importance of family time.
One of the things that made me originally fall in love with him is how much he values connections with other people. Family and friends are most important to Ron, so it’s not shocking to me that his ability to retain good friendships was something I noticed about him very early on in our relationship. Ron radiated warmth when interacting with friends, along with how his friends welcomed me into their group and were supportive of our relationship. From knowing Ron as a friend and a spouse, I know that Ron always puts the people in his life first. For this reason, Ron is an amazing father and our future child will always know he will be there for them when they need him.
Our Home
We own a single-family home in a town near the water in Massachusetts, which reminds us so much of the diverse and friendly communities in which we grew up. We have multiple siblings, and young nieces and nephews in the immediate area, and we enjoy spending weekends and taking trips together. We can’t wait to have a new little bundle of joy at playdates!
Our home has a huge backyard with plenty of space to breathe and enjoy our hobbies. The home itself has large common spaces that allow us to enjoy time together watching movies, listening to our record player, or hosting game nights/dinners/holiday parties.
We have three wonderful cats who, through kismet, somehow made their way into our lives. They are each very friendly and love people, with names reflecting our mutual love of music, specifically Beatles songs: Rigby, Lucy “in the sky with diamonds”, and Sgt. Pepper. They are very gentle and playful with our daughter.
Our town is an eclectic area that encapsulates our fun and enthusiastic nature in a nutshell. One of our first dates was in this town, where we later got married, so the area is dear to our hearts. Laurel grew up near New Orleans, and our town’s history and love of Halloween is very reminiscent of her upbringing. We both also grew up near the ocean and knew we wanted to raise a family in a similar environment. Since we’re near the beach, we can visit the lighthouse and the local tall ship. We can’t wait to take our future child on spooky Halloween outings and summer walks on the beach.
Our Family
Laurel grew up in South Louisiana, surrounded by a diverse culture and supportive friends. She was raised in a reformed Jewish home where she learned the importance of community and heritage. Her father passed away when she was a teenager. Laurel remains close to her mother and three sisters.
Her identical twin sister, and brother-in-law live nearby with their two young sons, as does one of her other sisters. They can’t wait to welcome our new child and will be around to help us. Laurel’s younger sister is warm and loving. She is on the autism spectrum, and lives in South Louisiana with their mother. Laurel’s mother is looking forward to sharing her love of reading with a future child. A number of Laurel’s cousins live in New York and Florida, and can’t wait for us to bring a little one on visits. Her whole family is looking forward to welcoming the child into the family.
Ron’s big Catholic Italian and Jewish family is spread throughout Florida and New York. Though his parents are divorced, they are each looking forward to sharing their love of cooking with their future grandchild. On his mom’s side, he has an adopted sister, a step-brother, and three adult nieces. Our daughter was a flower girl in one niece’s wedding. She now has an infant daughter. Ron’s sister has a son and daughter who love to spend time with us.
On his father’s side, Ron has two younger half-sisters, one in New Jersey with her three children, and the other in Florida. We make visits and send photos of the children in the family chat. Ron grew up close to his extended family, and they have large intergenerational parties yearly.
Our Work Life & Hobbies
We both have the opportunity to take time off to care for our new baby. In addition, we have willing and capable family members who can jump in and help when needed. The plan is for us both to spend as much time as we can with our child.
In addition to our love of the Magic Kingdom we have other hobbies and interests– literature for one. Growing up in her mother’s bookstore sparked a love of reading, and she reads several books a month and is part of a book club. Ron has been an avid reader since early childhood. As a pop culture researcher for podcasts and video blogs, he enjoys flexing his creativity.
We love to travel all over the world, and our daughter took her first overseas trip to the Mediterranean in 2025. We travel to New York and Florida often to visit family. We see family cruises as a great way to introduce multiple cultures and environments.
Our parents introduced us to the arts, and we love learning about different cultural experiences. We take our daughter to visit museums, and attend live shows, plays, and concerts.
We like to cook together, watch movies, and spend time with our siblings, nieces, and nephews. We especially enjoy spending time together during the holidays, we call our winter season “Birthanamas” as we celebrate several birthdays, Hanukkah, and Christmas. We cannot wait to introduce our future child to some of our favorite dishes and films.
Thank You
Thank you so much for taking the time to read about us and our family, and we hope to speak with you. Although we have not been in your shoes, having gone through the loss of a child ourselves, we can imagine how difficult deciding whether or not to place your child for adoption may be.
We hope that showing you a little slice of our lives together, along with providing you with a vision of the supportive and happy home we will provide for your child, will give you some peace of mind. We also want you to know that we will provide your child with unconditional love, along with a nurturing, magical home full of family and fun.
As an adopted person himself, Ron knows what it is like to be placed for adoption, and this commonality can be a comfort to an adopted child. Ron’s adoption was closed so he never had the chance to meet his birth family. If you would like an open adoption, we would be delighted to stay in touch with you. No matter what you decide to do, we want you to know that we truly appreciate that you thought about us, and we truly look forward to meeting you and to all that is to come.
With Love and Light,