Introduction
Dear Expectant Parent(s),
Hi, we’re Melissa and Chris! Thank you for choosing to read our story and learn about us as prospective parents.
Our Story
We met during our freshman year of college as residents on the same floor of one of the dormitories. Our relationship started as friends, but toward the end of the year, we realized our true feelings for one another. We’ve been together since 2008!
After graduating college, we moved in and started our lives together. Chris asked Melissa to marry him in 2014 while riding a giant Ferris wheel overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Seattle. We were married in the spring of 2015 in a small wedding with only close family and friends present.
We started trying to grow our family in the summer of 2017; however, after many doctors and multiple years of fertility treatment, it became apparent that having a biological child is not possible for us. We turn to adoption to grow our family, as we feel that love – not DNA – makes a family.
About Melissa, By Chris
Melissa is a quality assurance specialist who works at a pharmaceutical company. She started her career working in the lab developing and manufacturing the medicines used to treat cancer and other diseases but found working on the paperwork behind the scenes fit her organizational skills and attention to detail much better.
When she’s not at work, she is the head chef and baker in our kitchen. She plans out our meals weekly, gathers the ingredients, and takes care of preparation while I assist as her sous chef. Even after a full workweek and cooking delicious dinners, she still has the energy to bake several batches of creative cookies for our friends and families.
Outside of our home, Melissa enjoys volunteering in various ways. She has baked and decorated many cakes for children in need through a local charity. Recently, her love of reading has led her to spend some time helping at the town’s used bookstore.
Melissa ensures everyone in our home is cared for every day, whether it’s making sure our cats are healthy and happy or keeping an eye on my mental and emotional state after a stressful day at work. I’m 100% confident that her compassionate and attentive personality will make her an amazing mom.
Fun Facts About Melissa:
Melissa has taken the test to be a contestant on Jeopardy! almost 20 times and dreams of someday making it onto the show.
Melissa took dance lessons from the ages of 5 to 17, but is actually quite klutzy!
Melissa studied abroad in Morocco during her sophomore year of college.
Melissa can’t burp!
About Chris, By Melissa
Chris is a video game developer who has published two of his own original games. He makes a career out of bringing fun and joy to people around the world! Designing and developing these games is a testament to his creativity.
In addition to working in games, Chris enjoys both playing and collecting video games. His office is affectionately known as our “Video Game Museum” and covers games from as far back as the late 1970s. I imagine he’ll enjoy playing Mario Kart with a child someday, though he’s not someone who just lets others win; they have to earn it!
Outside of games, Chris is the gardener in our house. He’s cultivated some wonderful strawberry plants, grows blackberries and potatoes annually, and makes sure our garden is tended to. Getting to enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of his labor is always a sweet experience.
Chris brings levity and laughter into every situation. I can count on him to cheer me up when needed and to make me giggle nearly every minute we’re together. I can’t wait to see him become a father to a child and have the whole household laughing every day.
Fun Facts About Chris:
Chris won an art contest as a teenager and had his drawing published in a popular video game magazine.
Chris still owns some of his most treasured toys and LEGO sets that he hopes to someday share with a child.
Chris spent four months studying abroad in Osaka, Japan, during his senior year of college.
Even though Melissa is the better cook, Chris has perfected some childhood classics like boxed mac & cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Our Home
Our house is a three-bedroom home in the back corner of a quiet neighborhood in the greater Boston area. We both work from home, and each of us have our own space to be productive. Outside of work, the kitchen and living areas are where we spend most of our time cooking, eating, reading, and playing games together. We have several garden beds in our backyard where we grow tomatoes, melons, carrots, and more! We love to host gatherings on our deck, where we grill and play board games with family and friends.
The neighborhood we live in is very peaceful. There is not much traffic, and it is conducive to walking and biking. Occasionally, we spend a portion of our lunch break taking a stroll around the block and getting some fresh air. There are many young families on our street and the surrounding streets. We also think that it’s a great neighborhood for Halloween Trick-or-Treat!
The town we live in has a lot of exciting activities for a child. The local elementary school is walkable from our home, which has an awesome playground, tennis and basketball courts, and a skate park. We enjoy frequenting the local library and parks around town. There is also a lake in town with a public beach and swimming in the summer!
We are just a short drive from Boston, where there are plenty of activities and learning opportunities for a child, like the children’s museum, The Freedom Trail (lots to learn about Revolutionary history!), the science museum, and the aquarium.
Our Family and Friends
Chris has two younger sisters and Melissa has an older brother. We also have a niece and nephew from Melissa’s brother. Our parents and siblings all live within about an hour’s drive. We see Melissa’s family about once a month throughout the year – more often in the summers and a bit less frequently in the winter. Melissa loves to watch hockey games with her brother, and we get together with Chris’ sisters every other week to have dinner, bake, or just watch Disney or Marvel shows.
We have close friends from high school, college, and work whom we also consider family. Many of them live in Massachusetts, but some are spread across the country. We love hosting game nights, playing virtual trivia and party games, baking together, and going on outings like apple picking with our friends.
Our family and friends have been incredibly supportive of our decision to adopt. They’ve been there for us throughout our fertility journey and are excited at the prospect of us becoming parents. There’s no doubt that they will welcome a new family member with open arms and hearts.
Last but not least, no story about our loved ones would be complete without mentioning our two cats, Wil and Lyn. Wil is a lanky orange tabby and Lyn is a black and white Manx with a stubby little tail. Though he can be timid, Wil is super cuddly and affectionate. Lyn is very sassy but always loves greeting company. We adopted them in 2014 from a shelter as a bonded pair, and they bring us joy every single day.
Traditions + Hobbies + Interests
Autumn brings about Melissa’s favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. We routinely spend it with Melissa’s family, having a huge turkey dinner with just as many desserts as there are side dishes! We also enjoy going apple picking and rewarding our hard work in the orchard with fresh, warm apple cider donuts.
Our winter traditions mainly revolve around Christmas, including picking out a real Christmas tree each year and then decorating it while listening to festive music, baking holiday cookies with Chris’ sisters, and celebrating Christmas with both of our families. Since 2015, we’ve also treated ourselves to dinner at a local steakhouse where we look back on the year and think about the things we want to accomplish in the coming year.
When winter finally ends in the Northeast, we love spending time outside, whether it’s berry picking at local farms, hosting outdoor gatherings, or gardening. We also love to spend time at Melissa’s family’s cottage at a lake in southern New Hampshire, swimming, boating, and playing in the sand with our niece and nephew.
In the spring, we enjoy celebrating Chinese New Year with Chris’ family, which sometimes includes a 7+ course meal! We also regularly attend the Penny Arcade Expo which comes to Boston each spring. Multiple times, we have showcased Chris’ game there.
Year-round, we like to relax by doing jigsaw puzzles or building LEGO sets together. We’ve also traveled around the US and internationally to Canada and Mexico to sightsee and scope out delicious food. We’d love to explore even more wonderful places, especially with a child.
Thank you
Thank you so much for allowing us to share a piece of our lives with you. Our hope is that this profile book has given you a glimpse of how our home, family, and love for one another, have readied us to shower a child with all the affection and nurturing care we have.
If we are chosen as adoptive parents, we promise to give the baby everything we have to offer – love, acceptance, a great education, delicious meals and sweet treats, an involved extended family, exploration of the world, and more. We hope that we will be able to meet someday and that we will stay in contact throughout the child’s life. Regardless of the openness and relationship you prefer, we strive to be open and honest with a child about their adoption and provide them with the necessary tools to support their physical, emotional, and mental health.
Thank you for considering an adoption plan for this baby. You are loving and brave. We wish you all the love and luck as you sort out what is right for you and the baby.
Sincerely,