Before we got married, we spent many nights talking about our core values which continues to guide our life. Family takes a huge priority. We make time for each other, for our son, and for our extended family. We love to celebrate our family and friends and come together for birthdays, holidays, and other milestone events.

Spirituality also takes priority in our life. We are a multi-faith household and believe in letting our children find what speaks to them while instilling in them the values that make them a loving, kind human. We continuously demonstrate gratitude for our life and engage in prayer and meditation to help us to make sense of the world. As our children grow, engaging them in community service will be very important.

Traveling is very important to us. We love being able to see new places and understand different worldviews. It opens our perspectives up and helps us to feel gratitude for the lives we have lived. We have lived in different countries throughout our life and worked in diverse communities within the United States. In the last few years, we have been able to travel to Mexico, Canada, and Panama with our son. Developing our curiosity and wonder in life while expanding our empathy for others is core to who we are.

Sheeba About Anay: I love Anay's adventurous spirit and his optimism about life. He is by nature a very hopeful human being. He is open to trying new things and learning about new people and has such a big heart. I respect that he works hard and takes the time to understand things on a deeper level. He has done some pretty awesome things in his life: climbed several mountains, scuba dived in beautiful oceans, and worked or visited over 40 countries. He is one of the most curious people I know and is a constant learner. And boy does he love being a father and playing with our son!

Anay About Sheeba: Sheeba is the kindest soul. She has such a big heart for her family, friends and the world around her. She's smart (she just became a Dr. in Education!), funny, generous, and super creative. She's written short stories, poetry, plays, performed as a singer-songwriter, and even has 4 albums on Spotify! I love that music has become such a big part of our home. It is no surprise she was a teacher earlier in life because she deeply cares for people and intuitively understands children. She's an incredible mother and somehow always knows what our son needs.

We are both Indian American. Anay's family is from Gujarat, India. Sheeba's family is from Kerala, India. Growing up, we would both visit India with our families, which independently helped us understand how big the world is and how interconnected we all are. We both speak Spanish and lived in Spanish-speaking countries before we met. After we were married, we also lived in Kenya and worked there for two years.

Cultural diversity is a value that is very important to us. Sheeba has worked in multiple schools with very diverse student bodies and has taught children from many cultural backgrounds. Anay has spent most of the last 15+ years working across Latin America, Africa and Asia and thrives in diverse settings. If our child comes from a different background than us, we will make sure that we find resources in the local community and mentors that represent where he or she comes from. We will celebrate the culture he or she comes from by honoring traditions, food, and language. We will make sure the child feels seen, validated, and belonging. We are already a multi-cultural family and have lived across the US in different communities and are excited to expand our family with a child of another race.

We live in a wonderful community that is diverse, walkable, and full of great opportunities for kids and families. The school district is known to be a great district with multiple schools that offer dual immersion language options (Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin). There are also tons of opportunities for sports, music, and other activities for kids. On a yearly basis, there is a festival the neighborhood puts on for families in addition to other events like pumpkin patches, movie nights, and holiday parties.

We love going to concerts, museums, and trying new foods in the city. We are also blessed with over 10 playgrounds within driving distance and we have become experts on each one! On the weekends, we often go to the beach, which is only a 15 min drive!

We have lived in our 3 bedroom home for 4 years and have made so many great memories in this house. We are in a complex with 9 other families, most of whom have children that have grown up playing with our son. Inside, everything happens in the family room - dancing, playing piano, making puzzles, hosting family and friends, watching cartoons and eating delicious dinners that we love to cook. After dinner we all go upstairs for bath time and bedtime books, which has become a beautiful evening ritual for us all.

We both have large and wonderful extended families that live throughout the United States and around the world. Just recently, we all went to New York for Sheeba's cousin's wedding. Sheeba made matching t-shirts for her parents, her sister, the two of us and our son. We then took the train to visit Anay's mother and she also wore a t-shirt for some pretty fun photo shoots.

Sheeba has an older sister and brother and Anay has an older sister. When we all get together, we eat good meals, we play games, and we laugh a lot. Both Sheeba and Anay's Moms are amazing cooks and make delicious meals (both Indian and non-Indian). Anay and Sheeba have learned these dishes and love to cook them for friends and family because gathering around food is a treasured family tradition.

We visit Anay's family every Thanksgiving which includes a reunion of about 40 people and backyard football! We visit Sheeba's family every Christmas and celebrate the holiday (usually with lots of cookies).

Sheeba's family mostly lives a 2 hour flight away. Anay's family lives on the East coast. We get to see both sides pretty frequently throughout the year (at least 4 times) as the grandparents love visiting to spend time with our fast growing son.

Our family is so supportive of our plan to adopt. They are extremely family oriented and will love this child whole-heartedly.

As we write this letter to you, we are listening to a song, 'Cradle with Love' by Samite. What comes to mind for us is the vision of a baby entering this world and the ability for them to be cradled by love by so many people throughout their life, starting with you. You are the beautiful spark that allows for all of this to ignite.

We are honored that you are reading our letter. We believe this is a deeply spiritual connection between you, the baby, and us. We hope you feel deeply comforted by the fact that this child will be joining a family committed to love, family, faith, and joy.

We met 10 years ago and have been married for 7 years. We met at a Halloween party and quickly discovered that not only do we love having fun and laughing loudly together, but we both care deeply about the world and have a strong desire to be of service to others. We both have worked separately in India and more recently, lived in Kenya. Sheeba was a school leader at a girls high school and Anay worked at an organization dedicated to providing microfinance loans to those in most need. These values: service, empathy, wonder, and curiosity about the world are values we hope to pass on to our children.

We are an interfaith couple. Sheeba was raised Catholic and Anay was raised Hindu & Buddhist. Our families come from India and we speak multiple languages including Hindi and Spanish. We love learning about different kinds of people from around the world. Sheeba has worked in schools as an educator throughout the United States in Washington D.C., Brooklyn, and Los Angeles.

We both love the arts, going to concerts, spending meaningful time with friends and family, reading books, and just playing with our son. Sheeba plays the piano and sings as a hobby. Anay enjoys working out and has climbed a bunch of mountains here and there!

After having our son, we came to realize how much we wanted a larger family. While we are not able to do so biologically, we know that adoption is an incredible option for us. We are excited to grow this family and raise these children to have fulfilling lives, giving them every opportunity to expand their minds and hearts and blossom into who they are meant to be.

We can only imagine all the feelings you must be having at this stage. We know this is a huge decision for you and wish you grace and peace during this time. You are forever connected to this child and we will share photos, stories, and emails with you as they continue to grow. We will honor your story and be sure to share this story with the child.

Sincerely,

Anay & Sheeba