Our love of learning is something we really want to pass on to a child. Stewart has worked as an elementary teacher in South America and taught leadership programs for high school students, and a large part of Sarah's job is teaching medical students and trainees to be a doctor. There are also several teachers in our families, including preschool, elementary and music teachers.

Our hometown has a great school system and educational programs. In addition to traditional schooling, we also believe everyday experiences can be amazing learning opportunities. This might look like turning simple activities into teachable moments - learning some new words while we watch a children's movie, or talking about the science of baking as we make cupcakes together.

We want to share the joy of reading from a young age, and would encourage a child to learn another language and a musical instrument as they grow up. We would also love to share our love for travel with a child, and see this as a great way to have fun while gaining respect for other cultures, people and nature. We are so excited to learn alongside a child, seeing the world through their eyes and encouraging their natural sense of curiosity and wonder.

Sarah About Stewart: Stewart is the best person I know, and I believe he was made to be a father. He is patient, kind and very hard-working. He is thoughtful and earnest and silly. He is comforting, calm and steady. Stewart has lots of experience working with kids, ranging from his time teaching elementary school in Santiago, Chile and coaching middle school sports to running leadership programs for high school students. When our friends come over, the kids always flock to him, and he is so thoughtful that he's always stocking the house with games and crafts to have on hand for when we have little visitors. He makes every day of my life better, and it would be an incredible privilege to be able to build a family together.

Stewart About Sarah: Sarah's empathy, protective "mama bear" instincts and amazing ability to listen and communicate will make her an excellent parent. She's also an excellent planner and problem-solver, and has a great sense of humor. Sarah goes out of her way to understand, help and support others at work and in her personal life. She is loyal, protective and fights for her family, friends and for what she believes is fair and right. She is able to be so connected with people because she is a great listener and helps others become more comfortable with their thoughts and emotions. Sarah is always three steps ahead of you - whether it is thinking through a challenging life problem or planning out the weekend.

We have always felt called to be parents. Even before experiencing our infertility troubles, we discussed the possibility of building a family through adoption. We struggled with over five years of fertility treatments and losses, which was a challenging journey but has only served to strengthen our personal bond and reinforce our desire to be parents.

The incredible honor of becoming parents through adoption is not something we take lightly. We have educated ourselves and talked a lot about the unique aspects that affect an adopted child, birth family and adoptive family. We genuinely believe we can provide a wonderful, nurturing home built on love.

Our vision for raising an adopted child is that they always know that love is central to their adoption story. Adoption will never be a secret. We will celebrate their story and tell them, from the earliest days, how lucky they are to have so many people who love them, including their birth family and adoptive family.

Our home is in a small city in Minnesota that is safe and child-friendly – in fact we specifically moved here because we thought it was such a perfect place to raise a child! We also spend a fair amount of time in a nearby bigger city, and already have our favorite playground picked out there. Frequent big city visits will provide opportunities for tons of activities to understand, experience and embrace different racial or ethnic backgrounds.

Our community is also a great place for kids to learn. Across the many indicators for educational success (pre-school enrollment, graduation, diversity, extra-curriculars), our neighborhood schools outperform state and national averages.

In addition to all the charms of our small Midwestern hometown, we have a great group of friends and spend quite a lot of time hanging out with them and their children. There is an amazing public park within walking distance of our home – this includes a playground, tennis and basketball courts, soccer and baseball fields, outdoor track and even a swimming pool with waterslides. In the winter, our city floods the outdoor track to create a skating rink, and there are festivals, parades and concerts in this area throughout the year.

We are excited to enjoy family activities during all four seasons in our hometown- rolling in piles of colorful fall leaves, playing among giant pumpkins, sledding in the newly fallen snow, having a snowball fight, going for bike-rides and hikes, visiting local farms and helping a child plant a veggie garden.

Family is one of the most important things to us, and we are lucky to have close relationships with our parents and siblings. Sarah's mom lives just a few blocks away and, as a retired elementary teacher, is a favorite of the neighborhood children. She loves to host gatherings, including card games and book clubs. Stewart's parents live about an hour away, visit often and are a great support with home improvement questions and puppy-sitting.

Sarah's sister is an elementary teacher who is very excited to become an aunt. She is a natural with children and will be so helpful with instilling a love of learning from a young age. Stewart's brothers also play important roles in our lives. The two of them have lots of love to give, and are excited to share their interests of biking, skiing and art.

Both of our families have been very supportive throughout our family-building journey, and are incredibly excited to help us welcome a new member into the family. Some of our favorite family traditions include over-the-top decorating for holidays, playing Bingo at Thanksgiving, collecting gifts for families in need around the winter holidays and exchanging pajamas on Christmas Eve. We especially love hosting family gatherings at our home, whether it be casual weeknight barbecues or celebrating special events.

We genuinely believe that adoption is born out of love, and we are both honored and grateful to be making an adoption plan with you. We realize this journey can be traumatic and hard. We want you to know that we are here to provide your child with unconditional love, and also to support you. We could not have predicted that our paths would cross, but the universe has brought us together to ensure the happiness, safety and bright future of your child.

We got married at a drive-through wedding chapel in Las Vegas in 2020 - because when challenges (like a global pandemic) give us lemons, we always look to make lemonade. We are blessed in so many ways, but our journey to build a family has been full of disappointments. Throughout the years of losses and sadness, we have been able to grow closer, lean on each other (and our dog Finlay) for support and figure out how best to move through this time together. One thing that has never wavered is our strong desire to be parents.

We are so excited to become parents and to help your child grow, learn and thrive. There may be no such thing as perfect parents, but we will always be fair, loving, kind and ready to experience life through a young person's eyes. We genuinely enjoy spending time with kids, and our friends trust us with their children. Sarah is the godparent to two of her friends' children, and Stewart is almost always upstairs organizing a movie, board game or Nintendo Wii for the neighborhood kids while the parents gather downstairs.

We can only imagine how difficult and overwhelming it must be to make such a tremendous and loving decision about your child's future. We can't make those feelings go away, but we hope it can bring you confidence and happiness knowing that we have all been brought together in this process. Our life's path - with all its challenges and gifts- has brought us to you and your child. Our fertility challenges have reinforced how much we want to be parents - we want this more than words can say. More importantly, we have so many gifts to share and would be honored to love this child as much as you do.

We are fortunate to have stability in our jobs, a wonderful home and an extensive support network. Both of us have already put in the hours and achieved success in our careers, so we now have time and flexibility to dedicate to a family. We moved from the East Coast to a smaller city in the Midwest because we thought it would be the best place to raise a family. We hit the jackpot with the perfect home - walking distance from a great park (complete with ballparks and water slides), a strong pre-school and helpful neighbors and friends. Stewart grew up nearby and his parents are ready to babysit. Sarah's mom, a retired teacher, also relocated from the East Coast and has games, piano lessons and stories to share. Most of all, we are just normal, down-to-Earth people who share important core values of trust, kindness and honesty. We love to have fun and find the humor in most situations, we aim to leave the world a better place than we found it, and we seek out adventure whenever possible.

We believe strongly in the value of an open adoption, and would welcome as much future contact as you are open to. Exchanging emails, phone calls or scheduling in person visits over the coming years are all possible ways we can all stay connected. At a minimum, we commit to regularly sending letters and pictures to you, and are excited to partner with you to determine the frequency and types of communication that supports everyone.

Thank you so much for considering us as adoptive parents. Together, we are an incredible team, and can't wait to start on the journey of becoming parents. We wish you the best, including a sense of peace and comfort during this process. Please do reach out if you would like to get to know more about us or connect further.

Best wishes,

Stewart & Sarah