Our Life

We have known each other since college and after many years of marriage we are still best friends. We share many hobbies and interests and it seems that somehow the laughing and fun we have together has only increased over the years.

In April of 2005, our son Ross Tyler joined our family through an open adoption. We feel incredibly fortunate that we have close and ongoing relationships with both Ross' birthmother and birthfather.

As a family, we love the outdoors. We spend most weekend days all together at the park or doing fun family activites like apple picking, going to the zoo or going to museums or kids' shows. We feel that fun time together and time for children to play is very important.

We have always shared the dream of becoming parents again and it has become very clear that adoption would be the most wonderful way to grow our family.

Tom about Jen

"My wife, Jen, is a kind, patient woman and a wonderful mother to our son, Ross. Jen works part time as a child psychiatrist and so is able to spend much of her time with the family. She is very involved in Ross' school, being a class parent and volunteering in the class and for class trips. Jen is energetic and funny, constantly singing, dancing and telling jokes. She enjoys swimming, playing in the park, going to theater shows, cooking, and playing the violin with Ross. She is excited to grow our family and share these activities with another child."

Jen about Tom

"My husband, Tom, is an intelligent man, full of energy and with a great sense of humor. As a middle school math teacher and a former camp counselor, children seem to gravitate toward him and love being with him. He is an amazing and involved father to our son Ross. He is patient, silly, kind and creative. His schedule is flexible and he is able to be home with Ross during school vacations and the summer. He loves sharing his hobbies of ice hockey, baseball, reading, traveling and all types of music with Ross and is looking forward to sharing these with another child."

Our Home

We live in a large, sunny apartment in a quiet neighborhood of a large northeastern city. Our neighborhood includes many parks, playgrounds and museums, with the library and a beautiful summer pool just a few blocks away. There are excellent public and private schools just a short walk from our home.

Our cats Cosmo and Kirby live with us too. Cosmo is quiet, lazy and sweet. She loves napping on the couch in the sun. Kirby is playful, sweet and energetic.

About Ross Tyler

Ross is an amazing little boy. He has brought so much joy into our lives and into the lives of everyone who knows him. He is smart, outgoing, silly, full of energy, really funny and loves all types of music. He is also kind and very sensitive to the feelings of others. He will be a wonderful big brother; always looking out for his younger sibling and ready to teach him or her about all the things he knows. He knows his own adoption story well and feels comfortable asking us questions about how our family came to be the way it is.

He knows both his birthmother Ashleigh and birthfather Bill, as well as their extended families and looks forward to visits and to the annual FIA picnic in Vermont each summer.

Our Family and Friends

We have a large extended family, with Jen's mother, brother and grandfather living only a few minutes away. Jen's sister, brother-in-law, nephews and niece live several hours away, yet we see each other every two to three months. For several years, we have taken at least one vacation a year with Jen's extended family. Ross is very close with his cousins and they talk on the phone and write each other letters regularly. Jen's father lives in Long Island right near the beach, allowing for frequent summer visits and trips to the beach. Jen's parents can't wait to start spoiling another grandchild with love and affection.

Tom's mother, sister, brother-in-law and niece are also nearby. Ross is wonderful with his baby cousin; gentle and caring. We see Tom's extended family frequently and they are excited to include a new child in our many fun-filled holiday celebrations like our annual Halloween party and July Fourth Barbeque.

Get togethers in our family are frequent, with birthdays, holidays and graduations always including large home-cooked meals, music and lots of laughs.

We are fortunate to have a large network of close friends both nearby and throughout the country. We have many traditions with our friends including an annual New Years trip, Super Bowl party and summer picnic. Casual dinners and trips to the park with friends and all the kids are typical ways we spend our weekends.

Our friends are all very supportive of our adoption plans and are excited to be "aunts and uncles" to a new baby.

Love and Respect

If you do decide on adoption and feel we are the family to raise your child, we would be honored. Through letters, pictures and possibly more, you would be able to know that he or she is thriving and your child would always know how much love, strength and courage you had in making this difficult decision. We promise to provide an unending fountain of love for your child.

Tom, Ross & Jen