We met while attending college. Peter was friends with Amy's freshman roommate and stopped by their dorm a couple of times. When Amy and her roommate moved into an apartment, Peter helped carry and unpack boxes. Peter started hanging out at the apartment more and more. We still disagree about when we had our first date.

Amy: I asked him out on our first date, kind of. I asked if he wanted to see a movie with me and some friends, and then I didn't invite anyone else. We went to our local independent movie theater to see "Garden State." Later, he told me he realized it was a date about halfway through the movie. He said he really wanted to kiss me.

Peter: I asked her out on our real first date a week later. We had dinner at a nice restaurant downtown by the creek. Then I did kiss her.

We would not be who we are today without the love and support of our families.

Amy: My parents instilled in me a deep love of learning. I learned to work hard at school and also developed an appreciation for art, history, and literature. They encouraged me to write from a young age and have always believed that I would become a successful author. They also taught me to love nature, animals, and my community. I owe much of who I am to them and am very thankful for their love and support.

Peter: My parents instilled in me from a young age the importance of a good work ethic, self reliance, kindness and generosity. They provided me with a stable home life and a good education. This allowed me to follow my passion with computers and establish a fulfilling career as a software engineer. I am so grateful for them. They worked hard and made many sacrifices for our family growing up, but I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them.

In our lives, we prioritize each other, our family and friends, and giving back to our community. As a couple, we prioritize communication and spending quality time together. One of our favorite things to do together is cooking and eating dinner. Often we'll hang out in the kitchen while one of us cooks and chat about our day. We like going on walks around our neighborhood, hanging out with friends, playing games, and spending time outdoors. We also value being able to spend time apart when needed, whether it's some quality "me" time or traveling for work or family. We make frequent trips to visit both sides of our family and they often come to visit us. We're fortunate to have an amazing group of friends that are not only fun to hang out with but always there when we need them. Likewise, if our family or friends need help, we are always here to support them. We prioritize giving back to our community by helping people, volunteering, and donating to nonprofits. Amy currently volunteers at a donkey sanctuary in town. Peter helps family, friends, and neighbors with house projects. We also donate to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, where Amy's cousin received cancer treatments, and the children's museum where Amy used to work.

We love where we live and believe it will be a wonderful place for your child to grow up. It's a small town in California located a couple of miles from the beach and a beautiful lake. Our community has lots of parks for families and a cute downtown area filled with locally owned restaurants and shops. There are lots of fun, family-friendly events, like the weekly farmers' market, a harvest festival, and Christmas parade. There is a children's museum nearby, where Amy used to work, and lots of multicultural events, like the Obon Festival and folklorico performances. Our neighborhood is very welcoming and diverse, with people of many different backgrounds. There are quite a few families with children of all ages, from babies to teenagers. We are especially close to our nextdoor neighbors whose little boy loves garbage trucks and asks to bring in our cans every week. We love going on walks around the neighborhood almost every day to say hello to people and their pets.

We own a one-story home with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a nice backyard for barbecuing and hanging out with friends. We love our living room because it offers lots of space for hosting friends for dinner, playing games, watching movies, reading, and more. There is a preschool and an elementary school less than a mile away from our house that we've always hoped our child would attend. There is also a beautiful butterfly grove next to the beach just minutes away.

Our family and friends are incredibly important to us. We make regular trips to visit them and they often come to visit us. We’ve also spent several holidays together with both families, sharing traditions, favorite recipes, and playing games. Every summer, Peter’s brother and sister come down from Washington with their families and we stay at his parents’ house together. We love playing in the backyard, going to the river, and eating big family dinners together. We’ve also traveled up to Washington for summer vacations.

Although Amy is an only child, her cousins are like her siblings. We make frequent trips to see her younger cousin and her three kids, including holidays and special trips to Legoland and the San Diego Zoo. We always look forward to hanging out at Amy’s parents’ house, playing with the kids in the pool and having barbecues. While her older cousin lives back east, she often comes home to visit and we’ve made several trips out to see her.

We are very lucky to have a wonderful extended family of friends. We love cooking together, playing board games, going for hikes, and relaxing at the beach. Many of our friends have kids and have adopted us as an honorary “aunt and uncle.” All of our family and friends are thrilled that we’ve started the adoption process. They are tremendously supportive and believe we will make wonderful parents. We can’t wait to welcome your child into this loving family.

Thank you so much for taking the time to review our profile. We realize this is a very difficult decision for you. While we haven't been in your shoes, we understand how frightening it is to not know what the future will bring.

We've dreamed of becoming parents ever since we got married in 2010, but our journey has been filled with uncertainty and heartache. We tried for almost a decade to have a child of our own. This included countless doctors appointments, two rounds of IVF, and six embryo transfers, the last of which sadly ended with a miscarriage due to Amy's diagnosis of endometriosis.

Despite these challenges, we still long to become parents and believe adoption is the right fit for us. We know in our hearts that we can create a beautiful home for your child, filled with love, laughter, and all the opportunities they deserve. We promise to cherish your child as if they were ours by blood. We will provide unconditional love, unwavering support, and a safe and stable home where they can become the best version of themselves.

We are so excited to be parents and to take on everything that requires, from enduring sleepless nights and diaper changes to having difficult conversations and providing for their education. As an aunt and uncle, we've seen the immense joy and painful struggles parenting brings and we are ready to experience these things ourselves. We can't wait to teach your child to read, to love animals and nature, to swim in the ocean, and to ride a bike. We want to walk them to school every day and cook dinner for them every night; to tuck them in and comfort them when they've had a bad dream.

Similarly, our families can't wait to welcome your child into the fold. Our parents are thrilled to become grandparents (Amy's for the first time), and our nephews and Amy's cousins are excited to be big cousins. There are so many traditions, holidays, and experiences we want to share together as a family. And will share these experiences with you, too.

Please know we will always honor and respect your child's connection to you, making sure they grow up knowing the depth of your love and sacrifice. As mentioned previously in our profile, we are committed to exchanging regular emails and phone calls with you. We hope, by becoming your child's adoptive parents, we will share a special bond as an extended family. We know you will always have a special place in our child's heart and are supportive of them having a relationship with you. We are also open to discussing the possibility of additional future visits. If you choose us to be the adoptive parents of your precious baby, we'll dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to their happiness and well-being.

We'll strive every day to be the parents they deserve, guiding them with patience, understanding, and unwavering love. We hope this is the beginning of a very special relationship together as biological and adoptive parents. With heartfelt gratitude for considering us, and with boundless love and respect for you and your baby.

Sincerely,

Peter & Amy