| Father to be | Father to be | |
| First Names | Chris | David |
| Religion | Christian | Christian |
| Education/Degree | Ph.D., History | B.S., Child Psychology |
| Profession | Higher Education Administrator and Writing Teacher | Secondary Education Learning Specialist |
Family Video
Our Story
Hi! We’re Chris and David, and we are full of gratitude for the chance to share a bit of our story with you! Part of how we knew we were in it for the long haul is our mutual commitment to growing our family through adoption; we have always known we have a lot of love to share and we look forward to making memories with your child and learning lessons together along the way.
Our story began in 2011 when we became fast friends over board games and life chats. David had just moved to NJ after a year working at a camp in the California mountains, and Chris had recently returned home after living in Europe for several years. We found some like-minded travelers who were also new to town, and we began a weekly get-together centered on good food and different board games (some of those gamers remain our best friends to this day and they are thrilled to meet our little one soon). Chris has always been more inclined to win the games, which is just as well because David would rather be socializing than paying attention to the rules anyway…
We discovered we had something more than friendship, and by 2014 we were living together in a shoebox apartment in NYC, chasing big-city dreams, and all the while growing as a couple. After a few years our careers brought us back to where our story began. We settled down into our forever house and together our roots run deep.
At our wedding in 2016, the theme of the toasts from our loved ones was how much balance we each bring to the other’s life: Chris is the introvert, the speed reader, the one who friends go to for a rational and reasoned perspective. It might take David a month to finally finish a beloved book, he’d rather be hosting by the firepit than curled up watching a movie, and friends tend to end up appreciating his advice whether they asked for it or not. We bring out the adventurous, the silly, and the absolute best in each other.
Family Life
We were both raised in traditionally Christian households, and today we find ourselves on a journey to bring the most meaningful parts of our childhood faiths into our adult lives. Chris feels a deeper connection to ritual and scriptures, while David finds church wherever open hearts gather. We share a deep faith in community, exploration, service, and artful souls (especially those that look and experience the world differently than we do). We absolutely commit to learning with your child through bridging new heritages, customs, and traditions with those already familiar to us.
We also both have family members who have quite different sets of beliefs from our own; where we are all in complete agreement is that family comes first. The youngest and oldest among us get priority seating at the table and no question is too big to be asked. Our families also agree that dogs should be encouraged to nap on the furniture, so naturally our beagle Bernie (short for Bernice) has her favorite cushions wherever we go.
We are in love with our families, our own as well as each other’s. We enjoy twice yearly trips to visit David’s family in Tennessee, though we expect more frequent visits once his parents have more grandchildren. Chris’s parents couldn’t be more excited to become grandparents for the first time, and, while he loves being an uncle to our dog, Chris’s brother loves kids and can’t wait to show off his shadow puppetry skills to your child and teach them to play all the video games imaginable (the combined-family MarioKart tournaments are truly epic). David’s siblings are equally excited to embrace more members of the family; our niece just recently counted 21 cupholders on the new family pontoon boat - she noted that there is so much room for cousins to join in the fun!
Lifestyle
We love hosting our family and friends around the dinner table, out back around the firepit, or on the front lawn playing games in our Halloween costumes -- we don’t ever want to be too old to dress up! The winter holiday season is our favorite time to put friends to work baking and decorating cookies to share with our neighbors, and any Saturday is the perfect time to make pizzas from scratch. Summer is dedicated to Mets games, trips to the beach or Dolly Parton’s amusement park, and splash pads in the yard!
When we’re not hosting, we’re still playing board games virtually and in person or keeping up with our Netflix stories (we’re hooked on the One Day at a Time reboot), joining an audience for live music and theater, taking a hike with the dog, or doing our own things. Chris loves to cook, work on house projects and in the garden, or find a quiet nook to do some writing or catch up on whatever book(s) he’s trying to finish. When he’s not baking bread, David can be found catching up with long-distance friends and family, working in the community on behalf of kids with special needs, or recruiting new partners for cornhole in a friend’s backyard (and there’s a 100% chance he’s barefoot if the temperature is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit).
Most often you can find us in and around our house. A two-story craftsman built almost 100 years ago, details like the brick fireplace, old-timey door locks, and ceramic light fixtures remind us of its long history as a home. The remodeled open-plan kitchen and dining area is perfect for keeping an eye on homework, and our half-acre backyard lets us imagine family BBQs, camp-outs, and snowball fights for years to come!
We live in a small town surrounded by nature preserves and farmland, where it’s easy enough to get to NYC and Philly, but where everything we need is close to home. We can easily walk to restaurants, stores, playgrounds, and the local school. Our front porch is the best seating for parades throughout the year, and our neighborhood includes so many little ones ready to meet new friends!
Adoption
We are of the belief that there is no such thing as too many supportive adults or too much love in the life of a child. As much as you are comfortable, we hope to share photos, emails, and regular updates with you. As time goes on, we would love to add sharing milestones and major life events together.
We plan to honestly and thoughtfully consider all of your child’s questions before responding, and we commit to continuously reminding them of the love that has been at the center of their story from the very beginning.
Especially since summer 2020, our family has prioritized intentionally seeking and amplifying perspectives that are different from our own. We are committed to diversifying the media we consume and ensuring the artists and businesses we support are also committed to working toward greater equity and justice for more historically marginalized communities. Thankfully, we both grew up with parents who firmly believe the most impactful education happens when we experience life from a new lens, and we are eager to share values of diversity and inclusion for all with your child. We each have traveled extensively, and we believe in the value of learning from our neighbors rather than being afraid of them.
David’s empathy combined with Chris’s compassion for his neighbor have resulted in a deeply shared commitment to continue learning about cultures and traditions that are different from the ones we were raised with. We regularly share articles and conversations with each other about best practices. Recently, we have checked in about the distinctions between tokenism and representation and ideas for how US History might be more accurately taught in schools.
We recognize that, while none of us has all the answers, we bear a responsibility to continue to learn. We are eager to share revelations with your child and raise them to be thoughtful, kind contributors to the world around them.
Favorites
| Father to be | Father to be | |
| Genre of Music | Indie rock | Americana/Folk |
| Childhood memory | Going down the shore with my grandparents | Tagging along with my brothers on adventures to the creek |
| Quote | “Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” - Omar Khayyam | “Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” - Mary Oliver |
| Subject in school | History | Music |
| TV show | The Expanse | Grey’s Anatomy |
| Movie | Ghostbusters | Rent (filmed live on Broadway) |
| Hero | My grandfather | My grandmother |
| Holiday | Thanksgiving | New Year’s Eve |
| Bedtime story | The Story of Ferdinand | The Giving Tree |
| Dessert | Tiramisu | Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream |
| Actor | Meryl Streep | Issa Rae |
| Video game | MarioKart | MarioKart |
| Sport to watch or play | Baseball | Baseball |
| Author | Graham Greene | Elizabeth Acevedo |
| If your life was a theme song what would it be? | “You’ve Got a Friend” - Carole King | “Hold On” - Alabama Shakes |
| Mac or PC? | Mac | Mac |
| Coffee or Tea? | Coffee, black | Iced coffee, black |
| Eat in or Dine out? | Eat in | Dine out |
| Early Riser or Night Owl? | Night Owl | Early Riser |
Best Wishes
For the last decade, we have delighted in sharing our love with our families–both the families we were born into and the families we’ve chosen. We have all this love to share precisely because of all the love we’ve received throughout our lives, just as with us your child will grow up surrounded by family who love them and empower them.
We are eager to bring your child, and your family if it feels right for you, into our corner of the world. We are mindful that the journey is the destination, and we look forward to expanding the welcome to you and your child.
Ready to Contact Chris & David
Drop us a line today!
English
Spanish