Hillary & ryan
HELLO! we are .
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RYAN& HILLARY
Thank you for taking the time to learn about us and for considering us as adoptive parents for your child.
Summer fun
dear Beautiful sunset
hank you for taking the time to learn about us and for considering us as adoptive parents for your child. Before we tell you about ourselves, we first want to tell you how much we admire and respect the selflessness of your decision to consider placing a baby for adoption. Not only are you making a decision focused on the well-being of your child, but for a couple like us – who have dreamed of loving and raising a child for many
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birth parent years – the path you are considering represents a gift more generous than any other. We are grateful for the opportunity to share our story with you. We have known for many years that starting a family would not come easy for us. Our journey to parenthood has been long and difficult, but we have never wavered in our desire to have a family. For us, having the opportunity to love and raise a child means everything.
We have so much love to give and we want to share that love with a child. We cannot begin to imagine the feelings you are having now, but we hope that knowing that your child has the opportunity to join a warm and loving home brings you comfort. We hope that this letter will give you a glimpse into our lives and the life we hope to offer a child.
Visiting the castle of Chillion
n 1995, we met at a nightclub where Ryan worked. We went on our first date one week later and had an instant connection. Over the next 10 years, we lived together, developed our lives and careers and grew as a couple. In 2005, we were married in The Caribbean on the small island of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. We had a small wedding with our closest friends and family in attendance. It was a wonderful event and the intimacy of the day made it truly memorable. Ryan and I both feel that our close friends, some of which have been lifelong relationships, are our extended family and these relationships speak to our loyalty, dedication, warmth and openness. 2 years after our wedding, we were offered an opportunity to move to Geneva, Switzerland for Ryan’s job. Although we were both terribly sad to move away from family and friends, we decided it was an opportunity that couldn’t be missed. We moved for 3 years and ended up staying for 6. It was an amazing experience and allowed us to travel around Europe, learn about other cultures and meet many new friends. We also bonded so much as a couple and a team; it was an amazing experience to share with each other.
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our love
Story
Keeping warm!
about us
arly on in our relationship, we discovered that we would not be able to have a baby together. We understood the implications but did not feel this was something we couldn’t overcome. We knew we would have a child one day and adoption has always been an option for us. In 2013, we finally moved home to the US and decided it was time to focus on adoption. We both feel confident that we will provide a warm, loving home to our future child and are very ready to be parents. We have always felt in our hearts that this would be the path that would ultimately lead to parenthood. We have a close friend who is adopted and during one of our first conversations with her, almost 7 years ago, we spoke of adoption and that this was a likely a path we would choose to follow. She has been a wonderful support to us during this process and we feel so blessed to know her.
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Now, we are here, back in the US, surrounded by supportive family and friends. Ryan is working and Hillary is managing the household and taking care of her new baby nephew a few days per week. We are very lucky that Hillary can be a stay at home mom and even though Ryan works, he has a home office and will be able to spend time with the child. We are so fortunate to have shared so much love and experienced so much life together. We have a love like no other and are truly best friends. Our lives have been a journey and we can’t wait to see what the future holds. One thing we know for sure is that as long as we have each other, we can tackle anything.
Sightseeing in Brussels
Dinner date on the water
Making friends while hiking in Switzerland
FAVORITES
some
Freezing in Budapest
animal
hobby
panda
yoga
musical
smell
les miserables
fresh baked cookies
cannot imagine my life without Hillary-she is my rock. Her support and encouragement have had a deep and profound impact on my life. I have learned so much from her through the years and that is why I love getting advice from her. She is a selfless caregiver always providing warmth and compassion to those who need it. She truly listens to understand and this is why her friends are all life-long. It doesn’t take very long to fall for Hillary; beyond her compassion she has quite the sense of humor (almost as funny as me). Her laugh is contagious and her knowledge of the most obscure 80’s pop-culture trivia is unrivaled by anyone in the world.
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about
HILLARY by ryan
There is nothing that I love more than seeing her smile and as such we spend most of our time laughing out loud, mostly at ourselves. This is why she is an Auntie to all children she comes in contact with-they love her smile, are drawn to her warmth, and love her playful nature. We have seen the world together and throughout our 6 years living overseas Hillary was always courageous and accepting of new people, places, and experiences. No matter how difficult our path to starting a family together became she remained so positive and so strong. I am so excited to raise a child with her as I know that he or she will receive such deep love and support. Hillary is an amazing person and I know she will make the best Mother ever.
season summer
vacation florida Wind tunnel!
yan is warm, kind and compassionate. He is very sensitive and caring. He is a hard worker and is very driven and motivated. He achieves everything he sets out to do & takes great pride in his career. He is very funny and one of my favorite things about him is his ability to make me laugh every single day. Even though Ryan works in the business world, he is very artistic and is a trained musician. He loves to sing and dance around the house and can always get me laughing with his Irish step-dancing he learned as a child. His personality is low key and engaging at the same time and he wins over everyone he meets.
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I appreciate Ryan’s drive and determination and his ability to make friends easily, personally and in business. I most appreciate his sense of humor and his sensitivity. He is a very kind person and loyal friend and is very likely to put the needs of others before his own. Many of his best friends have been in his life since he was a child. He is an excellent son, sibling and uncle and his interactions with our nephews demonstrate what a wonderful father he will be. Ryan and I are best friends at the core of our marriage. We have been together for almost 20 years and know each other better than anyone. We work as a team and our shared values and common interests keep us very much on the same page. We always have fun together and, even if we disagree, we are always kind and respectful to one another.
Fun with puppy Louis
A day in the park in our old Swiss neighbourhood
about
ryan by hillary some
FAVORITES
hobby
vacation
outdoor activities
florida
animal
musical
monkey
rock of ages
season
smell
autumn
the ocean
Hiking in Italy
personal interests e always have fun together. We love trying new restaurants, going to the movies, museums, concerts and sporting events. We love outdoor activities and being active and are often taking nature walks, hiking or going to the beach. We both enjoy throwing dinner parties and spending time with friends. We love to travel and have adventures in new places. It is very important to both of us to spend time with our families and we get together with our parents, siblings and nephews regularly. Holidays are typically spent with our immediate and extended families. Mostly, we love being together. We laugh a lot and are happy simply staying home for dinner and a movie
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or taking nice long walks with our dog, Louis. Individually, Ryan loves sports, whether it’s watching a game on TV, going to a live sporting event with friends, or checking out one of our nephews’ hockey or little league games, he is happy to be doing it. He loves all types of music and is always finding new bands to listen to. He enjoys spending time with our nephews and playing games and sports with them. Hillary loves yoga and fitness. She would like to get certified as a yoga instructor one day & always makes time for fitness. She also loves doing crafts, knitting and
making jewelry. Hillary enjoys cooking and is always trying new recipes; she especially loves to bake and usually offers to bring dessert when we are invited to dinner parties. She enjoys getting together with friends to chat over coffee or take a nice long walk. Hillary is currently managing the household while Ryan works. She helps coordinate Ryan’s business-related travel plans and expenses and spends a few afternoons per week taking care of her 5 month old nephew, Kai.
homemade 4th of July cheesecake
Karaoke superstars
best vacation spots Tuscany, Italy Marrakech, Morocco Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Istanbul, Turkey We always have a great time with our best friends
Louis
meet
• He can’t wait to become a dog-bro, having a baby in the house will be super, especially when the baby is eating and dropping food! • He sometimes doesn’t know if he’s a dog or a person • He is a great traveler and has been all over the world • He was born in France and is tri-lingual, he understands Dog, English and French • He may be little, but he thinks he is the protector of his family and home. He’s a little guy with a big attitude!
Barcelona, Spain
meet our
family e are both very close with our families and live our lives with a strong focus on those familial ties. We both came from families that showed unconditional love and served as wonderful role models, we can’t wait to show that same love to our own child.
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Hillary grew up in Massachusetts, just north of Boston. She has a large family and has always been close to her aunts, uncles and cousins. Her grandparents were a very important part of her life and 3 out of 4 of them lived well into their 90s. Much of her childhood was spent traveling to Florida for school vacations to visit her maternal grandparents and she has very fond memories of those times. Her family also would vacation in Cape Cod and Vermont and spent most summer weekends at the beach where her paternal grandparents lived. It was a wonderful gift being able to share so much time with them. Hillary, her mother and sister are extremely close. Her mother has lived in Florida for about 10 years and her sister lives close by in Massachusetts. She is
married and has a new baby boy. We spend lots of time with them, going out to dinner, babysitting or just hanging out. We visit Hillary’s mom in Florida a few times per year and she visits us in our home as well. She always loves coming to visit our cozy home. Hillary’s mom is a funny, warm, loving person. Ryan grew up in New York. His parents are immigrants to the US from England and Ireland. Ryan has a sister that lives nearby in Massachusetts and she is married and has 3 boys. We are very close with her and her family & spend a lot of time with our nephews, as they live in the next town over from us. Ryan also has a brother who is married and has 1 son. They live in New York in the house where Ryan grew up. Ryan’s parents live on the West coast of Florida. They have recently moved there and love it. Ryan has great respect for his parents who came from very humble beginnings and worked hard to provide their family with excellent educations and very full lives.
live overseas, so we do not see them as often as we’d like. Ryan’s upbringing was more focused on the importance of a close knit nuclear family. As children, he and his siblings would spend summers visiting extended family overseas in London and on their family farm in Ireland. Because of this, Ryan feels it is very important that our child gets to experience life with close family nearby. We are very lucky that 4 of our 5 nephews live within 30 minutes from us and the 5th is only a 3 hour car drive away. We plan to spend lots of time together as a family and can’t wait to see all the kids grow up together.
Ryan’s family is very close knit. He has a lot of extended family, but most of them
qualities we value in our friends
& f a m i ly
. Supporting us and our goals . Being honest & trustworthy . Sticking by us in good times and bad . Being fun, unique and interesting . Making it clear that they care about us and accept us for who we are
Cuddles with nephew Braden and sister Tara
Hillary and her mom in Italy
All of our siblings together. Great fun
Sisters
Ryan and his sister, Tara, ready to dig in
Our spacious and sunny backyard
e live in a scenic community outside Boston that features excellent schools and recreational facilities. We love this area because of its close proximity to Boston. Within minutes, we can be in the city, enjoying all the culture it has to offer. Alternatively, we
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can also easily escape to the beautiful landscapes of Massachusetts for a day of apple picking or sightseeing.
Louis lounging on our comfy chair
Our happy home
Our home is open and spacious while still being warm and cozy. It is well situated on a quiet street within walking distance of stores, schools and public transportation. Our home includes a living room, dining room and a large, state of the art, open kitchen and eating area. Picture windows open onto a large, fenced yard. Our neighbors are friendly and welcoming, there are many families with children and Louis has a number of dog friends in the community. We love the location of our neighborhood and its proximity to parks, fields, and shopping. Every summer, there is a massive fireworks display for the entire town, located in a field just around the corner from our home. Our community is perfect for raising a child.
Our community
HOME sweet HOME
Baking cookies in our lovely kitchen
our thoughts on
parenting e are incredibly excited about becoming parents together. We look forward to exploring both the familiar and the new with a child. Our parenting philosophy is to provide a loving environment in which our child will thrive and learn the importance of respecting themselves and others. We will always encourage the importance of education and honesty. While living abroad, we learned how well we work together as a team & our shared perspective on parenting assures us that we will be as equally of a strong parenting team.
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We will provide an excellent education and will supplement that with travel and cultural learning outside of school. We both
believe in public education and will remain in our town, where the schools are top-notch, or move to another community that deeply values public education. We believe that learning also takes place outside of school and that, along with travel, the numerous resources close to home, such as museums and historical sites will play a big part in learning about different people and different cultures. We believe it is the parents’ responsibility and privilege to teach a child manners and good conduct. We will promote a family culture of listening to each other respectfully and interacting in ways that promote collaboration and understanding. We hope that our child will speak to us honestly
and openly and that they will look forward to sharing their day with us. We will always value the truth and speak honestly about adoption. We will support our child as they come to understand how they came to be the most important part of our family. We will always make sure our child feels love and security, and knows that he or she will be supported in all life’s journeys. We want the child to understand his or her past and the incredible gift of adoption. In addition, we will strive to be role models for our child through our own interactions with each other, we will actively teach our child to have good manners and to be respectful of him or herself, others and animals.
5things we will teach our
child
Visiting with our friend’s son Theo
Meeting our friend’s newborn son, Ian
Trick-or-treating with our nephew Calvin
. To respect themselves, others and the environment . To have good manners and an understanding of right and wrong . To dream big and know you can achieve whatever you desire . To value education . To build relationships openly and honestly without judgment or prejudice Showing love to our nephew Kai
thank you! e hope this letter has given you a glimpse into our lives. Once we are parents, we promise to cherish each day and enjoy the small moments. We recognize that to place a child for adoption can be one of the greatest acts of selflessness and love. We wish you well as you consider different options and, regardless of the outcome, we are confident that you will make the best decision for you and your child. Words cannot describe the respect we have for you. We wish you all the best at this time and always.
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Hillary & Ryan