Welcome to Our
Adoption Journey
Our Letter to You:
Dear Birth Mother,
The first thing we want to say is thank you for considering us to be the caregivers of your child. Neither of us could ever begin to understand the emotional journey you may or may not be on, but we want to express our deepest gratitude for even the possibility to make our wildest dreams come true.
The two of us have dreamed of being parents long before we met. It’s been a life long goal for both of us, something we connected over early in our relationship.
Becoming dads would be the biggest honor and opportunity anyone could ever give us. And with that, we promise to do everything in our power to love, support, nurture, and educate your child into the strongest, most capable person we can.
We promise to laugh with them, cry with them, try new experiences with them. Help them to become the best, most caring person they can be.
We promise to give them everything we can.
This is our first time navigating the adoption process so please be patient with us and we promise to be patient with you as well.
And we want to thank you, whether you choose us or not, for giving us the opportunity to try.
With our sincerest respect and admiration,
Rob & Larry
Rob & Larry
Larry and Rob celebrating at a friend's wedding
Larry and Rob celebrating our first Christmas in our house
Larry and Rob at our cousin's birthday
Larry and Rob celebrating our anniversary at the restaurant we had our first date
Larry and Rob getting the keys to their apartment
Larry, Rob and Palmer becoming roommates
Annual family picture on the anniversary of moving in together
Exploring the cliffs along the shore of Maine
The first wedding we attended since we got married
Annual family picture on the anniversary of moving in together - first at our house
Our story:
Our love story began how many begin in modern times. Larry and Rob met on a dating app in December 2019. It was an instant connection. We fell for each other fast and our love continues to deepen each day. Rob is a Special Education Teacher in an inner-city Middle School. He works with students with learning disabilities who are often living in difficult socioeconomic living conditions and are from immigrant families. Rob also teaches English to adults. Larry is a pediatric critical care nurse working in a local pediatric hospital in the ICU.
We are firm believers everything happens exactly HOW it is meant to and WHEN it is meant to. We got engaged in winter of 2022, saved up for our dream home, moved into our forever home August of 2024 and hosted our wedding in our very own backyard July of 2025. We filled our yard with over 150 family members and friends that have supported us through the journey of life and who will support us through our journey of parenthood.
While it's difficult to get to know someone from a few blurbs about their life, we will try our best to describe who we are. Larry is the one telling a joke that makes the entire room laugh. Rob is the one re-telling the story about “That one time” making sure to not miss a detail. Larry is the one in the kitchen cooking up Sunday Sauce while we have our family over for Sunday dinner. Rob is the one with his Camera ready to take pictures so moments are never forgotten. Larry will be the one to teach our little one how to tie their shoes and ride their bike. Rob will be the one teaching them to read and telling bedtime stories before bed.
Get to Know Us:
Rob
Job: Special Education Teacher
Race/Heritage: Caucasian - Italian Mix
Education: Master’s Degree in Teaching
Favorite Food: Pizza
Hobbies: Reading and Listening to Audiobooks
Favorite Movie: Star Wars
Favorite Holiday: Christmas
Favorite Tradition: Baking the 7 cookies of Christmas and
putting up Christmas lights.
Favorite Sport: Soccer
Favorite Music: Fall Out Boy
Favorite TV Show: Modern Family
Favorite Book: Harry Potter
Favorite Subject: Social Studies - what I teach
Dream Vacation: Italy
Job: Critical Care Nurse in Pediatric ICU
Race/Heritage: Caucasian - Italian with Russian and Eastern European Mix
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing
Favorite Food: Chicken Parmesan
Hobbies: Cooking, Writing, and Caring for our Fig Tree
Favorite Movie: James Bond
Favorite Holiday: Christmas
Favorite Tradition: Annual Fig Jam, Sunday Dinners
Favorite Sport: Hockey
Favorite Music: Noah Kahan and Bon Iver
Favorite TV Show: The White Lotus and Fargo
Favorite Book: Dune
Favorite Subject: Science and History
Dream Vacation: Italy
Larry
Home Is Where Our Heart Is :
Our beautiful 4 bedroom home was purchased in the summer of 2024. Just like all the best things, it was worth the wait. Home is so important to us, and loving where we live was a non-negotiable when searching for our forever home. Our home is nestled in the suburbs that are safe, welcoming, and diverse. We live in Rob’s hometown that he and his family have lived in for over 60 years. We live down the street from Nonna and Papa, who are ecstatic to be able to walk to visit their future grandchildren. Our home also provides a living space for Larry’s family when they visit us after over an hour drive, looking forward to spending days on end and having quality time with their youngest grandchildren. We also live across the street from a local park as well as on the same block as the elementary school that Nonna, Rob, and future children will attend. We are so close with our next door neighbor that we call them our Uncle and Aunt. We live less than 5 minutes from our local food store, shops, and favorite restaurants. Our future pediatrician is 7 minutes from our home, and our local hospital is 13 minutes from our home.
Our property sits on a half acre of land with an ample fenced-in backyard. It gave us so much space we even had our wedding ceremony and reception there. We can already imagine hosting birthday parties and family barbecues bringing together our big Italian families. We envision our children running around chasing our pups while we collect figs off our tree, tend to our home garden, read a book, listen to music, and end our summer nights roasting marshmallows by the fire pit.
Our backyard in the summer
Our backyard in early Spring
Our backyard after a winter snowstorm
Our backyard ready for snowmen to be made with our little one
The public playground across from our driveway with a beautiful sunset
The public playground across from our driveway
Our Fur Family:
Our dogs are a part of our family. To us, they are our first kids. Palmer was adopted by Larry from an animal shelter in 2018. He is a Beagle-Boxer mixed with 100% Snuggle Bug. While he is the bigger dog, he is truly our gentle giant. At almost 8 years old, he likes running in the yard and then snuggling under a blanket with his family all evening.
Daphne was adopted by us in 2022 from that same animal shelter. She is a Daushaund mix with 100% Silly Goose. She is 23 lbs but is the boss of the pups. At 4 and a half years old, she makes sure that she and Palmer get their exercise in the yard, running laps in the yard before finding a cozy spot to sleep.
These pups are ready to be an older brother and sister to our future little one. They love when our nephew and nieces spend time with them. They are gentle with kids and wait for children to approach them before giving them tons of puppy kisses. They also love running in the yard with their cousins playing fetch and tag.
Our nephew petting Palmer while Palmer waits to give kisses
Our niece petting Palmer ready for a puppy kiss
Daphne in a family sandwich
Palmer and Daphne waiting patiently before playing with their new toys
Palmer's signature cuddle pose crawling into a ball to snuggle
Daphne relaxing in the yard after running some laps
Palmer exploring the yard after a snowstorm
Palmer smiling as he soaks in the morning sun with one of his toys
Our Family and Friends :
We are so lucky to be surrounded and supported by our families.
Rob’s Family
Rob’s Family likes to stay very close. His entire family lives on Long Island in New York. Rob’s childhood home was built by his grandparents after they got married and has been in his family ever since. This home is where Rob’s parents “Nonna and Papa in-training” live, which is 15 houses down the block. They are beyond excited to become grandparents. His aunt/godmother also lives down the block. Rob’s younger brother and his fiance live 3 blocks away. His Aunt and cousins live one town over. Family is truly the greatest gift. We value spending time with each other, having dinners together as a family often, and being there to help each other as a constant.
Larry’s Family
Larry’s Family also lives in New York. While his immediate family lives over an hour away, it does not interrupt the closeness they have. His parents are excited to have more grandchildren to love. Larry’s older brother and sister-in-law have a son and a daughter (future cousins and best friends) and Larry’s younger sister and brother-in-law have a daughter (future cousin and best friend). Rob and Larry make it a point to visit them one weekend of the month to go with the dogs for a sleepover at his parents to spend time with the full family. We also go to a lake house every summer to have family fun in the sun. In addition, Larry’s aunts, uncles, and a full dozen of cousins all live locally, so our future family will truly be surrounded by love, family, and built-in friendship.
Our nieces and nephew on the day of our wedding.
Our Nephew at our niece's baptism
Boat Buds.
Summer Lake Trip.
Right before Grandma's surprise party.
Our ring bearer at our wedding.
Eleanora and Rob.
Looking for pirates on the Lake.
Getting ready for the fire pit.
Our niece's 3rd Birthday.
Hanging out at a birthday party.
Swing break.
Soccer Saturdays.
Cousins and Best friends.
Our Friends:
When friends become chosen family
Our best friends are our chosen family. They were there before we met each other, our bridal party at our wedding along with our siblings, and will be known as uncles and aunts to our children. They have supported us with love, advice, and presence throughout the years. They are excited to give their children “cousin-friends” as our “Bestie Crew” grows.
Our Hobbies:
Living in New York along the coast, the water has our hearts. We love visiting the beach, going in the pool and hot tub, going kayaking and in paddle boats in local parks, boating while on family vacation, trying different restaurants and new foods, going to concerts, snow tubing, sitting by the fire pit, going to local sports games, visiting museums, and doing home improvement projects.
Kayaking on our honeymoon in Maine
Walking the shore in Maine
Beach day with friends at our local beach
Sitting at the docks in our town
Pool Party at Rob's parents house
Pool Party at Larry's parents house with our nephew
Paddle boating at the lake in our local park
Date Day kayaking near a historical monument
Larry's family's annual lake trip on a pontoon boat
Larry and Rob having fun on the boat
Larry driving the pontoon boat - he makes it look easy :)
Larry and Rob out to dinner to celebrate our offer being accepted on our house
Even a recent medical procedure couldn't stop Larry from seeing his favorite band perform live in concert
Doctors orders were no jumping around at the concert but still enjoying the music
Supporting Larry's cousin's band performing locally
Snow tubing in Vermont
Fire pit in our backyard in the fall when the weather starts to get chilly
Family outing for our nephew's first baseball game
Taking our niece to the Museum of Natural History in New York City
Taking on one of our first home improvement projects
Larry taking on another home improvement project
Painting and spackling in our future nursery
Larry and his cousin building a gazebo in our backyard
Our Holidays and Traditions:
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Thanksgiving.
As a teacher, Rob is used to schedules and plans in order to make things work. This doesn’t just live in the classroom, it comes alive for every holiday season. Family is our crucial sense of belonging and love, so we make it a point to spread our love when we celebrate.
Thanksgiving is celebrated with Rob’s family down the block. Every year he carves the turkey for his family in his Turkey hat while using the electric carving knife, just how his grandfather taught him and had done for their family prior to his passing.
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Christmas Lights.
Christmas time is where our family magic really comes alive. Every year we go pick out a tree with Rob’s family at the local fire department that Rob’s grandfather was a volunteer fire fighter with since moving to our town. After that, we decorate both Rob’s parents house and our house as a family, putting up Christmas lights while listening to Christmas music.
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Christmas Cookies.
On December 23rd, Rob’s winter break from school officially begins but his work is only just beginning. That evening he spends the night prepping the doughs for his favorite holiday tradition “The 7 Cookies of Christmas” which is the Italian tradition of the 7 fishes of Christmas - but cookies instead. We bake some family favorites, including Rob’s Great Grandmother’s recipe for Italian anisette pinwheel cookies.
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Christmas Eve.
Early into our relationship, we agreed that Christmas Eve is such a special evening for our Italian families. It is for this reason that we have Christmas Eve dinner with Larry’s entire extended family and then our sleigh arrives at Rob’s Aunt’s house for some Reindeer games and dessert with his extended family. While the evening is not super late, it helps us prepare to spend Christmas day with Rob’s extended family opening up gifts and having Rob’s Mom’s famous home-made lasagna whose recipe has been passed down 3 generations.
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Mother's Day.
Another tradition is the Mother’s Day split. We spend the night before Mother’s Day with Larry’s Mom, having dinner and watching a movie of her choice, together. The next morning, Larry’s siblings and families all have breakfast together. Then we travel home to have an early dinner with Rob’s Mom and aunts, so all the lucky ladies of our lives are appreciated.
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Fig Jam Day.
When we were living in our apartment, we spoke about “our dream house” for what we wished for ourselves. Larry mentioned wanting to plant a fig tree like many Italian immigrants had so we could grow our own figs and make jam. When we found our dream house, the seller of our home showed us the giant fig tree in the backyard. He said he always felt bad that the tree produced so many figs and they neglected the tree. A month after moving in, we collected our first batch of figs and made our own jam. This past year we collected over 120 figs. Larry made over 50 mini jars of fig jam. We canned them in airtight jars and gave them out as Christmas stocking stuffers to family, friends, and coworkers.
Christmas tree shopping with Rob's family.
Before the Light Show begins on our FIRST Christmas in our home.
The Light Show.
Nana's Famous Italian Christmas Cookies.
Larry's Big Italian family on Christmas Eve.
Reindeer Games
Hosting our first Christmas Dinner.
Fig Jam 2025
Special Fig pie made by Chef Larry
Why Adoption Works Best For Us:
The idea of adoption was very organic for us. While we recognize adoption isn’t for everyone, it is the choice that our hearts made for us. We know that while it may be an uncertain journey, the baby of our dreams is out there waiting for us to welcome them home.
“On the first day that we matched and began speaking, Larry asked me my perspective on children. I told him sorry and shared that yes, I wanted to be a dad. It felt so ridiculous apologizing for what made my heart so happy but so many same-sex couples I was friends with had shared they did not want kids. I began to convince myself how strange it was with how natural fatherhood felt to me for my future. After my response, Larry shared that he too wanted to be a father and it was a non-negotiable for him when looking for a partner. There we were, having known each other for only a few hours, agreeing on one major decision -- being dads was our life’s goal.”
Our Promises:
We want our children to live a life where they feel safe, happy, and loved. We want them to know we will support them in the hobbies and sports they wish to pursue. We will be cheering them on at every game. We will be supporting them to ensure education is also a value for them. We want to see them pursue college or training for a career that they truly love, just as we love the careers we have for ourselves. We want them to know we will help guide them through life and support them through every obstacle they face.
As we close our profile, we want to share the promises we would make to your child, should you choose us. We promise to raise them with unconditional love, patience, and stability. We promise to support their interests, nurture their dreams, and give them every opportunity to grow into the person they are meant to be.
We are committed to honesty, respect, and openness. We are more than willing to share photos, updates, and communication with us about them in whatever way feels right for you.