It's impossible to think we can find the perfect thing to say to you because we haven't met you yet. We don't know who you are and we don't know your story. What we can speak to is that considering an adoption plan for your child is courageous. It comes with great selflessness and sacrifice, two things that don't come easy. We know this process is as joyous as it is painful. We can have great compassion towards you as you navigate these emotions and make a life altering decision, whether to parent your baby or make an adoption plan.

We know the debilitating feelings of grief and loss and how much strength it takes to work through them, as you may be doing right now. We wholeheartedly honor that in you. If you choose us to parent your child, we passionately believe that honoring your child's adoption story is vital to fostering their positive self-identify and self-worth. We would be dedicated to this every day, through every triumph and every challenge they may face. We would empower them to have a strong voice in their adoption story so they have all of their vital questions answered throughout their life. We hope they would carry with them the knowledge that you were thoughtful in the plans you made for them and chose adoption because of your love for them.

Adoption is hard and full of emotions. We understand this is an extremely difficult decision for you to make and we hope by the end of our profile, you will feel a little more at ease in choosing a path that best fits what you envision the life you desire for yourself and your child.

We met at a piano bar in Philadelphia in 2010. We hit it off instantly. We both loved urban life, diverse culture, music, art, cooking, the outdoors, travel, and cherished close relationships with our friends and families. We spent almost 3 years together and after those 3 years, we started to drift apart. After many discussions, we agreed that our current relationship was not best for either of us and we broke up. We spent two years apart. Completely apart. We found clarity in our previous confusion and both matured a lot. During the summer of 2015, an unexpected email correspondence started. The letters evolved into lengthy catching-up and eventually we met in person. Just like the first time we met, we hit it off (again) instantly and never looked back. A few dates later we had our most meaningful conversation to date. With clarity, we talked in length about why our previous relationship had failed, everything we learned about ourselves when we were apart, and what we wanted in a relationship moving forward. We were on the same page about everything. It was incredible! We were married in May of 2017, with Jaclyn's Grandpop Mike as the officiant, in Dan's parents backyard, surrounded by our closest friends and family. It was intimate, sentimental and magical. We continue to engage in all the same passions together and support each others personal passions. And just like the endless plants in our house, our marriage continues to grow and evolve as we continue to grow and evolve. We communicate openly, without bias. We take care of each other and we cherish each other. Most importantly, we make each other laugh every single day.

We want to adopt because we believe we are in a place to provide a foundation that will allow a child to flourish to their highest potential. We truly do not have a preference about our future child's gender, race, or ethnic background. A child is a child and we will love them unconditionally, regardless of their personhood. We are ready and eager to support our future child through any social, emotional, or intellectual needs they may face. We will raise a child with unquestionable love, commitment, presence and patience.

We will be actively engaged in the child's life, seeing life from their eyes and showing them life from others eyes. We will expose them to right and wrong through teachable moments. We will teach them that life can and will be tough at times, but with intention and integrity they will be able to move forward stronger than before. We will raise them to feel safe and unashamed to express their emotions and fears. We will encourage them to explore their endless interests so they discover their passions and dreams. We will raise them to understand their power in the world, both good and bad, to feel confident and worthy and to have empathy and passion for humankind and the environment.

"Jaclyn is such a positive influence on so many people in her life. She makes me strive to be a better person because I know she is always working on self-improvement. That drive is contagious and it also allows me to remember not to rest on where I am currently, but how I should grow. She also always brings her signature laugh and smile wherever she goes. The calming effect she can have on any situation just by being around is amazing. While this doesn't pertain to our relationship specifically, Jaclyn is an amazing friend and family member. I can't tell you how many times she's found a path and then all these people in her life follow her guidance. She is a natural leader in that regard. Honestly, most of the weaknesses I see in her are those ones you make up at a job interview. She can be stubborn and frustrated when things don't go her way, but that's because she is so committed and passionate in making things 100% right. She's pretty incredible, and I think if you give her the chance, you will see that too!" - Dan

My favorite food is olives. When I was young I would put black olives on my fingertips before I ate them. My favorite movie is Amelie. It's a quirky love story about a unique Parisian woman. My favorite band is The War on Drugs. I've seen them live many times! My favorite place to be is anywhere consumed with greenery and community. I find it relaxing, kind of the same way I find Jazz music relaxing. Something silly about myself is my laugh. I was called "the laughing baby" and was voted best laugh in high school. I bet not many people can say that ;). Something serious about myself is how much I value family. I prioritize time to visit my brother and sister's families every year. I have dates with my mom monthly. I see my extended family (grandparents, 11 aunts and uncles and 18 cousins) monthly as well. It's truly takes planes, trains and automobiles for me to keep in touch with them, but that would never stop me. Family means everything!

"Dan is the most grounded, self-assured, selfless and genuine human I know. Everything he does is done with grace. From the way he cares for me and our relationship, to the way he cares for our extended family and friends. He is a natural extrovert, but not in an attention seeking kind of way. He loves connecting with people, is extremely personable, modest, and makes everyone feel uniquely special. He has a large social network and takes the time to stay connected with everyone. He's hardworking and continues to be promoted within his career. I believe a lot of his success is due to his interpersonal skills. He knows how to be professional, well-spoken and personable simultaneously. He's the last person you'd find gossiping in the staff lounge and the first person who'd remember to wish you a happy birthday or follow up on a passing comment you made the week prior. And it's all genuine, I promise. He also knows what he likes and doesn't like. He doesn't care if what he likes is the trendiest thing. He's never worried about impressing others or being anyone but himself. I think this is what draws people to him the most. He's the definition of down-to-earth and I love him for it!" -Jaclyn

My favorite food is pizza, especially making it at home! I don't really have a favorite movie, but my favorite TV show is The Wire. If I had to choose, I would say my favorite place to be is seeing live music, and my favorite band is Phish. Which is probably something silly as well. I've seen them live 45 times! I would also say our niece, Axelle, loves to call Uncle Dan silly, specifically for my amazing hide and go seek skills. Lastly, something serious about me is that I fully dedicate myself to whatever I am focused on in the moment. I'm not one to do something just to check the box. I put my whole heart into everything I do!

Our home is a row home, located south of the city. Our home has 3 bedrooms (one currently as an office) and 1.5 bathrooms. It is cozy and has an "at home" feel that we find comforting after a long day at work. Our favorite spot is our very open first floor. It's perfect for entertaining guests, whether for the holidays or a fun game night. This area also has an awesome bay window that sees out to the street, which gets the perfect amount of light for plants to grow endlessly. We would fill this whole area with plants if we could!

We have multiple parks within walking distance of our house and all of the amenities that a big city offers. Within minutes, we can be at the sports stadiums, a 5 star restaurant, or a museum. We also love how diverse our city is. We can try things outside of our comfort zone every day, and we take advantage of that as often as we can.

Jaclyn: I love living in the city. I love being surrounded by diversity and the sense of community a city holds. I love music and the arts, especially contemporary and modern art. I dream about going back to the art museums in Paris. Which is also a favorite of mine... traveling. I love immersing myself in new cultures. On a daily basis I love a relaxing morning, cooking, having coffee with girlfriends, doing yoga, and taking care of my house plants :). I also love teaching my students as I am a special education teacher.

Dan: I am an avid music lover, sports fan, and reader. My favorite sports teams are the 76ers and the Phillies. I try to see live music and sporting events at least one a month. Another thing I really enjoy is cooking, brewing beer, and trying new foods. I have been an associate board member for a local non-profit for the past five years and also like to volunteer in my free time.

When it comes to making promises, we recognize that there are a lot of things in life that cannot be promised. We joined Gladney with the very understanding that there is so much out of our control with the adoption process. However, we aren't focused on the things we don't know or can't know right now. What we are focused on are things that we do know and we can promise you.

We know that we will strive everyday to be extraordinary parents. We know we come from colorful life experiences that have shaped us into resilient and open-minded adults and will pass along these things to our future child. We promise to provide every resource available to our child that we can. We want to set them up for success. We promise to love them unconditionally and support them through any social, emotional, or intellectual needs they may face. We promise a home and community that is accepting and welcoming of people from every walk of life. We promise a lot of laughter and to hold them when they are sad. We promise to encourage them when they are challenged and encourage them when they are proud. We promise they will be loved by 40 family members who have already volunteered to babysit. We promise they will be loved by another 20 friends, who have children, We promise to raise our families together. We promise your child will have many first cousins that will be an important part of your child's life. While we can't promise that your child will be a leader, or activist or philanthropist, we can promise that they will be encouraged to be kind, honest, openminded, passionate and grateful.

Lastly, we promise they will know you. To whatever extent we are all comfortable with. They will know their story and of the greatness you possess.

Find out how the adoption process can work for you.