Our relationship

We are a very close couple and have been married for about 12 years. We are each other's best friend. We make each other laugh. Sometimes we are so silly, that we think if we had a child they would be telling us to behave. We are very tender with each other.

Some things Nancy wants you to know about Alan

Alan is an incredible person. I was smitten the first time I saw him and have been ever since. He has a lightness about him that reminds me of Tigger in "Winnie the Pooh", he has a lot of "bounce".

He has the uncanny ability to connect with young people of any age. When he is with a five year old it is as if a part of Alan is five. Likewise when he is with a fifteen year old, a part of him is fifteen. This ability of his makes him a fabulous piano teacher. Alan teaches piano in our home.

Sometime when I watch him teach, I am so moved by his ability to follow his students and meet them right where they need him. Alan is also a person of great depth, who is passionate about people and the world we live in. He is one of the smartest people I know and I trust his judgement on everything.

Alan wouldn't say this but he is a gifted musician. He is fluent in many styles of music, though touring the Elizabethan Gardens performing at a festival working with a French horn student with some students after the piano recital Jazz is where his heart is. He has incredible knowledge of jazz and classical music history. His piano playing has been called "pure intelligence".

Some things Alan wants you to know about Nancy

Nancy is love. She has the remarkable ability of making the person she is with feel like they are the most important person in the world. When I've watched her with an infant, it is like the world around them disappears and she glows with happiness. Nancy is a well loved kindergarten teacher and has been for many years. When I watch her in her classroom, it is like watching love in action - she is warm and present, firm and respectful.

Cooking is Nancy's hobby and art. She has made the kitchen the heart of our home. The kitchen has a warmth and sparkle that makes guests never want to leave. Most evenings, soon after she has come home, the smells emanating from the kitchen make my students and their parents so wish they could stay for dinner. But I'm the lucky guy who gets to stay and eat!

Nancy is an avid gardener. She has turned part of our back yard into a garden where she grows vegetables and herbs, and all summer long, it's bursting with flowers. It is such a lovely place to be. Nancy is also one of the smartest people I know. It is not unusual for her to see through the confusion in a situation and bring clarity that everyone can understand.

Our Home, Our Community

We live in a modest home in a small city. Our home is filled with things we love and we try to keep it a place that welcomes us home from the bustle of the world. We love that we have the best food co-op anywhere. We love that there are sometimes so many interesting things going on in town that we don't know which to do. We love that there is cultural diversity and many committed people who challenge the status quo. And Nancy works in our community school district that our child will get to attend.

Our Family Our Friends

Everyone is so excited that we will soon become parents. Alan's sister Cheryl and her family as well as his parents, Lois and Bob, live nearby and will be a wonderful support to us.

Nancy's mother, Winnie, and her three brothers, Joe, Ben and Mike with their families, will be as supportive as they can be but they all live a little further away on the East Coast. We have a large network of friends and neighbors that will help us out as we become a family.

Things we do that we can't wait to share with our baby...

Holidays with our families. We alternate with which family we will spend Thanksgiving and Christmas. Christmas Eve would not be the same without the Feast of the Fishes that comes from Nancy's Italian heritage. Our families are thrilled that we are adopting.

Going to the beach. Most summers we spend some time on Cape Cod. But sometimes it's other places like the Outer Banks of NC. We love riding the waves and eating oysters. We are very active, riding our bikes, cruising the shops, learning the history of the area and usually making some new friends with families on the beach.

Going to Family Camp. Every summer since Alan was ten, he has gone to a summer camp in the Adirondacks. Now we attend the camp session that is for families. We have many long term friendships that we've built from year to year and we always make some new friends each summer. We get to hike, do art, make music and hang out. This is the kind of camping a city girl likes - we stay in cabins and the food is prepared for us!

Going to music festivals. In the winter, we go to the Dance Flurry which is a festival at which Alan performs at as both a solo musician and as part of his swing and jazz bands. In the summer, we go to the Old Songs festival which is another part of the same wonderful community. There are many young people of all ages at these festivals, where there are supervised events just for them. We can't wait to bring a young one to these wonderful communities of traditional music and dance!

Adventures in different places. Since our work follows the school calendar we have summers home together and a winter and spring break. During those times we like to travel to nearby places, such as Old Sturbridge Village or Boston, and sometimes further away, such as Colonial Williamsburg. We can't wait to share those experiences with our child!

And every day in between. We can't wait to spend every day following around our young one. We look forward to loving your child fully in the details of everyday life from diapers to skinned knees to first dates. And we look forward to welcoming and guiding your child into and through this amazing world!

With Appreciation

Recently we heard someone say, "there is no way to be prepared for how hard the job of parenting will be, but there is also no way to be prepared for all the joy either." We are ready for both. We wish you love and support as you decide if an adoption plan is right for your baby and you. We appreciate your taking the time to read about us. We hope the picture you take away is one of a loving couple that is ready to welcome your little one and you in to our lives, our home and our hearts.

Love, Nancy & Alan