Stephen & Jeana (ID 2085430)
Dear Expectant Mother,
Thank you for taking the time to read our story. While we don’t know your exact circumstances, we know that if you are reading this you are one of the bravest, most selfless people we are yet to meet. We are honored to be considered as potential parents to your child/children.
Here’s a little about us:
We met in October 2011 and instantly connected over similar interests. Stephen even made plans for our second date while we were still on our first. While we were dating, we enjoyed hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway together, traveling to new areas of the country, and being foodies at the many great Asheville restaurants. We were married in 2014 at the beautiful NC Arboretum in Asheville, NC. Before we met, Stephen attended UNC Charlotte and always had an affinity for the area. We visited family there often and decided it was a great place to start our careers and raise a family. We celebrated our first wedding anniversary by moving into our new home near Charlotte.
After getting settled, we decided it was time to start a family. As you have probably read many times, we were blessed with infertility. You may think blessing is a strange word to describe it, but we truly think it has been. The sadness and grief of infertility strengthened our marriage more than we knew possible. Our first round of IVF gave us our wonderful daughter, Catherine. She is a charming, energetic 4-year-old who brightens every day. She will be a fantastic big sister and is very excited to take on the role.
We have always talked about adoption, even before the first round of IVF. The discussions became more frequent after we decided to try for a second. We did attempt IVF again, but it was no longer an option for us. We are very much at peace with this, and our hearts have been completely opened to adoption.
Our journey with Nightlight started on a Sunday morning at church. It was the first time we had gone in-person since Covid began. To our surprise, the first words out of our pastor’s mouth that day were “We are strong supporters of adoption…” He went on to talk about adoption for the first 15 minutes, and we knew right then that was our sign, it was “go” time. They had a booth set up in church that day to talk about adoption (something we have never seen before) and we met a lovely couple who pointed us in the direction of Nightlight Christian Adoptions. That day forever changed our lives, and we will always be thankful for it. Our hearts have been opened and we are ready welcome a child, and that child’s first family.
We both really enjoy spending time outdoors. Stephen is an avid runner, golfer, and fisherman. He is also great with house projects and remodeling. Jeana enjoys gardening, kayaking, hiking, baking, and crafting. As a family, we love decorating for the holidays and making family traditions together. We have a mountain house in North Carolina where we spend every fourth of July and many weekends throughout the year. Our family is adventurous and loving. We believe in working hard, but also playing hard and enjoying each day we are given.
We know life isn’t picture perfect, it can be complicated. That’s ok. Where there is love, there is hope. As parents, we strive to give the absolute best to our children. That doesn’t mean the best toys, (although there will be plenty of those too), but the best all-around life. We want to set them up for success not just financially, but also success in relationships, happiness, and overall fulfillment.
We would love to get to know you and talk through what you want for your child. We respect whatever decision you make as far as openness and want to understand what that looks like for you. For us, we see sending pictures and letters, phone calls, in-person visits, or any combination that you are comfortable with.
Please take a moment to look at our profile book to give you a better idea of who we are and what kind of parents we will be.
With love,
Stephen and Jeana
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