Bonjour (hello), I’m Nathalie from San Mateo, California.

Thank you for visiting my page and looking to learn more about me. You are going to take a very courageous and difficult decision for you and your baby and I wish you to find the good family.

I'm French. Well I was born in France, I have a German family name, my father and 4 grand-parents were born in Poland and I now live in San Mateo, near San Francisco. Multicultural is perhaps a better description.

Six years ago, my work with a biotech firm brought me to the Bay Area from the small town near Paris. I love Northern California. Where else can I walk into work and greet twelve friends from a dozen different backgrounds? The diversity in country, religion, education, and language weaves a fascinating tapestry of rich cultural experience.

My passions and hobbies

I have a lot of passions and interests. Cooking and baking are certainly the first one. I've introduced my friends to the French crêpe party. We make a huge platter of thin pancakes and a selection of homemade jams and spreads. It's a great evening of food, friends, and fun. Another French tradition that I keep up is the galette des rois, or king cake. The weekend after the New Year, I bake one to bring into the office. It is a flaky puff pastry cake with almond filling and a little figurine baked right inside. Whoever gets the slice with the trinket is king for the year. It's like bringing a little taste of home to share with my friends.

Needlework is my second hobby. The patience and precision it requires gives me time to wind down after a long day and be alone with my thoughts. I’ve always thought of it as my therapy time. And when I’m finished, I’m left with a gift from my own fingers and heart.

Needlework led me into the world of antiques. I started exploring markets for vintage thread and spools. Now I search for any interesting treasures that I could give new life. Every object has a history and restoration lets me play a small piece in it. Plus, the quality and detail of old world craftsmanship amazes me and inspires my own handicraft.

Needlework led me also in the world of insect, their structure and color provide really nice pattern to embroider.

I must have inherited my mother’s love for plants and flowers. Growing up, she surrounded us with green. Now, I have a collection of 180 mini orchids and I’ve fashioned an ideal habitat for them with special fabric to control the light, air, and water. I like small, strange and unique orchids and I had to create a web site to keep up on my collection: www.myorchidjournal.com.

For each of my hobby, I mix my passion for art with my interest for science. Even my work as a market development manager in a biotech company combines my science background and my creativity.

I hope to be able to share my passions with my child one day and hope he/she will find his/her own passion(s).

My family and extended family

I  have a big family with brother, sisters, nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews and I hope to add my own family to it - not as big; but at least a child and his/her extended family.

I still visit family in France at least once a year and I’d never miss a big family gathering. Last year, I flew there and back in 48 hours for my father's 80th birthday bash! Since California is my home now I have chosen to surround myself with wonderful, loving friends who have become my “American family”. I’ve thought a lot about the people that will surround me and a baby placed in my care. I will always count on Jim and Patrick to help when I will be sleep deprived and be ever-present male role models. My strong friend Adrienne has a mountain of single mother advice. Madeline will have hugs ready whenever I need one. My dear friends Lisa and Scott and their two kids will be great family support. Jane has already planned trips to the museum and Rob is in for a trip to the bakery. Aunt Leila will be a great treat for August vacations in Santa Cruz, and Robert for trips to the snow in Canada. We will celebrate birthdays, milestones and holidays together. And they're the first ones I'll call in an emergency. They are truly family to me.

My first niece was born when I was ten, and I've been doling out kisses & hugs, making bottles, and changing diapers ever since.  For as long as I can remember, I have wanted children of my own. When I first learned about open adoption, I immediately felt it was right. I understand the connection a child will always have with their biological parents and I want to embrace my child’s roots. I will provide a safe and loving home with a blend of French language and tradition, a splash of my family’s Polish origin, and a touch of my new California home, while celebrating the traditions of their own heritage. I’ll share my joys and passions and will guide them in finding their own interests and nurture their dreams. If you would like to know more about me, please call or email me anytime.

I wish you all the best.

Nathalie