Hello & Hola,

We are Zack (runs his own company) and Carly (freelance designer and stay at home mom). We love to travel the world and are a very physically active family. We have been happily married 8 yrs and together 10 yrs. We are in our early 30s & are active parents to our son 4 year old, Stephen. We live in San Anselmo CA, a short drive across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. We feel very lucky to both have flexible work schedules that allow Carly to stay at home.

Adoption has always been part our extended family and we can not wait embrace open adoption to complete our family. We were always interested in adoption and when easily having a second biological child became not possible for us with out hestitantion we pursued adoption.

Our sister in-law Lauren, was adopted through open adoption as an infant and we understand the gift open adoption has been for her. Carly's grandfather and two cousins were adopted as well. We want to thank you so much for considering us as the future loving parents and protective big brother to your beautiful baby. We know we will love our second child equally to our first child and are absolutely inspired by your love and bravery by placing your child with a family through open adoption. 

About Us

Thank you so much for considering us as the future loving parents and protective big brother to your beautiful baby. We understand as best as we can the significance of your choice of adoption and admire your strength. We’ve never met you but we know you are considering adoption because you are a caring parent who wants the most loving family for your baby. We would love to hear from you and get to know you better. Please feel free to ask us any question you may have. 

We are in our early 30s and we love being parents (Carly is a stay at home mom and artist/designer) and we are greatly looking forward to growing our family and filling our home with more love. Our  4 year old son, Stephen, can not wait to be a big brother. We strongly believe in the connection of siblings and want this for both of our children. Our family is our world and building a safe and loving home is our absolute goal in life. Carly had complications after the birth of our son and a second biological child was not in our future. We have always believed in adoption, with our sister-in-law Lauren, Carly’s grandfather and two cousins being adopted; we knew we would excitedly pursue the adoption of our second child. Lauren, our sister in-law, was adopted through open adoption and is excited to be another resource for our adopted child through their shared experience. We truely can not wait to welcome him/her and you into our family. Thank you and gracias. (Zack speaks Spanish, Italian, French and English)

Where We Live & Family

Where we live:

Just north of San Francisco, California in an adorable town of San Anselmo with award winning diverse schools. We are walking distance to the local elementary school, great hiking trails, parks, a library, restaurants and the most delicious ice cream shop. We are fortunate enough to have just bought a home. Weekends you may often find us walking and biking around town, gatherings with family, friends and our larger community. Stephen loves going to the market and helping with cooking family dinners. He also really wants a brother or sister to play with. He can’t wait to show his sibling the world of planes and rockets. 

With family all through out the bay area and in our own town, we often have family get togethers. Currently there are 6 cousins under 6 and they all love to play together and jump on the trampoline. We even take family trips to Lake Tahoe and beaches along the north coast. Carly’s parents come for months on end from Philadelphia, settling in their home in Petaluma (20 minutes from us) for extended grandparents visit. With ties to the east coast we plan to make yearly visits back east to see Carly’s extended family and explore the east coast and all it has to offer. Zack’s parents live very close (5 minutes away) and we see them often as well. 

Our Family:

Bringing home Stephen was one of the happiest days of our lives. We can not wait to embrace our second child and encourage his or her unique spirit. We plan to be very up front with any questions the child has regarding the adoption. He/She will always know they were placed with us out of love from both our family and the biological family. We will support our child’s heritage in whatever way we can, overlaid with our family’s traditions. In many ways it will become all of our history and culture. Diversity and understanding different cultures is very important in our home. This is expressed in our community of friends and our love of travel. Good thing Zack speaks 3 languages!

The idea of adoption was immediately embraced by the entire immediate and extended family, as it will not be the family’s first experience with it. Our sister-in-law Lauren has been of great help in understanding open adoption as she was placed through open adoption 30 years ago at birth. She still has an on-going relationship with her birthmother and we see how much that benefits her. We know her experience and openness with be a great source of knowledge and comfort for our adopted child. Our adopted child with see adoption as a normal, valued and loved part of our family. 

As a family we celebrate all of the holidays together. We even celebrate the grape (wine) harvest with our friends and family (a big feast & party.)

Zack: (written by Carly)

Zack is the definition of a loving, supportive and compassionate man. He is uniquely funny and can be a goof ball, but is also endlessly loyal and responsible. My parents love him as their son (perhaps even more then me! haha) and I am proud he is my husband. Zack is an amazing father and is always making Stephen laugh. Stephen loves his father and it is beautiful to see their relationship grow.

Zack grew up not far from our current home and it has been a blessing to have his family close by. While his father passed away when Zack was a small child, his uncle, brother, grandfather and step-father have been a constant presence in his life. His mother was a professional dancer in her youth, so Zack has some good moves! Both his parents play golf and it is adorable to see them play together to this day. 

Zack enjoys running in his free time and even in his early thirties can run with the best of them. He enjoys travel and spending time with his family. He even works in his family’s business and recently took ownership of the business with his cousin. It is inspiring to see such an amazing work ethic in him and an level appreciation and gratitude for what his grandfather built. Zack and his brother love to take trips together and have climbed Mont Kilimanjaro in Africa! 

Zack is currently teaching Stephen to swim and were constantly in the local pool this summer. They especially love going to the local creek and “fishing” (which is a piece of string on a stick, their imaginations take care of everything else) He is an amazing father and loyal husband, and I know he is eager to be a new dad again. 

Carly: (written by Zack)

Carly is a fabulous mother and wife. She is loving, creative, compassionate and fun. She is a balance of an easy going spirit and a driven and thoughtful woman. Carly is an source of support and love for family and friends. She has endless patience with our son and always explains things to him in ways he can understand. Motherhood has brought her a level of compassion that is inspiring. 

Stephen always wakes shouting “MAMA! It’s morning time.” Even at 5 am, Carly is happy to greet him. Carly loves being a mother and knows after the experience raising Stephen, that we will love our second child equally and is confident in her ability as a mother. As a mother herself, to our son, Carly has the greatest respect, love and admiration for women who make the choice to place their child through adoption and knows it comes from a true place of love and courage.

Carly is a designer and artist. While, working part-time while Stephen is at school, she continues to do yoga, draw, paint and create. This is also something she loves to do with Stephen. They are even creating a children’s book together. When we are blessed with a second child Carly will be a full-time stay at home mom. 

In her free time, Carly loves to practice yoga, hike and walk around San Francisco (where her sister currently lives). Carly’s love for experiencing adventure is something our whole family shares. Even Carly’s parents traveled around in their youth and I’m pretty sure thats where she got the travel bug. Before settling in San Francisco, Carly was able to travel around Europe and New Zealand with her childhood best friend- they even hiked a glacier! As a family, Stephen has already been to Mexico, Nicaragua and Montreal, Canada. 

Carly’s father is one of 11 and she has over 35 cousins! It’s hard to keep track of everyone, but its fun to try. They are a culturally diverse family and a joy to visit when we go back east. Carly’s mother is one of two siblings and we visit them back east as well. 

There are few things I enjoy more than watching Carly and Stephen explore the world together. I love to see them go on adventure days to the zoo, beach, local playground or children’s museums. I know Carly feels she is at her best when taking care of Stephen and I know she can not wait to be a new mother again. 

Stephen

Stephen is 4 years old and is the joy of our lives. He has the most amazing sense of humor and always has us laughing. He loves to read books, these days especially about space, exploring the outdoors and asks lots of questions…... ALL the time!

Everyday Stephen has the opportunity to explore. We call everyday an Adventure Day. Even his car seat was originally named his adventure seat. He has attended music and gymnastic classes, loves running around at the park and on the playground. He loves to do science “experiments” (the messier the better) and has been building his own rocket ship from cardboard boxes the last 6 months! Carly and Stephen love to hike and create art together, Zack and Stephen love to swim and read together, the whole family loves to play silly games and let his imagination run wild. 

Stephen now attends preschool and it is such fun to hear about all his new friends and see them run off together at drop off. Stephen can not wait to be a big brother and often asks for a sibling. After showing off all his planes he can not wait to show his sibling around the aquarium and introduce him/her to his favorite sting ray and jellyfish.

 

Flippy & Adele:

We have two cats, age 5, named Flip and Adele. (Inspired by Carly’s hometown Philadelphia) They are very friendly cats that have recently been opening up to the energy of our toddler. You can often find Stephen cuddling with them on the couch, especially Adele. Magnet:

Magnet is Stephen’s pet beta fish. He named him himself and feeds him everyday. A little statue of Nimo gives Magnet company at night

Thoughts on Parenting

We are committed to nurturing our children’s unique interests and talents, to loving and accepting who they are, and supporting them through any struggles they may encounter. 

We plan to instill in our children a respect for all faiths and a sense of global humanity; to have a respect for themselves, their world and for others. We look forward to embracing and incorporating new cultural and family celebrations of the child that joins our family. 

We work to be warm, nurturing and patient parents. We strive to listen to our children and answer every question they have with truth and compassion. We will be their parents and biggest cheerleader and hope to bring out the best in our children. 

We will provide a strong educational foundation full of support and a love for learning and work ethic. We will foster responsibility in our child, while also ensuring their freedom to be a kid and the ability to make mistakes and learn from them. Above all, we want our children to always know they have our absolute unconditional love and support.