Abby and Kurt
Hello,
Hello, we’re Abby, Kurt and Ian. Our home is full of love, laughter, friends, kids and dogs. It’s also a place of comfort, optimism and clarity. But we realize there’s something missing here and we know deep in our hearts that there’s another child for us to love and nurture, a child that will enrich all our lives in ways we can only imagine.
We are lucky to have our own beautiful birth child, Ian. He has already taught us many things, and being part of his growth has been amazing. Most of all, we have realized just much love we have to share and how much we want the joy, excitement and fun of another child. We can’t wait for that moment when we’re holding that baby in our arms. We can’t wait to share Ian’s realization that this is his brother or sister forever.
We met after facing many of the challenges, successes and the curves that life throws. We knew very quickly that we would make great life partners. It’s been a remarkable time as the two distinct fabrics of our lives have woven into something quite new. The original fabrics are still recognizable; they’re just softer and stronger. We both work from home. Abby is a part-time acupuncturist, and has a deep calling to comfort and heal. Kurt is also self-employed, writing and marketing from a different office downstairs. Working for ourselves allows us to be with Ian at preschool and make up that work time when he’s asleep. It means we get to pop upstairs between jobs and see Ian. Our house is the center of a lot of activity. It’s not uncommon for our living room to be full of people catching up with each other while the kids are playing and our two dogs are nudging anyone for a little petting.
We’ve learned a lot while raising Ian. Some things we knew up front: a child deserves an adult’s complete attention and support. Ian has thrived on this. We’ve learned that any child comes with his or her own personality and interests built-in. Some of these are surprising, and it isn’t our job to point them in the direction we want, but enable them to go in the direction they want. We’re learning how to define limits and stick to them. We’ve grown together raising a child.
Ian will make a great big brother. Even at age three, he’s kind and gentle. He strokes our dogs’ ears and cuddles up in our laps. Around older kids he’ll try anything they do, and when he takes a spill he pops right up with virtually no tears and goes right back at it. He’ll start up conversations with anyone at the grocery store. He sings very loudly and often laughs in his sleep. We’ve already talked to him about being a big brother and he’s eager and ready. Many of his friends are big brothers, so he knows the way.
As a family, we love traveling (At age 2 ½ Ian had already been to Europe, Texas and Wisconsin on separate trips). We hike, camp and sail together. Once or twice a week we get to the dog park, and our neighborhood has lots of kids and is great for walks. Kurt loves to push a jogging stroller when he runs. That’s how Ian has taken many naps. Abby swims as often as she can, and Kurt races sailboats passionately and runs regularly. We are lucky to have friends that we trust to care for Ian, though he rarely spends much time away from us. As Ian and his brother or sister get older, we’ll backpack and sail a lot.
You already have our respect. Your choice of open adoption is full of wisdom and courage, yet it can’t be easy. We feel it’s important for a child to know their roots – all of them. We know there is a birth family out there that is the perfect match for us, and we will listen to their needs and help however we can. We’re looking forward to beginning this life- changing journey together.
For this family's complete adoptive parent profile, please contact Open Adoption and Family Services.