Amy and Lee
Dear expectant parent(s),
Hi. We’re Lee, Amy, and Milo. We understand that this is a challenging time for you and that you are making a huge decision. Thanks for taking time to read a little bit about us.
We are excited about adding to our family through open adoption. We adopted Milo as a newborn in April of 2009. Open adoption has been a fantastic experience for us. Having a close relationship with Milo’s birth family has enriched our lives and will mean a lot to Milo as he gets older. We realize that every adoption is different and look forward to forging a unique relationship with the birth family of our next child.
Amy is a family practice doctor, taking care of infants, children, and adults. Lee was an engineer working with robots but is now a stay at home dad, occasionally consulting from home. We come from very different backgrounds. Amy grew up on a small farm in upstate New York, where she and her sister milked cows and drove four-wheelers at early ages. Lee grew up in a suburb of Chicago with his two siblings, surrounded by a large extended family. He and his identical twin brother did everything together, including high school and college gymnastics, and are still close today.
We met in the Peace Corps in the Central African Republic in 1994, where Lee taught high school math and Amy taught agro forestry. We became good friends during the two years of our service. We kept in touch after returning home, and in June of 2000, we began a three month bicycle tour from Portland to Philadelphia. As we pedaled east, camping out each night, cooking pasta and sauce on our camp stove, enjoying each other’s company, it became clear that we would spend the rest of our lives together. We married in 2002 and our dog, RufRuf, joined us a few months later.
We believe in raising children to be curious, independent, honest, caring, and creative. As a family, we enjoy long walks around town, often stopping at the library or a coffee house for yummy treats. When we’re feeling ambitious, we pop Milo into his baby backpack and go for longer hikes in the mountains, looking for lakes or streams for RufRuf to swim in. We love to take road trips together, whether it’s a quick weekend jaunt to visit family or friends nearby or a longer vacation to a national park. We enjoy cooking delicious meals for friends and family, mostly vegetarian. We strive to make our home feel welcome to others. We have no television. We spend time at home reading, playing, listening to music, and building fun tunnels with play mats.
We keep up with our own hobbies as well. Together, we have made ten full size quilts. Lee loves to make clay animation movies. His last two films were chosen to be shown in independent film festivals in Oregon, one winning first place. Amy enjoys gardening. She also loves to train and compete in triathlons. Milo loves yams. He also is sociable, has a great sense of humor, and will be a terrific big brother.
Our families adore Milo and are as excited as we are about a new baby. We can’t wait to welcome a new birth family into our lives as well. As you consider options for your baby, we wish you luck in whatever path you choose. Thanks again for reading our letter.
Lee, Amy, Milo
For this family's complete adoptive parent profile, please contact Open Adoption and Family Services.