Lori and Jeff
Hello,
We are Jeff and Lori, parents to Lillian and Ian through open adoptions. We enjoy close relationships with our children’s birthparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends. We are all an extended family formed through mutual tears, laughter and, at the heart of it all, an overwhelming love for our kids. We are all so excited to welcome another open adoption relationship into our lives. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s back up and start at the beginning!
We are high school sweethearts who have been together for 20 years and have been married for 15 of those years. We are thankful that we have had so much time together already to build a stable and loving relationship. And we look forward to many happy years together with our growing family.
We struggled with infertility for a couple of years before we decided that what we really want is to be parents rather than pregnant. We were thrilled to welcome a beautiful baby girl into our lives in 2004, through open adoption. After two wonderful years, our hearts were broken when she passed away from a rare brain tumor. Lillian was a delight in every sense and we miss her terribly. But she taught us not to waste a minute of this precious life, so we began the open adoption process again in late 2007. In January of 2008, we were once again blessed with a baby, this time a boy named Ian.
At nearly two years old, Ian is full of boundless energy and shy smiles. His love for music is contagious, especially when he rushes into the aisle at church to dance during the worship music. We taught both of our kids sign language and Ian’s favorite sign and word is dog. We don’t have any pets at the moment but he is sure to point out any dog he sees…and duck…and bird. As you can probably tell, he loves animals though he’s often too shy to actually touch them. Ian has really become interested in babies lately and we’re looking forward to watching him bond with a sibling.
Jeff is a stay at home dad who spends his days with Ian at the library for storytime, wandering through the zoo, feeding ducks at the park or just goofing around at home. He tackled a major remodel of our home before Ian was born where he uncovered skills he didn’t know he had! But whether scooting up and down the river in his jet boat or walking through a forest, he is happiest when he is among nature. Being a stay at home dad is a far cry from his prior sales job, but Jeff says there is nothing else he’d rather be doing.
Lori is a retail buying director for a large sport and fitness company in Oregon. She enjoys the responsibilities of leadership and believes that many of the same skills apply to being a parent as well. Her greatest joy is being a mommy and she always has and always will look forward to sharing giggles and stories with our kids when she gets home. When she is not working, she likes to explore her creative side through writing. She puts that to use by maintaining blogs about Ian’s latest milestones and sharing great Pacific Northwest product finds with other moms.
Our home is in a family friendly suburb of Portland. As a family, we enjoy taking a walk around the neighborhood, pushing the kids in the swings on our play structure outside and on a rainy day, playing in the playroom which is filled to the brim with toys and books. On any given weekend, you’ll generally find us in the kitchen with friends and family, sharing our love of cooking, laughing and chasing after the kids.
We want to offer our children opportunities and experiences that allow them to explore their individual talents and find what makes them truly happy. And as committed Christians, we raise our children with the strong values and loving beliefs of our faith. Once again, we are choosing open adoption because it is focused on what is healthiest for the child. Similarly, we will honor and respect your relationship with your child. We are inspired by your courage in making a plan for your child and want to thank you for considering open adoption.
Best wishes,
Jeff, Lori & Ian
For this family's complete adoptive parent profile, please contact Open Adoption and Family Services.