Jesse and Nadja
Hello and welcome to a glimpse of life with Jesse and Nadja,
It is a rainy afternoon in Portland, OR as we sit down to write this letter to you. Writing letters is a regular activity for Nadja as she loves sending snail mail, hoping to bring a smile to someone’s day. The difference between this letter and others is that instead of writing about the decor of the tea house, or crow couple we’ve been watching the last few weeks, we are composing this together and it is possibly the most important letter of our lives. The idea is to use this opportunity to share a bit about ourselves and give you a picture of who we are as people. So, here we go…
We have known each other since high school and were close friends before we dated so it feels as though we grew up together. In our day to day we enjoy a simple and harmonious lifestyle. We also love travel and everything that has to do with the outdoors. We camp, backpack, hike, swim, rock climb, and explore. We both grew up with the forest in our backyards and even though we now live in a city and have done so for over 15 years, we find it very important to spend time out with nature. We wish to instill this love and excitement for the beauty of the world in our child.
We enjoy social gatherings with good homemade food and friends – playing board and card games or watching movies. On the other hand we also enjoy a quiet night in, with just the two of us doing our own thing, with a record playing in the background, or reading out loud to each other. We are both health conscious and educated about eating organic, pesticide free, whole foods, and cooking most meals from scratch, though we also know how to whip up quick, nutritious snacks.
Nadja has wanted to be a mother from a very young age, and has been essentially molding her life path around this desire for almost as long. She loves children and spent years as a nanny and doing other child-centered work. Her love of arts, crafts, plants, and music keep her from ever being bored or idle. Jesse has a talent with children that is appreciated by many of our friends. It’s his child-like wonder that makes him fun to be around, even for the adults. He has never lost his curiosity, his sense of awe, joy, and discovery. Jesse is one of those remarkable grownups who truly listens to children. He asks them about their world and is really interested in what they have to say. Nadja is quiet, patient, kind, and consistent with children. She sings to them, holds them, plays with them, and follows their lead. Nadja is someone with whom children often feel instantly comfortable. We both know when to set boundaries and when to slow down and pay attention.
Despite the challenges life likes to offer, we have patience, determination and faith – in each other, our partnership, and life’s ability to give us what we need, even when it is not what we wanted. As a couple we are both very excited about starting our own family now. We can’t wait to share and experience this world with a precious little one. A whole community of kind and dedicated individuals are with us waiting to love that baby and support us through it all. For us, we are not simply adopting a child, we are adopting that child’s entire birth family and ethnic heritage. Open adoption is the way we have chosen to grow our family and we are fully prepared for all the challenges and blessings that choice brings with it. We hope this will also be the beginning of a close friendship and the discovery of a kindred soul or two. We appreciate your time and thank you for listening and allowing us to share.