Leah and Nathan
Hey there!
We are Leah, Nathan, and Belle (and our sweet dog Henry). We are so pleased that you are taking the time to get a glimpse into who we are. We are committed to this process and building connections with our child’s birth family.
We live in an historic suburb of Portland, Oregon. Our home is a healthy place for our children to learn, grow, and belong. Our neighborhood is filled with kids, parks and good schools, and super kind neighbors. Our family enjoys outdoor activities, making crafts and music together, family couch chills with movies or shows, having company over for celebrations, cooking together, and family dinners.
Leah is an artist and Nathan a software developer. We both do what we love and work hard at what we do. We share chores and parenting responsibilities equally and invest in our connection as a couple while also supporting each other’s personal passions. Leah is sensitive, resilient, and loves creating art and music in addition to foraging, gardening, and nourishing our family with the fruits of her labor. As a neurodivergent parent, she understands how to advocate and find support for herself and is well prepared to do so for our children throughout their lives. Nathan is intelligent, logical, kind, and loves being active both mentally and physically. He is an amazing partner and father and has a strong faith and a big open heart. Belle is a ball of light, energy, and love! She is the most extroverted kid we know, and loves being creative and physically active. She is all about family and connection and is so excited to be a big sister. She picks out gifts for the new baby all the time and asks to hold every baby she meets. Henry is a gentle love sponge of a chocolate lab pit mix. He loves all dogs and all people and is especially good with kids.
Nathan and Leah met on the internet before there were even smart phones! We fell in love over the phone (like phone calls, no texts) and were married about a year after we met. We have always wanted children and thought about adoption even before we met. After years of battling infertility, we got unexpectedly pregnant which ended in miscarriage, but was then immediately followed by getting pregnant again with Belle, making it truly miraculous! Leah says that Belle really wanted to be here, and tenacity is a trait she has had since birth. We wanted to grow our family again, but realized infertility was stronger than ever, so we revisited our dreams of adoption. When we found Open Adoption Family Services, it was the first time that we had heard of this option. Learning how emotionally beneficial being connected to their first family is for adopted children we decided to move forward with OAFS. After learning how OAFS genuinely supports birth mothers and first families, we knew this was the best option for us!
Family and community are very important to us. Leah’s brother and his family live close by so our children will grow up with their uncle, aunt, and cousins. Grandma also visits so she can see all her grandkids at once. We visit Nathan’s family on the East Coast as much as possible and stay connected with facetime. We also have a community of chosen family, church family, and close neighbors who support our family and are filled with joy to meet our child. If there is any part of our community that does not work for our child, we will find a community that will most benefit their growth and development.
We are excited to meet both the child who will grow our family and their family who will be a part of our community. We will do all we can to see our child as the individual they are and give them the love, structure and nurturing they need to find their path and voice in this world. We hope that you will add what only you can to their journey. “We are all in this together” might sound cheesy, but it is very true.
Sincerely,
Leah, Nathan, and Belle