Hello! Our family is Zehara, Christopher, and our sweet, grumpy old dog named Grannie. Thank you so much for taking the time to get to know us.

We’ve been together since our mid twenties when we met at a party that neither of us wanted to go to. We felt an immediate connection, like we’d already known each other a long time. Since that night over ten years ago, we’ve grown up together. We’ve built a home in Northern California filled with plants, books, and instruments. It’s a place where friends can come when they’re having a hard time and talk it through together while Chris cooks them food and Zehara makes tea.

Christopher is from Delaware and has lived in the Bay Area since 2009. One of the things Zehara loves about him is his ability to learn new things. He’s good at letting himself be bad at things, which is the first step to becoming good at something! He recently learned how to play the flute after being inspired by Bjork and Lizzo. He’s been a software engineer for over 15 years and is fueled in his work by the strong personal connections he builds, as well as the allyship organization he started. He’s always wanted to be a father and has spent time learning from the guidance of his elder mentors.

Zehara was born in the Bay Area and chose to stay to be close to family. She is deeply connected with her Jewish and Filipino heritage, and grew up speaking Tagalog. She was raised in a home with many relatives. Her gratitude for having a large extended family that included non-blood relatives is why open adoptions calls to her. She’s been a therapist for over ten years. Zehara believes everyone has a story to tell and feels lucky that she gets to spend her time hearing people’s stories. One of her favorite things is watching new leaves sprout on one of her many plants.

One of our shared values is service. We spend time with mutual aid groups at local homeless encampments and community farms. We have a strong spiritual practice that centers liberation. You could sum up our religious belief with the idea that we are all in this together.

Another value that we balance with service is the importance of joy and celebration. We love to gather with friends and family to eat, talk, and laugh. Because we have a diverse community, we get to celebrate many holidays. Our favorite holiday is Halloween and Zehara’s favorite costume that Chris ever made was when he dressed up as a dog in a purse.

Open adoption matches our values around community and connection. We are hoping to raise a child with the feeling that they have a large family who deeply cares about them. Both of us loved growing up with big families and we want to raise a child who has a lot of relationships with people who love and see them. Culture is very important to us and we want our child to grow up with a meaningful connection to their birth culture, as well as the cultures that we treasure.

Thank you so much for taking time to read this. This process is such an act of trust and faith, and we are dedicated to being in an ongoing process of earning and building trust together.

Wishing you all the best in your journey,
Zehara and Christopher