Since our early days of dating, we knew both of us wanted to be parents and planned to start a family when the time was right. As two gay men, our options were adoption or surrogacy. We explored both, including talking to close friends who had tried either or both paths in their journey to becoming parents. Through attending adoption workshops, we met birth mothers and other adoptive parents, learning more about their experiences and perspectives, which helped us become even more comfortable with the process. Meeting these birth mothers and parents ultimately confirmed our decision to pursue adoption as the way to build our family. We welcomed our son, Samuel, into our lives through adoption three years ago.

Now, having adopted our first child, we know firsthand the joy of building a family through adoption, including the wonderful connection we have been able to build with Samuel's birth mother. The three of us have visited Samuel's birth mother several times over the years. We take her lead on how frequently we communicate, and try to get together at least once a year. Though Samuel is still too young to fully understand the idea of adoption, we are teaching him elements of the concept through various children's books. We are certain he will grow up being as grateful to his birth mother as we certainly are, loving her and wishing all the best for her no matter how frequently she's able to meet up. We are thrilled and excited about preparing to adopt again.

When we have some free time, we find there is no shortage of fun things to do in and around San Francisco! We appreciate arts, culture, and music by visiting museums and regularly attending plays, concerts, and dance performances. Samuel especially enjoys science museums, so at least twice a month we visit one of the many great museums nearby. Christopher occasionally DJs in his free time, and we're always listening to music as a family.

We enjoy staying fit through outdoor cycling, cross training, yoga, hiking, skiing, and scuba diving. We like to travel and explore new destinations, cultures, and cuisines. In San Francisco, we're very involved in the local community and volunteer at food banks, church, and a local community health organization.

And sometimes, we simply like to relax at home or take long walks around our neighborhood with our French Bulldog, Astin. We enjoy cooking dinners, baking, and hosting friends for game and TV nights.

Jeffrey's parents immigrated to the U.S. from Asia to attend college where they met, and about a decade later, Jeffrey was born. As a Chinese American child in a Seattle suburb, Jeffrey was raised with a blend of Chinese and American traditions and values. From the Chinese side, strong family bonds, modesty, and honesty. From the American side, independence, creativity, and determination. His parents made a tradition out of eating dinner together every night, and Jeffrey and his brother celebrated Chinese New Year annually with special meals and "hongbao" (red envelope gifts from his parents). Jeffrey was encouraged in his adolescence to try new sports and find creative outlets like painting, writing, and dance. His dual culture upbringing has made Jeffrey the person he is today, and he appreciates his multicultural background.

Christopher was born in Minnesota like his father, who was an Eagle Scout, musician, and military pilot, with northern European ancestry. His mother is from Alabama, with grandparents who emigrated from England. Christopher was raised with southern traditions, like lucky New Year's meals of pork, collards, cornbread, and black-eyed peas. His mother made British treats at Christmas, like plum pudding. On Christmas Eve, his family attended midnight Episcopal mass. And he developed a strong appreciation for English literature, especially Shakespeare. Christopher's parents encouraged balancing academic excellence, creative expression, and athletic activity, supported by values of teamwork, honesty, and kindness. He was raised with a passion for social justice, respecting and appreciating the experience of people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

We live in the sunny Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, with a beautiful view of the downtown skyline.

Our home is three stories with 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and a big outdoor courtyard with a rosemary bush and a plum tree. We collect fresh plums every spring, and Jeffrey makes plum jam which we give out to friends and guests all year long. We also grill out and share occasional meals there with friends and neighbors.

Potrero Hill has many residential houses as well as restaurants and grocery stores. We are also very close to good schools and beautiful playgrounds. There are lots of other families with children nearby, including the families of Samuel's friends from school who have become our friends too.

Every spring the annual Bring Your Own Big Wheel race is held on a part of our street which rivals the famous Lombard Street for the title of "crookedest street in the world.

We are very proud of our clean, modern, warm, and inviting home. We know it will be a wonderful place to expand our little family and we cannot wait to share it all with a second child!

We are both very close with our families. We often host, visit, and travel with our extended families.

Christopher's family lives in North Carolina, with his parents living close by to his brother Rob, his wife, and their three young adult children. Jeffrey also has a brother, Steven, who lives near us in San Francisco, and his parents live in Seattle but also have homes in California and Hawaii.

In the past year, we spent a week on a Mexican Riviera cruise with Jeffrey's family and enjoyed some awesome adventures like exploring the streets of Mazatlán and shores of Puerto Vallarta. A few weeks later, we traveled to North Carolina for a beautiful Christmas with Christopher's family, including our annual visit to see Santa, exchanging gifts under the tree, and lots of delicious family meals.

Both our families are so excited about us welcoming another child into our family, and our parents will be especially thrilled to have another grandchild to love. We have a guest bedroom prepped and ready for even more frequent family visits as our family grows.

Thank you for taking a moment to read our profile as you consider making an adoption plan. The decision you are considering demonstrates tremendous strength and love. Adoption is an incredible exchange of trust, and we will always hold this powerful truth in our hearts.

We are Jeffrey and Christopher. Through our profile, we hope you are able to get a sense of who we are, what we believe in, and the life we have created together with our son Samuel. We live in San Francisco, a city known for its vibrant and diverse culture, scenic vistas, and boundless opportunities. We are passionate about music and dance, enjoy exploration and travel, and are dedicated to serving those who need support in our community. For many years, we have both wanted to become parents someday, and ever since we began dating in 2013, we have been working toward making that dream a reality. We got married in 2016, surrounded by a large, loving group of friends and family. In 2018, we bought a beautiful new home with plenty of room to grow. We live in the sunny Potrero Hill neighborhood, with a beautiful view of the downtown skyline. Our home has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and a big outdoor courtyard with a rosemary bush and a plum tree. We knew this would be the perfect home to start our family, and it has been an ideal place to raise our first child. Now, we are ready to welcome another child into our home and we know that adoption is the best way to expand our family.

We hope for an open adoption including future visits and the exchange of emails, phone calls, and photos in between. We look forward to even more family adventures, like camping in Yosemite or winter trips to Lake Tahoe. On weekends we head to the beaches and parks, including one of our favorite spots - Muir Woods - across the Golden Gate Bridge. In the kitchen, Christopher likes to start weekends with his signature Belgian waffle or extra eggy French toast. Jeffrey has recently become a skilled bread baker, and his sourdough loaves pair perfectly with the jam he makes each spring with fresh plums from our courtyard garden. At holidays, we share family traditions like dying Easter eggs, carving Halloween pumpkins, and leaving out Christmas cookies for Santa -- plus carrots for the reindeers, of course.

We are both grateful to have been raised by loving, kind, and patient parents who instilled in us values of honesty, hard work, and responsibility. We have carried these values forward and developed them through our own experience. A sense of family and belonging is of utmost importance to us, and we both share significant and meaningful relationships with our parents, siblings, and extended families. They are all excited about our continued adoption journey and are committed to supporting our growing family with love, empathy, kindness, and confidence.

You are making a big decision. We imagine this is a difficult and emotional time. Our goal is to serve as a source of stability for you and for the child throughout this journey. You deserve to know beyond any doubt that this child is in a safe and loving home. We want you to sleep peacefully every night knowing that your dreams for this child to grow into a strong, independent, and happy person will come true. We will ensure the child we adopt understands that every choice made in their adoption journey was made with love. And we are committed to providing a life for the child filled with unconditional love, support, safety, joy, learning, and growth. If you believe we are the adoptive parents you have been looking for, we very much look forward to meeting you.

With love and gratitude,

Jeffrey & Christopher