Richard & Rebecca

We met soon after Rebecca moved to Virginia in late 2005, quickly fell in love, and married in 2007. 

Richard is a computer programmer for the Navy. He loves programming so much he has a project he works on just for fun. His favorite things besides programming and our boys are whitewater kayaking and mountain biking. Clearly, these sports are not for the faint of heart. Richard enjoys taking the kids places whether running with the stroller or walking or bike riding. He plays games with Dalton, helps him set up his Dominoes, and reads endless books to both boys. He can’t wait until Dalton is old enough so he can start him on Lego robotics. Richard is always thinking of ways to teach our boys, especially things not covered in school.

 

Rebecca teaches chemistry at a small college. She loves getting students involved in her research on snow and ice.  At home, whether it is  paper airplanes, wooden trains or “experiments” in the kitchen, Rebecca enjoys playing with the kids. This spring is her second time coaching Dalton's soccer team. She especially cherishes the quiet moments of snuggling or reading books together, simply watching their little faces while they concentrate on a puzzle or playdough creation.

Brothers

Dalton was so excited when Cedar was born. I (Rebecca) will always remember the look on his face when friends brought him to the hospital to meet Cedar at 1 day old. Like any older sibling, he will occasionally do things for the sole purpose of annoying Cedar. And Cedar is a passionate 2 yr old who doesn’t communicate with words much yet, so he’s already frustrated. But Dalton is also a sweet older brother. Recently, Cedar was crying because I took his pants off when he spilled fried egg on them (and the high chair and floor). Dalton heard me say, “It’s OK Cedar, I will get you clean pants as soon as I clean up the rest of the egg.” So Dalton ran upstairs, got a pair of pants for Cedar and helped him put them on. It was so sweet! I heard him saying, “Here Cedar, it’s OK, I have pants for you. Sit down. I can help you put them on. Here, give me your leg…” Cedar, for his part, adores Dalton (when not annoyed) and will do whatever Dalton is doing – run through the house, make funny noises, go for a bike ride, play soccer, you name it.

 

Los Numeros

Ana enseñó a Cedar a contar. Parece que decir cinco es más difícil que los demás. (Ya lo puede decir.)

We have chosen for our childcare to host an au pair. Au pairs are young women (or men) who take a year to live in a family's home in another country caring for their children. Our au pair, Ana, is from Colombia. She has opted to stay with us a second year, and we are so happy because we love her! Ana takes the boys out to the library or the park or Maymont most days. When Ana (sadly) returns to Colombia in 2015, we will likely select a new au pair. We love the cultural and language exchange, and the fact that one person, who adores our boys, is caring for them.

Why Adoption?

Even before we married, we talked about adopting. We know adoption can be hard, but we also know that it can bring great joy. Adoption is part of both our extended families' stories. Rebecca's sister and brother-in-law adopted a baby girl domestically who is just 9 months older than Dalton. They have a great time playing together when we visit. They have even played "adoption day." 

Cousins on Rebecca's side: Dalton, Z, Cedar, and T

We are truly blessed to have two sons born to us. Having birth parents choose us to parent their little one will be a huge honor, a blessing of a different kind.  

Our agency, Coordinators2, Inc. was one of the first to develop parental placement adoption in Virginia. This type of adoption is completely open - there is ongoing contact between everyone; names and addresses are known. We feel this is the best way to "do" adoption, for everyone, but especially for the adopted child. So we hope to have an open, ongoing relationship with our child’s birth family. We want our child to know his/her first family; we want you to never have to wonder or worry about how he/she is doing.