Welcome! Meet:

Matthew + Melinda

Home Health Physical Therapy Assistant / Hairstylist

Maryland

Caucasian

Catholic

All About Matthew & Melinda
Why Adoption?
Gallery
Family and Home
How We Met
Advice to Future Child
Perspectives on Open Adoption
Favorites

All About Matthew & Melinda

Hello! We are Matt and Melinda from Maryland. Thank you for taking the time to get to know us! We want to start by recognizing the monumental sacrifice you are making. Being considered as adoptive parents for your child is not something we take lightly and we'd cherish the gift you'd be giving us every day, for a lifetime.

We have always dreamed of having children. We both feel that family is not just defined by genes, it is defined by those you choose to love and hold on to.

We hope you can get some insight into our lives. If you have more questions our door is open.

All our love and respect,

Matt and Melinda

Why Adoption?

We have tried to grow our family for several years. It has been a long, difficult road with a lot of losses and ups and downs. Through it all, we have grown together and learned so much. Struggles with infertility can really test a marriage and it has shown us both how strongly we want to be parents. We have always felt drawn to adoption. Now, more than ever, we are confident becoming parents through adoption is meant for us. We can't wait to give a child our whole hearts.

Family & Home

Our home is a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home in a great neighborhood. We specifically chose our home because of the great schools, the diverse community, and the great places that surround us. Our small town has everything from hiking and walking trails, parks, family friendly restaurants, and a bustling main street with events all the time for both kids and adults. A couple of restaurants, ice cream stands, and coffee shops are within walking distance of our home.

We both feel lucky that both of our parents are still alive and we are very close to them. We each are one of five kids. Matt has three brothers he's extremely close to. His youngest brother (the fourth) passed away a few years ago and it was a devastating loss for our family. Since then, his bond with his brothers is stronger than ever. Matt's family lives spread out across the East Coast, mostly within driving distance, so we travel to visit them all the time. Melinda’s family lives all within 30 minutes of us, so we see them weekly. Melinda's parents will be helping us with childcare.

How others describe me

From Melinda: Matt is the most reliable, hardworking, patient man I know. I admire his sense of confidence and “glass half full” outlook on life. His job in the home healthcare field has really shown me how kind and caring he is for people of all walks of life. He seems quiet and introverted at first, but once he gets comfortable, he's charismatic and funny and lights up the room.

From Matt: Melinda is a beautiful woman with a huge heart. She is bubbly, smart, funny, and style savvy. She is an avid reader and animal lover and advocate. She maintains strong relationships with all her family, friends, and clients. She is the glue that holds everything together.

How We Met

We met in 2017. Very quickly, we both knew we had met our person. Matt proposed on the beach on our family vacation in 2018. We had a small wedding ceremony with just our loved ones, and a dinner party to follow. We connect deeply through our family values, faith, and future goals. We are both from big families and decided early on that’s what we wanted for ourselves as well. Kindness, acceptance, and inclusivity are just a few of our shared core beliefs. It helps that we also share the same sense of humor, love for the beach and summertime, and love of animals.

Advice to Future Child

If we could give our future child a few pieces of advice they would be:

-Be kind and patient with people.

-Do not focus on what other people think of you, focus on what YOU think and trust your instincts.

-You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think (one of our favorites from Winnie the Pooh)

Perspectives on Open Adoption

We certainly understand if a birth mother wants to stay periodically updated on a child's progress. We are open to continuing our relationship with a birth mother by sending updated pictures a few times a year and a letter update yearly throughout the child's life. We certainly plan on being open with our child about their adoption story starting at a young age.

Favorites

Matthew

Favorite Movie: The Revenant
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Thanksgiving
Hobbies/Interests: golf, basketball, tennis, home projects, surfing
Dream Vacation: Ireland
If I Could Choose a Superpower: teleportation

Melinda

Favorite Movie: Love Actually (watch it every year over the holidays)
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Thanksgiving
Hobbies/Interests: reading, my pets-2 cats,1 dog, taking walks, the beach
Dream Vacation: Italy- The Amalfi coast
If I Could Choose a Superpower: flying