About Us
Introduction
Hi, we’re James and Keith and we’re so grateful that you’ve taken the time to learn more about us. We are a loving couple that met in May 2010 and we hope that what you learn about us will help you get a clear sense of who we are, and the type of parents that we’d be.
If you're a potential birth mom reading this -- we’re hopeful to establish a connection, that this is where our paths meet, and like all great stories it seems meant to be.
In deciding our path to parenthood, we talked to many beautiful families that were forged through adoption.While we’ll never know what it’s like to be in your shoes, we know considering adoption can be an enormously difficult decision, one that takes next-level maternal instincts and courage. We have always dreamed of being parents, even though that path to parenthood seemed unsure and sad at certain parts of our life, we want you to know how grateful we are that you are considering making us parents.
After reading about us, please reach out if you have questions or if you’d like to start talking and getting to know us better. You can find our contact into on the "contact us" page.
Our Wedding, Cape Cod 2019
Our Story
It was May 2010 when we first met. We were both 23 years old, in our first year after college, certainly not expecting or looking to find the person we’d spend the rest of our lives with. Especially not that Sunday at a silly NYC bar out with friends. James was already at the bar, and when Keith walked in, a mutual friend turned to James and said “this guy Keith just walked in, I think you’d like him.”
After that introduction, we’d love to say it was smooth sailing to our happily-ever-after. The road was bumpy, we were figuring ourselves out but luckily we were young and had all the time in the world – marriage hadn’t been legalized yet for same-sex couples and we had none of the pressures to settle down. We both knew deep down even after our first couple dates our connection was special and, living in NYC where many people go to run away from their family, we both saw our future surrounded by our family.
One of our first photos together, 2011
Our Relationship
Before we lived together, Keith was in a Studio in Brooklyn while James and his roommate lived one subway stop away in the Lower East Side. We went to our 9-5 jobs, spent almost every night together, got to know each others’ friends and families, and fell deeper in love.
We wanted to move in together, but were scared about the tiny living spaces of the city and if we’d be able to handle it. But we got lucky and found a beautiful, affordable apartment in Brooklyn and have been there ever since.
We started talking about marriage after a few years, and at first it felt weird - it hadn’t even been legalized across the country until after we were together for 5 years. Our friends already called us “married” too.
But we started to feel differently over the years, and after being together for 7 years, in 2017, I (James) proposed to Keith on a September morning. I did it while on vacation, in front of a crowd, on a microphone, at a party being thrown for a charity swim race that I used to do every year on Cape Cod. About a 5 hour drive from where we live now, it’s one of our favorite places and is just so romantic and beautiful. I said “We’ve been coming here every year making some of the best memories, and I want to spend the rest of my life making memories here with you - Will you marry me?”
Two years later, in the same town on Cape Cod, we got married and all of our friends and families helped us celebrate. It was a dream.
Now that we’ve settled into married life, we hope to become parents and build a family - and we want to build one with the love, courage, and support that we’ve been shown our entire lives.
James's Thoughts on Keith and What Kind of Dad He'd Be
My favorite thing about Keith is his sense of humor; how funny he is. He always makes me laugh, even if we’re in an argument or a fight. He has this ability to make life feel light, even when it’s heavy. He’s more adventurous than I am, but he’s still reliable and loyal.
My favorite thing that we share together is our love for music - reggaeton and r&b being our favorite genres. Going to concerts together is one of our favorite things to do whenever we can, and they’ve been some of my most cherished times together.
I’m always impressed by how smart he is, and how successful. Every job he’s ever had, his bosses and coworkers love him. He handles stress better than I do too. He loves languages and is trying to learn something new - he speaks fluent Portuguese and is taking Spanish classes now.
I dream of the day I get to watch him as a dad, because I know he’s going to be a great one. I can see him being the type of dad that’s a good teacher - like teaching his kid how to cook (he’s an excellent chef), how to throw and catch (he played Football in high school), and how to speak Spanish and Portuguese.
I can see him being the type of dad to make his kid feel safe and protected, loved and supported, taken care of when they’re feeling sick – because that’s what he does for me now. He’s a natural care-taker and always selfless.
Keith's Thoughts on James
Where to start!? It’s easy to take someone for granted after being with them for so long, but I am still constantly amazed by James. He has clarity of mind and a moral compass. He’s been such a force for good in my life, I can’t imagine where I’d be without him. When he sets himself to something, he has such dedication, discipline, and fearlessness that it’s a wonder and inspiration to me. When there’s something that needs to be fixed, he’ll get to it right away.
This straight-and-narrow description makes him sound dull, but he’s not. Somehow, he’s always the life of any party and builds time for life’s joys. Always pulling me out of my comfort zone, whether it’s to go to a social event or to jump into the ocean when it’s freezing cold. He is the most magnetic person I know. He has superhuman stores of energy to dedicate to those he loves, and still never tires in meeting and bringing new people into our life.
In this way he’ll be an amazing father. There will be more love and energy to pour into a child when they are in our life. There will always be a to-do list of things he’s working on to make sure our home is a comfortable and safe environment for a kid to grow up in. He’ll teach them how to swim, how to build, how to learn and grow, how to dream big. He’ll keep them on the right course but let them have their freedom.
Any kid – whether they’re the sporty, bookish, theatrical, creative type, the list goes on and on – would be lucky and supportive to have James as a dad.
Why we want kids
For real - we want to build a family because we believe in our ability to love and raise a child and give him or her a happy, healthy, fulfilling life. We want to put into practice all the things our parents did for us, and watch them grow into their own individual selves with their own passions in life.
We feel so lucky to have built the life we have, and on top of that, we’re healthy and surrounded by the most important people in our lives - our family. Because we’ve been given so much in life, we want to share our lives with a child.
Our parents, teachers, family, and friends gave so much of their
time, affection, and knowledge to make us the people we are today, and we want to
be able to do that for a child too.
