Adopting Parent Profiles

David & Portland

Dear Birthmother,

We ask you to consider giving us a part of yourself, a life; that you created to be entrusted with us for a lifetime. The best that we can offer is an honest description of who we are as people and as potential parents, and why we are pursuing adoption at this point in our lives. Our names are David and Portland but please call us Dave and Portie.

We have known that we could not conceive a child since we met, fell in love, and got married. Portie was born with a birth defect affecting her right kidney that required surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment at the age of two. Because this condition only affects children, she has fully recovered. However, we were advised that if we did conceive a child, the possibility of carrying the child to term was unlikely. We never opted to pursue infertility treatments and always planned to grow our family through adoption. Adoption always was a natural choice for us. We realize just how fortunate we are to have met one another and to build a life together.

Dave's father, also named David, is of Scottish decent and Protestant. Dave's mother Molly was Hungarian and Jewish. Dave and his two brothers, Bernie and Mark, were raised in an orphanage due to his parent's separation. When he was nine years old, he and his brothers reunited with his mother and her family. During his childhood, Dave enjoyed spending his time at the YMCA, swimming, and with the Boy Scouts.

Portie's father Terry is Irish and her mother Marie is Italian. Portie was baptized Protestant and raised as a Christian. Portie's mother's family was from Sicily Italy where cooking and eating authentic Italian cuisine was integral part of her childhood. Portie has two brothers, Terry and Steve, and a sister Chris. Portie's family all pursued careers in music and the arts. Portie attended art school when she was a child and still paints and sketches as a hobby.

We both lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and met at Station Square Center on a Sunday night in October of 1983. Dave knew almost instantly that he would marry Portie. Dave spent a great deal of time with Portie's family and developed a very close relationship with them. We were inseparable for over five years after falling in love and were married in 1988. We both opted to move to Southern California for career opportunities in 1990.

Portie has a Bachelor of Science in Business Accountancy from California State University and currently works as a Chief Financial Officer of an asset management firm in Santa Monica, CA. Portie has the unique opportunity, in her current position, to mentor young professionals who are just beginning their careers. Being able to make a difference in the lives of young people has been very rewarding. After taking a maternity leave, Portie will continue her employment as an executive.

Dave has two Bachelors of Science degrees, one from West Virginia University, and a Civil Engineering degree from California State University and is licensed with the state of California as a Professional Engineer. Dave has his own consulting business with a very flexible work schedule. Dave works from his home office and travels to local Southern California cities to work on various projects pertaining to water treatment design or construction of treatment facilities.

Our plan for caring for the baby after Portie returns to work will include day care and since Dave's schedule is flexible, we anticipate he will spend a substantial amount time with the baby as well. We are very fortunate to have exceptional child-care facilities in our neighborhood. We live and work in Santa Monica California. Our neighborhood is filled with children. At Halloween, we typically have over one hundred fifty children for Trick-or-Treat. Every morning a wave of children walk past our home with their parents on their way to school just blocks away. We live in a community where the public school system is exceptional. Furthermore the elementary, middle and high schools are all walking distance from our home. We can walk; ride a bicycle, or roller-blade to the ocean, local restaurants, coffee shops, or Trader Joes. A playground park, designed for children is also walking distance as well. The park has elaborate playground equipment, multiple play fields and active sports leagues for all ages and sports.

We love to host family gatherings throughout the year. We have summer barbeques, birthday parties, and holiday feasts for our friends, neighbors and family. We love to cook and try new recipes together. Our neighbors beg us to make our famous pumpkin pies each year at the holidays and we are happy to oblige them.

We are best friends and do just about everything together. We currently have two dogs and one cat that are a part of our family. Our house is filled with fun, music and laughter. We have both pursued our careers and have found success in our lives, however our desire to be parents has always remained. We would love to bring your child into our lives to love. We believe that supporting this child emotionally and providing unconditional love would be the greatest gift we could give you. We would be forever grateful if you would consider us as the lucky parents for your beautiful baby.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about us. Thank you for your selfless gift of life you are giving to your baby and just how precious your gift truly is.

Dave & Portie

ADOPTIVE FAMILY INFORMATION AT A GLANCE

Father's Name: David	Mother's Name: Portland
Occupation: Civil Engineer	Occupation: CFO
Education: BA Science, BS Engineering	Education: BA Accounting
Religion: Jewish	Religion: Christian
Age: 52	Age: 48
Ethnicity: Caucasian	Ethnicity: Caucasian
Hair Color: Brown	Hair Color: Auburn
Eye Color: Brown	Eye Color: Hazel
Height: 5'10"	Height: 5'4"
General Health: Excellent	General Health: Excellent

Date of marriage: 12/22/88

Children: None

Interest and Hobbies: We both enjoy the outdoors and go for walks and hikes. Our home is located one mile from the ocean and we go there frequently.

Home: We live in the Santa Monica California in the Sunset Park area. Our home has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a lovely "Secret Garden" back yard. Our home is comfortable, warm and inviting, filled with fun, music and laughter. Our neighborhood is filled with children. At Halloween, we typically have over one hundred fifty children for Trick-or-Treat. Every morning a wave of children walk past our home with their parents on their way to school just blocks away. We live in a community where the public school system is exceptional. Furthermore the elementary, middle and high schools are all walking distance from our home. We can walk; ride a bicycle, or roller-blade to the ocean, local restaurants, coffee shops, or Trader Joes. Clover Park, a playground designed for children, is only three blocks from our home. The park has elaborate playground equipment, multiple play fields and active sports leagues for all ages and sports.

Pets: We have always loved animals and had pets for most of our lives. We currently have 3 pets, 1 cat and 2 dogs. The cat is a female silver chinchilla Persian cat named Mina. The 2 dogs are spaniels named Humphrey and Bogart, 1 black male American Cocker Spaniel, Bogie (10 years old) and 1 parti-color male English Springer Spaniel, Humpie (2 years old)

Finances: We are financially secure and stable. We have cash reserves and savings accounts, along with four separate retirement accounts. We own our home and have managed to pay down over 70% of the mortgage in the past six years. Other than our home mortgage, we are debt free. We use credit only when the interest is very favorable. We are both currently employed and have stable careers along with strong earnings history as well as future potential.

Why are you interested in building a family though adoption: We knew when we were first married that we would not be able to conceive a child biologically. Adoption has always been a natural option for growing our family. We always knew we would eventually adopt a child. We are very comfortable with the open adoption process. We have both pursued our careers and have found success in our lives, however we have always desired to be parents. We would love to bring your child into our lives to love. We believe that supporting this child emotionally and providing unconditional love would be the greatest gift we could give you.

Openness to Birth parents: We are very comfortable with the open adoption process and to visits from the birth-mother and birth-grandparents. We are open to forming a long-term relationship built on trust. We are open to sending pictures, letters, phone calls and visits.

Childcare Plans: We plan to have our child attend day care based upon the excellent variety of facilities located in our neighborhood. Since Dave is self-employed, and has flexibility with his schedule, he will be able to care for the child during the day several days per week. After maternity leave, Portie will return to work. Her office is located several blocks from our home as well. We would also consider hiring a professional nanny if we need assistance.

Statement of Faith: We do not attend church regularly, however, we both have a strong believe and faith in God. Portie was raised as a Christian, and Dave was raised Jewish. We both have very strong moral character and believe that spirituality is very important.

We are represented by Nightlight Christian Adoptions. If you need more information about us, or would like to meet us, please contact Nightlight toll-free at 888.933.2237 or fill out Nightlight's contact form.

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Nightlight Christian Adoptions is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) adoption agency, licensed by the states of California, Colorado and South Carolina to provide adoption services, and is Hague Accredited through COA. Nightlight can perform adoption homestudies for residents of Colorado, South Carolina and Southern California (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura counties).