Stephanie

I live in Los Angeles and work as a Marriage and Family Therapist and Child Psychologist.  I attended high school and college in Los Angeles and spent a year in England as a part of my studies during my first year of college.  I traveled throughout Europe and Africa, where I learned about many different cultures and had great educational experiences that were life-changing.  I am still in contact with close friends that I met along the way.  After college, I went back to school to earn a Masters and Doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy and psychology.  After graduate school, I was offered a job in New York at the famous Bellevue Hospital.  I worked there for 5 years and although I fell in love with New York City, I began to miss my family and friends in Los Angeles and decided to move back home.  I really miss walking around the city, the concerts in the park, the Caribbean food, and the NY pizza!  As you can see, I love to travel - it's the best education!  I think Italy is my favorite country so far.  Once I returned home, I started working with incarcerated youth.  I have been working with these youth for about 11 years and despite their misfortunes, they really light up my life!   These kids are so smart and loving, but you would never know because they try so hard to be tough.  They make me laugh and keep me young!  I love being able to educate them and help them to grow and reach their goals.  My job offers many resources and benefits that will enable me to take the necessary time off in order to bond with and raise a child.  I also have a daycare in mind for the days I have to work.  The bonding time with the baby is so important. I must say, I look forward to those sleepless nights and opportunities to sing, rock and hold the baby!

My family:

I have a very large family that live in Los Angeles and Cincinnati, Ohio.  I am very close with my father and a host of aunts, uncles, and cousins, all of whom live close to me.  My mother passed away in 2000, yet is still close to me in my heart.  She appears in my dreams every so often.  My sister and her family live in Atlanta, GA and visit often because her husband works for an airline.  They spend every summer and every school break in L.A.  She has 5 children, who are like my own children.  When they visit, we do all sorts of activities, like hiking, going to museums, amusement parks, and swimming at my aunts house.  We have game nights and we go to the movies a lot.  I love to work out, so I take them running and we challenge each other with different workouts.  They always tease me because I think I can outrun all of them!  We typically celebrate holidays in L.A., but sometimes we meet in Cincinnati to visit my mother's side of the family.  Everyone shares in the cooking duties, but I'm usually stuck with making most of the dishes! My sister and her family are vegetarians, so I end up cooking the turkey.  I don't want to eat tofurkey - yuk!  Since I have been on this journey to adopt, my nieces and nephews call me almost every day to see if the baby has arrived!  Everyone in my family is so excited.  I definitely have a village to help me out.  Being close with family is important to me.  I want my child to grow up in an environment where he will be close with his uncles, aunts, cousins and my dad and aunt, who is like a mother to me.

My home and Community:

In Los Angeles, the weather is nice all year long and it's a pretty kid-friendly city.  There are plenty of parks near my home and I'm only about 20 minutes away from the beach.  They have lots of museums and amusement parks.  My neighborhood is very diverse and there are families with children on my block.  I have friends who are coaches for little league sports teams and my father, who is a physician, runs a kids camp every summer.  My sister and I actually spent summers at the camp when we were young.  We also spent time with my father in his lab at work.  We made experiments and he taught us about the art of science and medicine.  I would love to have my child experience these things as well.  I have a lot of friends who are also a part of my village.  Many of them are parents to young children and a few of them, including my best friend, have also adopted.  They are excited to have play-dates with me and I have already lined them up for baby-sitting duties!

I have a spacious home with a fairly big backyard.  My baby room is already set up with everything a child would need, including a crib, bunk beds, books and toys.  I would eventually like to put a swing set and basketball court in the backyard.  I do some gardening and would love for the baby to help me care for my herb plants and fruit trees.  I can see our gardening projects turning into good times running through the sprinklers!  We could also take walks throughout the neighborhood, where there are small parks and places to ride bikes.  Spirituality and church are important parts of my life.  My church offers a lot of programs and resources.  They have a parenting support group, a children's church, and a Rites of Passage program for teens up to age 18.  I get a lot of support from the ministers and will ensure that my baby grows up in a spirit-filled community.

Parenting and Interests

Life is meant for growing, learning and enjoying good times.  I plan to create lots of play time and opportunities for my child to learn and grow in a loving, nurturing environment.  I cherish family traditions, like celebrating birthdays and holidays, dinner parties and BBQ's.  I value education and plan to ensure that my child will receive the best education possible.  Hopefully, my child will be a USC Trojan, like me!  Activities that include reading, science and art will be an important part of our daily routine.  I'm not sure if slime will be a part of that routine, but we'll see!  My niece loves for me to play with slime - it 's too messy!   I have been an aunt to my nieces and nephews and to my friends' children for a long time and now I'm ready to start my own family.  I have always wanted to be a mother, but it never happened.  I believe that God has a plan for me and now is my time to embrace His plan for me to be a mom.  Becoming a single mother is a decision I have thought about for a while.  I am confident and prepared for the challenges that come along with being a parent.  I have worked with children in my field of work for over 20 years and some of them have called me "mom".  My co-workers sometimes call me "mom" too - it's like I'm the mom for everyone!  With my village of friends, co-workers, and family, I have a network of consistent support to help me be the best mother I can be.  I plan to provide a safe place where my child can learn and be creative, while experiencing new things and enjoying good times with constant support and love.  We will travel, attend cultural festivals, enjoy outdoor activities and museums and we'll play tennis, exercise and do yoga, swim, and go to museums and fun places, like Sky Zone.

My Promise

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.  I understand that you must have a lot to think about during this time and the fact that you are open to the adoption process is an act of love on your part. I hope that we will have an opportunity to talk and get to know one another.  It will be important for the child to know their biological ancestry and I am interested in knowing your story as well. I promise to give nothing but unconditional love to the baby.  My hope is that we will be a blessing to one another.  Here's to our journey together!

With respect,

Stephanie