We have always dreamed of having a large family. Within a year of getting married in 2014, we suffered a miscarriage and then struggled with infertility for years. We saw different fertility specialists, who ultimately concluded that we had only a 6% chance of pregnancy. We were crushed. However, in the spring of 2019, we were shocked to find out we had conceived on our own! Eden is our miracle baby, but the likelihood of getting pregnant is still very low. We love children and want more.

We added to our family through the adoption of our son, Colter, in 2024. Our affection for adoption has only intensified as we’ve seen the beauty of embracing and loving Colter as our very own and vice versa. We also feel passionate about continuing to grow the diversity of our family. Adoption has truly become a special part of our hearts and is an integral part of our family’s story.

Camille About Ryan: I love Ryan’s genuineness! He is truly the most sincere, kind-hearted, and gentle man I know. I admire his patience, his ability to focus and plan, and his care for our family. He is often quick to humble himself and not afraid to admit when he might be wrong. He continually strives to put our needs and the needs of our kids before his own. I admire and respect the way he cares for both Eden and Colter, attending to their individual needs. His unconditional love, gentleness, fun-loving spirit, and patience with them are beautiful to watch. Over the years, it has been such an honor to watch the many ways he fights for, provides for, and protects his family.

Ryan About Camille: I love Camille’s tender, compassionate, and gentle personality. Anyone who spends any time with her immediately feels safe, known, and loved. She is a magnet for small children, and her friends and family know her as the “baby-whisperer”—she can settle a fussy baby like no one else! She cares deeply about people and longs for them to be known and cared for. There’s a reason why our daughter, Eden, and our son, Colter, absolutely adore her: Camille cares for them so well and is a safe, supportive presence as she helps them learn and grow. I also love Camille’s sense of humor and silliness, which bring joy to everyone around her.

In our family, celebrating cultural diversity is not just a value—it’s part of our everyday life. Our son, Colter, whom we joyfully adopted in 2024, is Black, and we are intentional about honoring his heritage. One way we do this is by listening to music by Black artists, both past and present, so Colter grows up hearing the voices, rhythms, and stories that reflect his culture. We also talk with our Black friends about how to care for his hair and skin, and we look forward to taking him to a Black barber one day for his first fade. These small but meaningful choices show him that his heritage is worth celebrating.

We also recognize the importance of relationships. We are connected with other adoptive families raising children of diverse racial backgrounds, and we learn from one another as our children grow together. Many of our friends come from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, giving our kids opportunities to experience diversity in daily life. Even our pediatrician is Black, providing another role model for Colter. We are intentional about seeking role models from each child’s heritage.

Whatever culture our children come from, we will celebrate their heritage through relationships, food, traditions, and community—so they always know they are deeply loved, valued, and at home in our family.

We live in a single-story, three-bedroom house with a basement. We bought our house nine years ago as a fixer-upper and have enjoyed making it our own through renovation.

We are tucked away in a no-outlet driveway we share with two wonderful neighbors, who love it when we bring our kids down to see the chickens, dogs, cats, and geese. We see a great deal of wildlife and love the natural beauty of the trees, ponds, and creek in our backyard.

We absolutely love the beauty, seclusion, and privacy of our house, yet we also enjoy the short walk out of our no-outlet into our small-town neighborhood. There’s also a local elementary school with two playgrounds a block away, where we often take the kids to play or ride bikes. Camille’s brother, sister, and their families each live three-quarters of a mile away, and we often walk to each other's homes for an impromptu visit. About a half-mile from our home is downtown, where there are a few fun restaurants, an ice cream shop, and more playgrounds to visit.

We are surrounded by a loving and supportive extended family who are incredibly important to us, as well as many close friends who are like family.

Camille’s parents and four of her seven siblings live within half an hour, and Ryan’s parents and two siblings live within driving distance.

Camille’s extended family gathers regularly for Sunday dinners, birthday parties, and holidays. We often will have playdates during the week with sisters and cousins - these gatherings are always loud, fun, joyful, and accompanied by lots of good food and laughter! Our kids really love spending time with their cousins, whom they adore.

Though Ryan’s family lives farther away, we make the most of the times when we can be together, which includes an annual weeklong beach vacation, a party at Christmas time, and other spontaneous trips. We love and enjoy these times when we are together.

We spend a lot of time with Camille’s best friend since childhood, who has also adopted 4 children. Both of our families and all of our friends and wider community have welcomed our adopted son with open arms and are thrilled to welcome another child into the family and to continue to be a support to them and us as they grow.

Thank you so much for your willingness to consider us as parents for your child. We cannot imagine the level of difficulty you’ve been through as you’ve wrestled with what kind of life to give your child. Although we may not fully understand the sacrifice and difficulty of this decision, we do recognize the courage and love it must take to make it. We want you to know that we respect you and admire you in these things. We are grateful that you’re considering us as potential parents for your child.

We want to tell a bit of our story and what led us to pursue adoption. After getting married in 2014, we discovered that having children would not come as easily as we had hoped. We were thrilled when we became pregnant during our first year of marriage, but were devastated when we discovered a few weeks later that there was no heartbeat. Four years of infertility ensued after that, and we grieved an empty womb each month as we waited and hoped for pregnancy. We sought to find answers through fertility specialists, and they concluded that it was unlikely we’d conceive except through invasive and expensive fertility treatments - and even this was no guarantee. Our grief continued, and we wondered whether our longing to be parents would ever be realized.

We were shocked in the spring of 2019 to discover that we were pregnant! Our daughter, Eden, was born in December 2019, and we are incredibly thankful for her. Yet we know that she is our miracle baby, and that more biological children will likely not be in our future, save another miracle. In 2022, we pursued adoption and were matched with our son, Colter, in 2024. Colter is the light of our lives, and we cannot imagine our lives without him. Watching Colter and Eden’s relationship has been the sweetest thing to witness as parents: they adore and truly enjoy each other. We all have so much more love in our hearts to give to more children. Having a house full of kids has always been our greatest dream, and adoption is the way we desire to fulfill that dream. It is also important to us, as a transracial family, that we continue building a home where children of different backgrounds are cherished and celebrated.

We want you to know how much we respect your decision. Becoming parents ourselves has given us a deeper understanding of the great sacrifice you are making. We have seen with our son’s birth mother the love she has for him; her sacrifice has left us in awe of the courage it takes to take this step and make this choice. We want you to know that in our home, we will always love and honor you. You have made a courageous and probably one of the most difficult decisions of your life, and we will always respect you for the sacrifice you have made. It is important to us that this child knows this about you, first and foremost.

It is important to us that our child knows where they came from, so we want to be open with our children about their adoption stories and walk closely with them as they process and grow. We want there to be open communication, if you are willing, as the child gets older, to be able to know more about where they have come from, answer questions, and tell stories that only you will be able to share with them. Should you choose us to parent your child, we are eager to discuss what your involvement might look like, whether through emails, texts, photos, letters, or in-person visits.

Thank you again for considering us. We are praying for you as you work through the difficult decision of what family to choose for your baby.

Love,

Ryan & Camille