melissa and andy

Hi, we are Melissa & Andy. Thank you for being an amazingly brave and caring person. We cannot even begin to express in words how appreciative we are that you are taking the time to learn about us. Although this is just a glance at our lives together, we want you to feel confident knowing that if you choose us as adoptive parents for your baby, he or she will be raised with love, and will always know that you are a hero in our eyes. We know this is a difficult time for you and would love to be able to be a part of this with you. Thank you for considering us as possible adoptive parents.

A little bit about ourselves... Call us at (585) 355-8113

Our relationship is built on love and humor. We make each other laugh all of the time. It is definitly an important part of our relationship. Many nights are spent at home just laughing with each other.

We met each other through a mutual friend after her many attempts at setting us up. We both had been “set up” before and much to our surprise, we enjoyed our time together and talked all night. There were so many things we had in common with a love of music being a very important part of both of our lives. It’s been 5years now since we were married—on Halloween, our favorite holiday!

Melissa is a music teacher who teaches Kindergarten through 5th grade. She loves her job but also enjoys having holiday’s and summers off. She is looking forward to enjoying them with their child. She also gives private piano and voice lessons in our home. She sings in area companies and does theater as well. Andy makes a living selling professional audio equipment and musical instruments. We both play many instruments and have tons around the house.

Our home is shared with 2 dogs we love very much. Scarlett, a papillon, who does agility and Asti, a bichon frise, who likes to sleep. Both love the kids next door and are also great with babies.

We have had infertility problems which has led us toward the path of adoption. We very much look forward to having a family and know that thiswill work for us so that we can complete our family.

Melissa and her brother were adopted so adoption is always an exciting plan. Melissa’s adoptive parents’ openness about adoption is what led to Melissa and Andy’s decision to move forth in this endeavor. Adoption is celebrated through wonderful stories that Melissa’s adoptive parents shared. Melissa knew as much as her adoptive parents knew about her birth parents and this is celebrated to this day on the day her adoptive parents’ final adoption took place. Melissa grew up knowing that her birth parents are amazing people who shared something so big words cannot express. Melissa is looking forward to having this common bond with her own adopted child and looks forward to continuing with these traditions.

about us...

Our 2-story, 2,600 square foot old farm house has been newly remodeled. Melissa enjoys decorating and we’ve been told it’s very warm and inviting. There are 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and 5 additional rooms with an open floor plan. This makes a warm and roomy space for our friends and their children when they cometo play and visit.

The area in which we live has a rural atmosphere but is 20-30 minutes from the city, making it the best of both worlds for us. We have a large yard that backs up to farmland where deer and other wildlife are often seen.

Our vegetable gardens and part of the yard are fenced in. Many children live nearby and our neighbors are wonderful friends. The fire station is within walking distance and we are close to the grocery store, the canal path where we walk the dogs and ride our bikes, schools, and other local shops. Our school district offers a great curriculum in the core subjects as well as extra-curricular activities and includes a great music program.

These are a few of the many reasons why we moved out here and love where we are.

our home...

playing in the snow with Melissa’s brother and nephew

our vegetable gardens

fruits of our labor

Melissa is an outgoing and friendly person who lights up the room with a positive energy whenever she walks in. Her smile is contagious. As much as she refuses to admit it, Melissa has been known to sing little songs around the house that make me giggle even on my worst of days. One of Melissa’s greatest qualities is her compassion for others. She takes a genuine interest in the well-being of her family and friends, and will often be amongst the first to offer praise in times of triumph, and words of consolation and encouragement in times of difficulty. This is reflected by her large group of friends from many walks of life who have been very supportive through our own journey to become parents.

Melissa amazes me with her uncanny ability to excel in just about every one of her interests. She doesn’t do anything half-way, and works at her endeavors until she is the best she can be. I know Melissa will be a great Mom because she has a kind, patient, and nurturing way with children. “Melissa is my Sweetie and I love her very much.”

about melissa in Andy’s words

Melissa’s Hobbies:* Knitting, needle felting, making cards, swimming, bicycling, cooking, gardening, canning, agility with the dogs, performing in shows, and playing many instruments like piano, guitar, ukulele, trumpet, and singing opera.

Superheroes

Holding our second cousin

Welcoming our new godson

about andy in Melissa’s words

Andy is the yin to my yang. He is a very patient and kind hearted person. He is caring and compassionate. When you first meet him he comes across as being very shy and quiet but just wait—because when he opens up you’ll be the lucky recipient of hearing the best one-liners ever! You won’t be ready when it first happens, but after a while you’ll be waiting to hear them. Andy is very calm, cool, and collected. I have seen him in situations that many people would not be able remain so cool and he just amazes me. I think this is something that sets him apart from many people. He is a great listener and friend. “He is my best friend.” There isn’t a moment when we are together that we aren’t laughing. I love being with him. He has a great group of friends that he has stayed in touch with since high school. They live close by and have been a great support for him during our infertility and now through our adoption process. Andy likes to think things out perfectly before starting any task. He researches everything so he can do the best job possible. He takes pride in completing things around the house and outside in the yard. I know that Andy is going to make a great Dad. I know this because the things I love about him are what I think of when I picture the perfect Dad. Patient, kind, caring, compassionate, funny, calm, cool, collected, listener, and thoughtful. These are the words that best describe Andy to me.

Andy’s Hobbies:* Home brewing, composing music, playing bass, origami, disc golf, bowling, woodworking, and video games.

Andy with our nephew

Wishing for our family on the John Lennon Wishing Tree

FORE!

Family...Melissa comes from a HUGE Italian family on her adoptive mother’s side. She has many aunts, uncles, and 11 cousins who all live close by. They get together with her family for lots of events many times through-out the year. There are 13 second cousins ready for another cousin to play with. Melissa’s cousins are so excited about Andy and Melissa’s decision to adopt a baby. They have shared in their journey to become parents and have been so supportive. Her adoptive father’s side is of German descent and live close by as well. Her dad is a twin! We regularly get together with Melissa’s parents as they live just down the road. Family is very important to both Andy and Melissa and they hope to continue on Family gatherings and traditions as their family grows. Andy comes from a German and Ukrainian background. Although his father has passed we still maintain a great relationship with both sides of his parents families. Though the extended family live farther away we see them at our annual “Second Thanksgiving Celebration” and our yearly family reunion. We get together with Andy’s mom and sister regularly. They live one town over.

the importance of familyMelissa’s Family “Some”of

Melissa’s cousins

Family wedding with nieces

BIG extended family

At our yearly family reunion

Andy’s mom and sister

Andy’s mom, aunts and uncles

and FriendsAndy and Melissa’s friends are a big part of their lives. Andy has had the same group of friends for almost 30 years! Melissa has many different groups of friends. These include her knitting circle friends, her music/theater friends, and her very close friends from work and college. Many have already started their own families and share their excitement with Melissa and Andy as each of their families grow. Everyone looks forward to get-togethers when all the kids can play and grow up together. Some words expressed by our friends, in their excitement of our adopting a baby are;

“Melissa is one of the warmest, most organized, and thorough teachers that I have ever had the privilege

of working with. “

“Andy is a quiet and thoughtful man who has a heart of gold.”

“As an adopted child herself, Melissa clearly

understands and appreciates the social function of adoption, and we are sure this

will aide and help to guide both her

and Andy as adoptive parents.”

Andy’S close friends

dinner with good friends in NYC

Melissa’s dear friend Asti posing in the great room

Our Halloween masquerade party

Scarlett looking pretty

thank you for taking the time to get to know us a little better. We hope you have enjoyed reading about us and feel like you have a better understanding of who we are. We understand how important this decision is for you. If you do choose us to be adoptive parents we would like you to know that we promise to show unconditional love and support to your baby and to always let him or her know that you are an amazing person who will remain a hero in our eyes.

thank you

We hope to hear from you (585) 355-8113