Hello! Thank you for taking the time to get to know us! We are Taylor and Nathan, a playful, loyal and adventurous couple in our early 30’s living in Toronto, Canada. Both of us have wanted to become parents even before we knew one another, and since adoption is already a part of our family story (Taylor’s sister was adopted into the family as an infant), it didn’t take long for us to decide that we would like to become adoptive parents.

We would love to get to know you, and we are excited to be considered as you make an adoption plan for your child.

Our story starts in Montreal, Canada, where we met as college students at a Halloween party. In spite of the costumes, we both felt an instant connection for one another. After graduating, our friendship deepened and we realized that we shared many of the same values: prioritizing family, loyalty to friends, curiosity about the world, and not being afraid to laugh and be goofy.

The chemistry was right and we progressed through dating, moving in together, getting married, and building a life for ourselves as a couple, filled with family, friends, and adventure (more on this in the coming pages).

We are now tremendously excited at the prospect of becoming adoptive parents. We strongly believe that we can provide a safe, loving and nurturing home, and support network for your child.

I’m passionate about outdoor sports (including white-water kayaking, skiing and scuba diving), and travel, but my greatest passion is food. I learned to cook from the best, my Mom, and I use it as a way to relax and explore different cultures. Cooking as a family is a big tradition for us around Chinese New Year and Christmas time, and it’s how we celebrate our Chinese and Dutch heritage. I work at a multinational food company, so food plays an important role in my professional life too.

I’m extremely close with my family and I call my parents at least once a day. I cannot wait to become a dad and have a child of our own to love, nurture and teach to cook. I plan to take a year off from work for parental leave once we have adopted a child into our family.

Nathan has a big personality and an even bigger heart. He prioritizes his family and friends above all else. He is driven, proactive and can achieve just about anything he sets his mind to. He remembers even the smallest of details from conversations with loved ones, which makes him an amazing gift-giver. He’s also playful and silly, and loves to belt out songs from Disney movies or musicals while driving in the car. Nathan’s lively expressions and fun-loving nature make him great at interacting with young kids.

I love to learn about other people, places and cultures, which is why I’m a very regular visitor to our local library where I browse old maps or read historical fiction. I’m also very interested in learning new languages. I’m fluent in French (which I plan to teach our child), I speak a little Italian and I’m also studying Spanish. Encouraging our child to explore their passions and to be curious about the world is a big reason why I’m excited to be a dad.

I’m at my happiest when I’m around the water. I even worked as a waterpark lifeguard when I was a student. I love to swim and take the canoe out for a paddle when I’m at my family’s lake-house.

Taylor is kind, patient and thoughtful. Doing the right thing and showing empathy for others are important to Taylor, so it makes perfect sense that he has found his dream job working as an ethics professional at a bank. Attentive and compassionate, Taylor used to work as a summer camp counselor where he made a special effort to look after the kids who had a harder time making friends. He’ll be great at supporting our child through any challenging times.

Family is very important to us, and adoption is already a big part of our family’s story. Taylor’s family members all live close by to us in Toronto, and we often take turns hosting dinners. Taylor’s parents were introduced through mutual friends and were married within 8 months of meeting one another. After having two kids (Taylor and his older brother), they learned of friends who adopted a baby girl. They decided to do the same and within a year Taylor’s younger sister was adopted into the family.

For Nathan, staying connected with family has always been a priority in spite of physical distance. Nathan’s mom is from Singapore, and Nathan’s dad grew up in Canada, the US, and the Netherlands. Nathan was raised visiting his aunts, uncles, and cousins across North America, Asia and Europe. His Chinese and Dutch heritage play an important role in his family’s traditions.

Nathan is very close to his younger sister who lives in Chicago with her husband. Hardly two months ever go by without us meeting them on one side of the border or the other.

Traditions are a big part of who we are: In Nathan’s family, Christmas dinner is often a Dutch-Indonesian feast of small dishes called a Rijsttafel, followed by the ritual dim sum brunch on Dec. 26th. At Chinese New Year, Nathan’s relatives all gather to enjoy a meal together and usher luck, happiness and longevity into our lives. Every February, we drive Taylor’s siblings up to the cottage and take a week off of work to build a skating rink on the frozen lake.

Home for us is Toronto, which is just north of the United States near Niagara Falls, NY. Toronto is a safe and vibrant city with plenty of green spaces and diverse communities. We live in a spacious two-bedroom townhouse in a multicultural neighborhood close to downtown. Our favorite part of our home is the rooftop patio, a perfect spot for barbecues with family and friends.

While we love our life in the city, we also spend a lot of time enjoying a very Canadian tradition; visiting the family cottage. In Canada, cottages are lakeside properties for relaxing and being in nature. Nathan’s family’s cottage is a camp-like collection of cabins called “Logwood”. Nathan has many childhood memories of playing with his cousins during the summers here and now that many of them have children of their own, a new generation is making memories at Logwood.

A typical lazy Sunday at home for us might include reading on the couch (Nathan prefers science fiction, and Taylor prefers historical fiction), watching a funny movie, or inviting friends over for competitive card or board games.

We are both social people and we love our supportive friend network in Toronto. Many of our closest friends are now coupled up, some of whom are similarly looking to grow their families. Nathan is socially outgoing and always making new friends. Taylor remains close with many of his elementary school and high school friends. Both of our closest friends were our next-door neighbors when we were growing up.

Food is an important part of our home life, along with hosting family and friends. Nathan takes the lead when it comes to meal planning and cooking. Taylor is an eager sous-chef and cleaner of dishes.

On Taylor’s side, the family gathers at the cottage over the winter months. This is where we often celebrate Christmas, go snowshoeing through the woods, and play ice hockey on the lake.

As adoptive parents, we understand that our role is not just to offer a loving, protective, and nurturing home to your child. As we’ve learned from our own parents, our role is also to help your child to discover their passions, foster meaningful relationships, connect them with mentors, and let them take chances with the knowledge that we will be there for them whatever the outcome.

We also believe that one of our most important responsibilities as adoptive parents will be to make sure your child is empowered with the knowledge of where they’ve come from, and to foster a positive relationship between them and you. We plan on sharing your story with your child as often as we can, and we are committed to an open adoption with the interests of your child first and foremost.

We also know that we will need support as adoptive parents, and we are fortunate that both of our families are willing and excited to be supportive grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins to your child.

Thank you taking the time to read a little about us and our dream to expand our family through adoption. We understand that this is a commitment to offer your child every opportunity that we can for the rest of our lives, and we accept this responsibility humbly and wholeheartedly. We couldn’t be more excited to be considered as you make an adoption plan for your child, and we hope you have gotten to know who we are and what our values are in this profile.

We wish you all the best in your adoption journey,

- Taylor & Nathan