Hello! We are Sarvenaz and Emmanuel from Sacramento, California! At this point, we can only dream of who you are, but we already have a humbling respect for the loving and courageous decision you are making. We hope to give you a glimpse into who we are, the parents we aspire to be, and the life we intend to provide your child. One thing we have in common is our shared desire to see your child grow in a nurturing, playful family where they can thrive to the fullest. Our capacity to love is boundless. Our home is warm, welcoming and furry thanks to our dog, Bono. We have dreamt of becoming parents for a very long time, so when we tell you we're all IN, we deeply mean it. Thank you for considering us and the family we hope to have someday.

Our efforts to grow our family began in 2020 when the world was knee-deep in the pandemic. We were newly married and eager to bring a baby into our lives. We were fortunate enough to conceive a few times, yet, sadly, pregnancy and heartbreak went hand in hand for us. We met our son, Memo, and bid farewell to him the same day. His beautiful spirit reaffirmed our desire to become parents and opened our eyes to the prospect of adoption. Our capacity to love and protect far exceeds our little family unit. Our community is no different – they have wrapped their arms around us beyond our wildest dreams. When we dream of the baby we will adopt, we see love pouring in from every corner of our lives. How blessed this baby will be!

We originally met in Berkeley when we were in graduate school studying to become psychologists back in 2009. We got together many years later (2016) when Emmanuel was visiting Austin, Texas where Sarvenaz was doing her postdoctoral training. We fell in love quickly and counted down the days until we were reunited in California. In 2017, Emmanuel proposed at the ocean’s edge in Half Moon Bay. We got married in 2019 in Downtown Los Angeles in a beautiful Art Deco ballroom with glass ceilings, it was dreamy! We made our way to Sacramento, Sarvenaz’s hometown, where we’ve been putting down roots ever since. We remodeled our home, a test of any marriage, and we passed! There’s a lot of love and gratitude between these walls. Bringing a baby home is the final, most defining detail that will make this house forever feel like home.

We have been fortunate enough to visit a couple of different continents in our time together. We spent our honeymoon in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. We had never been to Southeast Asia and were curious to learn about the culture and their way of life. In October, 2022, we spent a week in Croatia before flying to the island of Mallorca. On the mainland, we rented a car and drove through the south of Spain. We most recently visited France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. What a privilege it is to learn about other cultures, to expand our perspectives beyond our own. We can't wait to show the world to our future child! When we’re at home, we engage in our own passion projects. Sarvenaz has found refuge in working with animals and it’s been so tender for her heart. She splits her time between the local animal shelter and volunteering at Hector Hill, a senior horse sanctuary that has given home to some of the sweetest, aging souls. Emmanuel’s love for tech, gadgets, and tinkering is complemented by a deep passion for games and play. During the pandemic, he went on a nostalgic and nerdy journey into the history of video games, especially the ones he played as a child. Most recently, Emmanuel went to Monterey on a fishing trip with his cousins. He felt right at home on the water and now can’t wait to go back.

I am drawn to acts of services that bring me closer to my own humanity and that of others. There’s no cap on kindness or good will and I live by that. I was born on the other side of the globe in Tehran, Iran. I immigrated to the US with my mom when I was 1.5 years old. I’m told that I spent the flight running up and down the aisle, meeting every passenger aboard. To this day, I am lit up inside when I get to meet someone new or travel somewhere I’ve only seen in pictures. Much of my identity is a product of the women who raised me. My mom was a single parent and my grandmother was her copilot – we were three generations, under one roof. My mom’s work ethic set a high bar that I aimed to match and I followed in her footsteps in becoming a business owner, myself. Five years ago, I opened my private practice as a clinical psychologist and feel grateful that it continues to thrive. As a mom, school drop-offs and sports practices will be my priority, so it's a blessing that I get to set my own schedule. We're also incredibly fortunate to have my mom just a few miles away – she's first in line to care for our baby when we're at work.

Sarvenaz has to be one of the most genuine souls I’ve ever met. She is unapologetically herself. She is sweet, compassionate, vibrant, and extremely fun to be around. You can tell a lot about a person by who their friends are and Sarvenaz has so many of them. Everyone wants to spend time with her because her nature is so lovely. Without saying a word, Sarvenaz will make others feel safe, understood, and motivated to be the best version of themselves. I can already picture her teaching our child the importance of kindness, showing them how to navigate the world with empathy, and encouraging them to be confident in who they are. Sarvenaz will be the kind of mother who listens, cares deeply, and makes our home a place full of love and understanding.

I grew up in the beautiful Napa Valley with my sister and parents. My mom came from a small island in the Azores, Portugal and my dad is from a village in Michoacán, Mexico. Our home was the intersection of two beautiful cultures where both Spanish and Portuguese were languages of love. My parents and grandparents modeled hard work and grit. The discipline they instilled in me has helped me succeed in my career as a clinical neuropsychologist at UC Davis, a world-renowned university hospital. My family also taught me the importance of being playful. My early memories are of us laughing, making jokes, and playing games. I can’t wait to do the same as a dad – I’m looking forward to shooting hoops, finding Waldo, making macaroni masterpieces, and fostering any interest our kiddo might have. I know the diapers, late nights, and big feelings aren’t the most glamorous, but I’m here for all of it and won’t take a moment for granted.

For the longest time, I have called Emmanuel my gentle giant. he's over six feet tall and as tender as can be. Emmanuel demonstrates how much he loves us everyday. He packs my lunch for work. He drives his parents to their doctor’s appointments. He fixes appliances at my mom’s house. Emmanuel plays video games with our nephew and dress-up with our niece. You name it, he can likely do it, and he does it from his heart. You can already begin to see how these qualities would translate into his role as a father – he will show up and show out! He will bring laughter into our home – he has dad jokes that he already test drives. He will have a soundtrack for all of life’s major moments. And Emmanuel can’t wait to pass on his video game archive to the next generation. More than anything, he will embody unconditional love and an unwavering commitment to the child who gets to call him Papí.

We live in a charming three-bedroom house in East Sacramento, California with a bonus one-bedroom guesthouse. We’re currently using the space as an in-home gym and home office for Emmanuel. We spent a lot of time renovating our home prior to the pandemic with the intention of making it our family’s first home. We’ve maintained an abundant orchard in our backyard that gifts us so many fruits - oranges, limes, persimmons, cherries, pomegranates, and figs. Our neighborhood is diverse and vibrant. Families gather in nearby parks and several schools are within walking distance. On Saturdays, we walk to our favorite coffee shop or visit the farmer’s market. We’re also not too far from the Golden One Center where the Sacramento Kings play basketball – we’re loyal fans with a half-season pass, so we never miss a game. It wasn’t long before we put a basketball hoop in our backyard so we that we could shoot around. Our dog Bono cheers us on!

Bono is our Doberman mix we adopted in 2022. He is made of pure love. He has an emotional support blanket in his bed at all times and an arsenal of toys in the backyard that keep him occupied. We take turns walking a couple of miles with him every morning. Since Emmanuel works from home, Bono spends most days by his dad’s side, splayed out on the rug. He occasionally joins Sarvenaz at her office where he inadvertently doubles as a therapy dog. It’s hard to know who the visits are more therapeutic for – Bono or Sarvenaz’s patients.

Both of our families stand at the ready for this next milestone in our lives. They are eager to welcome the next generation and to shower our child with love. We see Sarvenaz’s mom a few times per week – we share meals together; go to local events like the farmer’s market or shows at the theater; and she loves to dote on her granddog. Emmanuel’s parents have been helping care for his sister’s kids several days each week since they were born. Now that both kids are in school, they are excited to wrap their arms around a little one again. We consider our close friends to be family – we deeply cherish their influences in our lives. Some of our dearest friends, Conor and Nick, adopted two very sweet kiddos. We love visiting them in Chicago and taking vacations together. All of our friends who live locally have been growing their families, so our baby will have a fully formed crew of pals from day 1. It’s a privilege to have friends we’ve known for over twenty years – they make up an incredible village that will love our child with all their might. They, too, are waiting eagerly at the sidelines to intercept a snuggle.

As a couple of psychologists, it’s no surprise that we see value in communicating and listening without judgment. We intend to carry this practice over to our parenting so that we can create a safe haven for an open dialogue with our child. We deeply believe in being active local citizens, so we regularly do outreach in our community, especially with our unhoused neighbors and their pets. We keep tents, sleeping bags, and dog coats in our cars so we can pass them out when we see someone braving the elements with little protection. Treating others humanely will always be the right choice, so we intend to model that. We love a good challenge, so we hope to instill enough confidence and curiosity in our child so that the prospect of winning is more compelling than the fear of losing. Exploring outside of our comfort zone is something we’re both often doing, so we'll invite our child to do the same. Like most parents, we want to raise a successful person, but most of all, we hope to raise a good human.

We can imagine it may feel tough to know how sure is sure enough when you’re choosing a family for your baby. We hope to put your mind at ease by showing you who we are and how we intend to love your baby with every bone and breath. May your heart do what feels right and the rest will follow.

With warmth and deep appreciation,

Sarvenaz and Emmanuel