Hello! We are Tim & Motty from San Francisco, California. We are proud dads to a wonderful toddler named Dov, who came to us through an open adoption. Our family is full of fun, laughter, and adventure, and we are excited about the possibility of expanding it! We thank you for the opportunity to introduce ourselves and our family to you.

From our first conversations about building a family together, we both easily agreed that we would do so through adoption. Tim has several cousins through adoption, and Motty has cousins that has been adopted by other families. We adopted Dov through open adoption and we are excited to adopt our next child!

In July of 2014, we each moved to San Francisco. Within a month, we connected on a dating app. Before we could even schedule an in-person meeting, Motty noticed Tim at a street fair and mustered up the courage to approach him. Tim, surprised by how handsome and funny Motty was, quickly suggested a first date. Something clicked early on and we knew we were meant to be together! Tim impressed Motty with his travel stories and Motty made Tim laugh all the time. Within six months, we moved in together and three years later we gathered our friends and family in Sonoma, California for our beautiful outdoor wedding on the Russian River.

Our life together has been filled with love, support, countless adventures, trips around the world, constant laughter, friends, and fun. We look forward to continuing this journey together.

I grew up in a diverse community in New York City as a child of immigrants. As a kid, I always loved hearing the stories of how families from all over the world made their way to the U.S. and why. My own family came from Kiev, Ukraine shortly before I was born.

Being surrounded by multiple cultures sparked my curiosity about the world and made me who I am today. I love traveling to places full of history and tradition. My favorite genre of literature is historical non-fiction. And, I love talking to people about their own life stories and experiences. I pride myself in my ability to empathize with others, recognizing that deep down we are all the same and deserve the same opportunities in life.

I am a doctor and I took many of these same values to heart when choosing emergency medicine as my specialty. I love that the healthcare I provide does not depend on a person’s ability to pay, insurance status, or documentation status. I love that the ER serves as a social safety net. I also love that the schedule allows me to spend time at home.

Motty is one of the most amazing people you can ever hope to meet. He is incredibly smart, quick-witted, hard-working, and fun. On my first date with Motty, he somewhat jokingly said that he bought a Subaru just in case having a family was on the horizon. I immediately found his mix of humor, emphasis on family, and practicality charming. After getting to know him, I learned more about what a caring heart Motty has. He surrounds himself with friends and family, and loves nothing more than to have everyone gathered in our home for a big meal. (He is definitely the chef of the family!) I tease Motty about being overly cautious in general, but I love that he will step out of his comfort zone for the sake of adventure.

I’m grateful to be on this journey with Motty because we know that our family is his number one priority in every way. He is the best dad! He is incredibly playful, attentive, and always loving. His face lights up every time Dov laughs or does something new, and I know that he has even more love to give.

I have always loved exploring and creating memories through new experiences. I grew up in Bakersfield, California and from the time I was little I could not wait to see and do as much as I could! I spent my twenties bouncing around the world: studying Spanish for two years in South America, teaching English in China and South Korea for nearly four years, and taking extended trips through Africa and Asia.

Deep down, however, I wanted to put down roots and I am grateful for my family and community of friends who helped me build my life in California. When I returned to California, I decided to become a Spanish teacher because I always loved the subject as a student, I love working with kids, and I love having long vacations to be able to keep exploring!

These days, my life looks far different and I am thoroughly loving the new adventure of fatherhood. I love that my profession is family-friendly and that I can really focus on my favorite job — being a dad.

The best part about Tim is that he is always full of surprises. Early in our relationship, Tim would impress me by speaking Mandarin or Portuguese in the most random scenarios. Years later, he endeared himself to my family when he learned the Hebrew sabbath blessings by heart and sang along with the family. My favorite surprise is when Tim brings me flowers spontaneously to show love and affection. (My least favorite surprise was when Tim parked a sewing machine on our dining room for a month, when he tried to learn how to sew.) The endless adventures with Tim, both big and small, excite me for our next stages.

Tim is a great dad! During our time as co-dads, Tim has shown to be a wonderful, caring, and fun father. From dance parties in the living room, to story-time before bed, Tim loves every part of being a father. He especially loves playing games with Dov and acting out all the animals in children’s books. I know Tim will show our children all the love, adventure, and fun that kids could have.

Dov is a curious, energetic, and loving little guy! His current fascinations are bubble machines, cars, and doggies — he loves to point them out and say “Woof!” He’s learning how to use his scooter and loves to pretend he’s a lion.

We met Dov’s mother three weeks before he was born in May of 2021. We were moved by her strength and love for him and we were honored that she chose us to raise him.

When we are in San Francisco, we take advantage of all the different ways we can enjoy the city while outdoors: sidewalk cafes, playgrounds, parks, and street fairs, to name a few. Our main passion is to travel both domestically or internationally. We love destinations where the surroundings are the attraction. We will often go to a large city to enjoy the hustle and bustle of a metropolitan area, but we will also rent a quiet cabin in Sonoma to soak up fresh air and majestic Redwood trees.

When staying in, we make it a point to fill our home with love and joy. Motty will often cook a large dinner for friends to come over and enjoy. Tim will often sneak tastes throughout the process, but he mostly stays out of the way! We have found and built a strong community during our time in San Francisco, and we prioritize maintaining those valuable relationships.

Having Dov come into our lives has made our hobbies and adventures extra memorable and momentous. Watching Dov explore a new playground or attend a community block party is the most fun! At home, we are most happy when we dance together to Disney songs or make pancakes on a cozy Saturday morning.

We moved into our home four years ago hoping to grow our family in it. We fell in love with our place because it has a large kitchen where Motty cooks up a storm and a big backyard where we often have friends and family over on the weekends.

We live on a quiet tree-lined street in Noe Valley, San Francisco. Noe Valley is also known as “Stroller Valley” because of all the kids here. It is fantastic for families! Within a few blocks of our home, we have several playgrounds, a library with tons of children’s programming, a weekly farmer’s market with a sing-along for kids, and lots of children’s bookstores and shops.

Beyond our neighborhood in San Francisco, we take advantage of what this city has to offer. You can often find us picnicking in the parks, hiking in the hills, or taking road trips along the California coast. We love the small local restaurants throughout the city, and have our favorite restaurant for each kind of food and in each neighborhood.

We both come from big families with lots of siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles. We are particularly proud to be uncles to our sixteen nephews, nieces, and godparents to our four goddaughters.

Motty’s family is mostly in New York City and we make it a priority to visit them several times a year for holidays and special occasions. We have also visited Motty’s brother and his family in Israel, and we are excited to visit them again!

Tim’s family is in Bakersfield, CA, and we are lucky enough to visit them throughout the year. We get most excited about the Fourth of July and Christmas, when the whole family gathers at one house for dinner and games. These events are big, loud, and full of children running around.

We have also built a strong community in San Francisco of chosen family including old friends and new. Like us, many of these friends have started families of their own, so our own home is often filled with the sound of kids laughing.

Our favorite tradition as a family is to have Shabbat dinner on Friday evenings when we often have friends over to light Shabbat candles, eat, and laugh for hours. For Passover and Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), we go to New York and eat a lot of Motty’s mother’s home cooking!

We also go to Bakersfield every year to celebrate Christmas and the Fourth of July with Tim’s side of the family. Tim’s family loves to barbecue tri-tip and watch fireworks with the kids!

We feel that it is our duty to provide our children with unlimited love and a sense of safety and security. Neither one of us found it easy to come out as gay, but what made all the difference was the family and loved ones who gave us unfailing love and support. As parents, we want to reassure our children that our love for them is unconditional and that we will be a source of strength for whatever life brings them. We promise to always be open-minded so that our children can be their most authentic selves, follow their dreams, and reach their fullest potentials.

In our little family, we are proud that we all come from very different backgrounds and that we are able to celebrate these differences in our family life. We feel that open adoption is important so that our child can have a connection to their own story and roots.

Thank you again for taking the time to learning about our family. If you choose us, we promise to keep a home and family that will be full of unconditional love, warmth, kindness, and support. We promise to surround your child with loved ones, community, and meaningful traditions and experiences. And, through open adoption, we promise to share your child’s story with them and tell them all the love that went into your decision.