Andrew & Katy
Andrew & Katy
Our biggest travel adventure to date, is our 23 day road trip out West. Andrew spent close to a year planning the trip, mapping out which ballparks to visit and their schedules, where to stay, and which friends we would stop and visit along the way.
The trip still remains one of the most adventurous journeys either of us had ever taken. The highlights included visiting 10 MLB stadiums, visiting friends and family scattered across the country, sleeping a on a sailboat, and spending three weeks together.
During the trip we encountered a few car issues (which should be expected when driving across the country and back) and we had a few lodging problems.
In the end our planning, unexpected situations, and three weeks traveling the country together led to us to strengthening our values our adventure, friends, families, planning, overcoming hard times, and loving each other.
We summarized our trip with the following stats:
Days: 23
States: 16
Miles: 7,150
Gallons of gas: 246
Breweries: 38
Ballparks: 10
MLB teams: 17
Walk off wins: 3
Sailboats slept on: 1
Tallest tree seen: 276 ft.
Friends/ Family visited: 14
Bugs splattered: Countless
Spending three weeks in a car with your best friend: Priceless!
Our Story
We are best friends and love to spend time together, with our friends, and with our family!
We value compassion, integrity, adventure, respect, faith, kindness, and fun, just to name a few. We hope to teach a child all of these things through modeling in our own lives and actions.
We are active members in our church and enjoy being with our church family.
Our story begins in 2007, when we met at work. It didn’t take long for Andrew to ask Katy on a date over Facebook.
For the anticipated first date we ice skated and went out for dinner at a restaurant in downtown Grand Rapids.
We dated throughout college, where we made many of our closest friends. During our college years we enjoyed hanging out with friends, camping, and even going on a few family vacations with each other’s families.
On Christmas Eve, 2010, during a carriage ride in Chicago, Andrew proposed to Katy and she said yes! Our wedding took place in 2012, on a beautiful spring day.
We spent that summer living in a small apartment in downtown Grand Rapids, then moved to North Carolina for Andrew’s first teaching job. While in North Carolina, we adopted two cats, Magglio and Dexter! They are both 7 and a half years old and have been with us through all of our moving adventures.
After 10 months of missing our families, friends, and our church family; we realized that was not the place we wanted to be, so moved back to Grand Rapids. We have lived in the Grand Rapids area ever since and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!
Our Relaxation & Fun
We love to travel! Since we have been married, we have been to all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. This has brought us to many different cities and areas around the US and Canada.
We love flying (Andrew always gets the window seat) or driving together (Andrew always drives) on road trips. Together, we also enjoy watching TV shows, hanging out at the lake, and trying new restaurants and breweries.
Andrew enjoys creating new recipes, playing disc golf, biking, photography, church league softball, and being outdoors.
Katy enjoys attempting crafty projects, organizing in all different forms, being active at the gym, or binge-watching television shows.
our adoption hopes
Gender: A Boy or A Girl
Ethnicities: Any Race and Ethnicity
Age: Newborn to 12 Months
Total of: 1 to 3 Children
a snapshot
of us
We Live In: Caledonia
Our Faith: Christian
Pets: Cat(s)
Kids Already: One Child Now
Child Care Plan: Family Member Child Care
Our Family & Friends
We are very close to our families. Katy’s parents live within walking distance and we see them often. Katy’s brother lives in Grand Rapids and we see him about monthly.
Andrew’s parents live in Grand Rapids and we see them often, including Sunday lunch every week. Andrew’s four siblings and two nieces all live in the Grand Rapids area and we see them on a regular basis.
We enjoy spending our holidays with our families and always make it work to see both sets of parents (even if it means two Thanksgiving Dinners on the same day!)
We have a small group of close friends, including married couples, couples with children and single friends. Some of these friends live in the area, and some have moved further away. We enjoy visiting with them when able.
We love games nights, camping, celebrating holidays, and trying new restaurants with our friends. Katy and her friends meet once a month at a new restaurant starting with a different letter of the alphabet. Andrew connects with some friends by playing video games or meeting at a new brewery.
Our Home & Neighborhood
We live in a two story home with big spaces for kids to play. We have a large living room near the kitchen, the basement has a large space for kids to play, and our bedroom will be directly across the hall from our child’s room.
We can easily rearrange our spaces to accommodate changes in our lifestyle. We have a large yard and a decent sized wooded area that can accommodate many different activities.
Our neighborhood has many families and children. We live on a cul-de-sac in the corner of our development, so there is not much traffic and it is safe for children to play.
There is a park and a lake for kids to play at within walking distance of our home. Katy’s parents also live on the nearby lake, and we are able to swim and boat with them frequently in the summer. We hope to live in this home and neighborhood until we outgrow the space.
Education
Correction & Discipline
Our Faith Views
Religion is plays a large role in our lives and in our families’ lives. We both grew up attending church regularly and continue to do so today.
Andrew is a former deacon, former Cadet leader, and has been attending our church since 2010. Katy is a current deacon, former Gems leader, and has been attending since she was born.
We both served as high school youth group leaders at our church for three years. We work to stay active within our church and enjoy the fellowship that our church family provides on a weekly basis.
Education is an important part of a child’s development and occurs prior to school years, in school, and must continue within the home during the school years.
We plan on sending our children to a Christian school in our area and hope to keep them in the same school throughout their school years.
Education has also been very important in our lives, as we have both worked hard to obtain our Master’s Degrees, Andrew in Public Administration and Katy in Psychology. We value continued learning and hope to pass that on to our future children.
We understand that every child responds differently to discipline and there isn’t one discipline style that fits every child, but we do believe that all discipline should be approached with love and learning opportunities.
We think that children learn best through natural consequences that fit with correcting the behavior that might need to be changed.
Andrew's Career
I am currently a consultant for Out-of-School Time programs for the Michigan Department of Education. I work with the 250+ programs that receive Federal 21st Century Community Learning Center grants in the State of Michigan.
I help them with program quality, budgeting, and meeting grant guidelines. My favorite part of my career is being a part of the team that is leading the state in creating quality Out-of-School Time programs for students and families that need them the most.
This position is the latest of my many roles in education, which include substitute teaching, teaching middle school Math and Science, and being the director of OST programs in the Grand Rapids area. Throughout all of these roles my goal has been to create quality learning opportunities for children.
I plan on taking two weeks to a month off after placement, and then returning to work at my normal schedule of Monday through Thursdays, which will allow me to have time to be with the child on Fridays and the weekends.
Both of our mothers have agreed to share the one or two days a week that both Katy and I may have to work.
Katy's Career
I am a psychologist that works with individuals in group and individual sessions regarding a variety of mental health concerns, as well as completing psychological evaluations in a variety of settings.
I enjoy getting to know my clients and helping them make meaningful changes in their own lives.
I will be able to modify my schedule to go back to work, as a contracted worker, I am able to move my clients around able to have days off.
After placement, I plan on taking the first month or two off completely to be with the child. Following that, both of our mothers have agreed to share the one or two days a week that both Andrew and I may have to work.
Andrew
My dad’s side of the family is Dutch and my mom’s is Polish. I am several generations removed from my ancestors that immigrated, so the cultural backgrounds have not had much of a significance on my family’s celebrations or traditions. Although, we do enjoy some good Polish and Dutch food from time to time.
Katy
My family has a significant Caucasian, Dutch background. My maternal grandparents were from the Netherlands and immigrated when they were young adults. My paternal grandparents were born in the US to Dutch born parents.
While my extended family does not engage in any significant Dutch traditions, I am proud to have a Dutch background and loved hearing stories from my grandparents about their experiences in the Netherlands (particularly around WW2), immigrating to the US, and making a way of life here.
Thank you for taking some time to look at our profile and learn more about us! We realize that the decision you are thinking about making is incredibly difficult. You are so strong!
We would love to be able to nurture and raise your child while also supporting you in being a part of your child’s life and story in the many ways you may want to be. We hope you find peace while making this decision!
Sincerely,
- Child Separation, Attachment, and Bonding
- Child Development, Including Safe Sleep Practices for Children
- Behavioral and Emotional Needs of Adoptive Children
- Impact of Adoption on the Family
We understand that adoption experience can be very difficult for both the birth family and the adopting family. We are both willing and excited to support you in any way that is appropriate for the situation.
We would love to be apart of the pregnancy journey in any way that you feel comfortable. Once the baby is born we would keep open communication via social media, photos, and letters. We would also enjoy having visits with you and the child throughout their life.
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—– Here is a quick update to our original profile —–
We continue to have a relation with our daughter’s birth mom and her family. Although we first attempted to do visits twice per month, they have settled to usually being about once per month. When birth mom is struggling with things in life, she may decline to do a visit, and we usually will still try to get together with her mother and maybe some of her siblings, Gloria’s aunts and uncles. We’ve met at Panera, or Gloria’s grandma’s home, or even a school soccer game for an aunt.
I think a once per month visit with mom and/or siblings would be doable for us. Would love if Gloria could be worked into those relationships as well, as she does not currently have any biological or half siblings. Definitely would like to meet for big holidays too, as that has been a part of Gloria’s connection with her mom and family as well.
Gloria is now 16 months!! She’s been doing great, saying a few words, walking all over, and playing. She has made friends at church and loves spending time with other kids. She loves to flip through books and we love reading to her! She usually sleeps through the night and takes one big nap, except when she’s getting teeth in. She is in good health, around 55th percentile for weight and head circumference, and 97th for height!
Andy and my work schedules allow us to stay home with her most of the time. Once a week she spends a few hours with my mom at their house, and Andy’s mom comes over on Tuesday afternoons to play with her while Andy works from home. If we are chosen, we may look at having someone come to our house all day once a week, but we haven’t needed that yet.
We continue to love to travel! Gloria has been to 15 states from two different trips, one where we drove to Knoxville to visit family and then New Orleans and back home, and another where we flew to the northeast. Andy and I are just returning from Belize on our first trip without Gloria. Interesting enough is that is when we decided to start the adoption process again.
The only other big change in our lives is that I have moved from being a therapist at my office, to being a clinical supervisor. Eventually I will be the director and have plans to buy the agency.
OUR COMFORT LEVEL WITH DIFFERENT ADOPTION OPTIONS
- Very Comfortable
- Mostly Comfortable
- Unsure
- A Bit Uneasy
- Not Comfortable
We understand that adoption experience can be very difficult for both the birth family and the adopting family. We are both willing and excited to support you in any way that is appropriate for the situation.
We would love to be apart of the pregnancy journey in any way that you feel comfortable. Once the baby is born we would keep open communication via social media, photos, and letters. We would also enjoy having visits with you and the child throughout their life.
—————————————————————————–
—– Here is a quick update to our original profile —–
We continue to have a relation with our daughter’s birth mom and her family. Although we first attempted to do visits twice per month, they have settled to usually being about once per month. When birth mom is struggling with things in life, she may decline to do a visit, and we usually will still try to get together with her mother and maybe some of her siblings, Gloria’s aunts and uncles. We’ve met at Panera, or Gloria’s grandma’s home, or even a school soccer game for an aunt.
I think a once per month visit with mom and/or siblings would be doable for us. Would love if Gloria could be worked into those relationships as well, as she does not currently have any biological or half siblings. Definitely would like to meet for big holidays too, as that has been a part of Gloria’s connection with her mom and family as well.
Gloria is now 16 months!! She’s been doing great, saying a few words, walking all over, and playing. She has made friends at church and loves spending time with other kids. She loves to flip through books and we love reading to her! She usually sleeps through the night and takes one big nap, except when she’s getting teeth in. She is in good health, around 55th percentile for weight and head circumference, and 97th for height!
Andy and my work schedules allow us to stay home with her most of the time. Once a week she spends a few hours with my mom at their house, and Andy’s mom comes over on Tuesday afternoons to play with her while Andy works from home. If we are chosen, we may look at having someone come to our house all day once a week, but we haven’t needed that yet.
We continue to love to travel! Gloria has been to 15 states from two different trips, one where we drove to Knoxville to visit family and then New Orleans and back home, and another where we flew to the northeast. Andy and I are just returning from Belize on our first trip without Gloria. Interesting enough is that is when we decided to start the adoption process again.
The only other big change in our lives is that I have moved from being a therapist at my office, to being a clinical supervisor. Eventually I will be the director and have plans to buy the agency.
Just one more thing...We understand that adoption experience can be very difficult for both the birth family and the adopting family. We are both willing and excited to support you in any way that is appropriate for the situation.
We would love to be apart of the pregnancy journey in any way that you feel comfortable. Once the baby is born we would keep open communication via social media, photos, and letters. We would also enjoy having visits with you and the child throughout their life.
—————————————————————————–
—– Here is a quick update to our original profile —–
We continue to have a relation with our daughter’s birth mom and her family. Although we first attempted to do visits twice per month, they have settled to usually being about once per month. When birth mom is struggling with things in life, she may decline to do a visit, and we usually will still try to get together with her mother and maybe some of her siblings, Gloria’s aunts and uncles. We’ve met at Panera, or Gloria’s grandma’s home, or even a school soccer game for an aunt.
I think a once per month visit with mom and/or siblings would be doable for us. Would love if Gloria could be worked into those relationships as well, as she does not currently have any biological or half siblings. Definitely would like to meet for big holidays too, as that has been a part of Gloria’s connection with her mom and family as well.
Gloria is now 16 months!! She’s been doing great, saying a few words, walking all over, and playing. She has made friends at church and loves spending time with other kids. She loves to flip through books and we love reading to her! She usually sleeps through the night and takes one big nap, except when she’s getting teeth in. She is in good health, around 55th percentile for weight and head circumference, and 97th for height!
Andy and my work schedules allow us to stay home with her most of the time. Once a week she spends a few hours with my mom at their house, and Andy’s mom comes over on Tuesday afternoons to play with her while Andy works from home. If we are chosen, we may look at having someone come to our house all day once a week, but we haven’t needed that yet.
We continue to love to travel! Gloria has been to 15 states from two different trips, one where we drove to Knoxville to visit family and then New Orleans and back home, and another where we flew to the northeast. Andy and I are just returning from Belize on our first trip without Gloria. Interesting enough is that is when we decided to start the adoption process again.
The only other big change in our lives is that I have moved from being a therapist at my office, to being a clinical supervisor. Eventually I will be the director and have plans to buy the agency.