I am very fortunate to have 3 siblings who remain a very big part of my life today. I am the oldest, with 7 years between my first brother, 8 years between my second brother and 14 years between my sister and me.

My parents are truly an amazing couple who have been married for 46 years. They are both recently retired, enjoying life and live very close by. To this day, they continue to provide a strong example of a stable and loving marriage.

Since I was an only child for 7 years, when my siblings came along it was natural for me help out my mom. I know that those experiences of being an older sibling and helping care for them will play a big part of the type of dad I will be. My brother recently remarked that I have the “dad gene”.

My dad continues to be a great role model for me. I have clear memories of him going out of his way to make our baseball games, whatever day or time they were. My parents worked very hard to make sure all four of us went to college and received a good education.

Everyone in my family is excited at the possibility of becoming grandparents, aunts and uncles. My family encourages Maria and I with our adoption plans and helps us maintain hope and dreams to build our family.