Hi! We’re Laura and Jed
We’re hoping to adopt!
Learn more about us by downloading and reading our adoption profile book.
We are Laura, Jed and our son, Trey!
We LOVE being parents and hope to bring another child into our family through adoption.
Thank you so much for learning about us!
Our journey to becoming parents came with some unique challenges. After an early miscarriage we were thrilled (and a quite nervous) to be pregnant again with a little girl. After a perfectly healthy pregnancy we grew concerned when at 40 weeks her movement slowed. When we went to the hospital to check on her, we found out she had unexpectedly passed away. We were heartbroken with the loss of our daughter Eve but decided to continue our journey to parenthood and in 2015 our son Trey was born.
After spending the early years of our courtship and marriage in New York City and Chicago, we opted for a simpler life in a small college town in Virginia. We enjoy exploring the outdoors, playing, and relaxing together. Trey is in first grade at the area’s only all outdoor school.
As adoptive parents we hope to foster a sense of curiosity, warmth, comfort, and belonging in any child that becomes part of our family. Thanks for taking the time to read this. We understand you are facing a very challenging decision and we hope you find what you are looking for.
OUR STORY
We are two vegans who met while working at a steakhouse.
Jed (a professional drummer) and Laura (a semi-professional dancer) were spending most of our time as professional servers at NYC’S highest grossing restaurant in order to pay rent in Manhattan. We quickly became bonded over a shared pen light (which was required to check if steaks were done correctly) and a shared sense of humor.
High pressure restaurant work and big city burnout hit both of us around the same time and we decided to give Chicago a try. It was still a big city, but with friendly Midwesterners and an apartment view that included the sky.
In February 2010 we narrowly avoided being caught in a snowstorm and boarded a flight to Miami for our wedding. We got married in a small church in Key West, Florida in front of 13 of our nearest and dearest.
We came home and adopted a German Shepard Boxer mix (which we would later find out was actually a pit bull) from the pound, and so began our family....
OUR PASSIONS AND HOBBIES
We love being out in nature. Laura is trained in Whole Foods Plant Based nutrition and cooking and our family enjoys living a plant-based lifestyle. We practice mindfulness and meditate daily. We love animals and watching the hummingbirds that frequent our back deck. We can often be found listening to music and have been known to engage in spontaneous dance parties.
OUR TRADITIONS
Christmas is our favorite holiday to celebrate. It was very special in both our homes growing up and we have incorporated traditions like trimming the tree, baking gingerbread cookies, and taking a “Christmas Light Walk” around our neighborhood.
We enjoy celebrating the seasons, one of our favorite times being Winter Solstice. We have dinner in front of the fireplace, read special stories, and dance to “Here Comes the Sun” to remind us of longer days to follow!
Dee is excellent with children and sleeps on a giant teddy bear in Trey’s room every night. Trey loves to teach her tricks and give her treats. She is
a great companion on walks and during playtime.
LAURA’S TAKE ON JED
jed is a fantastic husband and father.
He is literally the funniest person I have ever met. He is extremely kind, thoughtful, and goes out of his way to take care of others. He is especially caring when it comes to his family.
Jed continues to amaze me with his life transitions. He started out as a professional drummer/waiter when we got married and grew to be a talented salesman and real estate investor. He still plays drums in a band and teaches Trey all about music.They love listening to songs together and often sing (and drum) along.
Jed made the leap to sales after an exciting career as a professional drummer and drum teacher. He has since worked for small start-ups as well as large corporations. He currently enjoys his position as a sales team lead.
JED’S TAKE ON LAURA
I remember when I first saw her WherE we worked at, and knew I had to get to know her.
We agreed early on to live our lives being open to new experiences and to be mindful with our decisions.
She is unbelievably kind and caring and has enriched my life in ways that I can’t even understand. She cares deeply and is always willing to listen and help how only she can. She helps balance me daily by offering a calming presence for my higher energy attitude. Our son Trey loves curling up with her and a book in our hammock or going exploring down to the stream by our house. They can often be seen having dance parties in our basement or practicing yoga on our porch. Laura is also an excellent cook and loves making healthy snacks like homemade banana swirl, crunchy peanut butter, muffins, and much more.
Laura started her journey with movement as a dancer and continues to inspire the people she works with to move. After years of managing and teaching in studios and gyms, the pandemic inspired her to start her own wellness business. She now teaches dance, yoga, and strength training in-home. Passionate about movement as medicine, she became a Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga Facilitator and has also volunteered to teach yoga to mothers who have lost children at the local hospital.
THE BIG BROTHER TO BE
We are lucky to have a vibrant 6-year-old named Trey.
He has been reading a Daniel Tiger book that tells the story of Daniel’s sister coming home from the hospital. Trey is excited to have a sibling and is looking forward to the day he can teach them all about cars (a subject on which his knowledge far surpasses his parents’).
OUR HOME
After both growing up in colder climates, we enjoy raising our son Trey in milder Virginia.
We are surrounded by mountains and can access miles of trail and a stream from our backyard. Though there are things to love about all four seasons, we generally prefer the comfortable temperatures and beautiful vistas that spring and fall provide.
We live in walking distance to a park and within a 10-minute drive to over a dozen more. Shenandoah National Park, The University of Virginia, and Monticello are also close by.
Our house is situated on a quiet cul de sac with a small yard and a garden on the side. We have a bedroom waiting for a new baby with a view of the forest behind our house. The basement is a large multipurpose room that allows us to enjoy our hobbies or create a giant fort on rainy days. The screened in porch acts as an extra room that offers some fresh air while shielding us from bugs in the summer.
OUR FAMILY
Our extended family live in Connecticut, Boston, Chicago, and Virginia.
Grandpa Jim and Grandma Barb made the move to a lake community in Virginia less than 30 minutes to our house recently. Grandpa Jim likes taking Trey out on his boat and Grandma Barb likes teaching Trey how to make cookies.
When visiting Connecticut, we have fun with Grandma Mary Ellen and Grandpa Joe. Grandma Mary Ellen is a wiz at arts and crafts and Grandpa Joe is a former college athlete who still plays basketball regularly.
Also in the area are Uncle Scott and Auntie Christina and their girls Emma (age 11) and Allie (age 9). On our last visit they threw a 6th birthday party for Trey that included swimming, jumping on a trampoline, and a pinata! Auntie Kristin and Uncle Luke live in Connecticut as well with their son Ollie (age 3) and newborn daughter named Juniper. Trey had a blast trading toy cars with Ollie and admiring baby Juniper’s tiny toes.
From Connecticut we can take a short trip to Boston to visit Aunt Mary, Uncle Mike, and their baby Maximo (age 1). They have been known to join us for a trip to the beach from time to time and enjoy showing us the Boston sights.
Grammy Fanny and Pop Pop love to visit warmer Virginia from their home in cold Chicago. They are both nuts about space and have even worked with NASA. Everything Trey knows about rockets and constellations he learned from them.
IN CLOSING
obstacles we have overcome and made us stronger
The biggest obstacle we have had to overcome during the course of our marriage was the loss of our daughter Eve. We have learned to lean on each other, appreciate moments with family, and treasure the little things in life. Going through that experience inspired us to learn and grow in compassion and healing.
that’s our life in a nutshell!
We hope you got a sense of who we are and what we aspire to as parents. We promise to always do our best to bring compassion, love, and a sense of security to any child that enters our family through adoption. Thanks for reading and we wish you the very best in your adoption journey.
DESIGNED WITH ❤️ BY OUR CHOSEN CHILD