Accountant / Elementary Teacher
New York
Caucasian
Catholic / Jewish
We are Marielle and AJ and we want to thank you for taking the time to learn about our family. We appreciate that you are considering your choices. We are so excited to be adopting and to finally become parents. We hope our story will help you in making your extremely difficult (and selfless) decision. Please know that no matter what you choose, we wish you and your child all the best. We hope this profile gives you a glimpse into our lives and our amazing family that we would be honored to share with your child.
AJ grew up in a small town, just north of New York City. He is the youngest of his siblings, with an older brother and older sister. He is also an uncle to two nephews and four nieces on his side of the family. AJ's parents have always shown him the importance of family. Growing up, his mom would turn their home into a Winter Wonderland every Christmas season. AJ graduated high school in 2002 and went to college at Northeastern University, where he studied Finance and Marketing. He even graduated early! Later, AJ eventually went to graduate school at Northeastern to get his MBA. AJ works in accounting now, and loves his job. (He really likes math!) AJ loves running and exercising, kayaking, watching sports, and all things Marvel. He has a huge comic book collection!
Marielle grew up in a small town, not far from the beach. She is also the youngest of her siblings, with an older sister and an older brother. Marielle has two nephews and two nieces. She graduated high school in 2004, and went on to study English Literature and Spanish in college. After finishing college in 2008, Marielle went to graduate school to fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher. Marielle has taught elementary school for over a decade, and loves her job. Marielle loves cooking, reading, taking our dog Blanche for walks, playing with her nieces and nephews, and making people laugh. Marielle can often be found watching the Food Network, or her favorite TV show, Parks and Recreation. But, she always dreamed of becoming a mother and hopes you will be the answer to our prayers.
We also appreciate the small things about each other. We like being silly together and making each other laugh frequently. We are each other's biggest supporters and are there to help each other through all of life's challenges, including a years-long battle with infertility. We love and respect each other unconditionally, and are more than ready to share that love with your child. We are ready to grow our family through adoption, and we cannot wait to be parents.
As we said earlier, we had a years-long battle with infertility. We went through many unsuccessful rounds of IVF, and many miscarriages throughout our time together. Deep down, we have always known that we have wanted to be parents, and that not all families are created in the same way. Our fertility journey and the subsequent heartache may have been difficult, but we also know that it will all be worth it when we are able to complete our family, something we wish for every day. Choosing to become adoptive parents was a deeply personal decision driven by a desire to provide a child with love, stability, and opportunity.
While our road to adoption has been long, there has never been a doubt in our minds that this is the right path for us. The possibility that we would get to share our lives with your child would be the greatest honor. We would celebrate your contribution to helping make our dreams come true every day, and we are so excited to become parents.
We live in a family-oriented neighborhood, with wide, flat streets perfect for riding bikes, with many parks nearby, and friendly neighbors. Our neighborhood is very diverse, which was important to us when purchasing our home. We also have a large, grassy backyard - perfect for playing games or, one day, having a swingset. In the winter, we decorate our home with lights, and in the summer we plant flowers and hanging baskets bursting with color! Our home has 3 bedrooms, two of which we currently use as guest bedrooms. One is right off our primary bedroom, and would make for the perfect nursery - it’s filled with natural light, and has beautiful windows.
Marielle's family all live within an hour of us. We get together often, and are a very fun bunch! We've gone on vacations together to Rehoboth Beach, Vermont and Aruba to name a few. We spend holidays together. Her family is both Jewish and Catholic, so we celebrate a LOT of holidays. They are a close-knit family, who spend a lot of time laughing when they all get together. Her parents have been married over 40 years, and are great role models. They can't wait to be grandparents to your little one!
AJ's family mostly lives within 20 minutes of each other, with his older brother Joe, living the furthest away at about an hour. AJ is a proud godfather to his best friend Rich's daughter, Piper. We love going on vacations, celebrating milestones like weddings, communions, and hosting Christmas Eve with AJ's extended family. AJ's large, Italian family love to get together for Sunday dinners, usually over a giant bowl of Grandma's homemade pasta and meatballs.
AJ's father, Bernard was born in Italy and immigrated to America in 1955. He married Madelynn (Lynn) in 1971 and they have been married for over 50 years!
I would describe AJ as caring, patient, loving, and goofy. He makes me laugh every day, and has been there for me through some of the most difficult times in my life. Our battle with infertility was discouraging and draining, both physically and emotionally. He never wavered in his support. He was there for me when we received upsetting news, and held my hand, offering silent support or thoughtful advice when it was needed. He is loyal, and everyone who meets him says he is the nicest person they’ve ever met. His sincerity and thoughtfulness are infectious - he just brings out the best in everyone he meets. AJ is truly an amazing partner, and I just know he is going to be the most wonderful dad ever. He has made such a positive impact on so many people - and our future child is going to be so lucky to call him “Dad”.
There’s no better way to describe Marielle than as my best friend. She’s the closest person to me in the world and I trust her with my life. She always thinks of others and often puts their needs ahead of her own. We share everything, good or bad, and I can always count on her whenever I need anything. She’s caring, compassionate, and has the ability to lift you up, even when you’re at your lowest. I went through a transition period with my career, and she never stopped believing in me. She encouraged me to push forward, gave me the confidence I needed, and supported me every step of the way. I always knew she was a great teacher, but after that experience, I finally understood why her students love her so much. She sees potential in everyone and is able to give them the subtle push they need to achieve it. I love her with all my heart and I hope everyone has a Marielle in their life.
We were introduced by mutual friends in 2012 at Citi Field for a Mets game. Considering we are both big Yankee fans, we spent very little time paying attention to the game, and most of the time talking to each other. From there, a great friendship grew, and almost exactly a year later we went on our first date - this time to a Yankee game. We quickly knew we had met the person we wanted to be with forever. What followed was a year of dating, and introducing our families to each other.
We moved in together, in the summer of 2014. That August, AJ proposed at one of my favorite places while we were on a picnic he had planned - Marielle was completely and totally caught off guard! Of course, she said yes, and we married a year later in October of 2015. (And yes, those friends who introduced us were both in our wedding party, and remain some of our closest friends today!)
Our advice to you is simple: be yourself, work hard, and be kind. Our greatest goal is for our child to be happy, and have the same opportunities we had growing up. Both of our parents did such a good job of supporting our dreams, and allowing us to be ourselves. We hope that our future child will know that we will support and love them, always. We will do everything we can to help them achieve their greatest goals, while creating a safe, and nurturing environment. We know that times will not always be easy, and that there will be challenges ahead, but we will always be a safe place to land.
Working with children every day, Marielle knows that children sometimes need advice, or sometimes they need to try on their own before someone offers advice or help. As parents, we hope to be able to find the right balance to best support our child. To best help them find and be their best self. We hope we can teach them to learn the right balance of responsibility, and enjoy their life to the fullest.
We believe that a birth parent is contributing to our lives and helping to make us a family - and we would love to honor them every day. We would love to follow the birth parents’ cues for their involvement in their child’s life. We promise to always be open with your child, and explain the incredible way in which we were able to become a family. The chance to share our lives with your child is an opportunity we take very seriously, and we have the utmost respect for you.
In all of our “research” and exploring our options - something that really stuck out to us was hearing from a now teenage adopted girl, who explained that her adoptive family learned about her birth family’s holiday traditions, and even included some of their recipes during holiday meals. This was such a touching way to include some of their family history.
We know that not all families are created by biology - and we promise to recognize the sacrifices and contributions you have made to our lives.