Welcome! Meet:

Jesse + Nadja

GIS Specialist / Biller

Oregon

Caucasian

All About Jesse & Nadja
Why Adoption?
Gallery
Family and Home
How We Met
Advice to Future Child
Perspectives on Open Adoption
Favorites

All About Jesse & Nadja

We have known each other since high school and were close friends before we dated so it feels as though we grew up together. In our day to day we enjoy a simple and harmonious lifestyle. We also love travel and everything that has to do with the outdoors. We camp, backpack, hike, swim, rock climb, and explore. We both grew up with the forest in our backyards and even though we now live in a city and have done so for over 15 years, we find it very important to spend time out with nature. We wish to instill this love and excitement for the beauty of the world in our child.

We enjoy social gatherings with good homemade food and friends – playing board and card games or watching movies. On the other hand we also enjoy a quiet night in, with just the two of us doing our own thing, with a record playing in the background, or reading out loud to each other. We are both health conscious and educated about eating organic, pesticide free, whole foods, and cooking most meals from scratch, though we also know how to whip up quick, nutritious snacks.

Despite the challenges life likes to offer, we have patience, determination and faith – in each other, our partnership, and life’s ability to give us what we need, even when it is not what we wanted. As a couple we are both very excited about starting our own family now. We can’t wait to share and experience this world with a precious little one. A whole community of kind and dedicated individuals are with us waiting to love that baby and support us through it all.

Why Adoption?

We have always wanted to adopt. For us, we are not simply adopting a child, we are adopting that child’s entire birth family and ethnic heritage. Open adoption is the way we have chosen to grow our family and we are fully prepared for all the challenges and blessings that choice brings with it. We believe family is who you choose your family to be, whether of the same blood or not, and we take this belief to heart. We have a circle of friends who are as close as family to us and just as cherished and important. We hope our birth family will join this circle and we know this circle will love and support our child with all their hearts, as aunties and uncles, god parents, cousins, and birth parents.

Family & Home

We bought our two bedroom home in early 2023 and though it is fairly small and quaint, we think of it as cozy and warm with just the right amount of space to raise a family. We have a fold out couch in the living room that has seen plenty of use from family and friends coming to stay and visit as our doors are always open to those many we love and consider family. We have very much enjoyed having an established garden where we can pick out ingredients for our next meal, as well as beautiful smelling flowers to brighten our, and passersby's days. Most Sundays will find us walking to the local farmers market or out working in the garden. We have many ideas for improvements to both the house and the garden, such as planting a patch of grass in the back for picnics and some sort of tree house, but we are in no hurry and feel it is a wonderful house just the way it is.

We live just a couple blocks away from a Community Center. We've gone there with our friend's girls a few times and they enjoyed the pool as well as the playground next door. Just around the corner is a local urban farm we are hoping to become involved with. We are also hoping to help organize future block parties. We appreciate living on a street where the neighbors know each other, are always happy to help out when needed, and smile when they cross paths.

There are quite a few other families with small children and we like to imagine the friendship possibilities this presents for our own children.

Family is important and a big part of our lives. There are regular family reunions on both sides of the family. Nadja has one older brother and Jesse one older sister plus an older and a younger brother. Grandparents were an integral part in both Nadja and Jesse's childhoods and we expect they will also play an important role in our child/ren's life. Nadja's parents are very much looking forward to being supportive grandparents and have been patiently waiting for this opportunity. Jesse's parents are unfortunately no longer with us but we have many aunts and uncles on Jesse's side who are excited to step in and fill that role.

How others describe me

Nadja has wanted to be a mother from a very young age, and has been essentially molding her life path around this desire for almost as long. She loves children and spent years as a nanny and doing other child-centered work. Her love of arts, crafts, plants, and music keep her from ever being bored or idle. Jesse has a talent with children that is appreciated by many of our friends. It’s his child-like wonder that makes him fun to be around, even for the adults. He has never lost his curiosity, his sense of awe, joy, and discovery. Jesse is one of those remarkable grownups who truly listens to children. He asks them about their world and is really interested in what they have to say. Nadja is quiet, patient, kind, and consistent with children. She sings to them, holds them, plays with them, and follows their lead. Nadja is someone with whom children often feel instantly comfortable. We both know when to set boundaries and when to slow down and pay attention.

What Jesse Loves about Nadja:

~ Her compassion and empathy to her fellow human beings

~ Her love of plants that makes our house a cozy jungle and joy to live in

~ Her confidence in herself and who she is as a person in this world

~ Her dedication to self improvement, and desire to grow as a person

~ Her artistic ability, and the joy she receives from crafting

~ How she brings joy and light to my life

~ How she has not just book smart intelligence, but also emotional intelligence

~ Her faith in the universe to provide and her trust that everything will work out

What Nadja loves about Jesse:

~ How he randomly knows something about seemingly everything

~ His excitement over new things and willingness to experiment and have an adventure, whether physically in a foreign country or more locally, in the kitchen, with some newly discovered spice

~ His passion and desire to protect people and their basic human rights

~ His sense of humor

~ His confidence in himself and who he is as a person in this world

~ His fantastic memory

~ The joy and light he brings to my life

~ His compassion

How We Met

We met in high school though we didn't start dating until after we graduated. If you ask most of the people who knew us in the early days they would tell you that they always knew the two of us would be together in the end. No one was surprised when we eventually got married in 2013. While Nadja stayed more focused on the ceremony itself, making sure it fit with their beliefs and values, incorporating many traditions from around the world, Jesse was focused on community with friends and family, brewing a batch of beer and putting together a playlist for the dance party. Though we did not have any children of our own, we have always been conscious of the little ones in any gathering, so we made sure to have goodies and fun activities geared especially for those small guests. It was a very laid back and inexpensive affair full of love and laughter.

Katherine, a dear friend, composed a song for us and played her cello as we walked down the aisle. Nadja was fortunate enough to have the chance to wear Jesse's great grandma's wedding dress, with a few alterations, who was still alive and attended our wedding. We did not have a receiving line but instead served the pizza and got to say hello to all our guests that way.

As we had been living together for many years before we got married, not much changed after the wedding in terms of our daily life but we continued to support each other in all aspects, both emotionally and financially. We took turns putting each other through college and know what it means to spend sparingly while living on a single income.

We don't own a TV, though we do stream shows on the computer often enough, mostly nature and travel shows. We spend a lot of our free time exploring our other interests and hobbies together.

Advice to Future Child

Follow your heart. Love yourself. Be kind, be mindful, dream big, trust yourself, ask questions, know that you are enough and deserving of love, just the way you are. We want you to be happy, feel safe and loved, and believe you can accomplish anything and everything you dream of, but also know that whatever you choose to do with your life will be enough and we will easily be proud of you. You will grow up loved unconditionally, guided and supported gently and consistently. We will encourage you to pursue your passions and interests and to be your OWN mindful person - regardless of how that person may or may not mirror us, as your parents. In addition you will benefit from an extended family and community that will surround you with love and support. This world is a beautiful place that only became more beautiful the day you were born. The answer is always love.

Perspectives on Open Adoption

We hope to be able to have a relationship with the birth family in whatever capacity they are willing and able, but never with any pressure or expectations. We understand every family and story is different and we are willing and open to adjust to the needs our particular situation presents, even if that means our child's birth family is unavailable. They will still always be a part of our family and we will talk about them often with our child and make sure they are a part of our day to day lives and always hold a place in our hearts. It is important to us that our child knows they are loved by all who make up their beautiful and complicated family. Our goal is for our child to grow up understanding, appreciating, and celebrating their unique story.

Favorites

Jesse

Favorite Movie: My Neighbor Totoro
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Christmas dinner/breakfast
Hobbies/Interests: rock climbing, bike riding, playing ultimate frisbee, playing games, (lawn, board, card, video), paddle boarding, gardening, cooking, baking bread, hiking, camping, quilting, nature, maps, watching nature shows, comedy
Dream Vacation: literally anything involving seeing endangered animals, ie Galapagos Islands, Mt Kilimanjaro, Nakasendo Trail in Japan
If I Could Choose a Superpower: the ability to understand all languages

Nadja

Favorite Movie: too many to name, depends on my mood and what category
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Christmas but not for any religious reason
Hobbies/Interests: knitting, sewing, reading, bike riding, hiking, camping, snow shoeing, cooking, plants, nature, animals, playing board games and cards, gardening
Dream Vacation: Japan
If I Could Choose a Superpower: teleportation