Welcome! Meet:

Jonathan + John

Museum Curator / City Planner

Maryland

Caucasian

Jewish / Catholic

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

All About Jonathan & John

Hello there, we are John and Jon, or Jon and John, or just the Jo(h)ns.

It’s hard to write this note because we don’t know you yet, and we can only imagine the hard choices you are faced with making for your baby. We know these short words can’t tell you our full story, but hopefully, they can help you imagine what being a part of our family will be like.

If you are anything like us, you’ve had a million questions running through your mind throughout this process; if there is anything we don’t mention here that you are curious about, don’t be shy about asking. We believe honesty and communication are key to building a better world, and we hope to teach those values to this child.

Sometimes in life, when you know, you know. When we first met, we both knew we had found the one. When we first saw our house, we knew it had to be our home. But sometimes in life, it can feel impossible to make a decision and even after the decision you second guess yourself. We don’t know what this decision is like for you, but we do know that if chosen as adoptive parents, we will love this child until the end of our days.

P.S. We promise that this child won’t be named any version of John/Jon.

Why Adoption?

We want to grow our family, and after a lot of conversations, research, and soul searching, an open adoption felt like the best option for us, our future child, and their birth parents. As two gay men, neither of us can make a baby and surrogacy has its own complications. Adoption allows us the opportunity to open our hearts to the joys, love, and heartache of parenthood and to building a relationship of trust and respect with our child’s birth parents.

Family & Home

We live in a beautiful three-story townhome that we believe will be perfect for raising our family. The kitchen of course is Jon’s favorite room and features a professional oven – inspiring new dinner recipes. We have a beautifully terraced backyard with tons of flowers, trees, a garden for kids to explore, and a big patio for BBQs with friends and family. While the house has four bedrooms, our favorite is the animal-themed nursery waiting for a very special child.

We absolutely love our neighborhood. While we are in the city, our neighborhood is extremely safe and features a number of parks and playgrounds. Neighbors hang out together on our front porches as kids zoom by playing together on their skateboards and scooters. We love the balance of having a city at our fingertips but also the community and nature in our neighborhood full of open space, yards, and parks. We are friends with all our immediate neighbors, and we look out for each other.

Both of us love city life! We can be found at a museum one day and taking a hike in a state park the next. The opportunity to explore such a rich diversity of experiences and cultures is very important to us and is what we love most about our city. The whole region here in Maryland is filled with so many excursions and fun activities. We spend a lot of weekends along the Chesapeake waterfront, sitting on a dock or walking through nature.

Family is very important to us both. Although Jon is an only child, his parents live nearby and we are all very close. They cannot wait for a grandchild! John is one of eight children and has 16 nieces and nephews so far. They are all excited to have a new cousin.

One of our favorite traditions is Thanksgiving, when John’s dad’s extended family gathers for a week-long reunion with more than one hundred people. Growing up, it was John’s favorite time of year and now Jon’s parents come along too. Besides family, we are blessed with many friends that we have made and maintained throughout our lives from elementary school to college and today. We will need to be careful or this child could be easily spoiled by our generous and loving friends and family!

Where there is family, there is food. Whether it is our nightly family dinner or a special occasion, we are always looking for excuses to gather around the table, invite loved ones over, and eat. Jon is definitely the better chef, while John is definitely better at cleaning up the messes that Jon makes while cooking. We are a great team and complement each other well.

Nellie, our dog, is five years old and a sweetheart who loves to cuddle. Nellie loves going on walks around the neighborhood, playing in the backyard, and meeting new people.

How We Met

About John:

John grew up as one of eight kids. As a child, his house was always full of laughter, chaos, love, and kids bickering. His parents taught him the values of family, friendship, caring for others, and having an open heart and mind. John loves the outdoors and spending time in the garden. He can’t wait to teach this child the joys of nature, planting, and exploring the great outdoors.

John loves to read, bike, and travel, as well. He lived in Brazil, speaks Portuguese fluently, some Spanish, and is trying to learn American Sign Language. He has his master’s degree in urban planning and, as a professional, is dedicated to planning healthier, more equitable cities.

About Jon:

Jon grew up as an only child to two of the most loving and adoring parents you could imagine. His parents nurtured his creativity, passions, and spirit, always encouraging him to explore and be himself. He grew up to be a confident, artistic, and caring man. As an adult, Jon learned how to cook and has quickly become an excellent chef. He can’t wait to teach this child the joys of cooking and trying new foods.

Jon loves art, history, and museums. He lived in China and speaks Chinese. Jon spent 10 years working for Latin American and Caribbean cultural organizations and has traveled throughout the Americas. Jon has his master’s degree and is a museum curator. He has dedicated his career to protecting artifacts and creating exhibits that encourage viewers to ask questions about history, social justice, and contemporary issues.

Advice to Future Child

Love yourself. This world is not always easy, but if you trust and love yourself, it will be easier to find others who love and trust you back.

Be bold. You don’t have to do something just because your friends said to, or the internet did, or even us, your parents. Always strive to do what you think is the right thing to do.

Ask for help. If you don’t know what is the right thing to do or how to love yourself, ask someone you trust and respect. Which we hope includes us. No one should walk through this life alone. Find your people and be bold about asking for help and loving yourself so you can love others.

Perspectives on Open Adoption

Open adoption feels like the healthiest option for a child. We understand that open adoption presents unique and potentially complicated and beautiful situations for the adults. As parents, we should strive to do what is best for our children. Building a relationship of trust and respect between birth and adoptive parents allows this child to know they are especially loved in this world by multiple parents, which is perhaps the best outcome of an open adoption. We also know how important it is for children to know their own story and background. All this may require negotiating boundaries and navigating sensitivities, especially in the early years, but it is our hope that it leads to a deep bond of trust and extended family.

Favorites

Jonathan

Favorite Movie: Anything sci-fi
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Thanksgiving with John’s humongous family
Hobbies/Interests: museums, nature, and video games
Dream Vacation: A space flight! Otherwise, a nice beach.
If I Could Choose a Superpower: the ability to be two places at once

John

Favorite Movie: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Thanksgiving with my large extended family
Hobbies/Interests: nature, biking, board games, rock climbing, music, and dancing
Dream Vacation: backpacking across the country
If I Could Choose a Superpower: pause time