Welcome! Meet:

Orlando + Andrea

Production Lead / Product Surveillance Specialist

Idaho

Hispanic / Caucasian

Christian

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

All About Orlando & Andrea

Hola! We’re Orlando and Andrea. We are a unique bilingual, bicultural family. Andrea is from Idaho and Orlando is from Nicaragua. Our son, Zacai, was adopted at birth in 2019. We love spending time outdoors - camping, biking, kayaking, going on family walks, or spending afternoons at the park.

We want to say thank you for taking the time to view our profile. We know you have a lot of tough decisions to make during this time and we are praying for you. Thank you for the loving and courageous decision you are making for your child; we know it requires a lot of love and strength.

Why Adoption?

Adoption is something we always talked about when we were dating and newly married. We were unsure if Andrea could have children due to endometriosis, so we knew adoption was a real possibility for growing our family. Orlando was later diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, and male infertility comes along with that. When we received that diagnosis we felt God was closing the door of biological children and moving us more confidently towards adoption. Our son was adopted in 2019 and we have had a very positive experience with that. He is such a blessing to our family and everyone he meets. We are ready to grow our family once again through adoption.

Family & Home

We purchased our home in 2016 and have slowly been making it our own with remodels, additions, and landscaping. We live in a quiet neighborhood on a deadend street. It is just a 3-5 minute walk to the park and we also have a school behind us that we like to visit where Zacai likes to play and our dog, Niko, likes to run and play with other dogs. Being a bilingual family we found it important to find a hispanic community, which we have found with our church. We attend a small hispanic church, where we worship and learn in Spanish, as well as share lots of delicious food. Zacai also attends a Spanish preschool. Andrea’s parents and one sister live within 10-15 minutes from us and we see them often. Zacai loves to play with his cousins! Andrea’s other two sisters visit about once a year. Orlando’s brother lives within 5 minutes from us and Zacai adores his tio (uncle). While Orlando’s mom & sister are far away in Nicaragua we stay connected with daily text messages and video calls. In 2022, we were able to go visit and they got to meet Zacai in person for the first time.

How others describe me

Orlando is a hard worker and dependable. He is a man of his word and always makes sure his family is provided for. He is a natural leader and many look up to him. He always puts others first. He is a fantastic dad! He is admittedly the “fun parent” but is also very attentive to Zacai’s needs and takes his role seriously. Zacai wants to do everything his papa does. His laughter is contagious and he finds joy in everything. He is also very spontaneous and up for an adventure. I was first attracted to Orlando by his humble spirit and service to others. He has a simple, open perspective and he goes above and beyond for others.

Andrea is very talented and detail-oriented. She is a natural mom and caregiver, and Zacai loves how she cares for him. She is always coming up with new activities and researching the next family adventure. She has an adaptable and open heart for different cultures and compassion for humanity. She is wellness-minded and loves to cook nourishing meals for our family.

How We Met

We met in 2009 when Andrea went to Nicaragua as a missionary. Orlando was a youth leader in the church she partnered with and a quick friendship was formed. Orlando would say it was “love at first sight”. Andrea asked Orlando for guitar lessons and the rest is history! We had a lot to navigate between our different cultures but we started dating in 2010 and were married at the end of 2011. We had our wedding at Orlando’s mom’s farm and it was a memorable one for all. We lived in Nicaragua for 3 years and then in 2014 we decided to settle in Idaho close to Andrea’s family. Being near family is important to both of us, whether in Idaho or Nicaragua.

Advice to Future Child

Always know you are loved by us and so many people, more than you will ever know. Be true to yourself and don’t conform to what others want you to be. Remember that family is important. Laugh often and love hard. Seek God first. Make the most out of every opportunity.

Perspectives on Open Adoption

We believe open adoption is very valuable. It allows for the child to know their family origins, know their identity, have a sense of connection, and not to mention access to important medical history as well. Open adoption is important for the birth family as well. It can help provide a sense of relief to know that your child is well cared for. With our son’s birth mom, while we have not been able to have contact since his birth, we maintain a spirit of openness. We talk openly about adoption, our son has a picture of his birth mom in his bedroom, we celebrate her birthday, and he knows he can ask us questions. Should you be willing, from a young age your child will know your story and how God brought our stories together to create your child’s story. We are willing to meet and send pictures to be able to keep your relationship healthy and open with your child.

Favorites

Orlando

Favorite Movie: Up!
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Christmas! Seeing Zacai excited about it is amazing. And then we ring in the New Year with Nicaraguan Nacatamales.
Hobbies/Interests: playing the guitar, singing, biking, kayaking, soccer, video games, volleyball, movies
Dream Vacation: a tropical place with palm trees, fresh coconut water, a beach, a hammock, and with my family
If I Could Choose a Superpower: wisdom

Andrea

Favorite Movie: Up!
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Christmas Holidays. We have homemade clam chowder with my family for Christmas Eve and open new pajamas after. Homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. And Nicaraguan Nacatamales for New Years.
Hobbies/Interests: gardening, reading, cooking, sewing, kayaking, biking
Dream Vacation: anywhere near water (lake, ocean, river), and with my family :)
If I Could Choose a Superpower: teleportation