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Mike & Claudia are hopeful adoptive parents from New Jersey waiting to adopt a baby.

If you are pregnant and considering placing your child for adoption, please read the following Dear Birthmother Letter.

Dear Birthmother, Hi! We’re Michael, Claudia, Nicholas, & Jason. We are so excited to be growing our family through adoption! This is our second time adopting an infant with the help of the Gladney Center, and we have so much to be grateful for. We understand what a truly courageous and selfless road you are on, now choosing a family for your baby. Thank you so much for looking at our profile.

Michael & Claudia
We met at work in May, and started dating that July. We were working at the same hospital. Mike was working as a biomedical engineer, which involves repairing, maintaining, and installing patient care equipment in hospitals. He was also assigned to the same unit in the hospital where Claudia began working as a social worker. We dated for a little over two years, and were engaged in December. We were married in May, four years to the day we met. We’ve been married for ten years.

Our Family
We bought our home the year after we were married, and our two cats, Norbie and Salem joined us shortly after. They are characters- they both love cuddling up with us, but Norbie is mischievous, and Salem is quirky. The kids get a kick out of them.

Mike Through Claudia’s Eyes I remember our first date, looking at Mike and thinking, “This is who I need in my life”. He’s confident, unassuming, sweet, and thoughtful. He knows what I need before I do sometimes, and knows what I’m thinking before I say a word. He can laugh at himself, can take the world lightly, but can weather any storm and come out looking like it was nothing. I honestly don’t know anyone else like him. He’s dedicated to his children and family, and puts us before anything else in this world. As a husband and friend he is supportive, encouraging, honest, and loving. As a father he is all of those things with an added bonus of being a kid at heart. He is a coach, a teacher, and a mentor to our boys. Mike is a hard worker, but never puts his work before his family. His priorities are clear.

Mike is the kind of person that you always see with kids and dogs around him when we go to parties at family and friends’ houses. If there’s a pet, you can bet it will be at Mike’s side within 5 minutes of him walking in the door- if it’s not already meeting him at the door. He’s also the kind of person who doesn’t say much, but when he does it’s meaningful and on the money. He likes to joke around with people, and has an uncanny way of making people laugh at themselves. I love that about him.

Claudia Through Mike’s Eyes
Claudia is my best friend. She is strong, kind, and has tons of love for everyone. Our boys love to be with her because she is so supportive of them and is a great example for them. She is also an incredible teacher to them. One day she was telling me a story about how Nicholas was at school and could have bought many things that he wanted from the school store that the school has once a month. Instead he felt that he did not need all of these items and gave a quarter to three of his friends that forgot to bring money to school that day so that they could each get something. These are the wonderful values that Claudia instills into our children. Her family is everything to her and we are so lucky to have her as part of our lives.

Nicholas was born in March 2000. He is such a joy- he’s the sweetest boy. He’s kind, smart, thoughtful, and is a really proud big brother. He loves music and learning about animals, nature, and science. He was just 3 years old when his baby brother Jason was born, but he’s always been wise beyond his years. When we were waiting to be matched with Jason’s birthmother, Tiffany, Claudia wrote a childrens’ book for him, explaining what adoption means to our family. There aren’t any sibling books to be found among the adoption titles, and we needed to prepare him for the new baby!

We were matched with Jason’s birthmother Tiffany in April 2003, and Jason was born in May. We felt a bond to Tiffany immediately, and she changed our lives. Jason took our breath away when she placed him in our arms, and we knew from that moment that our family had not grown by one, but by two.

Jason is the firecracker that keeps us on our toes- he is the kind of kid that lights up a room with his smile. He’s spirited, sweet, and physical. Jason loves superheroes, Hot Wheels, and sports. He lives up to his “little brother” duties, but absolutely adores his big brother.

A Little About Tiffany
She is our inspiration. We recently spent some time with her on a family trip to Texas. Jason had a blast with her, and Nicholas was thrilled to be with her. We spent time in the Fort Worth Stockyards, went to the zoo, and had so much fun. Although we were keeping in regular contact through Gladney, we decided to have an even closer relationship so that we could truly enjoy each other as a family. We could not imagine our lives without her.

So . . . What are we up to these days? My oh my! We’re up to homework, cub scouts, soccer (in the fall), baseball (in the spring), PTA, religious instruction, family, parties, and enjoying seasonal activities in our community. We love all of the activity, and have always wanted a larger family. We are thrilled to be growing our family through adoption and our family and friends could not be more
excited for us.

Mike coaches Nicholas’ soccer team, and enjoys helping out the coaches
during baseball season. He helps Nicholas with his Cub Scout activities: they build a wooden car for the Pinewood Derby, and they build a wooden boat for the Raingutter Regata. The annual Father-Son cake bake is fun too- but Claudia can’t help with baking the cake. Nicholas won prizes in all of these events, and our family won first prize in the Family Name Sign Contest at the Cub Scouts annual weekend campout (we were all able to help out with that!) We love going on family vacations, going to theme parks, and going to the beach- and the holidays are always fun!

Claudia continues to work per diem as a social worker, but she arranges her work schedule so that she is always available to the boys. She can arrange to see clients when the boys are in school, or in the evenings when Mike is home. She will continue to do so as the children grow so that the childrens’ needs will always come before work. We feel that it’s important for the lines of communication with our children to be open, and to let them know that one of us will always be there for them. The most important gift we can give our kids is our time- and we love our family time!

Our families are quite large, and we get together often. There are grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins by the dozens. And don’t forget about Great-Grandma! Nicholas and Jason have a ball when they are with their family and cousins. We are also truly blessed to have the most wonderful, supportive, and fun friends. When we get together the kids have such a great time.

Nicholas and Jason are very excited about having a new baby- they talk about it all the time. Nicholas is such a great big brother and although Jason has perfected his “little brother” role, we know that he is going to love being a big brother. He’s already talking about how he’s going to help take care of the baby. Nicholas was just three years old when Jason was born, but he remembers helping out. Now that he’s older he has a better understanding of what it’s like to have a new baby in the house. He’s so grown up and he’s really looking forward to helping out with feeding and taking care of (and playing with!) his new baby brother or sister.

We are so grateful for the miracle of adoption that is leading us to the family of our dreams. We couldn’t imagine our lives without our children. God is leading us on our journey, and I know that He will be walking beside us as we build our family. We would be so excited if you chose us to be your baby’s family! We promise that we will send you pictures and keep you updated as your baby grows. We would love to have the opportunity to talk to you about the kind of relationship you are most comfortable having with us. We can’t wait to meet you! We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to call us.

Claudia and Mike
1-866-241-9338