Steven and Christiaan, American Intended Parent in Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Explain your reasons for wanting a surrogate/donor:

Our journey to parenthood would not be possible with out the assistance of a gestational carrier.We already have embryos created, but we are missing the final piece of the puzzle to help make our family complete.We have been on the wait list with a large agency here in Atlanta since June *** but we are still waiting.If you are reading this and are considering being a gestational surrogate, I hope that you will consider us!

How would you best describe yourself(s):

Please see the Introduction Letter.We really hope we can locate a gestational carrier soon, so that we can complete the dream of our family.

Use this space to communicate a letter to potential Surrogates/Donors:

First, we would like to say Thank you! Your decision to become a gestational surrogate is a very special gift, where words simply are not enough to describe both the respect and gratitude that intended parents like us feel.It is only by your decision to perform this selfless act that we will be able to fulfill our dreams of parenthood.Thank you for considering us for this most special gift! Christiaan grew up in Providence, Rhode Island.Our smallest state, also known as the Ocean State.It is located less than an hour drive South of Boston.The youngest child and only son with three sisters.His mother, Jean, had recently divorced when he was born.He grew up enjoying many friends in his close knit neighborhood of Washington Park.His maternal grandmother was an integral part of his family, and lived in the other apartment of the 2-family home they shared.Christiaan’s mother and grandmother held multiple jobs to financially support the family, this instilled a strong work ethic and sense of determination in him. Steven grew up in a small town and farming community in Tennessee with one older sister, but a very large extended family.His mom was the third of nine children and his father was the youngest of twelve children. Christiaan has been a Registered Nurse since graduating college in *** working on a travel nursing assignment in the Memphis area, a chance meeting in *** brought us together.Steven was just wrapping up his law school studies at the University of Memphis and was working coincidentally in healthcare management at the time.What was supposed to be a 13-week travel assignment for Christiaan ended up changing both of our lives forever! We have been together now for 21 years and legally married for the last 10.After being together for a year in Memphis, we moved to Atlanta.At the time we lived in the Morningside/Ansley area.We always loved the architecture of the homes in the area and the vibrancy of the city.We stayed in Atlanta for about two years before moving on to grow both of our professional experiences.We did a lot of traveling and moving around for a few years, before eventually settling back in Christiaan’s home territory of New England, and we have spent most of the last 15 years in the Boston area. In February of *** Christiaan’s mother, Jean, was hospitalized after what was believed to be a T.I.(a very mild form of stroke).It was at this time that she was officially diagnosed with Dementia.She had still been living independently in her own apartment in Warwick, Rhode Island, but it was determined that it would be unsafe for her to return home alone.As Steven has enjoyed the flexibility of working from home almost exclusively since *** as a Performance and Analytics Officer with a multi-national Institutional Investment Bank, we decided to bring Jean to live with us.We have been providing care for her in our home since.She recently celebrated her 82nd birthday. I am very excited about the prospect of becoming a parent with Steven.Steven has a kind and gentle soul and is very loving.He has been so selfless, caring for my mother the last four years.He is talented at many things and learned many great skills from both his parents, he is a hard worker and has a strong sense of family and will be a very dedicated parent, providing our child with a warm and loving home.~ Christiaan When we aren’t working we both enjoy day or weekend trips, just seeing and experiencing new places, anything outdoors, checking out fairs and festivals, and occasional antiquing.We also enjoy completing home improvement projects, and sometimes simply enjoying being together at home, watching television or movies together, or Sunday football, board games or spending time with family. In December *** we made the decision to move back to Atlanta in search of milder winters and to be closer to Steven’s family.We purchased a home in the North Druid Hill area of Atlanta this past Spring.It is an area with a lot of mature residential homes mixed with some newer construction and an abundance of commercial developments, providing ample selections for shopping and dining.It is also very centrally located, being only about 4 miles from midtown Atlanta, but it maintains a more quiet suburban feel as most homes are situated on larger lots amongst lots of old growth trees.We recently adopted a male cat who is just a little over a year old.His name is “Tennessee” as he was rescued after being abandoned by his previous family near Steven’s parent’s home in Tennessee.He is the calmest, most quiet cat that either of us have ever experienced.He settled in to his new home very quickly.He loves to sit in front of the living room window and watch the cars pass by and the squirrels and chipmunks run around the yard. We have thought about starting a family for probably 15 years, but being a male couple it is much more challenging for us than for most other couples.Having decided that we wanted to have a child that was biologically related to one of us, we began researching the surrogacy process years ago.It is a very expensive process and almost none of it is covered by insurance, meaning intended parents, especially those in same-sex marriages, must cover the costs in full.We have dedicated a significant number of years to building up a large savings to cover all the costs and to also provide a nice, stable single-family home with a yard for our child to grow up in.We have a lot of love, life experience and knowledge to pass onto our child and very much look forward to the changes and enrichment he or she will bring to our lives! We have a large family home that we want to fill with love and wonderful memories.Steven has family all around us here in the Southeast, mostly in Tennessee, but also in Alabama and South Carolina.His parents are still very active and absolutely adore children and are adored by all the children in their lives, from nieces and nephews (great nieces and nephews) and those in their church family as well.They have acted as foster parents to several children over the years.His older sister lives next door to his parents along with her husband of 30 years.She runs the nursery at their church, so she also holds a special bond in the hearts of many children.Both her and their two college-age daughters are already planning their visits to Atlanta.Steven’s parents came to visit recently and spent two weeks with us, helping with some renovations on our home.It is great having them within driving distance, and they will no doubt be visiting more often once we welcome a new baby into our family.Two of Christiaan’s sisters still live in Warwick, Rhode Island and the eldest lives in Kansas.We get to see them less often now since our move, but do make regular trips so that his mother can visit with them. Over the last 21 years, I have witnessed how nurturing and caring Christiaan can be, from paying for medical treatment for an uninsured co-worker to caring for me when I had the flu.He is very generous and giving and always wants to make a positive impact on others.I am excited to see these qualities really flourish when he becomes a parent.Our child will be so lucky to have him always there to take care of them and nurture them.I know Christiaan will be an extremely dedicated parent.I have witnessed his dedication to his mom over the last four years, and I know his bond with a child will be even greater.~ Steven We are strong believers that the values parent’s impart in the early stages of a child’s life will help him or her to grow up to be a self-confident and independent adult.We believe it is our responsibility as parents to raise our child with a sense of self-awareness, respect for themselves and others, a strong sense of responsibility and resiliency.We want to impart a strong work ethic, so that they understand the value of work and do not simply expect things or take them for granted.We believe the keys to raising a happy and emotionally healthy child are to spend quality time with them, open communication…being good listeners and guiding them from our life experiences, sharing our life experiences with them and supporting them to be the unique individual they are and connect positively with them at every opportunity and to ensure they always know how much they are loved and will always be loved. Thank you for taking the time to read our letter and getting to know a little more about us.We are very thankful for generous and caring souls like you who are willing to help couples like us to become parents.We have been working toward this for a long time.We are extremely excited about starting this brand new journey together as a family. Sincerely, Christiaan & Steven