Jay and I have been together since 2012 and married since 2013. We were both living in Harlem, in Upper Manhattan. We met through online dating and quickly discovered we had a lot in common including reading, traveling, and a love of Tropicana Orange Juice! Our daughter, Lily, was born through surrogacy in April 2017 and shortly thereafter we moved to our current home in New Jersey. Some of the things we love to do together are singing, reading stories, and doing art projects. We love to host friends for dinners. Scott is the primary cook in the family, but Jay excels at cooking Filipino food! We want to be parents for the second time through adoption to complete our family. We believe that we are able to provide a beautiful home for a second child and raise him or her as we have raised Lily, to be a loving, caring, and thoughtful human being.
About Scott
Scott is an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher in New York. He has worked in New York City since 2013, teaching children who speak a language other than English at home. He loves reading books, writing, and traveling around the world.
Fun Fact: Scott’s fun fact is that he speaks seven languages: English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog (Filipino), and Hebrew. He has enjoyed learning languages since he was very young and he continues to study them with Lily.
About Jay
Jay is a professional actor and theater teacher. He has been in more than forty musicals and plays, including the National Broadway Tour of Aladdin. In this show, he played the role of Iago, the parrot. He loves gaming, reading, and traveling.
Fun Fact: Jay’s fun fact is he plays the piano, the trumpet, and he sings!
About Lily
Lily is a second grader in elementary school. She is a curious, musical, and generous child. She loves musical theater, gymnastics and reading. She also likes to crochet, play all kinds of games and solve jigsaw puzzles.
Fun Fact: Lily’s fun fact is she learned how to dance before she started walking!
Our Lives
On weekday mornings, Jay and Lily eat breakfast together. (Most days consisting of a pb & jelly sandwich, homemade fruit smoothie and a pickle!) They often sing show-tunes together while getting ready for the day. They walk most days through the neighborhood to Lily’s elementary school, where Jay serves as the PTA president and helps her school community. After she gets home from school, she has her snacks and does her homework. The three of us love having family hang out time. If the weather is nice, we go to the playground next door to our house. If not, we watch movies, play games, and read books. Then Scott makes dinner, sometimes with Lily’s help! After dinner, Lily has dessert and then usually FaceTimes members of our family. Then she takes a bath, Scott reads to her and puts her to bed. On weekends, Lily sometimes has playdates, or we all go to see friends around New Jersey or New York City or visit Scott’s grandparents who live about an hour away. Sometimes we do things like apple picking, playing miniature golf, or going out to eat.
Our Family
There are many important people in our life. Scott’s side of the family is Jewish, so we observe many of the Jewish holidays, sometimes with Scott’s parents. On Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, we eat apples and honey for a sweet year. On Chanukah, Lily gets one present every night for eight nights. Jay’s family’s most important tradition is Christmas. We travel to Seattle every Christmas Eve so we can spend the holiday with Jay’s entire family. On Christmas Day, we all eat delicious food, play Bingo, and of course open lots of presents. We also have many chosen family members whose birthday parties we attend and with whom we hang out when we are able. We are grateful to have a large number of people in our life that we can count on for support in tough times and celebration in good times.
Final Thoughts
We are humbled by the fact that you are considering our family to raise your child. We promise to provide him or her with a stable life, a strong education, and a home filled with love.
– Scott & Jay
