Hello! Our names are Adam and Antonio. We have been married for 5 years and together for over a decade. We first met at Miami University (in Ohio), where Adam was working full-time and completing his PhD, while Antonio was doing his master’s degree work. From there, we have lived in various parts of the country, including Alabama, Florida, and now Arizona. From the first year we met, we discussed how we wanted to become fathers. We have been playing the role of loving uncles to our nieces/nephews (e.g., taking them to activities, watching their games/practices).
We have finally reached a point in our personal and professional careers that we knew we were ready to take this leap and fulfill a lifelong dream of ours! We have moved into our first home, where we have designated a room to be that of our future child. We both work at ASU and have lots of support/love around us, including Antonio’s mother (who is Spanish speaking and from Mexico), living 7 minutes away driving. Our immediate families are excited to welcome and take care of a new child!
About Adam
Job: Sr. Project Manager & University Innovation Alliance Fellow
Hobbies: Running, theater, and sports
Fun Fact: Adam has always loved watching all different kinds of sports (e.g., baseball, basketball, golf), which must run in the family because his grandfather was a scout for the Cincinnati Reds. There is a World Series ring in his family!
About Antonio
Job: Associate Professor of Higher and Postsecondary Education
Hobbies: Running, theater, movies, baking, volunteering, and reading
Fun Fact: Antonio did his undergraduate degree at New York University in New York City, NY. He fell in love with the city and specifically Broadway shows, having seen over 100 plays and musicals in the city! He is also fluent in Spanish!
Our Lives
We moved to Phoenix to be surrounded by Antonio’s family. A week in our life will look like us working (Antonio as a tenured faculty member, and Adam as a senior project manager/fellow at ASU). Both positions are flexible in their schedules so Antonio and Adam can work from home at least two days a week, meaning one will always be around, together with having Antonio’s mom as caretaker.
Adam and Antonio usually see members of Antonio’s family at least three days of each week. This looks like family dinners cooked by Antonio’s mom, watching nephews and nieces in their activities (soccer, baseball, and lacrosse), and even taking them to school/practices depending on his siblings’ schedules. Our families adopt the ‘it takes a village to raise children’ approach, meaning our future kids will have very involved adults in their lives!
Our Family
We are lucky to have accepting families in our lives. Antonio’s family is close by in Phoenix, and we say that the kids in our life grow up as ‘primos-hermanos’ (‘cousins-siblings,’ a term describing a strong bond in growing up together). We have a 16-year-old nephew, an 11-year-old nephew, and a 6-year-old niece whom the child will grow up around. Antonio’s mom does not work during the daytime, meaning she is a frequent caretaker to her grandchildren. Antonio’s family spends every holiday together and is regularly over at each other’s houses.
Adam’s family lives in Kentucky and South Carolina. However, his parents are retired, meaning that they are excited to make a cross-country trip to come visit their grandchild, and Adam regularly keeps in contact with his brother, nieces, and nephew!
Having lived all over the country, Adam and Antonio also have friends in different states who are looking forward to visiting.
Final Thoughts
This has been a dream of ours for over a decade, and we are sure about our ability to welcome a child into a loving, educational, and joyful home. We place a major value on learning—both academic and personal—and becoming the best version of one’s self that a person can be.
-Adam & Antonio
