Robert & Teresa In Pennsylvania

Rob and I were both born and raised in NE Philadelphia. We were both fortunate to have loving families that were big. We also both have siblings with their own children and growing families whom we remain close with, and they all live in close proximity to our home.

Rob and I met on NYE night at a house party. I was in nursing school at the time. During a game at the party, I was paired up with a guy named Rob. I played horribly and so did he, so it seemed we were a match right from the start. We spent the whole night together, learned more about each other, had a lot of laughs, and even shared a kiss at midnight. We began formally dating, and 2 years later on NYE, Rob proposed! We bought a home together a year later, adopted a puppy, and were married a year after that on NYE (kind of became our night!) in 2014.

We both work for Jefferson Health, which is one of the largest health systems in the area. I am a nurse practitioner and hospital administrator at the NE Philadelphia campus, overseeing the cancer center, as well as many other physicians’ practices that align with oncology. Rob is a driver for the cancer center, working out of the center city location, and drives a mobile cancer screening bus to areas of the city that have lower socioeconomic populations that are high risk and most in need of preventative care. Working together across the oncology paradigm has been a unique way for us to further connect to make a difference in the lives of others.

In our free time, we love spending time with our family and loved ones, cooking and eating, watching sports, going to the playground, swimming in the warmer months, and wagon walks around the neighborhood.

What brought us closest together as a couple has been our journey to grow our family. We were eager to start a family after getting married, but that didn't happen. After so many obstacles and a devastating miscarriage, we took a break from medical interventions. Low and behold, we got pregnant on our own that month. We were blessed with our daughter Angelina who is now four!

When Angelina was 1, we started trying again. We faced more disappointment and 3 additional miscarriages; the most difficult at 13 weeks. After this tragedy, we decided that we could no longer go through the painful process of trying to conceive on our own, despite wanting to so badly. This is what led us to adoption, We can't wait to provide a fulfilling life to another child.

We live in Holmesburg, which is a neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia, about 20 minutes north of Center City. We have a single home with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. We have an unfinished attic and basement that is currently used for storage. We hope to renovate our basement in the next year to add some additional play space for Angelina and her future sibling. Angelina has just moved into the back bedroom, her "big girl" room, and the middle bedroom is our nursery.

Holmesburg is culturally diverse with many opportunities to experience other cultures. We are near many parks, that we frequent often in the warmer months. We also have many public and private schools in the area, including charter schools that offer wonderful support for children on the spectrum.

Rob and I both have large families. Rob is the oldest of 3 and has a younger brother and sister who are close in age. They grew up together in a row home in the Juniata section of Philadelphia, until moving to south Jersey in the late 1990’s. Rob’s parents are in their late 50’s and still work. Rob’s paternal grandmom, who is 85, lives with them full time and is the matriarch of their family. The maternal side of his family is also quite large, with many of that family living locally. Rob’s parents were both 1 of 5 siblings, so there are many aunts, uncles, and cousins on both sides. I was fortunate to marry into such an incredible family, as all of them welcomed me with open arms and big hearts.

Teresa’s family is also large on both sides. Her mom is 1 of 4 sisters, so there are many aunts, uncles, and cousins, most of whom are local. Teresa’s father is deceased and was the oldest of 2, with his sister currently living in Clearwater, FL. There are many cousins and extended family on that side, however they are not as close and we don’t see them as regularly.

The best thing about our families is that most of them are close and every single one of them is reliable and always willing to help when and where needed. Growing our family by another child would only bring us even closer together. Rob, Ange and I are so fortunate to be loved by so many.

A fun family tradition with Rob’s paternal family is “Day at the Water Park”. Every July, Rob’s aunt treats the whole family to an all-day water park pass in Wildwood, and rents out a cabana for us to hang out in. It has been a really fun annual tradition that allows for all of the family to get together and have a fun together.

We have many traditions in my family, but our biggest is the Feast of the Seven Fishes, which is an Italian tradition that is celebrated on Christmas Eve. It is by far my most favorite tradition. It is a ton of work and cooking, but so much fun to celebrate this feast with 40+ people, while preparing to celebrate Christmas the next day. My mom also has an inground pool, and we have "Sunday Funday" every weekend of the summer where we have a special menu of food to try new things and get our most favorite treats. This side of my family is incredibly close and we spend a lot of time together throughout the year.

Rob and I have been married for 9 years and have struggled to have biological children of our own, after being diagnosed with unexplained infertility. We are fortunate to have been blessed with one biological daughter who is our miracle baby. Sadly, we have experienced four other pregnancies, all leading to miscarriage. After much heartache, emotional distress and physical complications, we know that we are meant to grow our family in another way, through adoption. We are excited to partner with a birth mother who feels a connection to our family and who is confident in choosing us to receive the greatest gift, honor, and privilege to adopt their baby for us to love unconditionally.