Hello from Woodland Hills, California! We are Paulo and Anthony. The idea of adoption has been on our hearts for years.

We have a deep understanding that this may not be an easy decision for you, however we see you as our hero and we will be with you every step of the way. We would like to take a moment to tell you about us and the things we love to do – hopefully with your child by our side. We have made all the preparations to have a bright future for a new addition to our family.

Giving life is such a precious gift and we are forever grateful for you and this opportunity.

Prior to getting married, we realized there was a shared desire to be dads. Over the years, that yearning for parenting grew, and we decided to explore the options available for same-sex couples. Adoption spoke to our hearts the most. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to start the adoption process, build a family, and grow together in a loving home.

We both have long-term sobriety and met in the recovery community here in Los Angeles. After years of flirting we decided to take a chance and get to know one another. Throughout this process, we realized that something serious was developing. We had found our soulmates in each other. We had so much in common, like our humor, goals, ambitions, and our moral compasses aligned. We slowly introduced each other to our families and friends. Individually, our tribes urged us to take the leap and tie the knot. This encouragement further solidified what we were feeling, and we decided to get married. Growth has always been a priority for us and we encourage each other along the way. We support each other by creating a loving space for communication and stability.

We cherish the love that we have for each other, and can't wait to share this with our future child.

One of our favorite pastimes is going to Disneyland or Disney World with our family. Visiting the theme parks was a big part of our individual upbringing. Disney is not only a fun activity but also provides an opportunity to expand the mind, spark the imagination, and see the possibilities of what can be created.

We also love to explore the world: we've been all over the country and to several destinations overseas.

When we travel abroad, we enjoy experiencing the city as locals and soaking up the culture (especially the food!). We can’t wait to show our future child international destinations and points of interest - traveling is the best education! On our bucket list - visiting every continent around the globe.

My two biggest role models in life are my parents. I grew up in Los Angeles, California, and I am the youngest of four. Family, faith, love, and togetherness were the cornerstones of my upbringing. My mom was incredibly nurturing and protective of her kids, and my father was the hard-working gentle giant. Both of them showered us with so much love.

In my teens and early 20s, I was a competitive swimmer and occasional tennis player, and eventually found a passion in storytelling as a journalist.

I graduated from the University of Arizona and started my career as a television journalist before landing in city government, and eventually into my current career to help people in their early stages of recovery from substance abuse.

I can't wait to share my life experience with our future child and also provide a loving space for them to grow into their own special, unique individual.

Anthony exudes love. When people meet him, they are instantly engaged with warmth and attention. Anthony is a great listener who has a “how can I help” approach. He’s also amazing with children; patient and loving.

When my family met Anthony, which was extremely important to me, he built this beautiful bond with all of them immediately. One of the things that I love most is that he values family as much as me.

Anthony as a partner and as a husband is patient, loving, stable, and a great communicator. When we are together I feel safe and cared for. He makes me laugh and smile. I like to think that I am the funny one of the relationship, however, Anthony is hilarious. We love to joke and laugh.

Anthony shows up emotionally. I turn to him for advice and guidance. He is my rock, and I know he will offer the same support to our future child.

I grew up in a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana and am the middle of three boys. I am extremely close to my family. I cherish traditions of us being together for holidays or taking family trips together. My niece Aurora often asks Anthony and I when she will have a cousin. Everyone is so excited! I get my humor from my dad and my compassion from my mom.

I like to think that I am funny. My “dad jokes” rarely land, yet I crack myself up. I believe that humor is healing.

I’m almost finished earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Behavioral Health with an Emphasis on Trauma.

Paulo has several “super powers” that make him the perfect dad: he is the (self-proclaimed) King of Dad Jokes, which speaks to his lighthearted nature important for raising and entertaining kids; he loves to show affection; and, he is able to openly express when something touches his heart.

Paulo has a great ability to connect with kids in a way that's meaningful in any stage of life they are in, creating heartfelt memories to last a lifetime. I’ve had the great joy over the years of experiencing Paulo interact with our young niece. We adore her so much, and what stands out the most about their relationship is the way he lovingly engages with her and makes her feel extra special. Whenever we go to visit his family in Mississippi, he always makes sure to spend some one-on-one time with her. He listens to her, loves on her, and most importantly, engages in the activities that she likes to do. Witnessing these moments fills my heart, because I get a glimpse into how he will parent our future child.

Our home in Los Angeles is the perfect sanctuary! We have a large, enclosed backyard where our future child and the pups can safely play with lots of trees and greenery. Our favorite place in the home is our large comfy sofa, perfect for a relaxing end of the day streaming our favorite shows. We also love our kitchen and can’t wait to share some of our favorite food with our future child (for Paulo, this would be anything southern and creole, and for Anthony anything Mexican).

There are so many local, kid-friendly, points of interest that we can’t wait to share with our future child. A nearby coffee bar has a park with a kids play area that is very active; the beach (and tidepools with lots of sea life) are a 20 minute drive from our house; and the mountains and snow are less than two hours away. As a child, Anthony grew up in Los Angeles and we can’t wait to show our future child the rich history, culture and diverse neighborhoods this city has to offer.

In addition, we are excited to have them grow up in a town that is welcoming of all people!

While our upbringing was Catholicism, we plan on encouraging our future child to explore different religions with us. We want to instill a sense of faith and spirituality, and teach our child the importance of having both in their life. Within this spirituality, here are some of the qualities important to us:

• Honesty
• Doing the right thing
• Self love
• Acceptance
• Gratitude

We have three dogs: Nando, Decatur, and Jazz. The three of them have distinct personalities and they are pure joy in our home.

We are blessed to have an amazing family, whether our birth families or our group of friends who are our chosen family.

Paulo’s family lives in Louisiana and Mississippi, and Anthony’s family lives around the Los Angeles region. We see both families quite frequently, whether we go to see them or they come to see us, or we all travel together. They are so excited for our adoption journey and can’t wait to meet our new addition to the family!

Our chosen family is rather large, and many of them have already requested babysitting slots for our child! We spend time with our chosen family sharing meals, enjoying pool parties and BBQs, or just going to the movies.

Whatever family we are spending time with, our future child will be surrounded by love and lots of open arms!

Holidays are a big part of our family tradition, and we can’t wait to share the Fall and Winter seasons with our future child!

Our favorite time of year is the span of time between the end of the summer and New Years, mainly because of the holidays that fall between that time. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are special events in our house where we always spend time with family and friends, incorporating a sense of giving love and gratitude for the people in our lives.

As it turns out, we also have a few milestone events during that time between birthdays and anniversaries. We love celebrating these events with the important people in our lives.

We want nothing more than to start a family. Having children has always been a dream of ours. On our first date, the topic came up. Neither one of us hesitated to say “yes.” We realized that as a same-sex couple that there were going to be obstacles in making our dream a reality. We have committed to this process.

The family values that are important to us that we want to pass along are love, acceptance of everyone, and integrity.

Both of our families worked hard to provide for us (although we did not get everything we wanted, we had everything we needed). We want to show our future child that passion and ambition are important. We also want them to love hard and laugh.

We want them to be passionate about life and will support them in whatever makes their heart happy and gives them excitement.

We know and understand how challenging this decision will be for you, and we are championing you from afar. We believe that this will be an emotional journey for all of us, and we are committing to an open adoption so that you will have an opportunity to see your child grow up.

We want to be able to share our lives and our legacy with a child. We have created amazing careers, a beautiful home, and an exciting travel and social schedule. Our commitment to doing the best we can and growing as a family is one that we can make to you. We are good guys with huge hearts.

We hope that by choosing us you will have confidence in the decision that you are making that your child will be with a family surrounded by love, integrity, empathy, and joy. As we get to know you throughout this process, we hope that you will see that.