We are Cochey and Valerie, and before you read any further, just know that we thank you for your time and consideration. We want you to get to know us a bit better, and hopefully, there is enough here to paint a picture of the type of loving couple we are and the loving parents we can be.

It's always been our dream to settle down and have a family of our own, but having a child naturally hasn’t been in our cards. It's been tough for us, and we are sure things haven't been smooth sailing for you either. Life can be like that sometimes, but everything happens for a reason.

Perhaps this is why you are reading this now, and we welcome the possibility of our lives crossing with yours in this beautiful way. If we are blessed to be chosen by you, please know that your child will be raised in a loving and stable home, with lots of friends and family surrounding them with love and kindness. So please read on, look through our pictures, and many thanks again for your consideration!

Our journey toward adoption began right after we tied the knot. It felt like the perfect timing. We were happily married, had thriving careers, and were living in a lovely part of LA surrounded by friendly neighbors and excellent schools. The next natural step was to start a family - perhaps even with three kids!

However, the final piece of our master plan proved more challenging. After a year of trying, we sought fertility advice and discovered that Cochey has a unique genetic composition - an extra chromosome - which meant he couldn't father a child.

After much contemplation, we decided that adoption was our path forward. Despite the challenges we encountered, we remained optimistic and committed to providing a loving, warm home for a child. We spent a year researching, attending seminars, and speaking with other adoptive parents before deciding to take the plunge!

Just as we were embarking on our adoption journey, the Covid pandemic struck, bringing the world to a halt. We had to put our adoption process on pause for a while. During this time, we noticed that our relatives were getting older, and we decided that we wanted to spend more time with them. We decided to relocate closer to our family out of state. Now, we're comfortably settled in Iowa, maintaining our LA careers remotely, and we are ready and excited to re-embark on the adoption journey.

If you were to ask our friends, they would say, "Cochey and Val are great people." We come from middle-class families in the Midwest and enjoy West Coast lifestyles. We love to travel across the USA and abroad, and we strive to enjoy life as much as we can. We believe in working hard and playing hard. We live in the present while also planning for the future. Val and Cochey are wonderful, thoughtful, and caring people who will always go out of their way for others, whether friends or family. We consider ourselves loving and successful in many ways and look forward to sharing that love and good fortune with our future child.

Valerie is smart, headstrong, and is the most supportive and nurturing person you’ll ever meet. She is a goofball with a heart of gold, a loving wife, and a great friend. She keeps things open with realness and love and never stops being wonderful and kind. I first saw Valerie at art school, and I was head over heels for her from that very moment. Since then, we've been journeying through life and the world together. There's no doubt in my mind that she was and still is the one for me.

Val's inspiration to pursue the arts struck pretty early. She designed and painted a rather large mural for her high school's main building. The planning and design for such an ambitious project were exciting, and it left her wanting more. Following graduation, she pursued degrees in Graphic Communication and Web Design. After college, she secured contracts working for the U.S. government and in the real estate sector. It was around this time that CBS called her, and she has been designing websites and multimedia content for them ever since.

Valerie is smart, headstrong, and is the most supportive and nurturing person you’ll ever meet. She is a goofball with a heart of gold, a loving wife, and a great friend. She keeps things open with realness and love and never stops being wonderful and kind. I first saw Valerie at art school, and I was head over heels for her from that very moment. Since then, we've been journeying through life and the world together. There's no doubt in my mind that she was and still is the one for me.

Val's inspiration to pursue the arts struck pretty early. She designed and painted a rather large mural for her high school's main building. The planning and design for such an ambitious project were exciting, and it left her wanting more. Following graduation, she pursued degrees in Graphic Communication and Web Design. After college, she secured contracts working for the U.S. government and in the real estate sector. It was around this time that CBS called her, and she has been designing websites and multimedia content for them ever since.

Cochey starts any introduction to a stranger with a dopey smile and usually ends the conversation with a new friend. His sincere warmth, genuine friendliness, and delightful sense of humor had me captivated. Before I knew it, we were hanging out together, dating, and sharing our lives. I could never have predicted how our mutual love for the arts and life would lead us to explore the world together.

Cochey went to school for science and engineering in Texas. It was there where he started asking the big questions like "Who makes video games?" and "How hard can it be?" After meeting Valerie in art school, he got his start at a game studio in California. Now he has enjoyed 15+ years in a career working on popular video games played across the world.

You know what they say, "home is where the heart is!" We are really lucky because our hearts have found a wonderful home in a friendly town called Marion in Iowa. We live in a comfy, snug house with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It's as cozy as a warm hug! It's right in the middle of Marion, and it has a big, fenced backyard. It's perfect for fun games with pets and it's a safe place for kids to play too.

And guess what? Our house is near lots of cool things! Restaurants and cozy cafes, a local theater, arcade, beautiful parks, a new library, and even scenic biking paths – they're all just a stroll away. It's a neighborhood filled with friendly faces and exciting things to do!

We can't wait to share our home with a child. We're looking forward to creating happy memories, teaching them about life, and giving them a warm, caring home.

All of our pets were strays that we encountered along our way, and since then, they've become loving members of our family. One night, Cochey heard a high-pitched meow from a kitten under his car. That very night, we welcomed Muggles into our family, and he's been our little love bug ever since. Morgan was rescued from under a broken‑down vehicle on the outskirts of LA's Skid Row. She's neat, petite, and quite independent.

Later, we adopted Maddy from a vet tech. With a disposition similar to a mellow puppy, Maddy is incredibly sweet, fluffy, and a bit plump. Our guinea pigs are all Covid pets. Cochey's coworkers originally got them because of their cute peach fuzz bodies, but the transition back to the office forced them to give up the pets. That's okay, though, because they've become our adorable baby potatoes now!

Our family is a big, fun, and outgoing bunch of people from all walks of life. We are a blend of different cultures, each adding their own flavor to our Midwestern family values. It certainly makes for fun and entertaining holidays!

Valerie's family is based in Iowa and Texas, and they can be found in Cedar Rapids, Houston, and Austin. Cochey's family is located in South Texas and Central Valley California, in towns like McAllen Texas, and cities like Modesto and Sacramento California.

We even have extended family in Germany, Korea, and Spain, so our family's culture and heritage is a wonderful melting pot of memorable experiences. Each year, we make plans to meet up with family across the USA to hang out and create new memories!

When it comes to parenting, we plan on doing our very best for your child. Our goal is to give your child the same opportunities that we have been blessed with through unconditional love, support, and encouragement. We are passionate about raising a child who is empathetic. Our plan includes exposing them to diverse cultural experiences, allowing them to travel, and encouraging them to meet new people. We want our child to learn to be kind, brave, and most importantly, be themselves. We believe in nurturing children with plenty of support and opportunities for learning and exploring.

As parents, we recognize the importance of setting a positive example. The early years are crucial for instilling confidence and security through example. As they grow into teenagers and start forming their own thoughts and opinions, we intend to guide them on a positive path. You are a large part of who they are, and we want to welcome you into our lives so we can continue an open, healthy relationship for years to come.

You are giving us the chance to make our awesome little family grow. We are waiting with open arms and loving hearts for your baby to join our family, and we would be honored if you chose us to be the parents of your child!

We fully appreciate the significance of cultural identity, and we're committed to guiding our child to discover and cherish their own heritage. We recognize the pivotal role of birth parents in a child's life. If it's your wish, we'd be delighted to keep you updated about your child's well-being. But equally, we respect and honor your decision if you choose otherwise. Please know, we will never cease to remind your child of their special place in our lives and the extraordinary gift they are to us all.