You decide whether you would like to let them adopt your baby.

We are here for you to help make the decision that best suits your needs.

To a Special Woman,

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for considering us as adoptive parents for your child. We’re a fun, active couple who will soon celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary. We joyously adopted our son, Jack, three years ago and have an open relationship with his birthmother. Adoption and parenthood have been amazing, wonderful, positive experiences for us. We are so excited to welcome another child into our lives and to give Jack a little brother or sister!

About Us

We are a close, happy family who spends tons of time together doing silly normal things like going for bike rides, singing and dancing to our favorite songs and barbequing in our backyard with our friends and their kids.

We’ve always wanted two children and now that we’re parents we’re even more certain that we want to grow our family. We’ve been so amazed by how much love and joy Jack has brought to us, and by how rewarding parenting can be. Plus, both of us are very close with our siblings and especially cherish the relationships we have with them now that we are adults. As parents we think it’ll be great for Jack and his little brother or sister to grow up together. We can’t wait to have two little people giggling downstairs, splashing in the pool or whispering to one another at bedtime!

My Husband, Leon

Leon is truly one of a kind, and I feel so fortunate to be able to share my life with him. He is spontaneous, curious and full of energy. Leon loves to try new things. Since I’ve known him he’s raced road bikes, earned his pilot’s license, taken cooking classes, and started his own business.

Leon grew up in St Petersburg, Russia and is fluent in Russian. He comes from a long line of professional musicians and studied piano for eight years. We recently bought a piano so Jack can have the opportunity to play as well. Leon went to the University of Minnesota where he received a degree in engineering.

Leon is an incredible father. He is always thinking of exciting new ways to explore the world with Jack. From teaching him how to catch and throw a lacrosse ball, to building sandcastles at one of the local beaches, to listening to live music at a the coffee shop, Leon and Jack are always side-by-side. And Leon’s there for the less glamorous activities too like getting Jack dressed, feeding him, bathing him and reading him his bedtime stories. Needless to say, Jack’s eyes light up when “Dada” walks in the room!

My Wife, Mary Hope

I am so lucky to have MH in my life. Laughter is essential to her, and she has a real mischievous sense of humor. MH is notorious for sending funny cards to her friends and for playing practical jokes on her co-workers. She is also known for her love sports, particularly of swimming.

MH grew up in Philadelphia and continues to maintain close friendships with many of her childhood friends. She went to Connecticut College where she earned a degree in History and was captain of the women’s lacrosse team.

Jack adores his “Momma”. He loves getting up early with her so he can have his morning juice while she has her coffee, loves dragging a chair across the kitchen so he can help her make dinner, and loves climbing into her lap after his bath to read his bedtime stories. MH is a great listener and is the first person Jack goes to if he has an “owie” or just wants to be held. She’s an amazing mother.

Our Home

We live north of San Francisco in Marin county in a spacious but cozy house on a quiet street where we we’ve become good friends with many of our neighbors and their children. Our grassy backyard has a clubhouse and a pool plus cherry, apple and plum trees. We love to entertain so our home is often full of friends and family.

Our Extended Family
Laughter, friends and our extended family are the keys to our happiness. We are very fortunate to have the unconditional love and support of so many people.

Because our families are spread out we get to travel all over the world to visit with them, including to San Diego to see Leon’s Mom, Philadelphia to see MH’s parents, New York City to see MH’s sister and Germany to see Leon’s brother, sister-in-law and two nieces. Last year we went to Italy with MH’s parents and sister. This August we spent a week at the New Jersey shore together.

About Jack and Being Parents

Jack is a beautiful, gentle, affectionate little boy who’s full of energy but who also likes to stop and cuddle. He gives the greatest, biggest, most generous hugs. And his smile will make you melt!

At 3, Jack likes all animals (especially our sweet dog, Hadley), playing “Old McDonald” on his guitar, pushing his own cart at the supermarket, riding his Razor scooter to his pre-school, reading pop-up books, licking chocolate icing off of a donut, and anything to do with Thomas the Train, the color orange or his best friend Colin.

We’ve learned so much from Jack, the most important thing being to slow down and enjoy the simple things like reading a book in the middle of a sunny afternoon, staying at the park just a little bit longer to watch an ant crawl through the grass, and going outside to say “night-night” to the moon and stars.

Jack will be a caring and protective older brother who shows the world to his little brother or sister.

Our Jobs and Our Beliefs

Leon is a sales manager for a biotechnology company and MH is in marketing for a software company. We have deliberately selected jobs that will allow us to participate fully in our children’s upbringing because we believe that “being there” is key.

We also believe that education is essential. We will make sure our children have the opportunity to go to college. We believe in the value of extra curricular activities too and will expose our children to art, music, theatre and sports. And because we love to travel we hope to develop in our children a strong appreciation of people, cultures and traditions beyond our own.

In Closing

Although we will be the ones raising this child, he or she will know of the very special birthmother who made it possible through her bravery and love. We believe in open adoption and are ready to work out an adoption plan that feels right for everyone.

If you would like to talk with us, please call us toll free at 1-866-927-7884 or email us at mhmcq@aol.com. We’d love to hear from you. If you you like to see more pictures of us, you are welcome to visit our website at: http://www.mhandleon.com. You can also call our adoption attorney, Susan Romer and speak with her or any of her friendly staff, at 1-800-u-adopt-us. They are caring professionals who will be happy to answer any of your questions about the process.

Whatever you decide, we wish you the very best.

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