Steve & Heather

About Us
We met in San Francisco in 1991. There was truly a spark between us the moment we met, and we have been together ever since. Our shared zest for life and quirky sense of humor drew us together and continue to make us a great pair.

We share a love for a variety of movies, music, and pop culture. We also enjoy entertaining our circle of friends and family and frequently cook meals together in our kitchen, often challenging ourselves with new recipes.

Three of the passions we share are travel, art, and food. We have learned how interesting and diverse the cultures and cuisines of different countries are. We are so excited to introduce our child to the customs of the world, and watching as they learn (and eat!) with us.

We started our own business in 2001. Since opening our art gallery we have grown closer together with each passing day. We are so proud to have created a warm environment where our artists, friends, family, and customers always feel welcome.

Our Home
We have a unique bond in that we live, work, and play together and never get tired of being with each other. We share our time both personally and professionally and have created a joyous balance in our day-to-day lives.

Our home is a stunning two-story Victorian, built in 1900, in a charming and safe neighborhood. It has gorgeous views of San Francisco and the Bay. There are two parks and two playgrounds very close by.

Our house is colorful, warm, and inviting. It is brimming with a wonderful collection of paintings, photographs, and sculptures, and it is filled with love and laughter that we are looking forward to sharing.

About Heather (by Steve)
Heather is loving, supportive, funny, stylish, and friendly. She is calm, fair, and open-minded, often seeing many sides of any given situation. Her nurturing and positive attitude makes her a joy to be with every single day. She is both smart and a little bit dorky, and will be the mother that every kid dreams of having.

Heather loves to exercise, watch old movies and read. She often completes a book in a few days and likes to lose herself in a great story. One of her favorite childhood books was Amelia Bedelia, and we often laugh together when she does something goofy and says, “I am just like Amelia Bedelia!”

Heather has maintained friendships with a number of her childhood friends, which shows a great loyalty and commitment to her relationships – a wonderful trait that she will pass on to our child. One of the things I most admire about Heather is her outgoing and positive nature. Through all of our problems and failures with conceiving a child, she managed to maintain an inner peace and strength that has added to my great respect and love for her. Even in my lowest moments, she was there to comfort and assure me that all was not lost, and that someday we would begin our family.

As we move forward – together – into parenthood, I feel lucky and grateful to be doing so with my partner, my lovey, my wife Heather, who I know will be a terrific mom to our child.

About Steve (by Heather)
Steve is a loyal and engaging person with strength of character that I really admire. He has a great sense of humor and is often called “the life” of the party. He always makes sure everyone is comfortable and well taken care of, which I think are wonderful qualities for a loving and fun dad. Steve is also a patient and thoughtful man – I have no doubt he will make our child feel safe and loved.

Steve is a big fan of the San Francisco Giants and shares season tickets with a group of friends. He cannot wait until we can take our child to baseball games!
Yearly, he travels to new ballparks with his dad Al and brother Andy, and is eager to continue this family tradition with our child. As part of Steve’s upbringing in an all-Italian family he learned to be a wonderful cook – his homemade spaghetti sauce is so good – and that is just one of my many favorites.

He also has a tremendous knowledge about music, especially anything from the ‘80s. A radio DJ in the past, he is now often asked to play his records at charity events for friends.

I can always count on Steve to be there for me, and his friends and family feel the same way. He continues to maintain and nurture his close friendships, a quality that I love and admire. I am always comforted and reminded that almost any question I have for him, whether it be basic trivia, current events, or how to get somewhere, he will usually know the answer.

He will be a wonderful teacher to our child about life, sports, and general knowledge. He is fair and open-minded, and I always enjoy our time together. He makes me feel safe and special and he always makes me laugh. Steve is my partner in life and work and I cannot wait to see him as a father.

Our loving & supportive families
Steve’s parents, Nonnu Al & Nonnie Joyce, live in the Bay Area and are thrilled to have another grandchild close by that they can teach and play with.

Steve’s younger brother Andy lives in Illinois with his wife Christina and their children Sophia, Jason, Francesca, and Drew. They are an outgoing group of cousins and an eager Uncle & Aunt ready to welcome a new member to the family.

Heather’s parents, Grandpa Wes & Mormor Judy, live in Southern California in a beautiful home on the beach. It is a super fun setting for kids, where we often gather to play on the sand and BBQ with Heather’s brother Chris, his wife Lily, and their children Morgan and Maya.

Heather’s brother Tyler was adopted by Heather’s parents as an infant, and he will be an insightful Uncle and mentor as he will be able to share the unique feelings he experienced in his life with our child.

What we hope to offer a child
We both grew up in loving, supportive families that remain close today. Both of our parents have been married for over 40 years. Similar to our own childhoods, we imagine raising our son or daughter with a strong sense of self and to love and respect their family and others. We will encourage our child to explore the things that make them happy, and also instill in them a sense of confidence and joy for life.

We were both raised with a strong work ethic which we carry with us to this day, and will encourage our child to pursue their dreams. Importantly, we hope to teach them the difference between right and wrong, and how to make life’s choices wisely.

We are lucky enough to be financially secure and will be able to provide our child with a happy and healthy life. We both earned University degrees and will heartily encourage our child to succeed in their educational pursuits. We will most definitely provide our child with every opportunity to become the person they want to be.

We will have the flexibility to share the responsibility of raising our child equally and plan to divide our time at home and our gallery 50/50. Importantly, our families are close by and ready to be an integral part of our child’s upbringing.

We promise to raise and watch our child grow up with the same strong love for and faith in family that is a vital part of our lives.

How we feel about adoption
Adoption is a part of our family and we truly feel this was the path we were meant to take. We completed our homestudy through Adoption Connection in San Francisco and have been enthusiastically approved.

We hope we can learn more about what an amazing person you are. We are extremely grateful of your decision to consider adoption for your baby and want you to know that we are happy to answer any questions you may have about us or our family. We promise you that our child will have a wonderfully full life, surrounded by loving individuals. Without a doubt, they will be part of an extended family unit that they can constantly learn from, and who will embrace and celebrate his or her unique personality.

To close, we’d like to share a story with you. During our honeymoon we took a short boat trip on the sea. Every so often, the oarsman entertained us by shouting “Miracolo!” – the Italian word for “Miracle!” – to express his joy. Heather and I embraced this word and we still often say “Miracolo!” in appreciation of the little things in life that bring us happiness.

We have been waiting for such a long time to say this when we first see the baby that genuinely starts our new family. From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank you for considering us to be the parents of this true Miracolo–Miracle!

Warmly,

Steve & Heather

If you would like to learn more about us or to arrange an initial phone call, please call Cindy (anytime) at A Act of Caring, (800) 556-5635