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Lauren and Gretchen
Maryland

Basic Info

Lauren

Age: 45
Sex: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Religion: Christian

Gretchen

Age: 48
Sex: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian, Native American
Religion: Buddhist

Child Preferences

Age: 5 to 11 years old
Sex: Either
Max Number of Children: 2
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian, African American, Asian, Native American, Hispanic, Pacific Islander

Special Needs the Family is Open To: Any Child, Asthma, Drug Allergies, Environmental Allergies, Food Allergies, Defiant, Difficulty in Attaching, Difficulty Making Friends, Encopresis, Lying, Manipulative, Poor Social Skills, Self-Abuse, Stealing, Tantrums-Severe, Wets the Bed, Born with HIV issues or HIV Positive, Drug Addicted at Birth, Low Birth Weight or Premature, Prenatal Drug Exposure, Gastric Tube, Non-Ambulatory, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Physically Disabled-Mild, Deaf, Hearing Impaired, Intellectual Disability - Mild, Speech Delays - Mild, Speech Delays - Moderate, Speech Delays - Severe, Vision Impaired, Anorexia/Bulimia, Hoarding, Overeating, Pica, Academically behind due to poor attendance, Cognitive Delay - Mild, Cognitive Delay - Severe, Expulsion(s), Has Behavior Problems in School, Mild Learning Disabilities, Moderate Learning Disabilities, Severe Learning Disabilities, Speech or Language Impairment, Suspension(s), One/Both Parents Diagnosed with Depression, One/Both Parents Have Alcohol Addiction, One/Both Parents Have Drug Addiction, One/Both Parents Diagnosed with Bipolar, Exposed to Domestic Violence, One/Both Parents Have Had a Mental Diagnosis, Child in Residential Treatment, Child has had a disrupted adoption, Multiple Placements, Residential Treatment History, ADHD, AIDS, Arthritis, Cancer, Cerebral Palsy, Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes, Down Syndrome, Epilepsy, Heart Disorder: May Require Surgery, Hemophilia, HIV, Missing Limbs: May Require Prosthesis, Seizures, Sickle Cell Disease, Sickle Cell Traits, Adjustment Disorder, Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, Conduct Disorder, Depression, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Requires Medication For Psychiatric Condition/Mental Health Diagnosis, Requires Counseling/Therapy, Destructive of Property, Willing to Maintain Contact via Mail with Bio Family, Willing to Maintain Contact with Past Foster Parents, Willing to Maintain Contact with Bio Grandparents & Other Relatives, Willing to Maintain Contact with Bio Siblings, Child Identifies as LGBT, Sexually Abused in the Past

Environment

State: Maryland
Neighborhood: Suburban
Residency:
Years Together: 6
Children in the Home: 2
Pet(s): Dog(s)

Work

Lauren

Occupation: Director Member Relations and Conferences

Gretchen

Occupation: Yoga Instructor

Adoption Agency

Agency: Adoptions Together
Worker: Meredith Andrews
Worker: mandrews@adoptionstogether.org
City: Baltimore
State: Maryland
Zip: 21228

Family Description

Hi, we are Gretchen and Lauren and we are excited to welcome a special child(ren) into our family. We are hoping to adopt a child or sibling group of 2 that are between the ages of 5-11 years old. We are open to any gender or race. We share custody of our boys, Logan (almost 13) and Zane (11), so a child(ren) who joins our family would benefit from the fun of having brothers but also will get to enjoy being the sole focus of our attention on the days in which the boys are with their father. We have extensive knowledge navigating IEP meetings, advocating for children in the school setting as well as acquiring services such as speech, occupational and physical therapies. We live 30 minutes from Washington DC and Baltimore, MD in a suburb called Greenbelt, Maryland. There are numerous services for children with special needs within a short drive from our house including specialized classes for kids and families at the University of Maryland. Our day to day living is very structured as we have noticed that our children thrive on routine and do their best in school and extra curricular activities when the schedule is consistent and calm. We are supporters of therapy and will continue any services that are already put in place as well as additional family therapy as needed. We have completed 27 hours of training through our private adoption agency, Adoptions Together. We live in a diverse county which is about 65% African American and 27% Caucasian. Walking distance from our house is an indoor & outdoor pool, over 20 playgrounds, library, lake, skate park, community center and youth center. Classes and sports that are within walking distance include basketball, baseball, tennis, football, soccer, dance classes, theatre, karate, art (pottery, painting, drawing, graphic design), robotics and yoga. So many opportunities to try and experience new things- all within our community! Our house backs up to woods and there are several trails to explore nature. Across the street is the public elementary school which consistently scores above average on standardized tests and offers after-school activities like world drumming, Step Club and the nation’s first elementary school Cricket league. We are a fun, active family who enjoys bike rides, swimming, going on vacations, visiting Smithsonian museums in DC, playing board games together, attending University of Maryland women’s basketball games, kayaking, arts and crafts and spending time with friends and family. We value attending festivals and events to learn about different countries and cultures. Our dogs Dharma and Chloe are loving and patient and enjoy being around kids, especially kids who will give them belly rubs! Like most pre-teen boys Logan and Zane enjoy Minecraft, drawing, playing videos games, swimming, reading comics and watching movies. Logan plays the viola and Zane plays the trumpet. Lauren is a meeting planner for a non-profit association in Washington, DC and Gretchen owns a yoga studio right in our community, which allows her to have a flexible schedule and be home for the kids during the day. We value family and spend a great deal of time with both sides of our families which includes several nephews and nieces. Gretchen’s parents live twenty-five minutes away and visit weekly. Lauren’s mom lives in Richmond, VA and her father lives in Boca Raton, FL and Maine. We also enjoy hosting dinners with friends in our community, walking around the lake and eating s’mores over the fire pit in our yard. We are excited to share our home, love and compassion with a child or sibling group.

Preference Description

Looking to adopt a child of either gender between ages of 5-11 yrs old of any racial background. Prefer a child with potential for overall good health and open to children with limited medical information, ADHD, Autism Spectrum and learning disabilities.