Ellen & Gabby
Thank you for taking the time to learn about us as you consider an adoption plan for your child. We are a bilingual, “Mexicanadian” family and we truly love spending time together. We come to adoption after pregnancy loss and are no longer able to have biological children. Parenting our daughter has been our greatest joy, and we are excited about the possibility of adding another child to our family. We hope to give you a glimpse into our daily lives and the future we hope to provide for any child we are lucky enough to parent.
You will have many decisions to make during this process. We hope you have the support and information to feel comfortable and confident with your choice. If you choose our family to raise your child, they would have our unconditional love and would also always know how loved they are by you. We would be honored to walk alongside you on this journey.
Things We Can’t Wait to Do as a Family
Jump in puddles | Cut down a Christmas tree | Make pancakes | Play lotería | Go on weekend getaways | Eat pan dulce | Have Saturday morning pajama dance parties | Go tobogganing | Tell stories and sing at bedtime | Race like Lightning McQueen
Our Daughter
Julia just turned three and is so much fun to be around. She is curious, persistent, intuitive, and so loving. She spends her days reading, making art “masterpieces,” playing in forts, and jumping in puddles. Julia has a crew of friends at the park and they’re always having parties for birthdays or holidays. Julia calls our dog and cat her “siblings” and is ready to step into the role of big sister.
OUR HOME
We are currently renovating our 1930’s bungalow to make it our forever home. We live minutes from downtown in a community that we chose after searching all over the Houston area. Our neighborhood reflects our values for our family: It has both racial and socioeconomic diversity, an active civic club, and is progressive and welcoming. We hope to raise our children to be engaged members of their community and they will have many role models for this through our neighbors.
We love to walk and bike to our neighborhood parks, trails, school, library, and favorite breakfast taco spot. We look forward to our home being a welcoming place for all, gardening together, and to game nights on our screened-in porch.
Our Parenting Philosophy
“Play is the work of the child” – Maria Montessori
We aim to provide an environment of stability and unconditional love with lots of opportunities to spark curiosity. In young childhood, this looks like a consistent routine with time for independent play as well as plenty of active engagement with us. As our children grow, we look forward to finding ways to nurture their unique interests. Education is very important to us, and we hope to foster a lifelong love of learning.
We always want our children to feel safe, loved, and like valuable members of our family and community.
Celebrating Our Cultures
We love incorporating traditions from both sides of the family into our year and creating our own. Some of our favorites are listed below, and we would also love to hear about your traditions.
- Group Halloween costumes with Ellen’s family
- Making papier maché calaveras with Gabby’s mom for our neighborhood’s Dia de los Muertos festival
- Celebrating both Canadian and American Thanksgiving and making our “Thankful Tree” out of sticks from a Thanksgiving walk
- Going to the Christmas tree farm each year to pick our tree
- Celebrating nochebuena (Christmas Eve), Christmas Day, AND Dia de los Reyes
- Annual family trip to an AirBnb in the Hill Country with Gabby’s extended family (including swimming and a fort-making competition)
- Blackberry picking in the spring
Spending Time Together
We are happiest when we’re spending time together. We both have fulfilling careers, but we prioritize flexible schedules. Julia spends three days per week with her “best friend” AKA our nanny, Mondays with mamá (Gabby), and Wednesdays with mami (Ellen).
We all love our quality time together on weekends. We aim for as much outdoor time as possible in our neighborhood or discovering new parks in Houston. We take long weekend getaways a few times a year and have loved exploring the woods, beaches, and small towns of Texas.
5 Things About
Ellen
Grew up in Canada and doesn’t miss the winters
Loves her career because she gets to connect with families and play all day
Learned to speak Spanish in Cuba and uses it daily at work and home
Loves a good garage sale
Finds all the best coffee and ice cream shops with playgrounds nearby
5 Things About
Gabby
Grew up in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Loves her career because she gets to work with numbers all day (really!)
Is a native Spanish speaker but somehow still learns words from Ellen
Has expanded her yoga routine to include our dog and Julia
Is our family DJ: She makes all of our playlists and has turned Julia into a music lover
5 Things About
Julia
Habla español
Loves anything red
Tries to drink her maple syrup
Makes pizza from scratch
Favorite outfit: Disney Cars t-shirt with a tutu
Get in Touch With Ellen & Gabby
If you think we might be the right match for you and your child, we’d love to hear from you! You can send us a message online or call our agency, Adoption Advocates, at (512) 477-1122 to get connected.
