Hello, we are Ivan and Alissa. Thank you for choosing to read our story and learn more about us as prospective parents. 

We met online and quickly exchanged phone numbers. For a week we talked on the phone and texted regularly. Alissa was smitten with Ivan right from the get-go, and he has told her that the feeling was mutual; however, when Ivan asked Alissa out for our first in-person date, she told him no! This was not because she didn’t want to meet him, but because she had Covid. He said that as a nurse, she couldn’t get him sick even if she tried, as an encouragement to meet in person. Needless to say, we waited until Alissa felt better. 

Our first date was magical. We talked and danced and drank coffee and before we realized it, twelve hours had passed by, when it only felt like two. We found familiarity with each other. It was easy to be ourselves, the good and the bad. We laughed so much. We each left that first date knowing we had just found our life partner. A year and a half later, we were married and we haven’t stopped laughing since. 

Adoption has always been our goal, right from the start. Alissa has a chronic illness (that is managed very well), which makes getting pregnant and staying pregnant very difficult. We mutually agreed to pursue adoption instead of pregnancy in hopes of growing our family. We cannot wait to share laughter and joy with the child whom God has in store for our family. 

I am in awe of Ivan, and I have been from day one. Ivan has this wonderful juxtaposition of being a soft and kindhearted man with a desire to help others, while also being a rough and tumble man who builds houses with his bare hands and who hunts, fishes, and fixes vehicles. 

Being a nurse, he exhibits kindness, compassion, and respect. As a member of the military, he is disciplined, trustworthy, and honest. As a father to his biological kids, he is attentive, caring, and a source of safety. As a husband, he is all those things and more!  

When we first started seeing each other, Ivan asked me what some deal breakers were for me. I told him, I wanted to be cherished, and I wanted to laugh a lot. He told me, “I can do that,” and he does. Very few days have passed when I don’t feel cherished, and we don’t laugh. This is because Ivan chooses me every single day.  

I know I'm making him out to be perfect, which of course, he is not, since nobody is. Truth be told, he couldn’t be on time to save his life—he’s a “late to his own funeral” kind of man! Regardless, I can confidently say that while he might not be perfect, he is perfect for me. I know that he will shower any child with the same love, respect, and affection, because he will choose them every single day.

From day one, I knew Alissa was a special person. She is intelligent, soft spoken, funny, and kind. She has a zesty personality and enjoys picking on me and making me laugh. Her laughter and giggles bring so much happiness to my heart. She is able to be honest while maintaining kindness and respect for others. One of the biggest draws to her was her faith in God and longing to have a family.  

Alissa loves to read books and has a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf which she takes great pride in. She has taken her love for literature to new levels by diligently working on writing her own book. She has a very creative mind, and I am so proud and excited to watch her reach for her goals. 

One of Alissa’s love languages is cooking for others. I feel incredibly blessed to be on the receiving end. She enjoys baking desserts and having afternoon tea with friends. She also has a knack for trying new recipes, but my favorite is always her pot roast. 

She has developed a love for gardening and has tremendous joy in growing the food we eat. What food we can’t eat, she preserves and cans. Our pantry is never empty. 

Alissa and I look forward to growing our family through adoption. I feel Alissa will make an awesome mom, seeing how patient she is with me.

During Covid, Alissa’s parents bought a house and property. Our family worked on the house, tearing it down to the studs before building it back up again. While not a huge house, it has a clean, modern feel. We spend a lot of time outside on our back deck or around a campfire fire in the summer and fall. After we got married, we bought the house from Alissa’s parents.  

We have a second house in the works, a log cabin that Ivan is building. These homes are several hours’ drive apart. When the log cabin is finished, we will split our time between the two homes since our main home is around the corner from Alissa’s family, and the log cabin is around the corner from Ivan’s. 

Our neighborhood is small, quiet, and rural, the main reason why we like it so much. There's a sense of peace and safety here as we’re surrounded by woods and plenty of space for outdoor adventures.  

We don’t have many neighbors, but we do have a large church community that plays an important and active role in our lives. We attend church and church activities regularly. The church is large enough and diverse enough in age, culture, and ethnicity that people from all walks of life, whether the elderly or toddlers, find it to be a warm and welcoming place. Our church family has been very supportive in our adoption journey, sharing in our excitement. Any child will be welcomed with joyful and open arms. 

We are close with our families. Ivan grew up in a small village in Ukraine and is one of ten siblings. They are a close-knit family even though they are now scattered across the United States. Most of them gather each year for the holidays with a special emphasis on Thanksgiving. When everybody is able to get together, there is much joy, laughter and food. There are forty-nine nieces and nephews in Ivan’s family, and everybody is excited to welcome baby number fifty through adoption. 

Alissa’s family is significantly smaller, but no less close-knit. Even in adulthood, she and her sisters still periodically do family trips with their parents, just like when they were kids. The family also has weekly/biweekly dinners and game nights. Her family members are all anxiously awaiting their first grandchild/neice/nephew!  

An important part of our family are Ivan’s three biological children.  All three of them are someplace on the autism spectrum, and change can often be hard for them; however, they have all expressed how excited they are to be getting another sibling. They often talk about wanting to learn to take care of the baby so that they can be the best older siblings they can be.

Ivan finds a sense of contentment when working with his hands, especially if he is outside. He enjoys working on cars, doing yard work, and building houses, and has aspirations of one day building a few small log cabins. He also likes fishing and swimming, and talks often about how much he’d love to share his knowledge by teaching these skills to future children.

Alissa’s hobbies are quieter. She greatly enjoys reading and finds peace in her library surrounded by her books. She has been collecting children’s books in anticipation of raising children, hoping to share her passion with them, and has found solace in writing fiction in the hopes of one day becoming a published author. She also loves gardening and canning what she grows. 

Together we enjoy taking road trips, hiking in the fall, and having beach dates in the summer. Considering that we’re both night owls, we enjoy a midnight walk through the nearby rural village when weather permits. We also appreciate attending the theater/ballet/opera a few times a year. Our relationship is very playful and full of laughter, and we look forward to introducing a child to our favorite simple joys. 

Thank you for taking the time to get to know us and for considering us as adoptive parents. We are so excited and can hardly wait to welcome a little one into our family whom we can shower with love.