“Children are a gift from the Lord, they are a reward from him.” Psalm 127:3
We are Matt, Melinda and Maverick from the sunny state of California. Our hope is that you will get to know us a bit as you read through our profile. As much as we want you to learn about us, we want to learn about you as well! We can’t imagine the decision you may be faced with making, and our greatest hope and prayer for you is that you will find peace with whatever decision you may make.
Relationship/Journey
We met later in life when Matt was 33 and Melinda was 34. Neither of us had been married before. We met on an online dating site, and we instantly clicked. We got engaged after a year and a half of dating, and then got married a year later in 2017. We got married in beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, right on the beach! We knew we may have trouble conceiving due to Melinda's endometriosis, and we ended up needing to pursue IVF. We went through several grueling rounds of IVF, and we were blessed with our son Maverick in May 2020. He is the light of our lives, and we can't wait for him to become a big brother! Last year, we transferred our last embryo, and unfortunately, our daughter passed away when Melinda was 16 weeks pregnant. We knew we would not pursue IVF again, but instead, we are hoping to adopt to complete our family. We are so ready to love on another baby, our hearts and our home are ready to invite another child into our life!
Home
We own our home, which is a 4 bed, 3 bath, in Lincoln, California. Lincoln is a small suburb of Sacramento, and we love it for how quiet and peaceful it is and what a great place it is to raise a family. Lincoln is about 2 hours to Lake Tahoe and 2 hours the opposite direction to San Francisco. We are fortunate to have many wonderful restaurants and shopping centers close to us. We have a large fenced in backyard and we live within walking distance to 2 parks. In addition, we are members of a non-denominational church and we faithfully attend every week. Our faith plays a big role in our life, and how we raise our son.
Travel
Traveling as a family is one of our favorite things to do! This year, we spent a week in Puerto Vallarta, with Matt's parents, his sisters and their families. There were 17 of us, and we had such an amazing time and can't wait to go back! We also do an annual weekend trip to Lake Tahoe with Melinda's family. This fall we will be taking Maverick on his first trip to Disneyland! We also love going to Hawaii, we took Maverick there for his first birthday. Hawaii is our favorite place to visit, and we can’t wait to take Maverick on more trips to explore more islands.
Hobbies
As a couple, we enjoy traveling, and try to go on vacation a couple of times a year. We also enjoy eating out, both at our favorite places and trying new ones as well! With lots of friends and family in the area, we are always getting together on weekends with someone! In addition, we have memberships to the Sacramento Zoo and Fairytale Town, those are 2 of Maverick's favorite places to go! Matt enjoys watching sports and attending games in person. He also enjoys playing video games and shooting. Melinda loves to cook and bake, and when she can get free time, a spa day is always appreciated!
Pets
We have a very lovable boxer who is 4 years old. He and Maverick are best buds, and they enjoy running around our back yard together!
School & Work
Matt works as a Residential Sales Engineer for a large electrical manufacturing company. Matt works from home, with occasional travel to meet clients. Melinda works as an Account Manager for a home health and hospice company. Melinda works outside of the home but does not travel overnight. Both of us have extremely flexible jobs, which allows us to be very present in Maverick's life. In addition to being flexible, both of our jobs are financially rewarding which affords us a financially comfortable lifestyle. We had a nanny that cared for Maverick in our home until he was about 2 1/2. Melinda's mom also watched him one day a week. We recently enrolled him in full time daycare so that he will be ready for preschool. In the fall, Maverick will be attending a private preschool at our church's school. This is the same private school that Maverick will attend through 8th grade. If we are lucky enough to adopt a baby, our plan is that the same nanny who watched Maverick, will come back and watch our new baby. We love our nanny, and she remains a big part of Maverick's life. In addition, we regularly contribute to a college savings plan for Maverick, and he also has grandparents that regularly contribute as well.
Our Son
It has been such a joy watching our son Maverick grow up. He was born in May 2020 at the height of the pandemic. As such, he lived a very sheltered life his first few months. But he has more than made up for it! He has an incredible vocabulary and is always singing us songs. He is very sensitive and loving and is very much a mama’s boy. He absolutely loves Mickey Mouse, it’s his favorite cartoon to watch. Maverick is a very energetic little boy; he loves to run and play in our backyard. Trips to the zoo and swimming lessons are some of his favorite things at the moment. He also adores books, he has quite the collection of books and is always asking us to read him a story. We can’t wait to see Maverick become a big brother! We know he will be an amazing one and will have so much love for his new sibling.
Our Extended Family
Both of us come from large families. Melinda’s parents divorced when she was in jr high, and both parents remarried, so now she has a large bonus family! Melinda’s mom and stepdad live less than 10 minutes away and are very involved in our lives. Melinda’s dad unfortunately passed away last year, but we are still very close to Melinda’s stepmom, she is a wonderful Grandma to our son. She lives about 20 minutes away from us. Melinda also has 2 brothers, both of whom are married, and each one has 1 child. Melinda has a large extended family, many of whom live in the area, and Melinda’s grandma lives 10 minutes away from us as well. Matt also has a large family. His mom lives close by, as do his sister and brother and their families. We see them often. Matt’s dad and stepmom live about 2 hours from us, but we see them often, and his sister and her family also live about 2 hours away. Matt has 10 nieces and nephews, so there is no shortage of cousins for Maverick to play with!!
Family Traditions & Holidays
With both of us having large, blended families, holidays in our household are busy!!! We usually see all 4 sides of our family for Christmas and then for other holidays (Easter, Thanksgiving, etc.) we usually alternate families. Holidays are always a fun and busy time, and we very much look forward to them! We often host get togethers for our families at our house.
Find Out More
Would you like to learn more about this family or the other families waiting to adopt a baby? Contact the caring counselors at St. Elizabeth. There’s no pressure—we’re just here to help you decide what’s best for you and your baby.
