Dawanna and Raymond

Hi! We're Dawanna and Raymond.

We want to thank you for taking the time to get to know us through this book. We are writing to you with a bunch of emotions - excitement, compassion and even a little bit of fear. If you are reading this, we believe it means that our paths have been guided to cross one another for a reason. Maybe we will be lucky enough to have a connection with you so that we may have the chance to guide, love and serve your child throughout his or her life.

You must have so much on your mind. Adoption is an incredibly difficult decision. But here we are - we may have more in common than you would think.
Our parents struggled to raise us. Growing up, Dawanna faced a lot of tough challenges being raised by a single mom. Raymond's parents immigrated from Jamaica and worked to attain the American dream. Despite the past, we are now blessed to have all of the advantages one could want in life - successful careers, great friends, wonderful family, and strong faith in God. We can provide your child with an amazing life - the best schools, a beautiful home, travel around the world, and most importantly, unconditional love. What makes us unique though is that we can provide your child with the tools necessary to succeed in life - love, spirituality, hope, faith, wisdom, and perseverance.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking the time to read this note. We hope we can have the chance to get to know you soon.

With love, Dawanna and Raymond

Our Adoption Story

Given our background, adoption is a natural extension of our giving hearts. Raymond spends time on medical missions providing free operations and care to people in need around the world when he is not being a surgeon at his hospital. Dawanna is a member of community and non-profit organizations that support those in need. What we realized was there are many different paths to being a family! We feel so blessed to have realized our professional dreams, which allows us to give to others, and to know that we are secure and ready to welcome a baby into our life. Although we know the adoption process may not always be easy, we feel in our hearts that there is a gift in this for all of us. We promise you that we want to go on this journey with you, with our shared love for your child as what keeps us moving forward.

Our Promise to You

We also promise to love your child unconditionally. He or she will be given every opportunity to learn and grow as they follow their dreams. And we will be there every step of the way supporting them through all of life's highs and lows and helping them every step of the way.

While we will both be very active and involved in this child's life, we thought you might want to know that Dawanna works from home and will be able to spend extra bonding time together. Her village of girlfriend mommies will be a source of endless playdates. There will be lots of opportunities to travel and learn together. Our family will also be very involved. Everyone is so supportive and excited to welcome a baby into our lives!

About Us

Friends and family would describe Dawanna as someone who laughs easily, gets along well with everyone and likes adventure. They will also tell you that she is someone who really takes her time to think things through before making a decision. She is the person in her group of friends who everyone can count on, no matter what. Raymond's friends and family will say that he is a natural teacher and leader. He immerses himself fully in every task he takes on. Ray is passionate about travel and adventure. He has hiked the mountains of Kilimanjaro and Everest, and travelled to every continent, except Antartica. That's still on his list.While Dawanna loves the arts, which has been a constant in her life since she took flute and dance lessons in school, she also loves to travel. She travelled with her Mom as a child in the U.S. and abroad. Raymond, being raised in a culture that is strong in music and soccer, was surrounded by both growing up and loves listening to music and attending soccer games. He has attended several World Cup matches around the world. Art, music, soccer and travel are the types of interests we would love to share with your child one day.

It will be fun to share these experiences and challenges as we learn what he/she likes (and doesn't like!).
Most importantly, we are extremely proud that we were foster parents for nearly a year to a wonderful baby girl. The experience has given us assurance that we are ready to be forever mommy and forever daddy to a child. Also, we are big readers! Dawanna's favorite type of book is biography. They tend to show that people of all backgrounds face challenges in life. It is not about where you start but how you finish. Raymond loves fiction and also reads lots of in-depth articles on fascinating topics. These articles feed Raymond's intellectual curiosity and desire to be a part of the solution to the world's challenges.
Now don't go thinking we are too serious. We love to have fun and simply relax, especially with friends and family. Dawanna finds herself hanging out with her Grandma or binge-watching with friends the latest streaming show. Raymond takes his Mom to dinner every weekend and loves to play reggae, pop, or other music while dancing as if nobody's watching around the house. We love to laugh and live with joy.

Our Home

We just bought our dream home in Manhattan. While that may sound a little hectic, we promise, it really isn't at all. We live in a beautiful building with great neighbors and it is very secure. Our home has calming views of Central Park. Best of all, you can walk right into this beautiful oasis just across the street. Our friends and family consistently visit. We will spend time cooking, curling up on the living room sofas and enjoying the view while the kids play together.
Our home is modern, comfortable and really cozy. We like to have plenty of green plants, fluffy pillows, and plush blankets to get wrapped up in. Dawanna collects modern art and Raymond brings home keepsakes from travels around the world. We love displaying these around the home. We have already started decorating the extra bedroom as a nursery with a little one in mind. Our neighborhood provides everything we need right where we live. Also, Central Park is just across the street and Hudson River Park is three blocks away. Because we enjoy jogging, we like to get out of the gym when the weather is nice and run in one of the parks. There are other nearby areas of green space with lots of activities for kids. The neighborhood is filled with young families. There are also great schools in the area, both public and private, which was one of the many reasons we chose to live here.

Our Friends

We have the most special friends. Dawanna's girlfriend mommies and Ray's soccer daddies have been a part of their respective lives for years. Their friends have children who are like my Godchildren. Also, both Ray and Dawanna remain friends with classmates from university and work. Most of those friends have kids and they are not short on advice, love or time. Your baby will be surrounded by so much unconditional love.

Our Family

Dawanna's father, stepmother, 3 sisters, and brother spend a lot of time together. Sadly, Dawanna's mother passed away and it goes without saying that she misses her terribly but is thankful that her grandmother is still healthy and strong. They are very close. Her family comes to NYC often and she visits home for the holidays.
Dawanna's family is huge. Her mother was 1 of 6, her dad is 1 of 10 and maternal grandmother is 1 of 14. She has 27 aunts and uncles and a whole lot of cousins.
Raymond has a much smaller family. Ray and his mother are very close. She lives nearby in Westchester County. His father passed away a few years ago. Ray's mother would be delighted to be a grandmother.
We have cousins and extended family of diverse ethnicities. Dawanna also has cousins who were adopted. We really don't think about differences in our racial heritage, biology or otherwise. To put it simply, we are from diverse families. At the end of the day, we believe love rules.

Our Travels

Holidays & Traditions

Among our favorite traditions is traveling. Every year, Dawanna takes a girls trip which she has been doing for 15 years now. The 2023 trip will be to Spain, since it was canceled due to the pandemic. Raymond takes at least one adventure trip annually, usually with his best friend and colleague. A couple years ago he went to New Zealand and experienced the beautiful natural landscape. We look forward to traveling the world with your child and exploring through his or her eyes. When Dawanna is in Atlanta for the holidays, there are a few fixed rules. Thanksgiving is held at her father's and stepmother's home with all the siblings and kids. It is a standing tradition and they love spending the entire day eating and talking. Christmas is spent with Dawanna's mother's family and everyone must dress alike for their longstanding pajama tradition on Christmas morning.The night before, Dawanna makes her famous Christmas Eve crab boil and they play games. Raymond's mom is close with her long time friends in the community where she lives. They are like family. Raymond spends time with them or extended family in Jamaica, Canada or London over Thanksgiving and Christmas. This time is filled with great food, lots of laughter, and love.

Conclusion

As we have been writing this book, we have been thinking about you non-stop. In sharing our truth, we hope you can imagine the kind of life your child would have with us. Words cannot express our gratitude to you for considering us. We are truly humbled. Your trust in us will stay with us all the days of our lives. We promise to give your child a wonderful life while respecting you every step of the way.

With love, gratitude and prayers,

Dawanna and Raymond

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