Hello! We’re Lyla and Philip. We both love children and are excited about becoming parents again through the process of adoption! As you read our story, we hope you will learn how much love we have to offer your child.

The Beginning...

We met in 1999 while attending the same college on Lyla’s second day and while Philip was a junior orientation aide. Lyla had seen Philip a day earlier, signing with the school choir, so the first thing she told him when they met was “I want to learn sign language.” We became quick friends and dated for several years.

Philip proposed to Lyla in 2002 by asking her to close her eyes, sprinkling rose petals in front of her, and getting down on his left knee and asking her in English and sign language. We got married the following summer in Virginia where Philip’s parents live. The ceremony was beautiful; complete with monarch butterflies and of course friends and family in attendance. We enjoyed a fabulous honeymoon in the Greek Isles.

About Us

Lyla spent most of her young life in Florida until she moved out of state to attend college. Lyla was due on Christmas Eve but came three weeks early. Shortly after her birth it was discovered that she had congenital heart defects. When Lyla was one month old she became the smallest infant at the time to receive a cardiac pacemaker. Although Lyla is in good health and has led a normal life, her cardiologists have determined that carrying a child would weaken her heart. As a result we decided to build our family through adoption. Lyla is currently pursuing a graduate degree in pre-school development which gives her lots of flexibility with her time and she enjoys being at home with Bella. Lyla will continue to be a stay-at-home mother after she finishes her online program as much as she can until the children go to school.

Philip was born and raised in Virginia. When Philip was around four years old, he gradually lost his hearing and was diagnosed with a severe to profound, bilateral, sensory-neural hearing loss and received a pair of hearing aids. Philip was main-streamed throughout grade school and communicates by reading lips and with the help of his hearing aids, and while we both know ASL (American Sign Language) he does not require the use of sign to communicate most of the time. Philip enjoys his job which allows him to stay actively involved in the disability community. Philip also dreams of writing children’s poetry and books.

In 2006, we became the parents of a beautiful baby girl. Our daughter, Bella, is a good natured and sweet child. She loves music, art and dress-up. She is advanced in her age in communication, talking and signing many words and is very self-sufficient. Bella loves to be around and play with other children and can’t wait to be a big sister!

Lyla has two brothers (one older and one younger) and a younger sister. Her family lives in Florida making for great family vacations! Philip has two younger brothers who live in Virginia with the rest of his family. Both Philip’s and Lyla’s parents are very excited to become grandparents again!

We will expose our child to a variety of different cultures because we both grew up learning about various cultures. We have many friends of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds or who come from foreign countries, such as Japan. We also have many friends with various disabilities. Therefore we feel it is important that our child learns that all people, no matter their race or ability, are equal and deserve to be treated with kindness and acceptance.

Our hobbies include watching movies together, watching sports, walking and playing with our dogs, and teaching people sign language. Lyla loves music and enjoys listening to it as she does daily activities, as well as incorporating it into her play with Bella. Philip enjoys writing poetry, collecting sports memorabilia, and sending people cards and surprises. We also enjoy visiting museums and botanical gardens with Bella. We both had successful educational experiences and obtained college degrees and we hope to help our children do the same. We enjoy traveling to Florida and Virginia to visit our families.

Our Home

We have many neighbors and friends with young children. Our neighborhood has two swimming pools, two playgrounds, and excellent walking trails around a beautiful lake. We love going for long walks with Bella and playing in the neighborhood playgrounds! We have 2 dogs named Fenway Sox and Zable Tribe. Both of our dogs are great around children of all ages, especially Bella.

About Adoption

Thank you for taking the time to get to know us a little better. We hope that knowing more about us will make your decision a little easier. We feel that we can give your child a wonderful home, a loving family and a future filled with unlimited possibilities. We have learned a lot from our parents and are committed to being the best parents we can possibly be. We both relate well to children and cannot wait to share our love and our lives with another child. Through adoption, our dream of expanding our family can come true.