Thank you so much for taking time to find out about us. We know there are many great families to choose from. And we’re sure that no matter what you decide, your baby will wind up in caring hands.

So: Why us?

The short answer is that we have spent nearly 20 years building a happy life together and we are ready to share our good fortune – a loving home, close family, supportive friends in a great community -- with a new human being. We have so much love to give and so many life lessons to teach in an environment filled with sunshine, beach, puppets and poetry.

Let us show you.

Our lives revolve around Montauk, New York, a magical beach town at the eastern tip of Long Island where life is about surfing, fishing, and family. We spend all of our free time soaking in Montauk’s waves (and our hot tub and pool) exploring its craggy coastline and digging out its oysters, clams and crabs. It’s an idyllic place that we started going to for surfing in the late 1990's and fell in love with. We were married there in a ceremony that saw Kat arrive by boat with her father, who was dressed in a monkey costume (an extreme homage to the animal-themed birthdays Kat's parents threw for her when she was a kid). A few years later we finally bought own house there and are so thrilled to have our own little piece of it. Our place is often a hub of activity, a through-stop for so many of our friends who have kids in search of a pool.  There is a great sense of community among the parents of Montauk, which means the fun is never ending. There is a constant schedule of bike rides, dune walks, pool parties and face painting. The highlight of the summer: Our annual birthday puppet show, which started as a joke among a few friends at one of our birthdays many years ago but has grown into an anticipated event for our community of friends, with several acts and professional lighting and sound.

We have a terrific apartment in Brooklyn with a park and a playground right down the street.  We have loads of  friends with kids in the neighborhood and there are some very good public schools too.  The neighborhood is filled with artists and cool things for kids to learn and do. One of those artists is Kat's sister Jen, who lives right down the street; many of her photographs cover our apartment walls.  The ceramic studio that Kat belongs to is right down the street and has a very fun kids program. NYC has the incredible Natural History Museum And let's not forget our favorite Brooklyn Holiday: Halloween!!! 

Kat

I cannot wait to have a child in part because I love to do kid things myself. I count the following pastimes among my favorite adult activities: visiting the Washington Zoo to see the baby pandas, scoping out dinosaur bones in the Natural History Museum, reading Harry Potter and watching any animated movie ("Finding Nemo" is a favorite). I am eager to share my love of life, sense of adventure, wisdom, humor and humility with a new addition to our already joyful family. Plus, I love crafts. 

I am half-Hungarian, half-Estonian, and I grew up in an amazingly creative and close knit family, with loving parents who provided a wonderful environment for my sister Jen and me to grow up in. My dad was a research chemist who earned his PHD from MIT on full scholarship, all while learning English after arriving from Hungary.  My mom, who came here from Estonia as a child, was one of the first women to graduate from Princeton Architecture School, and she did that while raising two young daughters. 

My childhood was filled with love, learning, crafts and creative energy.  We built tree houses, made our own stuffed animals, did ceramics, oil paintings and stained glass sculptures.  We loved animals so much, raising pet chickens, rabbits, and taking care of all types of critters in our suburban New Jersey neighborhood.  My parents' European upbringing provided us with a great appreciation of foreign food and cultures.  We love to cook all types of food and have travelled the globe together, experiencing amazing parts of the world.

My parents' unconditional love provided me with a strong foundation that gave me the courage to pursue the not-so-easy career path that led me to film and design. After college, I started as a design assistant on low-budget, low-paying movies. Eventually, I worked my way up to become one of the three decorators who worked on the sets of the now-legendary series Sex and the City. As a contestant on the Bravo TV show "Top Design," I made it to the final episode, and was the runner-up. Today, I run my own boutique interior design company, which will give me the flexibility to be both a devoted parent and business woman. 

James is the love of my life and will be the best Dad ever.  We have been best friends for the past 18 years and do everything together.  We have dedicated ourselves to life's big adventures. We cannot wait to be parents -- it will be the biggest adventure yet! 

The only thing that makes me as excited as thinking about what Kat is going to be like as a Mom is the idea of being a Dad. You might not be surprised to hear that I dream of surfing with my own pack, teaching a son or daughter about the awesome power of the ocean, how to read and ride waves. Then there’s the world of reading, of books and ideas that are bigger than we are. But really there’s the whole world to show; so much to teach. 

I am of mixed Irish-German-Polish-Jewish heritage. My father left our family when I was only seven years old and my mother had a hard time handling the fallout. As a result I had to figure out how to survive on my own; build my own support network with friends and their parents. I was lucky to have "substitute" families that taught me that love is about more than blood.

The beach and the surf have always felt like home to me.  I learned to surf with my brother at an early age on a board we borrowed from our next-door neighbors. We were lucky to own a home at the shore even though we eventually lost it after my father left.

As a teenager I was a punk rocker with a mohawk. I hung out in downtown Philly, started a band that was really popular – 100 Rifles – and found common cause with kids who had similarly rough family backgrounds. We learned that we were not alone, and we were not the problem. They were some of the best times of my life and I will always cherish them.

Despite all the troubles, my mother did manage to keep me in a good school. And I was able to get into New York University, where I majored in Urban Studies and Philosophy. Working at a bar at night, I started interning at a small community newspaper, which led to a series of continually bigger publications until I landed at one of the biggest news organizations in the world, where I have worked since the year 2000.

My job has allowed me to interview presidents and future presidents, celebrities and sports stars. I have traveled the world covering the White House – flying regularly on Air Force One – presidential politics, crazy investigative stories about Hollywood and foreign affairs, and now, the international media. It allowed me to become financially solvent and even to own a house in Montauk – to surf again!  It’s been an exciting life.

But nothing was more important or a bigger deal than meeting and falling in love with Kat. She is my life partner, my best friend, and, I hope, my future co-parent. I love her so much, but together, we have so much love to spare. 

Travel is important to us, and any child of ours will know the world the way we do. With European parents who were first-generation Americans, Kat grew up going on trips around the globe. James didn't, and never got out of the country until his late 20's. Together we have been to India, Australia, Italy, France, Great Britain, Mexico, Costa Rica, Israel, Hungary, Fiji, Thailand, Vietnam, countless Caribbean islands, and Hawaii. We have kept an open mind about one day maybe even living in another country for a few years, which both of our jobs make possible. It's a great big world out there and as far as we're concerned, we haven't done half the traveling we want to do. (Next expected stop: South African safari!)

We have no doubt that Kat's parents Ivi and Sandor will be terrific, hands-on grandparents. Kat's sister Jen and her husband Paul are excited to take on the role of aunt, uncle and babysitter. We live down the street from each other and see each other, or at least speak to each other, practically every day. Although James's sister and mom both live in Florida, we visit them often. They will be amazing as doting Aunty and Grandmother. Our family has taught us the joy in generosity, the satisfaction of creating things, the importance of family and that with enough determination, anything in this life is possible. We are both eager for the privilege to pass along these values to a child.