Waiting Parents: Brian and Grace
HELLO FROM WISCONSIN!
We’re the Baeten family. We’re glad to “meet” you. You’ve been in our thoughts and prayers for some time. We admire your brave and selfless decision in choosing adoption, and are praying God wraps you in His peace as you walk this journey.
ABOUT US:
The most important thing to know about our family is that we are Christians. We believe in the Bible and desire to be honest, kind, genuine people.
Another pivotal part of our life is that I stay home with the kids. I love being there to help them 24/7. We’ve spent more hours learning & playing together than I can count, and I really believe this will lay a great foundation for their life. The everyday moments we share our priceless.
After Jesus, family is our biggest blessing and priority. We are so thankful we get to build these relationships and we pray they last a lifetime.
OUR FAMILY
Brian and I met through friends. We both knew right away that we were meant to be together. We dated long distance while he went back to college. We didn’t get to see each other much, but we talked for hours everyday. Once he graduated and got a job, we got married. We’ve now been married for 11 years and still enjoy talking for hours.
We have two amazing boys in our arms and 13 babies waiting for us in heaven. No one was able to figure out exactly why we had so many miscarriages in between having our sons. They are literal miracles, and we could not be more grateful to be parents. It is such a gift, and we are looking forward to adding to our family!
OUR FAMILY
Brian and I met through friends. We both knew right away that we were meant to be together. We dated long distance while he went back to college. We didn’t get to see each other much, but we talked for hours everyday. Once he graduated and got a job, we got married. We’ve now been married for 11 years and still enjoy talking for hours.
We have two amazing boys in our arms and 13 babies waiting for us in heaven. No one was able to figure out exactly why we had so many miscarriages in between having our sons. They are literal miracles, and we could not be more grateful to be parents. It is such a gift, and we are looking forward to adding to our family!
WHAT GRACE LOVES ABOUT BRIAN:
I love Brian’s heart for our kids. He takes good care of them and makes sure to spend time with them every day. He is gentle, quick to forgive, laid back, and honest. He takes pride in his work, (He’s a supervisor at a well-known farm equipment factory.) and does a good job at whatever he’s working on. He never gets tired of listening to me share my heart or ask for his advice. Brian is a “family man” in the truest sense of the word. He loves Jesus and is my best friend.
WHAT BRIAN LOVES ABOUT GRACE:
What I love about Grace is her heart for her family. She is a caring person and is always concerned about the needs of others. She loves God and seeks to follow Him. She works tirelessly to care for our family. The kids are not only well taken care of physically, but they couldn’t be more loved. She keeps our house in running order and makes it feel like a home. She’s also a fun person and I enjoy talking/joking around with her. We have fun doing life together! I’m so thankful for my wife who is a wonderful mom, and beautiful inside and out.
SETH
Seth is our outgoing, (high-functioning) autistic, smart, funny 6 year old. He loves learning new facts and is quite the expert on butterflies, farming, airplanes, and more. His favorite activities include going to his grandparents’ farm, reading books with Mommy and Caleb, baking/frosting cupcakes for his friends, and building extensive train tracks with Daddy.
CALEB
Caleb is our adorable, laid back, smiley 10 month old. He recently took his first steps and is so close to walking! His favorite activities are reading colorful books, trying new foods, playing with brother, and sitting in the rocking chair with Momma or Daddy.
Both of our boys are very affectionate and friendly. They will make the best big brothers!
MOLLY & GOOBY
We have two Pomeranians. They are so tiny we joke they are forever puppies. If you play fetch with them, they will be your friends forever!
OUR HOME
We live in a cozy, 3 bedroom 1 bathroom home. We have a full basement, a fenced in garden/play area, and a swimming pool. The boys share a room that we painted to look like the children’s book Guess How Much I Love You. It feels like you’re in the storybook! One of our favorite spots is the rocking chair by the fireplace where we read books.
EXTENDED FAMILY
Brian comes from a large family. Most of them live up in Alaska. We keep in touch through texts, phone calls, and pictures, as well as seeing them in person two times a year. They are wonderful grandparents to our boys and frequently send them fun packages in the mail!
We live just a few miles down the road from Grace’s parents. They live on a 240 acre farm with Grace’s grandparents. Seth loves it!
Our family is an incredible support system for Brian and I as parents. They frequently invite us over to play games, go for walks, or just visit. Every Sunday Seth spends the day with them so Brian and I can catch up. We typically see them a couple of times a week.
Our siblings are also a big part of our lives. Our boys have the best aunts and uncles! They also enjoy six cousins that love to have play dates. We get together with extended family for most holidays as well!
SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT OUR FAMILY
All four of us are “foodies” as they say. One of our favorite things to do is try new restaurants or recipes. Seth often thinks of unique ingredients for us try. But we also enjoy good old fashioned pizza & popcorn for family movie nights.
Family meal time is a priority for us. We enjoy hearing about each other’s day over a home-cooked meal.
Grace loves writing. She and her sister self-published a children’s book called Pomeranian Tales based on their dogs.
Our family enjoys throwing barn dances complete with hay bales, square dancing, and Barbecue.
We live in the Wisconsin countryside. Our favorite part about living here is getting to experience all four seasons. Fall is filled with pumpkins and the beautiful colors of the changing leaves. In winter we enjoy building snowmen or sledding in the snow. Spring and summer are for gardening and swimming.
Some other hobbies we enjoy: Brian plays guitar. Grace writes/blogs. As a family we enjoy fishing, walking, taking small road trips, reading, and playing games.
We live near one of Wisconsin’s biggest cities and love to take day trips there. They have tons of fun activities like a zoo, trampoline parks, waterparks, a botanical garden, shopping, and more.
OUR HEART FOR ADOPTION
We have wanted to adopt ever since we began dating. It’s something God has always put on our hearts. We feel so grateful to God for adopting us into His family, and we desire to share that love with as many children as He sees fit to give us.
We also love being parents, and would be honored to share our home, love, & support with another child. To be able to give them a lifetime of care and encouragement – not to mention the two best brothers in the world:) – would be a privilege.
While we are open to whatever level of openness YOU feel comfortable with, (including in person visits to Texas) we would love for Baby to be able to maintain a connection with you. We want them to grow up comfortable talking about their adoption story and having a healthy relationship with their birth family. We hope you will always be a part of their life because you will always hold a part of their heart.
OUR PROMISE TO YOU
We think of you often and keep you and your baby in our prayers. We hope we can be a support for you and would love to get to know you!
If you choose open adoption, we promise to stay in touch. Visits, FaceTime, pictures, letters… we truly desire to help you and Baby foster a good relationship! We’ll tell Baby all about you and how thankful we are to you for making this decision. We promise your baby will have our endless love and care, and will grow up in a stable, loving home where they will learn about Jesus.
We can hardly wait to meet you both in person!
With Love,
Brian, Grace, Seth & Caleb