Schmittdiel Family

Our Family:

My husband Brian and I have been married for almost 6 years. Together, we have two boys, ages 4 and 3. Our 3 year old son has Down Syndrome.

We live in Minnesota, have a wonderful home with the best neighbors and many parks. We have an inclusive school district, and many friends that love our children for how they were uniquely created. Our two sons can’t wait for another child to join our family, and neither can our sweet Black Lab, Pepper.

Our Desire to Adopt:

We have been involved in the Down syndrome community since before our youngest was born. I sit on the board of the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota and am enrolled in Partners In Policymaking. I also educate schools and parents on how to talk to other children about a classmate that may be different than them. We also have phenomenal health insurance and all surgeries and therapies are covered.

Our Faith:

We are grounded in our faith and know God has a plan to grow our family through adoption! We attend and serve at our church and love to fill our home with worship music.

Dear Birth Mom/Parents:

I know you have many feelings and emotions going through you right now, I want to validate those and let you know they are all normal, and ok. We too, have been in your shoes. We had our son’s Down syndrome diagnosis at around 24 weeks, and it was unexpected. Now, we are so thankful for his diagnosis, and cherish all that has come because of him having Down syndrome. I sit on the board of the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota, I am enrolled in Partners In Policymaking, and I educate schools on how to talk about differences in the classroom. Our community of love and support is what we are most thankful for, and can’t wait to share that with another child.

We know that you are thinking of what is absolutely best for your child, and we can’t thank you enough for considering us to raise and love your child. We know we can provide a wonderful life for your child, and would love to have you as involved in their life as you would like to be.

God is with you, and He is for you. He will not forsake you. You are loved and you are His. We are praying for you and will continue to do so for the rest of our lives.

We promise to love your child unconditionally and give them all the support they need to love their life. We also promise that your child will know how much you love them.

With many thanks and love,
Gina and Brian