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FAMILY PROFILE

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Prospective Parent 1: Eva Catherine (Hodgkins) Shields [37]
Eva grew up the adored child of two laid-back professors and was always very close with her younger brother, Pierce. As she grew up, Eva became more and more stressed leading her to lose the enjoyment in life. When she met Ben she was able to feel completely relaxed and his presence allowed her to feel truly happy once more. They fell completely in love and they got married at 32. Now Eva works as history professor like her parents and she loves how her job allows her to balance work and family. She and Benjamin are determined to continue to make new traditions with each other and their children and want to get as much as possible out of life.
Three Hobbies: Gardening, Exercise, Baking
Three Character Traits: Perfectionistic, Determined, Optimistic

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Prospective Parent 2: Benjamin Herbert “Ben” Shields [38]
Ben was adopted from Puerto Rico by loving parents when he was two years old and has been determined to adopt ever since. He grew up an only child but surrounded by friends and extended family who loved him. From day one he was a bit of a goofball and class clown and he’s never stopped telling jokes and playing fun. In college he met Eva and fell head over heels for her despite her naturally disliking him and he worked hard to get her to like him back. Years after they married, Ben is completely overjoyed to have two lovely kids and an amazing wife, but he always wanted to adopt and he figures this is his time.
Three Hobbies: Cooking, Stand-up comedy, Building stuff
Three Character Traits: Comedic, Intelligent, Stubborn

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Current Children: Rafael Pierce “Rafi” Shields [4] and Silvia Leonie Shields [2]
Rafael and Silvia are energetic, fun-loving children who are their parents’ pride and joy. They were both very open to adopting a sibling and they are currently begging their parents to let them name the new family member. (The answer is a definite “NO!”)
Both Biological

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Family Location: Rochester, NY, USA
Careers: Eva is a history professor at the local university. Ben is a structural engineer.
Main Family Languages: Both Eva and Ben speak fluent English and Spanish and they are raising their children bilingually.
Secondary Family Languages: Eva studied French and Portuguese in school and is proficient in both languages. Ben speaks some German and limited Hindi.
Family Religion: They are atheist but Eva is interested in studying languages to learn more about their cultural implications.
Family Pet: They have a pet rabbit named Pepe.
Disabilities: Neither Eva nor Ben have any disabilities to speak of. Rafi has a peanut allergy.

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ADOPTION PROFILE

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Preferred Number of Children: 1 or 2.
Gender Preference: No preference.
Age Preference: Newborn to 6.
Nationality Preference: They would like to adopt at least one child from Puerto Rico or a Spanish speaking country.
Religion Preference: They would prefer a child that is not religious or at least not devout.
Would the family be willing to adopt…
—siblings? Yes. Two maximum.
—twins or triplets? Twins only are okay.
—children with disabilities? They would accept children with mild allergies or mild sensory loss but no serious disabilities.
—children from extreme circumstances? No.
—children with prior disciplinary records? Probably not but very minor previous crimes would be acceptable.
—pregnant teenagers or teen parents? No. Those do not apply in the age range they are looking for.
—children with mental illnesses? No.
Would the family prefer an open or closed adoption? Either is fine.