Mesmin & Michael

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Hi, and thank you for looking at our profile. Our names are Mesmin and Michael, and we have always shared the desire to build a family that is full of love, support, and happiness. We can only imagine that this is likely a difficult time for you, and we hope that this little look into our lives gives you a bit of an idea of the type of home that we might provide.

Our story

We met over seven years ago out and about in Chicago, and we are very grateful for the life that we have built together. Mesmin’s calm and thoughtful attitude complement Michael’s passionate personality and sharp sense of humor. In addition to all the joy that we have found together, we are fortunate to care most about the same things in life. We recently celebrated our third wedding anniversary, and we look forward to having children in our family.

What we care most about

We both have large and close knit extended families, and we have felt very lucky to have all of their love and support in our lives. There are lots of little ones in our lives but we spend the most time with our niece and goddaughter, Parker, who has solidified our shared priorities in how we hope to raise our own child. We have also both devoted our lives to kids and education. Michael has been a teacher and administrator for over 10 years, while Mesmin is also in education as a college professor.

Home, community, and openness

Recently, we bought our historic dream home in the Edgewater neighborhood. It is a diverse community where we feel safe and comfortable, and it has been great to be able to host our friends, family, and gatherings around the piano. We are fortunate to be able to provide a loving home and excited to put a new member of our family first in our lives. Our mothers are already making plans to take over the extra bedrooms from time to time and share all of their grandmother wisdom with us.

We know that this process has its challenges for everyone involved, but we believe that the Cradle's tradition of openness provides a range of options and possibilities to help us surround a child with as much love, security, and opportunity as possible. We feel very open to many forms of potential contact including exchanging photos and updates, keeping in touch through phone and email, and planning visits. We are glad that you have found the supportive community that the Cradle provides, and we sincerely hope that there is clarity and peace in whatever road lies ahead for you.

Mesmin

My guilty movie pleasures are Titanic and Save the Last Dance
I try to visit Haiti once every three or four years
I have not eaten meat in about 8 years
My biggest adventure was a month long trip to Istanbul and across Turkey
My favorite piano composer is Frederic Chopin
My cousins and I like to talk about people in French and Haitian creole
I was born on St. Patrick’s day in New York City and grew up in Omaha, Nebraska
I’m pretty competitive at ping pong

Michael

I read tons of sci-fi novels and keep up with a handful of the latest sci-fi tv shows
I studied abroad in Spain and South Africa during college
T. Rex is my favorite dinosaur
I drag Mesmin and all of our friends to the renaissance faire for my birthday
My favorite radio stations to listen to in the car are WBEZ and WGCI
My entire Polish family does the chicken dance at every family wedding
I used to play the violin
I love building things and putting together furniture