Local Couple Turns to Adoption to Make Family Complete

There comes a point in many long-term relationships when the subject of children arises.

This is the case for the Sergi-Curfmans of Regent Square. They have been together for 14 years, married for four, and have decided that now is the best time for them to start a family.

Brian Sergi-Curfman and his husband, Mike, are just one of the many local couples turning to adoption to begin expanding their family.

Brian, a real estate agent from Hollidaysburg, and Mike, a robotics engineer from Baltimore, Maryland, met while going to Carnegie Mellon University for undergraduate work. They looked into a surrogacy, but opted for an open adoption through The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh.

Just this last Thanksgiving, Mike overheard his mother say to Brian’s mother, "I think I’ve given up on grandchildren."

“Later that day, we told our parents that we are looking into adoption," Mike said.

Brian added, “Both of them are looking forward to grandchildren.”

With the support of their families, they started the long and in-depth adoption process. The couple has completed their orientation and mandated classes about childcare and has put in for their FBI, medical and child welfare clearances.

From there, they will need to complete an in-home study and complete four total interviews with the staff from The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh. In addition to this, the men have also filled out a detailed questionnaire about the type of child they feel best suits them and if they would consider adopting multiple children.

Initially, they were unsure what to expect from the birth mothers. Would they be hesitant about having a same sex couple adopt their children? Would they be passed over? These fears were quickly put to rest upon meeting some of the birth mothers that were looking into the services The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh had to offer.

“During the classes, they brought birth mothers and adoption families to share their perspective and both birth mothers chose a same sex couple for their child because they wanted someone to have the experience and diversity in their lives to provide their children with a broader experience than they would have otherwise," Brian said.

With the completion of their home study just around the corner, the happy couple is just about finished with all of the steps to prepare for adoption. From here, it's just a matter of time and a matter of finding the right fit to make their family complete. That being said, this is never a fast process. On average, families that use adoption services like this will still wait between two and five years for placement.

The men realize that they may not have a child through this service for awhile, but they are doing everything in their power to get ready for their soon-to-be family.