Sláinte from Ireland! We are David and Simon, and we have no clue what to write here but will give it our best shot 😀

We have been together for almost 9 years, and we got married in 2022 surrounded by our closest friends and family…which means a big wedding because Irish families are huge, and ours are no exception! We met on a relatively sunny day in Phoenix Park, Dublin playing a game of rounders (think baseball but a lot more casual and without the rules), which had been organised by an LGBTQI+ adventure group we were both members of …David made the first move, Simon played hard to get… We started dating in May 2015, shortly before Ireland’s historic Marriage Equality Referendum – it must have been a sign!

Fast forward a few of years, after moving in and buying a house together, we started a little furry family by adopting two rabbits, Stan and Lee, and then we took in the most adorable and loveable British Bulldog, Bruce. And believe it or not, the rabbits and dog are the best pals.

Simon basically grew up on his grandparents’ farm in the countryside in County Wicklow, Ireland. I have one brother, Gavin, close in age with similar interests in rugby and keeping fit. My mum worked for years on the farm, attending to horses, while my granddad managed everything from cattle to sheep. My dad still loves his day job and is as fit as a fiddle in his 70s!

David also grew up in the country, just outside the local town in County Carlow, Ireland. As a kid I would stay with my grandparents during the day while my parents both worked, and weekends were usually spent playing with my cousins. I have one sibling, my sister Leann, who is 5 years younger than me. My sister and I are very close, and she has been a great support to myself and Simon through our surrogacy journey to date. Leann and her fiancé welcomed a set of gorgeous twins, Noah & Hayley, over Christmas, born through IVF. I am so proud to be an uncle and it has made me even more determined

We recognise that we are actually very lucky, as a gay couple we have a biology issue, not an infertility issues… so we need your help to bring our dream of a family true.

We have partnered with CReATe Fertility in Toronto, Ontario, and we have 6 PGT-A tested embryos.

We live in our own house in Ashtown, a suburb just outside Dublin City – it is a new estate, only built 5 years ago, and is a very young, family friendly neighbourhood. We are very close to our next-door neighbours who have two kids, aged 5 and 2 (Simons is godfather to the 2 year old). There are a few playgrounds within our estate, but we can also walk to Dublin’s Phoenix Park which is a massive open green park.

Our respective parents/ extended families are only 40 minutes away in our home counties, meaning we will never be short of support, with Grannies inevitably fighting over who’s turn it is to babysit!

We have a big network of friends in Dublin, with some only minutes away who have (or are due shortly) welcomed their own surro-miracles into the world.

We were both raised alongside siblings and cousins, and each have built long lasting friendships with extended family. It is really important to us that our future child enjoys the same benefits we did…along with another equally important extended family with our future surrogate.

Simon works for a not-for-profit charity; a healthcare organisation that specialises in patient safety and quality improvement. In my day job as an event manager, I organise a yearly international and smaller regional conferences among healthcare professionals around the world. I love the great outdoors, taking our dog Bruce for walks every day and attending the gym. I have been involved in amateur drama productions in my home county, enjoying the thrills of getting up on stage in front of an audience – even though it terrifies me on every occasion!

David is a Quantity Surveyor, looking after the construction costs on new building projects. I joined my company as a young graduate nearly 20 years ago, and recently became a Partner in the firm which is very exciting. For fun I love kayaking with the adventure group we are both members with, which can take us across Ireland for a day out. I’m very close to my family, and will get a call every Sunday from my Dad to organise a walk or hike in some new wood, or estate with him and mum – and Simons folks will also join depending on the location.

Together we love the cinema, theatre, exploring the countryside, and spending quality time with our godsons – and more recently David’s niece and nephew. Our dog keeps us on our toes with fresh air every day! We love a cosy night in but are equally fans of travelling near and far!

Our intention is to support our surrogate throughout the entire pregnancy. Considering the magnitude of a gift that our surrogate is giving to us, we do not want our surrogate to be at a loss and will cover the all her costs/ expenses.

The main thing for us is to let the surrogate know that we will support her, and her family, on this journey together – because we will be a team.

Depending on the surrogate’s own preferences, we would like as much contact as she is happy and comfortable with. Given our location, it would be great to have video calls to begin with, and if we connect, we will travel to Canada to meet in person. During the pregnancy we can’t imagine not being in regular contact and would hope to match with someone where both sides feel like old friends. Our intention is to travel over during the pregnancy when we can, especially for the important milestones. We feel very strongly that our child should know their heritage and would like nothing more than to have an ongoing relationship with the surrogate – and hope they feel the same way.

We cannot express in words how excited we are that you have chosen to read our profile and learn a little bit about us. We guess that is the first step really; making a distant connection with strangers online! We must admit, it feels a little awkward and weird, but we hope you will consider talking to us, to understand us, and us you, beyond the words on this page.

Having a child, to bring into this world and raise together means the world to us. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, to help make this a reality, hopefully, some day.