Dominic Sposato, 34, High School English Teacher
Anthony Romeo, 32, Sales Representative
Gabriel, 11 months old
Monthly rent: $1,298
NJF: How did you meet?
AR: We met through Dominic’s brother, Carl; they both went to Ramapo College. He introduced us at a bookstore and we eventually started dating. We’ve been married since October 2012 and just celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary.
NJF: What made you decide to move to Old Bridge?
AR: Dominic was actually born here and lived here until he was in fifth grade. The
day we moved into our apartment, our next-door neighbors gave birth to their baby
boy, Rocco, who has grown to love uncles Dom and Anthony! This is a great community with amazing neighbors, a pool and a handful of playgrounds. It’s truly a wonderful place to raise a family, and we’re happy to call it home.
NJF: When you decided to adopt your son, what was the process like?
DS: It was very intense, but didn’t take quite as long for us compared to other couples we know. We began the first phase in September 2014 and were matched with a birth mom in July 2015. Gabe was born last November at St. Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick; I was even in the delivery room! The most challenging part was coming up with the money for the adoption fees. We crowd-funded and borrowed from our retirement plans. Anthony also wrote online about our fatherhood journey from start to finish.
NJF: What are some local activities you love doing as a family?
DS: We’ve taken Gabriel in the stroller for some great fall walks through the neighborhood. We’re looking forward to taking him to Great Oak Park in East Brunswick, where we used to picnic pre-baby.
NJF: What’s your childcare situation?
AR: We’re both lucky to have great employers, and actually took a total of seven paid weeks of staggered leave from work to be with him (we were off at different times). Luckily, Dom’s parents live in the town where he teaches, so they’ve enthusiastically jumped into grandparenthood and watch Gabe during the day. He also goes to daycare in Spotswood two days a week.
NJF: Have you connected with any local gay or adoptive families in the area?
DS: We’ve been lucky to network with other gay dads, not just in our local community but across the country through gayswithkids.com. We’re hoping to become resources for other gay families in our community.
More Like This: