Bryan & Taylor Keightley adoption photo 1

Bryan & Taylor Keightley adoption photo 2

Bryan & Taylor Keightley

are adopting a child from United States of America

We are ADOPTING!

You read that right!! As some of you may know, we have been completing our home study process since September 2024. On 1/27/25, we received the email we had been praying for notifying us that we have been home study approved!! YAY!

To provide a little context, we’ve always wanted to adopt, and it wasn’t a matter of if for us, but more about when. In 2023, we started to feel that the Lord was calling us toward adoption, so we actually started the adoption process soon after, but decided to try another round of IVF first. After our last failed embryo transfer in July 2024, it was made abundantly clear to us that God was calling us to grow our family through adoption, so here we are today and let me catch you up to speed!

As you can imagine, the adoption process can feel very overwhelming when you are starting the process, often leaving people not knowing where to start. After initially meeting multiple adoption agencies and adoption consultants, we decided to sign on with Christian Adoption Consultants (CAC) versus with one adoption agency. We were comforted knowing that we had someone walking alongside us helping each step of the way. I will preface that hiring an adoption consultant is not required as it does cost extra money, but we found it extremely comforting knowing that CAC works with ethical and vetted agencies. Hiring an adoption consultant has also helped by advising us through the home study process, creating our profile book (essentially a 20 page magazine of us that is provided to expecting mothers to market us once we are a “waiting family”), and they will assist us in the matching process all the way through the completion process.

During the last few months, we have been working with Nightlight Christian Adoptions, a wonderful agency helping to build families in a bunch of different ways. With them, we have been completing LOTS of paperwork, including background checks, physicals, bloodwork, references, interviews, dozens of pages of autobiography, and about 30 hours of education in various topics such as grief in adoption, openness in adoption, moving from infertility to adoption, child development, and so many other valuable topics. Even though it was a daunting task, we found the education SO helpful! Today, we are finally HOME STUDY APPROVED and are now considered “a waiting family” so it is just a matter of time that we start seeing “cases” or what we call “situations.”

For us, an expecting mother will come in and share with her agency what she is looking for in a family and what her desires are such as her “level of openness” or any other details that are important to her. Then the agency will find prospective families that match her desires. Our CAC will then present us with her situation, and if we think we would be a good match, we will provide her our profile book! If she reviews our profile book and agrees that we will be a good fit, then we are considered a “match”! To note, a profile book is a book that hopeful adoptive parents create to introduce themselves to an expecting mother/parents considering adoption. This book typically includes photos, personal information, details about our home, values, and lifestyle. The goal is to give an expecting mother or parent a heartfelt glimpse into who we are and the kind of life we would provide as parents.

Something that is important to note about the matching process is not all adoption agencies help expecting mothers find adoptive families the same way so each agency will uniquely navigate how they do their own matching process. We are going to use 7 different agencies across the United States. In the meantime, as we begin to see cases come in, we are going to be getting the nursery ready and start purchasing baby items so we are prepared for when we get the call!

We dream of a home filled with love, laughter, and endless support for our child. We want to build a relationship with our child’s birth mother that’s grounded in trust, openness, and respect. It’s our hope that this process will bring us closer to the child meant for us, and we’re ready to embrace the joys and challenges of parenthood with open arms.

What is next for us is to apply to the 7 adoption agencies and send them our profile book(s) that will be presented to the expecting mother when we see a situation that we want to present to them. Then we are just waiting for us to match! It’s a bit of a fun and exciting waiting game now after we get accepted to these agencies 😀.

What we need: your support

As we continue on this journey, we are so thankful for the love and encouragement we’ve received. Adoption is a beautiful and sometimes challenging path, and having a community like you cheering us on means the world.

Prayer Requests – Your prayers mean more than we can express. Thank you so much for all those that have been praying for us. We ask that you continue to pray for our future child: for their health, safety, and for the Lord’s perfect timing in bringing them into our lives. Also prayers for the birth mother - that she stays safe, healthy, and receives all the care and support she needs. We pray for her heart, her strength, and that our relationship with her grows organically and beautifully. Lastly, for our marriage. As we prepare to welcome a child into our home, we ask for prayers so that our bond remains strong and that we can face this new chapter with unity, grace, and patience.
Online Registry – If you’d like to contribute in a tangible way, we will be creating an online registry with items that will help us prepare for our little one’s arrival. Every gift, big or small, will make a meaningful impact as we get ready for this life-changing journey. More info coming soon!
Donate financially – In the US, the average cost of adoption can be $50k+ which covers home study costs, agency fees, birth parent costs such as medical care and housing, and/or legal fees. Adoption can be costly, and while we’ve been working hard to save, we know there’s still a long way to go. If you feel led to help in a financial way, we would be deeply grateful. Any contribution, no matter how big or small, will make a difference in helping us bring our child home. Also, thank you so much to those that have already helped financially. Fundraising can be sensitive so please ask us all the questions you’d like. We’ve prayed and thought about this a lot and we are more than happy to share our thought process.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far (ESPECIALLY OUR WONDERFUL PARENTS, FAMILY, and CLOSE FRIENDS) and to those who will join us in this journey. We know that the road ahead won’t always be easy, but we feel so blessed to be walking it with such an amazing community and support system around us. We can’t wait to share more updates as we get closer to meeting our little one. Please continue to pray for us and follow along as we walk this exciting path toward parenthood!

With love & gratitude, B&T

Adoption Status

Home At Last

Updates

Update 1

Hearts Open, Hands Ready
June 23, 2025

It’s been way too long since we’ve sent out a blog post and we apologize, but we would like to update you all that are following along in our journey! We have been an official waiting family with all 6 agencies (across numerous US states) that our consultant advised us on since the end of March/early April! This means that we have completed the agency applications, paid the fees, completed their training, onboarding, additional background checks and questions, filled out additional online profiles, and answered all their questions to their satisfaction! We thought that after the home study and everything else we finished that all that work would be done, but boy were we wrong. We are glad it’s over 🙂 (for now)!

Now that we have been an active and waiting family for over 3 months, we have learned that adoption is very much a roller coaster—the highs, the lows, and all the “almosts” in between. There have been days that didn’t end the way we hoped, yet we continue to hold on to faith that our time is coming. So far, we’ve presented our profile 11 times. We’ve presented to boys and girls and even twins! While it’s said that it takes an average of 10 cases before receiving a “yes,” that statistic doesn’t soften the sting of the “no’s” and rejection that we feel. Each time we aren’t chosen, it doesn’t get easier—in fact, it gets harder.

We’ve found ourselves asking, “Why not us?” or “What’s wrong with us?” The times we’ve come close have brought a flood of emotions—hope, excitement, fear, and then deep sadness when things didn’t work out. And now, we’re starting to feel something we’ve come to call “presenting fatigue.” With each case, we’re guarding our hearts a little more, trying to protect ourselves from the weight of disappointment.

Our adoption consultant recently said it best: “When families present multiple times without being chosen, they often begin to build a wall around their hearts. And when a real match finally comes, it can be overwhelming—because suddenly, it’s real.”

We’ve experienced that. There have been moments when we allowed ourselves to imagine, “This could actually happen.” And even though those moments didn’t lead to a match, they’ve left a mark. Still, through it all, we remain committed to this journey—believing the right match, the one meant for us, is on its way.

One of our favorite verses is Proverbs 3:5-6, and throughout our adoption journey, we’ve also been leaning into Psalm 37:23-24. These verses have been on our hearts often as we continue to walk this path, trusting that each step is guided—even when the way forward feels uncertain.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

Psalm 37:23-24

The Lord makes firm the steps

of the one who delights in him;

though he may stumble, he will not fall,

for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

We know that God is calling us to this path, but it doesn’t mean it’s not exciting, scary, and difficult at times! We remain faithful and trusting that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are with us in every decision and that ultimately the child we get matched with is exactly the life God wants us stewarding for him. Our Father in heaven is making our path firm and our steps straight. This whole journey is blessed and stamped by his hand. And boy are we clinging to his hands!

With all that said, I guess the update is that there isn’t much of an update ha! We’re all set with our agencies, continue to see cases/situations that we can present to (i.e., share our Bryan and Taylor profile book) and we’re just waiting for a birth mom to choose us to adopt her baby. Once she chooses us and we’re matched then we work on building relationship with her, make sure she’s taken care of, and then go pick up our child when he or she is born! Please continue praying for us.

Fundraising Update

First of all, ENORMOUS THANK YOU to everyone that has joined us in our journey from a financial standpoint. We are way behind on thank you cards, but rest assured you will get one! It’s pretty amazing and incredibly heartfelt to see all the support through prayers/love/encouragement but also financially. God has blessed our finances, but after IVF and now with how expensive adoption is we can feel everyone’s support even more. Thank you so much. We will be sending thank you cards in the coming months 🙂.

Without further ado, we’d love to also share that WE HIT OUR GOAL for the Puzzle Piece Pledge Drive. We continue to be so grateful for you all. Details below.

Goal: $10,000

Raised: $10,100

101% TO GOAL!!

ALL PUZZLE PIECES CLAIMED

WIth achieving our initial fundraising goal, we were able to complete our puzzle. Currently, we are getting it framed so we can hang it in the nursery and our child can see all the names of family/friends that surround them. We’ll send you all a picture when it’s complete 🙂 !!

What we need: your continued support

1. Prayer Requests – Your prayers mean more than we can express. Thank you so much for all those that have been praying for us. We ask that you continue to pray for:

Our future child: For their health, safety, and for the Lord’s perfect timing in bringing them into our lives.
The birth mother: That she stays safe, healthy, and receives all the care and support she needs. We pray for her heart, her strength, and that our relationship with her grows organically and beautifully if that is what’s meant to be.

Our marriage: As we prepare to welcome a child into our home, we ask for prayers so that our bond remains strong and that we can face this new chapter with unity, grace, and patience.

2. Online Registry – If you’d like to contribute in a tangible way, we’ve created an online registry with items that will help us prepare for our little one’s arrival. Every gift, big or small, will make a meaningful impact as we get ready for this life-changing journey.

3. Donate financially – In the US, the average cost of adoption can be $50k+ which covers home study costs, agency fees, birth parent costs such as medical care and housing, and/or legal fees. Adoption can be costly, and while we’ve been working hard to save, we know there’s still a long way to go. If you feel led to help in a financial way, we would be deeply grateful. Any contribution, no matter how big or small, will make a difference in helping us bring our child home. Also, thank you so much to those that have already helped financially. With the Puzzle Piece Pledge Drive and other fundraising efforts, we’ve already raised a whopping $31,530.53 for our $50,000 goal (63% to goal). Thank you thank you thank you!!

If you’d like to donate, you can do so via our adoption fund by Venmo’ing Bryan (@bryan-keightley). Also, we hear your feedback and we have started a webpage similar to Go Fund Me (Adopt Together webpage). Details below in #4 Spread the Word.

Fundraising can be sensitive so please ask us all the questions you’d like. We’ve prayed and thought about this a lot and we are more than happy to share our thought process. Here is a list of what we’ve spent so far and current expected costs. We’re happy to share an itemized version for those that have made a donation 🙂.

Cost Type / Amount
CAC Services + Home Study Fee / $11,498.00
Home Study Requirements (CPR training, Education, Counseling, etc.) / $1,205.02
Adoption Agency Application Fees / $5,494.68
Subtotal (Already Paid) / $18,197.70
Est. Adoption Fee / $50,000.00
Est. Potential Costs (Healthcare, Room & Board, Labor & Delivery, etc.) / $10,000.00
Total Costs / $78,197.70

Total Fundraised / $31,530.53
Goal / $50,000.00
% to Goal / 63%

4. Spread the Word – Adoption is a long road, and we appreciate any way you can help us raise awareness or share our story, blog, or our Adopt Together webpage. If you know someone who has been through adoption, or who has wisdom or resources to share, we’d love to connect.

In love, gratitude and grace,

B&T