Tommy & Ashley G.

are adopting a child from United States of America

“The Love of a Family is life’s greatest blessing.” ~Eva Burrows

We began this adoption journey in the Fall of 2021. We took courses to prepare ourselves for adoption and all that may come with it. We were ready, and then we weren’t. We had not yet given fertility treatments a try and maybe there was an easy fix. So we pivoted to fertility treatments.

January 2022-June 2024 we sought out fertility treatments. Tommy and Ashley both underwent surgeries to help fix issues and once those were sorted out, began trying IUI. This was a gray area for us as in our Catholic Faith IVF is not something that we believe respects life and God’s role in marriage and a life. IUI still allowed God to work, but also gave us a better chance. We felt so fortunate too because we had infertility insurance that helped pay for most of these treatments! 7 tries later, there was no success in our IUI treatments. We know that it is not part of God’s plan right now and we are accepting that. We are still feeling called to being parents which brings us to this.

We need help. Infant Adoption in the United States can cost anywhere from $35,000 to $60,000. The agency that we have chosen to go with, St. Elizabeth Coleman, costs about $30,000. After our own savings, we have been able to make our goal smaller- Just $25,000. “It takes a village to raise a kid” is what we keep hearing. What we are hoping is that our village will help us adopt a kiddo before we can raise one.

We would love any support that is given to us: prayers, time, happiness, talents, and monetary donation. We already know that we are so loved and our future child is so loved. Thank you in advance for all the love and support you have and will always show us. We love our village.

Adoption Status

Waiting To Be Matched

Adoption Agency

St. Elizabeth Coleman

Updates

  • Update 14

    Baby Shower and Excitement

    March 4, 2025

    This past month of waiting has been filled with so much joy! We have spent the last month/month and a half planning with family and friends to celebrate our adoption journey and next steps in our adoption. We planned and had our baby shower and it was so helpful to us and to our families as we navigate this uncertainty. The baby shower brought a realness that was missing for so long. We felt so loved, cared for, and seen by so many people in our lives. We continue to pray for, hope for, and grow in excitement and love for our future child. We continue to save our extra money (thank God for putting extra taxes away to help) and hope that the wait goes quickly. We are excited to be in this time of happiness, joy, and now certainty that one day we will have a child.

    While we wanted to invite so many more people in our lives and communities to our baby shower, we already invited many ( and I mean MANY) family and friends to the point we could not invite any more. We were asked to share our baby registry with others so I will include the link below for anyone who may want it. Please continue to pray for us, the birth family, and our future child. This lenten season will help prepare our hearts for the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter and also for our future child. Love and prayers to all in our community and families.

    Registry Link: https://my.babylist.com/thomas-guilfoy

  • Update 13

    Exciting Waiting!

    February 6, 2025

    We had our second home study visit today and when our social worker left, we felt so much relief and excitement! We have not yet been officially approved for our home study, but she indicated that it was just a matter of waiting on any last paperwork to be shared with her on the agency side. Our photo book will now be shared with birth families and we could be matched any day now! We are so excited and cannot wait to have our child in our arms one day. Even though this is more waiting, we are now in the excited waiting as the next big update will be that we have matched with a family! God is so good. Life is so good. Thank you so much for all your thoughts and prayers always. Our village is vast and filled with so many people who love and care for us. You will continue to be in our thoughts and prayers and we will update you as we hear more in the future!

  • Update 12

    Next Home Study Visit & Baby Shower!

    February 2, 2025

    We have been pretty busy recently with getting our home ready for our first home visit and just day to day life events. Our first home visit went really well and we are in the middle of trying to finalize any paperwork that was missing. Our references has been an issue as the agency has said they sent them out, but our references have yet to receive the email. Some have gotten the email and have completed while others are waiting. We are both working together to get that worked out before our next visit- which is THIS THURSDAY! We are excited to have this second visit because then that means the Home Study is complete and we just need to wait on the approval! Once we are approved, we can start applying for grants to help cover the cost of the adoption and we will be waiting for a family to match with us! We are so excited!

    It is also exciting that we are preparing to have a baby shower in the next month as well! It is, and has been, so hard to navigate this journey as many things are different than a normal pregnancy. Ashley doesn't have the bodily effects- such as cravings, fatigue, baby bump, etc. Tommy doesn't have the late night store runs, helping his pregnant wife put on shoes or rub her feet because they hurt. We also do not have the joys of feeling a baby's kick from inside the womb, filling out the baby book month by month as they grow, or even know when to expect a child to enter our home. We have been adapting to that difference and have an adoption baby book that we can do different pieces in. We have the freedom to choose when to do things with family and friends such as when to have our baby shower. Since so many things are out of our control, this is one thing we can control. It may be awhile before we have the child, but we will be prepared (shocker-Ashley wants to be prepared). We are so excited to celebrate with family and friends soon. Thank you for your continued prayers and love. We are looking forward to this next month as good and exciting things are ahead!

  • Update 11

    January 23rd- 1st Home Study Visit

    January 11, 2025

    We finally heard back from our adoption agency and the social worker who will be visiting our house on scheduling a date for them to come visit- January 23rd. As has been true for all of this process, what the next step looks like is different than what we had been told at the beginning of this all. We thought we had one home visit that would take an entire day and then we would wait for approval so we could be shown to birth families. Come to find out, there are actually 2 home visits and we will not schedule the second until the day of our first home visit. We were also hoping to have our fist home visit sooner than the end of January, but we will take any date. Please keep us in your prayers as we are one step closer to being shown to families. Please also keep our future child and their birth family in your prayers as we do the same. The family and birth mother of our future child needs prayers more than we do as they navigate and decide what is best for their child. We cannot even begin to imagine how hard the decision is to give your child up for adoption. We are so excited to meet this future baby as we continue to prepare our hearts and home. Prayers to you all always. Our village is truly incredible.

  • Update 10

    January 6th... Then more waiting

    December 31, 2024

    Well we did hear back within 2 weeks, but it was not the news we were hoping to hear. When we had started this whole process, we had been given hope that our Home Study would have been completed by the Holidays and we could start applying for grants over Christmas Break. We learned that our adoption agency is closed for the two weeks at Christmas and in addition to that does not usually do weekend home visits (the last step in the home study). The person who does sometimes do weekend visits went on vacation the day or two before we heard back from the agency and now we have to wait until the week of January 6th to see if a weekend is even an option for us. We had hoped to do a weekend so as to preserve as many days as we could for parental leave when the baby does come. We are looking forward to the week of January 6th and hope that a weekend date could work. In the mean time we continue to work on our baby registry, talk about upcoming baby showers, and get our house ready for the home visit. 2024 taught us a lot, but we are really excited for what 2025 is going to bring. Happy New Year!

    Side Note: When Tommy and I were in our early dating days, we sent each other these someecards all the time (the image in this update). So this picture is more than a light joke to bring humor to this long wait. :)

$4,230 raised of $25,000 goal
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Donations 29

  • Anonymous gave an undisclosed amount
    I don’t know you but I know Colleen Borgert and she posted your story. We went through infertility for three years (and many treatments, multiple rounds of IUI and IVF) before having our daughter. Wishing you the best of luck in adoption!
  • Debra Krupowicz gave $100
    Praying and trusting that God has just the right baby in His plan for your family.
  • Anonymous gave an undisclosed amount
  • Nicky Hayes-Barrett gave $50
    Ashley, I “met” your parents through my medical journey. I saw her share and I was drawn to give what I can. I became an aunt for the first time because of adoption 26 years ago and again 20 years ago. Best ever. God Bless You
  • Jena Stacey gave $100
    Your mom and I were friends in junior high and high school. I’m an adoptive parent too and wish you a lot of love and happiness in your adoption journey. It’s not an easy road but it’s a wonderful road!
  • Ben and Kristan Russell gave $50
    We are so happy for you that you get to experience the gift of adoption. May God bless you now and always.
  • Anonymous gave an undisclosed amount
  • Mom and Dad Ellington gave $200
    ❤️ 🙏
  • Anonymous gave an undisclosed amount
    Wishing you luck on your journey
  • Anonymous gave $100
    Love and prayers.