Emily Richey is a graduate of Pace University NYC. She has written and edited for multiple online platforms, including Love What Matters. She spends her free time petting stray cats.

Emily Richey is a graduate of Pace University NYC. She has written and edited for multiple online platforms, including Love What Matters. She spends her free time petting stray cats.
“At 6 weeks along, I started to bleed. I was convinced it was happening a third time. She gasped, ‘Oh wow, a heartbeat!’ Words I’d never heard before. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“One of us dared say it out loud: ‘I want to pursue foster care.’ ‘What?!? Me too.’ Not someday, then. Together. I saw it from our agency’s placement desk and stepped into the kitchen. ‘Two-day-old baby girl ready to be discharged tomorrow, yes or no?’ Yes. Yes. Yes! We never looked back.”
“It’s probably not a big deal.’ The team was stumped. They decided to do an ultrasound just for good measure. Our world was shattered in that moment.”
“My nails weren’t painted and I curled my hair myself in between wiping away the endless stream of tears. It wasn’t staged or super fancy. It was a dad doing what he always did best: sweeping his girl off her feet one last time.”
“I worried what I’d look like the next day. I HAD to do better tomorrow. I lived in fear.”
“I was unable to carry biological children. ‘WHY NOT ME?’ I’d see news stories of child abuse, neglect, and murder. I’m not a very patient person. My heart was forced to explore other options.”
“We were fueled with fear and anticipation. I was reminded that adoption is not a natural process. There we were, both his moms, welcoming him.”
“I had more and more difficulties performing physical functions. I couldn’t keep my balance. ‘Maybe I had too many concussions.’ I felt defeated thinking about all the things I wouldn’t be able to do with my wife and kids.”
“I lost over 20 pounds and had severe pain. I was admitted to the hospital. ‘Why is this happening to me? I should be out with friends, not in pain.’ I only got worse.”
“Our 4-month-old son was having seizures. To say we were scared is an understatement. We followed him in an ambulance. All we had now was hope.”