“Out of habit, I took the test. The faintest second line appeared. Were my eyes playing tricks on me? Was this for real? I stood in the bathroom staring at the test for what felt like forever. After 4 years, we really were pregnant! No medication, no monitoring.”
“I’d beat myself up for comparing her to other kids and try to convince myself everything was okay. I’d comfort myself with those familiar phrases. She was just ‘going at her own pace,’ ‘every kid is different,’ she will ‘catch up.'”
“Moving with a special needs child is no easy feat.”
“Sometimes I wonder why she can’t be more agreeable. Why things can’t be easier. Yet deep down, even on my most exhausting days, I know I wouldn’t change her. The world needs her vivacious spirit.”
“We planned on a pumpkin patch visit. Instead, we were facing the possibility of losing our baby before we’d even received his birth certificate.”
“While I would never have imagined that 7 years later, we would still be here without a baby, I am grateful for who I have grown to become and the lessons this journey has taught me.”
“I almost taught him that pride was more important than helping another human in need. I almost showed him that a good deed wasn’t good enough to make a difference in someone’s life. And then without even realizing it, my boy reminded me what matters most.”
“‘Check the dryer, a gift for the new baby.’ Words cannot describe how grateful I am right now.”
“I got the opportunity to rappel and engage with other kids at the same exact location I was told I may not live. The same place I had to relearn how to walk. The same place I had my miracle baby years later, the one they told me I would never have.”
“Three simple words that meant everything. Two small feet skipping with joy after hearing them. One mama’s heart letting go of worry, making space for the notion her daughter is not feared and ignored.”
