“The best moments have snuck up on me. It’s tuck-in rituals of reading and laughing, spontaneous tickle fights, the first time they said, ‘I love you.’ They’ve gone from testing my love to basking in it.”
‘I can’t explain it, but I think these are our kids.’ I didn’t know if they were up for adoption. All I knew was I wanted to take them home.’: Couple adopt sons from foster care, ‘They’re cherished’
‘There’s one sac and 2 heartbeats! Hang on, there’s a THIRD!’ They thought I stole the photo.’: Mom births rare miracle triplets after loss
“The nurse was SHOCKED. ‘It’s so rare I’ve never seen it in ALL the years I’ve been doing this!’ It was now out of my hands.”
‘The detective said, ‘I need to speak with you immediately. This is the strangest thing to ever happen at the New Jersey DEA. Come to the precinct at once.’: Mom hilariously recalls Christmas gift gone wrong, ‘The things we do for our kids’
“I tried to get the best Christmas gift for my daughter on Etsy and accidentally became embroiled in an international drug-smuggling ring. The things we do for our kids.”
‘Sometimes it’s hard to find.’ She placed the wand on my belly and shook her head. My heart sunk.’: Mom welcomes rainbow baby after loss of son, ‘He’ll always be her guardian angel’
“I was confused. None of this made sense. He was just alive and well at my last check-up a few days ago. Not only that, but he was perfect. I held on to hope my story wasn’t over.”
‘Take the vacation, quit the job you hate. Eat the cake, wear the bright red lipstick. Take the family photos. Someone might not be here tomorrow.’: Brain tumor survivor shares powerful reminder to ‘live like you’re dying’
“I had a brain tumor in this picture I didn’t know about. And, most likely, even five to six years ago, it was there.”
‘He’ll think I’m crazy.’ I sent their picture to my husband, expecting a quick no. Instead, we fell in love.’: Couple adopts 3 sisters from Taiwan, ‘We took a leap of faith’
“Our caseworker sent us a profile of the cutest 13-month-old boy. It felt like a dream come true. Less than 50 days later, it was a failed match. We were heartbroken.”
‘The doctor gently told us, ‘His case is not mild. At the very least, he’s on the severe end.’ Everyone focuses on what he CAN’T do, but we focus on what he CAN do.’: Mom recounts son’s diagnosis journey with autism, ‘You’ll move mountains’
“The signs were all there. Everything. I knew it was time. How did I not know sooner? I’m his mom, shouldn’t I just automatically know these things? We are NOT going to give up on you.”
‘I was over-medicated, an emotionless zombie. I didn’t know how to celebrate without him. This year, I FEEL.’: Widow shares feelings on holidays while grieving, ‘Finding a new normal is weird’
“I feel, at any moment, every good feeling may be the last one I have. I just have to put on my fancy holiday anxiety and deal with it. The worst part about being a widow is holidays.”
‘Chance of defects, chance of blindness, deafness, death.’ There was so. Much. Blood. I couldn’t feel a single thing. He was STUCK.’: Mom recounts traumatic labor, son’s ‘unique health issues’
“You don’t necessarily notice the impact early on, even if you start to recognize things just aren’t ‘right.’ You see differences at the park, watching other kids interact. Your friends’ kids start walking, then talking, and you start to notice delays. You question what you did wrong and what you could have done differently.”
‘LEAVE ME ALONE.’ I hurled a toy at the wall. It looked like a tornado struck our basement. I hit my LOWEST point.’: Mom shares candid reality of parenting in a pandemic, ‘We’re trying our best’
“The dent in the wall? It’s from me. The toy I’m holding? Yep, I threw it against the wall in a fit of tears.”
