“‘The entire bottom of her tongue is connected to the bottom of her mouth.’ Her angry wails became a high-pitched scream of pain. I turned away. Tears poured down my face; it took all my willpower not to stop the procedure. The feel of her lips on my skin brought back painful, traumatic memories.”
“‘If I have no prospects by the time I’m thirty, I’ll have a baby on my own.’ I was stagnant. I hated the person staring back at me in the mirror. All I had to say was, ‘I was wrong.’”
“They need back scratches, stern looks, and smiles their friends don’t notice. They need our ‘I love you’s,’ and those hard moments as we slowly let them go. A boy needs his momma to be happy when he is happy and sad when he is sad. Being a boy mom is so much bigger than I thought.”
“Girls’ trips are fantastic, but has your friend ever shown up at your door in the midst of chaos, in perfect timing? Date nights are fun, but have you ever eaten leftovers while sitting together on your couch? Vacations are the sweetest, but have you ever stayed right where you are and soaked in what God gave you?”
“Make no mistake. My wonderful students have not been social distancing. They haven’t been wearing masks. I’ve seen their social media posts all summer, living life as though we aren’t in the heat of a global pandemic. I’ve worked hard to protect myself and others for 6 months. Soon, I’ll be in a classroom with no windows and more teenagers than is safe.”
“Just like that, everything changed. I knew I didn’t want to terminate my pregnancy. My only choice was to pray I stayed pregnant. I looked at the clock at midnight. It was officially July 3rd, my birthday. She was so small. Less than a pound. I held Rose in my arms. Tears ran down my face. I knew at any moment God was going to take her heaven.”
“I went on a crazy number of first dates. Internet dating, speed dating, blind dates, an array of apps. I knew what I wanted. I was ready to be a mom. After years of unsuccessful dating, I started to worry I was going to miss out on motherhood altogether. I needed to take matters into my own hands.”
“I wish we could take you through every single way we are preparing to protect your child, but we simply don’t have enough time. Put trust in the gap and give your child’s teacher some grace.”
“’When do you think you’ll have more kids?’ I spent every day thinking about it, worrying about it. It was exhausting. All our eggs were literally in 1 basket, and it failed, again. I shredded anything that said the birth mother’s name. ‘I WILL have a baby this year.’”
“The doctor abruptly gave Max a quick examination. WHAT?? Our world flipped off its axle. I cried incessantly. The overwhelming feeling of grief felt too much to handle. I said to my husband, ‘If anyone can cure this kid, it’s us! We were chosen to be his parents for a reason.'”
