“That guy staring at us does not look kid-friendly at all. That man looks very business professional. I hope he’s not the one sitting in front of us as my kids kick his seat on accident for the 14th time.”
‘Hi, nice flight attendant. Yes, there’s 7 of us. Keep walking kiddos, keep going. Nope, keep going. Yes, hi strangers. Yup, they’re all ours.’: Mom hilariously recaps what it’s like flying with kids this holiday season
‘Wake up, Stanley. Booboo, wake up!’ I heard a terrible crash. The TV was upside down across the room.’: Mom raises awareness about tip-over accidents after son’s harrowing experience
“You walk into his bedroom. Your son will look like he is sleeping. Daddy will shake him, until his sister notices he is turning blue. You will drop to your knees as Daddy starts CPR. This is the last moment you think he is ‘stable.’ The rug is about to be ripped from under you. Stay strong, mama…your journey as a special needs parent is about to begin.”
‘To the man in 2D – I don’t know you, but I imagine you saw us. I was pushing a stroller and was also lugging an oxygen machine for my daughter.’: Special needs mom thanks stranger for act of kindness
“Not able to hold back tears, I cried my way up the aisle.”
‘We finally got the call. This baby was due in 2 months, and she had a heart defect that would require open-heart surgery. The second I saw her little face, I fell to the ground.’
“I was nervous. I didn’t know if she would understand the baby I was holding is her sister. But when she came to the hospital, she pointed to my belly and said ‘no.’ Then she pointed to Josie and said ‘yes.’ So powerful.”
‘Best Santa Ever’ Gives Blind, Autistic Boy Magical Holiday Experience
“He asked Matthew if he wanted to feel anything and Matthew said, ‘Your eyes that twinkle.’ My heart was so full.”
‘You might look at these pictures, and feel uncomfortable. You might think, ‘I could never ‘share’ my child like that.’ She leaves the hospital with empty arms.’: Mom says open adoption does not equal co-parenting
“During her second trimester she sent me emails letting me know about the SpaghettiOs he was making her crave. She gave us a jar of pink and blue candies and made us count every single one to find out if it was a boy or a girl. They gave them life and I am teaching them how to live it.”
I’m A Big, Messy Contradiction—And That’s Okay
“At the end of the day, the only thing you really have to do in this world is show up, give yourself a little grace, and love hard.”
‘She was known as ‘Baby A.’ My husband and I hadn’t even discussed names when our triplets arrived more than 17 weeks premature.’
“None of our children were expected to survive. And as hard as it is to admit, I was worried about wasting a name. If none of my children survived, wouldn’t I need those names in the future?”
‘My son’s father got diagnosed at the age of 36 with stage 4 colon cancer, we had been together 10 years, our son was 3-years-old’
“I kept my own grief bottled up inside. Months and months later it just comes crashing back like a wave in the ocean and you can’t catch your breath.”
‘I started to get that pit in my stomach, telling me there was a problem. I went to his room. He was laying on his tummy. I patted his butt, thinking he was still sleeping. He didn’t respond.’
“It was like watching a movie. I wasn’t there. I was watching this poor mom kneeling by her baby boy praying and crying, trying to bring him back. I remember standing in the living room with the cops. Thinking, ‘They’ll save him. They have to save him. They can do it.’”