“I met a guy, we fell in love and wanted babies. 3 kids, 2 vaginals, 1 cesarean, postpartum depression, antidepressant weight gain, and life later, this is my rig. I hated it. I would say it was broken. It’s not the person I valued anymore.”
‘I remember this guy said I had a ‘tight rig.’ I never ate much, I glorified my thinness. I was valued. I was funny, I felt pretty.’
‘The morning of her adoption, as the sun crept into our room, I watched her sleep. I studied the curve of her lips, the fullness of her perfect cheeks. This is the moment everything changes.’
“The judge pulled me aside to thank me, one less little person in the system. There is a refreshing light-hearted joy in the courthouse. A day where balloons bounce and smiles are had. For a moment, the cycle of dysfunction is broken.”
‘Suddenly, everything changed. He became irritated with me. Then he said something I never thought I would hear: ‘I want you to leave.’: Woman learns lesson about ‘sacrifice’ from husband recovering from surgery, ‘That’s what good men do’
“The day he kicked me out of his hospital room, they had a conversation. She asked him how he was. She told him she missed him. His next text was simple.”
‘I thought maybe my husband fell, or something was wrong. When he finally came in, he said nothing. I grabbed his hand and whispered THANK YOU. I could see in his eyes he knew why.’
“He could not bear to know when the boys finally got up, they would see him lying on the ground. Sure enough, Alex was the first to get up. ‘Mommy, Mommy, come look,’ he said. Panic set in.”
Men With Kids Are NOT Babysitters, They’re Dads
“My husband is a DAD, just like I’m a MOM.”
‘I feel like you’re supposed to be her mom.’ Her voice was shaky. ‘Are you sure?’: Adopted woman insists her adopted daughter is ‘not broken,’ although adoption is ‘beautifully broken’
“I can’t imagine what must have been going through her mind. ‘I heard you were wanting to adopt,’ she said. ‘I have a 2-month-old little girl.’ Speechless. How could this be real? ‘Mira, I wanted to call you sooner, but I didn’t know how to say it.’ My husband was away on a 2-week rotation with the Navy. Without hesitation he responded, ‘go get her.’ You go get our baby.’ So, I did.”
‘I got a message from a complete stranger offering to be a surrogate for us. I was in shock. I had no idea where she lived, who she was, nothing. I was nervous to tell my husband.’
“She was 26 years old. I felt such a strong connection with her even though we were only communicating through messages. Secretly, I knew in my heart we would go down this path.”
‘It looked like she was doing a stomach crunch. Both arms and legs came together in the air. This went on for hours.’: Mother thrilled to have her ‘happy baby back’ after Infantile Spasms diagnosis
“We first noticed a weird movement when she was 5 months. Doctors said, ‘It’s just gas. Change her to soy milk,’ and, ‘It’ll pass.’ It wasn’t until her dad decided to search ‘spasms,’ that we began to gain insight into this nightmare. Something in me snapped. She was using our daughter for her own research. ‘I’m so sorry baby,’ her dad always said. Through all this, Salma has never shown signs of giving up.”
‘Me: Kids, I’m going to go take a quick shower. Child: Can I have a snack? Me: No, I’m going to make dinner. Another child: Can you help me find my pink dragon with glittery wings?’
“Yet another child: Can I tell you about this new game that’s coming out that I really want for Christmas? Me: Yes, after my shower. Walks upstairs. Children follow. Child: How MANY pieces of candy can I have after dinner? Yet another child: So I can get that game for Christmas? Steps out of shower.”
‘This is me, hosting our very first Thanksgiving. I’m cooking in A SKIRT AND HEELS. I’m smiling, even though my marriage was falling apart.’: Woman overcomes family, relationship issues to make room for ‘gratitude’ in life
“So, you’d think I’d look at this picture, look at her all smiley and hiding and ignorant, and I’d be embarrassed. Or maybe sad for what she went through, or even angry, at my husband or my mom, or the world or God, but I don’t feel any of that.”