“I didn’t know this moment would be one of the few. When our babies fell asleep, and we’d have enough energy to dance in the kitchen, suds still on my hands from the dishes as he would pull me away from the sink when his favorite song would come on.”
“I wanted to tell him everything would be okay. But I didn’t know, and I certainly wasn’t going to lie to him. I silently prepared for the worst case scenario. I thought a lot about their trip that never happened. What if he never did get the chance to take his dad?”
“*Totally horrified* Wait, they can hear all farts?!?! TELL THEM TO STOP LISTENING TO MY FARTS! THAT IS NOT NICE!”
“How did I ever think motherhood would be easy, magical, dreamy? My mind started racing with questions. I let myself wallow in self-pity for about 24 hours, and then I decided I would not give in.”
“I made a mistake. I almost didn’t know it. I nearly allowed it to be my story.”
“I woke up at 5 a.m. to get ready for the day and do some physical training. I felt like I had a chest cold coming on, but I ignored it. There was no pain, so I worked out, got home, took my shower. Next thing I know, I start to see light. I was drinking two 20oz cans of energy drinks a day.”
“I know I’m not supposed to say that, but I did. Both times.”
“Little did I know that holding her for the first time could be my last, as I was diagnosed with postpartum HELLP syndrome and admitted to the ICU that night.”
“His sister was enjoying the freedom that came with being a hippie. He went to her home, in uniform. That day, she overdosed on drugs. When the ambulance came, she looked at him and said, ‘I wish you had been killed over there.’”
“I had just come back from my break when Steven burst through the doors of the store and told me I had to come with him immediately. I raced out to the car, where I saw Logan, in his car seat, turning blue.”
