“Out of nowhere, he grabbed my hands, looked me in the eyes and said every kind thing I’d hoped to hear. I asked where this sudden conviction came from. He replied, ‘Because I’ve been lying to you… there’s more.’ At that moment, time stood still. A family member of hers had texted us letting us know she had missed her period, and was concerned of pregnancy.”
“As I’m consoling my daughter who is on the verge of tears, the mother swam over to me and began shouting at me to not speak to her children like that. Her response, ‘ Well, only one of them is my child. The other is a friend we brought with us from next door. They didn’t do that, and you will not speak to them that way.’ I won’t lie, I saw red. That was it for me.”
“To the girl in love with an addict, I saw you sit in your car alone at halftime and breakdown. I see you and your fake smile. Don’t worry, they all still believe you’re fine. You’ve gotten so good at crying hard, getting it all out fast, and getting back to your seat before anyone even realizes you’re gone. Please don’t let him make you think his addiction is your fault. This has nothing to do with you at all. You deserve better than this.”
“The doctor yelled to get the NICU team as soon as possible. They came in so fast we could hardly get a picture. I don’t remember anything afterwards except that my husband googled her syndrome based on her appearance, and I was left alone in the delivery room. No husband. No baby. I asked for a Diet Coke. They only had Diet Pepsi.”
“There are people out there longing to feel connected. To feel seen. All it takes is one smile. One hello. Buy a coffee for the person behind you. That waitress busting her butt at the diner? Tip her and tell her how much potential she has. Send that text. We live in times I never wished for my children. I’m not naive to it. But, I refuse to let evil and hate paralyze me.”
“My husband swiftly removed her multiple times, as I said, ‘Mommy will be done in a minute baby, I am right here.’ I need someone to look me in the eyes and say, ‘I know you’re not okay.’ My daughter did just this for me. I try to hold it together for my child, but she knows. We sat like this for an hour. It was one of the most beautiful gifts anyone could give me.”
“The second we took my firstborn home, I looked at my husband. ‘I can’t wait to do this again!’ I was exhausted, nervous, and overwhelmed with first-time motherhood, but I knew. I couldn’t handle or even afford 10 babies, but that need was alive and well in my heart. I’m now 40, with 5 kids and a full-time job. But feeling done? I don’t have that feeling. I don’t know why. And I don’t know if I ever will.”
“I received a message. ‘Hi! I never met my biological dad. I believe his name is Dennis. Does that sound familiar to you?’ My heart sunk. My dad’s name is Dennis. Growing up, my cousin and I were the only 2 kids in our very small, tight-knit family.”
“We have his room all set up for him. We have clothes, toys, a family waiting for him. All the while, others share their highlight reel of adoption and make it look like a breeze. I want to teach him words, love on him, watch him run around the house and yard with his brother and sister. My heart is aching for him to be with us.”
“Ricky rubbed my belly. I looked up at him as we passed a green light. Suddenly, everything went numb and black. I awoke upside down in a ditch, locked in my seat belt, my water broken. I was 41 weeks pregnant. Ricky lay beside me. I held his hand and kept checking his pulse. His breathing slowed. At the hospital, they tried to find my baby’s heartbeat for 10 minutes. ‘This is all a nightmare,’ I kept thinking to myself.”
