“‘We think your baby has Down Syndrome.’ She was blessing, not a burden. I found the lost, sad eyes of a 4-year old waiting in an orphanage. She too had Down syndrome. ‘What if this was Bree’s fate?’ We had no idea it was going to be the start of such an incredible journey.”
“As the effects of cocaine crippled his central nervous system, we fought. We walked and bounced and rocked, and walked more. And here’s the thing… he will never remember me.”
“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!”
“Most of our social gatherings with my husband’s mother, sadly, result in stress and arguments. Our first married Christmas came. And it was awful.”
“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.”
“Her biggest fear was that she would regret this decision for the rest of her life. We never heard from her again. 10 years later, we received a message.”
“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.”
