Surprise!
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‘My husband washed and dried the clothes. Then, he put them all away. He didn’t do it because I asked him to. I didn’t ask at all.’: Mom urges ‘you deserve an equal partner’
“My husband saw how busy I was with the boys. He saw how difficult it would be for me to break away. He took it upon himself. And after he was finished with the laundry, he cleaned the dishes.”
‘Oh my gosh, this blanket stinks!’ I was careful not to show the horror on my face. I fantasized about throwing it in the washing machine.’: Single dad explains candid reality of foster care, ‘Let go of perfectionist tendencies’
“He was taken away by force with no time to prepare, no time to say goodbye, no explanation. He keeps it with him, day and night, no matter where we are or what we are doing. The one thing I wanted to get rid of was the only thing he had left.”
‘That’s so sad.’ But we are NOT sad. I just wanted to squeeze him so hard and run right out of there.’: Autism mom says ‘His diagnosis is actually his superpower’
“My mind was racing with what to do next. I don’t know why it was so hard for me to make the appointment. I carried him in with his favorite blanket in hopes it will make everything better. He was actually diagnosed with a superpower.”
‘OF COURSE the doctor knows more than me.’ An alarm went off in my head. We didn’t want to hand her over.’: Mom advocates for baby with Down syndrome, ‘She taught me to use my voice’
“Our baby’s heels were full of cuts from blood draws. We were battling low blood sugar, jaundice, and feeding issues. We spent that week walking around like zombies. She had no idea what was coming, but we did.”
‘I just want you to know, we are the family who adopted your son.’ She hadn’t gone a single day without thinking about him. ‘Can you be here in 2 weeks?!’: Adopted boy surprised with biological mom, now part of beautiful open adoption
“I told my son, ‘Your present is in the van, you can go get it.’ He stopped dead in his tracks and exhaled, ‘Mom?’ He took off sprinting into her arms, sobbing.”
‘The last time you saw me, you left me on the side of a bridge. Did you cry?’: Adoptee pens powerful letter to birth mom, ‘Thank you for giving me a better life’
“I often wonder what that day in February was like, the last day you saw me. Did you leave in the dead of night so you wouldn’t be caught? Did you wait until a stranger found me, or did you rush to leave, eager to forget? Because of you, I begged my parents to quit Chinese dance. Because of you, I laughed at Chinese jokes to show I wasn’t one of THEM. I was an outcast in the only world I knew and exiled from the world where I belonged.”
‘I’m a people pleaser. I help carry all your burdens. I overthink and over-analyze. I put my needs last.’: Woman urges ‘your desire to love isn’t bad, it’s your God-given talent’
“I’m not a small talker. I want to KNOW you. I want to know your hurts so I can help dress your wounds. I can tell if you’re having a bad day faster than a toddler throwing a tantrum over spilled milk. But can I be honest about it? It’s a lot of work, all this people pleasing.”
‘What if I can’t do this?’ I would wake up in the night, wracked with sobs. I leaped into the unknown.’: Mom says daughter with Down syndrome is ‘my greatest, most compassionate teacher’
“Her voice was full of pity. ‘One in nine.’ The electricity of paralyzing grief that overcame my body on that day is something I still have difficulty putting into words. But as I cradled her tiny body close for the first time, I felt a wave of peace.”
‘Your heart is abnormal.’ I sent emails for a month with no reply. I already fainted at work and threw up blood.’: Woman with congenital heart defect shares struggles, ‘Keep fighting, warriors’
“I was constantly having hot flashes. I ended up throwing up blood and fainted at work. ’Go to Urgent Care.’ They weren’t really sure what was causing my problems. I was constantly waiting in the doctor’s office to get bad news.”
‘I don’t look like your stereotypical pregnant woman. I won’t have that little bump. This isn’t the body I envisioned myself carrying in, but it so worthy.’: Expecting mom ‘thankful’ for unplanned pregnancy, ‘My weight stopped me from happiness’
“I used to think I would allow myself to get pregnant once I had lost all this weight. I blackmailed myself against the one thing I truly wanted in life. All my life, I’ve written off happiness because I wasn’t the ‘correct’ size.”
