“Newborn photos were replaced by pre-heart surgery snapshots. Your first haircut was a side shave, needed to place an IV. Every day of your short life, you taught us how to love.”
‘We decorated your hospital room instead of your nursery. What To Expect When You’re Expecting missed the chapter about you.’: Mom shares touching tribute to Congenital Heart Disease warrior
‘Newborn girl, two days old. You’ve been chosen!’ We prepared for another heartbreak. Would this end the way it had before?’: Couple adopts after scam and disruption, ‘She was worth every part of our story’
“She placed her baby in Eric’s arms. I’ll never forget watching him fall in love with that tiny, 5-pound newborn. 4 hours later, we were asked to go home. After years of waiting, we were offered a gift.”
‘I woke up one day with a burning sensation in my arm. ‘You brought this on yourself with stress.’ I wasn’t convinced.’: Woman with Multiple Sclerosis urges ‘keep pushing for answers’
“It was clear people expected me to look different. ‘You’re too young to be diagnosed.’ I was handed a folder with my brain scans for ‘peace of mind.’”
‘Do you want to meet my daughter?’ That night, he showed up with flowers in one hand and diapers in the other.’: Stepdad adopts wife’s daughter, ‘I’ll love her as my own for the rest of my life’
“We realized Mia was losing weight every time she’d visit her biological dad. She’d come back in a dirty diaper, unbathed, and in smelly clothes. Then we got a call we never saw coming.”
‘He’s out of control. You didn’t discipline him and now it’s too late.’ I bought into what everyone else was saying.’: Mom urges ‘special needs behavior cannot be fixed with traditional discipline’
“Each time I tried disciplining my child the way society screamed at me that I should, my child broke down.”
‘He’s gone, Lex, he’s gone,’ my poor mom repeated between her sobs. I knew I’d never see my dad’s face again.’: Woman loses father in tragic accident, ‘The grief is always with you’
“I found two police officers parked in front of my house. They wouldn’t tell me what was going on. ‘You’ll find out soon.’ I fell to the ground in shock. I couldn’t believe I was ‘the girl whose dad died.’”
‘The social worker brought out a 5-day-old baby, wrapped in a blanket, and said, ‘Here you go!’ There were so many unknowns.’: Foster mom shares journey, ‘It’s beautiful chaos’
“There have been days we want to throw in the towel and choose an ‘easier life.’ But we know this is what our family is called to do.”
‘Surprise! It’s two kids, not one.’ My husband said, ‘Tell them YES!’ I was terrified my babies would be taken from us.’: Foster family shares adoption journey, ‘It was worth every fear’
“Packing their things was hard. The house felt empty the more I packed. I was loading the car up when my phone rang. ‘I know you’re saying goodbye, but we have a newborn.’ We decided right there to say yes.”
‘I’d relax into thinking, ‘I’m finally a mom.’ We’d have a bad day, and I’d sob at my demotion back to ‘just a stepmom.’: Stepmom shares journey, ‘I’m done with the word JUST’
“At 36, I said ‘I do’ to a handsome soldier and his 13-year-old son. I was a mom at last. That’s when I learned the harsh reality of labels. I wasn’t a ‘real mom.’”
‘At your age and with your history, you will miscarry.’ I was an unlikely pregnant 40-year-old, but I knew they were wrong.’: Mom battling infertility welcomes rainbow baby, ‘He is my heart’
“One day, after 4 years of losing battles and babies, I woke up pregnant for the seventh time at 40 years old.”
