“We got to know our birth mother. We bonded over our dreams for this child. But, something about her didn’t feel right. She knew exactly what she was doing, and who she was playing. She knew all about me and my infertility. And she knew we would do anything to help her, because that’s the kind of people we are.”
‘She’d ask for money. The knots in my stomach grew. Then, our attorney called. Our birth mother had been working with 4 other families, promising her baby to them too. We’d been scammed.’
‘My birth control failed. I wasn’t ready to be a mother. 40 years later, I crashed into a man at the supermarket. ‘Do I know you?’ My heart dropped.’
“He extended his arm, smiling. ‘Nice to meet you. I’m Timothy.’ It was a split-second interaction, but one I’ll never forget. ‘This going to sound weird, but I feel like I know you. Were you adopted?'”
‘This is it.’ I took a deep breath, answered the phone, my heart racing. ‘She is heading to the hospital in labor now.’ We couldn’t believe it, OUR SON. That is what SHE called him.’
“‘You’re lucky you CAN’T have kids,’ a stressed out mother once told me. I was floored. I held my son for hours crying tears of joy. I remember telling my husband, ‘It’s all over. I feel like I can breathe again. This weight I carried for years has been lifted.’”
‘A woman had just given birth and wanted my husband and I to raise him. She didn’t even give the baby a name before she left. This tiny little boy had absolutely no one.’
“I knew right away this baby was destined to be ours. Mike and I had settled into a routine of pinching pennies, sharing domestic duties, and bonding with our little guy, when my world was shattered once again. For reasons of which I’m still not entirely sure, my loving husband, Brenden’s father, took his own life.”
‘An hour before our flight, I got a text. ‘WATER BROKE BRING CAR SEAT!!!’ We couldn’t believe it! We were off to meet our baby boy. ‘I have news. Call me back,’ she said on the voicemail.’
“We waited in the parking lot, for hours. She ended up getting sick. It was a very contagious infection that ended up spreading to the baby. My husband cried. He couldn’t believe people were so kind.”
‘Thank you for making me a Mommy,’ I whispered. We held each other and cried. We are BOTH her mom. I knew the connection was real. There’s no one else I’d rather do this with.’
“I have no idea how we ended up married. Being friends for years first, I knew about his cancer diagnosis, and the treatment that left him infertile. She called us. I was so nervous. But when I heard her voice, I just knew.”
‘I tiptoed into my daughter’s room to play tooth fairy. I saw a note from her big sister. ‘Why do fairy’s not show themselves? Could you please take a selfie? My iPad is in the room. Swipe right!’
“She hijacked our little one’s fairy visit, asking for proof. I couldn’t stop laughing. My husband and I talked about me putting on a wig, wings, and adding a bright light behind me to actually take a selfie, but that just made the lie even worse. I went with a letter because a note from Tabitha the Tooth Fairy totally isn’t lying.”
‘I saw his tiny little head emerge. ‘Shirts off!!’ Baby was placed on Frank’s chest. I wrapped my arms around my husband and our son. She made our dreams come true.’
“We were instantly overwhelmed with love that we began crying! She gave us a family. It was the most powerful moments of our lives. There were a lot of revelations from this photo. ‘I didn’t like gay people before I saw your photo, and my mind is changed.’”
‘The phone rang. I thought to myself, ‘That’s her! It has to be her.’ Tears flooded my eyes. Her next words lit up my entire life. ‘I’m so glad you found me,’ she said.’
“I was told, ‘Your parents gave you away because they didn’t want you.’ I was devastated and began a mental game of ‘Who Could Be My Birth Mother?’ Everywhere I went, I looked to see who I might resemble. I analyzed the features of celebrities and passing strangers. Every birthday, I wondered if she was thinking about me, too.”
‘You’re 13 weeks pregnant!’ My bosses were so excited. Then things took a turn. ‘I have an issue with you pumping at work. Your job at this company is over.’
“I was heartbroken and confused. Was this man REALLY telling me I couldn’t pump?! I had no idea what to do. I needed this job! So, I wrote him a letter. ‘Come sit and talk with me,’ he said.”
