“’This is how rumors get started,’ I told myself. All of a sudden it becomes, ‘I always knew there was something off about him…’ ‘I knew their marriage was too good to be true…’”
‘My mommy and daddy sleeped in different beds last night!’ That’s how my 3-year-old chose to greet our babysitter as she walked in the door.’
‘I found out my marriage was a lie. He was unfaithful. I had been lied to for months. I spewed venomous hate towards him. I was numb. Then, I found out I was having a miscarriage.’
“We got married! I was so happy, I truly thought we were going to be okay. I had two amazing daughters, a rocking career, a husband who wasn’t perfect, but he tried. Then my world fell apart.”
‘To the woman at the pharmacist. Not the one who stared at me like I was a disgusting pile of filth. The other woman, with kindness in her eyes. You didn’t know it, but you saved me.’
“I was ready to burst into tears. I was trying to talk to him, because being on your last week of pills is like standing on the edge of a cliff. Everyone heard me, even the pharmacist could hear the panic and my voice quivering.”
‘Girl, I bet you’ll get pregnant right after you adopt. Just watch!’ It’s nails on a chalkboard when I hear that.’
“We didn’t adopt in order to become pregnant. I never want my sweet girl to think she was SECOND best. You are the absolute BEST thing that ever happened to me.”
‘My mama’s baby is going to come out of her crotch and it’s going to hurt! Then it’s going to eat milk from her boobies!’ My younger mom-self would have died. But, she’s not WRONG.’
“We were out shopping when an older woman approached me about my 5 kiddos. I’ve never minded the curiosity. After asking all of their ages, I said, ‘And another one on the way!’ Then, one of my 3-year-old twins had some extra information to share.”
‘Let’s hear it for the dads. The ones who don’t ‘babysit’ – they parent. The ones who come home from work, ready to pitch in.’
“The ones who cook breakfast on the weekends and make blanket forts like a boss. The ones who rock a diaper bag, and a minivan, and still look hot. The ones who remind us we were people, before we were mothers.”
‘Snip snip, Hooray! We have some exciting news. I brought up the vasectomy, and knew we had to have a party.’
“I think that’s all my husband thought I had planned, but little did he know!”
‘Colds, ear aches, CONSTIPATION! Have you ever pulled a hard log out of a babies’ bum with your bare hands? I have. I’ve seen the devil, my friends. It was ugly.’
“Your child is power vomiting all over you and you’re trying to catch it like a baseball. And God forbid any of that makes you tired, GOD FORBID! Because Sensible Susan will start giving you her ‘be grateful’ advice.”
‘I never lost sleep over the type of diapers my kids wore, or the kind of milk they drank, or that they spent extra time with Elmo when I needed to get work done.’
“But lately, things have changed. I feel like my ‘yes’ is broken. You know the one— it’s the word your kids long for when they ask to go outside and play in the mud. Or to help cook dinner.”
‘Then came the email that changed everything. ‘I have an oven that has never been used. Do you need it?’ We laughed. We didn’t know why she was offering us an ‘oven.’ Ours was in perfectly good condition!’
“The tension was palpable. Within seconds, the room was completely empty except for us. No explanation from anyone. In that moment, we both embraced each other and sobbed. Was Kimberly going to be ok? What about our son? Nothing prepared us for this unexpected event.”
