“He’d get home late from work with jewelry and a stuffed teddy bear. We’d spend hours getting dressed at our parents’ homes and act like we just ‘threw something on.’ We’d eat at a nice restaurant. It was cute. Today, he’ll work 9 hours, I’ll work 12. It’s a series of crazy, chaotic moments. It’s not eating dinner until 7 p.m. No cuddly bears or shiny jewelry. It’s living out of a laundry basket for days, and figuring out who’s going to the birthday party.”
‘Valentine’s Day is living out of a laundry basket. It’s no cuddly bears, late dinner, and wondering, ‘Who left the milk on the counter?’: Woman shares candid reality of Valentine’s Day as a mom and wife, ‘There’s no place I’d rather be’
‘Donald, will you wash my hair?’ I sunk into the tub, defeated. He heard my desperate plea through the bathroom door.’: Woman urges ‘ask your spouses for help’ after husband’s act of kindness
“You know those kinds of days where everything that can go wrong does? Yesterday was that day. I’d gotten no sleep before the littles began stirring. The rest of the day was a blur of school lessons, cleaning, runs to multiple stores for ONE thing. Supper was a complete FAIL. I needed to wash my hair because, let’s face it, one can only use dry shampoo for so long, but I hadn’t any energy to muster for that daunting task. Then a thought silently crept across my mind: ‘Ask Donald.’ I had to lay my pride aside.”
‘It’s okay, Chris,’ my mother said to him. ‘I’m here.’ My father was groaning in immense pain. Tears fell onto my jeans.’: Woman finds true meaning of marriage during father’s battle with cancer
“As I leaned toward the mirror, slipping mascara onto my lashes, I heard more grumbling. I froze. I was stuck in their moment with no place to go. ‘I’m so sorry,’ my father said. I sat on my bed, the door cracked open. I was a self-absorbed, twenty-something at the time, bouncing back and forth between two men like a rubber ball. But this moment struck me. Tears fell onto my jeans because I finally realized something—THIS is marriage.”
‘Looks like you have two babies in there. Oh wait, sorry, three babies!’ There was already a complication. ‘High risk? Mono-what? They had a 50% chance of not making it to birth.’: Mom of five reflects on high-risk triplet pregnancy
“I was staring at the biggest shock of my life. But multiples don’t run in either of our families, so I knew it was unlikely. The fact they were mono-mono twins gave them a 50% chance of not making it to birth.”
‘Michelle, we haven’t had sex in a year.’ My husband rolled over in bed with a blank look on his face.’: Couple stress importance of ‘boundaries’ in marriage, ‘you don’t owe your partner anything’
“My doctor’s cold hands pressed against my breasts. ‘No lumps, but let me process the urine sample.’ 5 minutes later, she retuned with a beaming look on her face. ‘You’re pregnant! Congrats!’ I’m…what? Who? How? ‘Infertile’ and on birth control, I was in utter disbelief! We went from a quiet little house in Suburbia to catapulted into parenthood. I had no energy or desire for intimacy. We hit the one-year mark completely sexlesss.”
‘I was 6 months pregnant when I said ‘I do.’ I picked a cheap dress, wore borrowed rings, and didn’t have a honeymoon.’: Woman claims wedding was the ‘best day of her life’ because she ‘chose the right man’
“I planned our wedding in less than 2 months. I was pregnant, so I didn’t care what my hair looked like on our special day as long as it was out of my face so I could quickly vomit. We were married on a Sunday and went back to work on Monday. I wasn’t wearing my dream dress. But my loved ones surrounded me, and when I said ‘I do,’ I believed in the person I was choosing to lead me into our new life.”
‘I had to leave my 5-month pregnant wife behind. I was completely alone. ‘Am I cut out to be a dad?’ I showered and climbed into bed. Then it began. ‘THUMP, THUMP.’
“‘Does she even miss me? Is my wife going to love me after this long separation? Would I be able to provide for my family?’ My heart started beating louder. LOUDER. I started sweating profusely. It was 4 a.m. I began to panic.”
