“I opened an unknown can of worms. Things started swirling in my head. ‘Was I not loved? Am I not worthy? Do I have siblings?’ I started at my computer screen. Same eye shape, same smile. I finally clicked send. Within a half hour, she responded. The pit of my stomach felt so sick.”
‘I looked at my mom, tears welling up. ‘Was I adopted?’ She knew this day would happen. She knew I’d want to know. My answer was a few clicks away.’
‘Hey Dad, I want to raise your son. I want him as my own,’ I insanely told my dying father. ‘I didn’t want to put that burden on you,’ he said. He died just 18 hours later.’
“‘Adopt him. You’re supposed to be his mom. You’re the one. Tell your dad. Tell him now.’ My dad visited me in dream. I was standing in a white room. He walked towards me holding a baby wrapped in a light blue blanket. He handed him over, smiled and kissed the baby’s head. When I woke up, I knew.”
‘IT’S A GIRL!’ I was shocked to see her hair was so white. He points at my mom. ‘Is that your mom? Are you adopted?’ I was offended. ‘Do you have albinos in the family? I think your baby is albino.’
“I was fed up and told him off. He was puzzled and asked, ‘Are you and your ex related?’ Our response was an obvious, ‘NO!’ We got the genetic tests done. Little did I know, I’d soon be pregnant with a second white-haired child.”
‘Is she your real daughter? Who does she belong to?‘ At 4, I was adopted with my twin sister by a white Mennonite family in the heart of Amish country.’
“‘I bet you are so glad someone actually wanted you,’ a stranger told me. I am running through the grass, almost to the woods to find my biological mother. ‘My real mother!,’ I shout. ‘Hold still,’ my mom shouts, before I trip. She chased me, and scoops me up.”
‘I held my baby girl in my arms, staring in awe at my exhausted sister. She had just given birth to my daughter, and I was completely overwhelmed.’
“My husband and I were at the grocery store. ‘Michelle’s FaceTiming me—mind if I pick up?’ My sister rarely called. ‘Is Ben with you?’ I’ll never forget her next words: ‘Let’s make a baby!’ ‘What??’ I stammered, making sure I heard her correctly. ‘I’m going to be your surrogate!’”
‘WHAT?! It is not possible. There is no way for a naturally conceived triplet to conceive triplets naturally! The odds are one in 6 million. No way it was possible.’
“It was time. The doctor showed us one baby, and then another, and then he got very silent. ‘Is it not only two babies?,’ he asked. The answer came: ‘No, we are looking at THREE babies here.’ Glenn pulled over. ‘Are you sure?,’ he asked me. Of course, none of us were sure.”
‘She was born with her umbilical chord around her neck, her face blue from lack of oxygen. She came into the world feet first. She always goes about things her own way, birth was no exception.’
“I had no idea what was happening, but I knew my mom was behind a cold, closed door that I wasn’t allowed to go through. I wish I could’ve held her hand – she needed it.”
‘My 18-year-old sister had JUST announced she was pregnant. My parents were going to DIE I was too. And I mean DIE! The thought of telling them terrified me to my core.’
“We went to the store to get the morning after pill. As we stood in line, pregnancy tests caught my eye. Something kept forcing me to look at them. The longer we stood there, the louder this voice in my head screamed to buy one. I told Tim, ‘Let’s buy a pregnancy test instead.'”
‘They were identical twins that spent their lives together. She cradled her sister in her arms. ‘Please Courtney, don’t leave me!’ There were no warnings.’
“I got a call from my daughter at 7 a.m. ‘Mom, is Courtney going to work today?,’ she asked. I suggested she wake her up. It haunts her every day she didn’t know her sister was in trouble.”
‘Are they ALL yours?’ My husband loves to whisper, ‘Not all of them are mine. My wife went through a wild phase.’
“Going out every night. Conceiving children in bar restrooms with strange men. But I just loved her through it.”
