“I was paranoid something would go wrong. It didn’t seem real! We both sat and looked at each other in shock.”
‘I simply gave my husband a thumbs up. ‘This has to be a dream!’ We prayed for YEARS. There were no words.’: Couple conceives through IVF, ‘We never take a moment for granted’
‘They found our kids!’ There was a clerical error. We felt them slipping away.’: Couple fight for sons during pregnancy, ‘They made our lives so full’
“My oldest announced, ‘I want a concert and a baby.’ I told him I could probably make one of those happen. I was puking every day. The mess grew and my belly grew.”
‘I’m the woman, so I do everything.’ TOTAL. CRAP. When I woke up night after night, it was the expectation.’: Woman urges equal parenting, ‘Stop carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders’
“I got bitter and resentful from doing it all alone. I watched my husband’s life change what seemed to be very little as we added offspring. His body stayed intact while I didn’t at all recognize my new shape. The lies had clearly taken over my soul.”
‘I’ve never been a confident person, you know that all too well. That’s why you chose me to be your next victim that fateful night.’: Woman pens letter to her eating disorder, ‘I’m not keeping you a secret anymore’
“You’ve never really listened to me before, so maybe telling you all of this stuff is pointless. Maybe you’re not even listening now. Even if you are, it’s not like you’re going to feel sorry for me after everything you’ve put me through.”
‘You can’t replace his family.’ I never wanted to. This family is now part of ours.’: Foster mom celebrates son’s reunification, ‘What a beautiful gift’
“I was threatened by strangers online. ‘You’re not a REAL mom.’ I was told I was trying to steal babies from families. No one warned me about the ache.”
‘SURELY nothing else bad can happen.’ The joy was short-lived. I needed to heal. We made an unorthodox decision.’: Couple adopts while pursuing IVF, ‘It’s been a humbling experience’
“I was SO sure we were going to be picked. It seemed like such a good match. Days later, we got the call, ‘She chose the other family.’ I was crushed all over again.”
‘I’m not cut out for this.’ The world crashed down on me, one backward diaper at a time.’: Woman gives candid account of stepmom journey, ‘It takes time to find your place’
“I met and fell in love with my dream guy. He was all the things I had hoped to find in a partner. But there was a catch. He came as a package deal! I had NO idea how to parent.”
‘I was a failure as a woman and a wife. I had to ‘fix’ what was wrong. Then it all became clear. ‘Oh gosh, this is it.’: Woman shares touching adoption story, ‘She is ours and we are hers’
“‘What if I don’t feel anything when I see her?’ I was dealing with uncertainty. We arrived 12 hours after she was born.”
‘She put her drink in my face. ‘Have a sip!’ I was risking my life.’: Woman recounts alcohol recovery journey, ‘It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done’
“I should just set my husband free, he deserves better. My only goal was to survive the day.”
‘I prayed for perspective because sometimes that’s the only way forward. I’m grateful to have these groceries.’: Woman urges small blessings are ‘something to celebrate’
“At checkout, I realized I’d misplaced my debit card, but no biggie! I also had my husband’s. Well, I used the wrong PIN, so the bank marked it as stolen, and our bank account froze. I cried and said some choice words. And that’s when it decided to storm.”