LJ Herman is a former editor at Love What Matters and lives in Colorado. LJ is a concert, ticket and technology enthusiast. He has seen the Dave Mathews Band over one hundred times and counting.
As our doctor was moving from baby A to baby B, I saw another blip on the screen and thought, ‘wait, what?!’ At the same time she said, ‘Guys, I’m seeing a third.’
“That was the biggest curveball of my entire life! If God had gotten us here, how could He not get us through a triplet pregnancy?”
‘My Facebook dinged and woke me. I figured it was a random message from a friend. It wasn’t. ‘Could it be?!’ My heart sank.’: Adopted woman discovers biological family in message she nearly ‘ignored’
“The day became more life-changing by the minute. I soon learned who my biological father was. For 36 years, I wondered why I looked the way I did, where my personality traits came from. Yet, I was not searching for a dad. I already had one. An AMAZING one. I didn’t want to disrupt any lives.”
‘We didn’t look at adoption as ‘Plan B’ anymore. We look at it as a privilege, and something we were honored to say yes to.’
“When we talked on the phone to her birth mama, we bawled crying. We couldn’t believe the miracle already taking place.”
Getting pregnant at 15 was not a ‘dumb, teenage mistake.’ I wish I hadn’t remained silent.
“I was coerced into having an abortion by my parents who threatened to abandon me if I chose to continue my pregnancy. We were the typical Suburban facade, our lawn dyed as green as my parents were supportive.”
‘If we’re together, and you notice me wiggling my leg, it’s my anxiety. If you’re scrolling through Facebook and see I commented on your picture at 3 a.m., it’s my anxiety.’: Mom gets real about severe anxiety disorder
“It doesn’t let me stop. Ever. Once a worry has made its way inside my mind, it’s trapped there. It lives there. It comes on strong like a wave crashing down over my head.”
‘I pull down Drew’s diaper to find a huge red spot where he has peed. So my first thoughts are ‘Oh my gosh.. okay, this is fresh new blood. Does he have a cut? Is he passing some sort of stone?’
“He had been complaining about his back hurting Does he have a UTI?” Then what to my wondering eyes should appear but a little ole Starburst jelly bean…”
My Son Got La Crosse Encephalitis From A Mosquito Bite
“This was something I thought I had prevented. I don’t want to see another baby go through this. The doctors told me it’s very common in this area, but this is the first I have ever heard of it.”
My Family And I Ditched Tradition To Live In An Airstream Trailer Full-Time
“We were stuck. Average family of 6 living the American Dream. Neck deep in a 30-year mortgage.”
My Church Gave Out Free Hugs At Our Local Pride Parade, And The Response Was Amazing
“I’d spot someone in the parade look our way, squint at our shirts and posters, and RACE into our arms. I told them over and over that they were impossibly loved and needed and precious. We hugged until our arms fell off.”
Complaining About My Kids Doesn’t Make Me A Bad Mom
“You don’t know a mother’s challenges, strengths, weaknesses…her life. You don’t know any of it.”