“Because a mama’s body? It is a sponge. Absorbing the entirety of the world around her. Those responsibilities she must hold and honor. The endless reel of worries. The flood of feelings she can’t prevent from drowning her heart. Guilt. Fear. Anguish. Heartache. Loneliness. Comparison.”
“It’s my turn to memorize the perfect squishiness of chubby baby faces. It’s my turn to heal boo-boos with a kiss. It’s my turn to cuddle and rock. It’s my turn for park days and playdates. It’s my turn to soak up the beautiful, exhausting, magic of motherhood while the turn is still mine.”
“No sleep, all adrenaline, high on love, low on hormones.”
“Five years ago my husband wouldn’t have attempted to take apart a showerhead to fix it; he would have bought a new one without a second thought. Five years ago he would have rather missed an opportunity than try and fail.”
“I was discouraged from ever mentioning my mother. Until 13, I didn’t even know her name. Our curiosity is not a threat; your jealousy is.”
“We did everything we could to support her biological mother. Sadly, it became clear reunification would not be possible. I remember feeling that we would adopt her, but it was not an easy path.”
“I won’t lie, I loved it. I loved the praise, the increased Instagram likes, the attention. I always saw myself as the chubby awkward girl and was in awe of my skinnier friends, but now I had a chance to be like them, to be accepted.”
“’He’s wearing earmuffs, and it’s warm out so I’m guessing he’s a r*tard.’ Days like these make me realize there is so much work to still be done.”
“The tech said, ‘Baby A-girl, baby B-girl, baby C-girl, baby D-girl, and baby E-girl.’ Later, we found out our girls were only the 2nd set of all-girl quintuplets in the US.”
“When our kid’s giggles don’t make us pause and say a quick prayer of thanks, when our spouse touches the small of our back and we can’t feel that quick burst of love, or when we can’t see the presence of the divine in the nearby wheat field, the swaying palm trees, or the mountains, it’s time to create a pause.”
