momma mommy bwuh

Many women envision becoming a mom from a young age, while others don’t, and that’s perfectly okay. Some may think they don’t want children, only to change their minds later. And some might not plan on having kids, but life has other ideas. Regardless of the path, most of us have a clear vision of how we think it will unfold.

For me, the plan was always to get married and have children someday. Whether that would be before or after pursuing careers as a teacher, nurse, marine biologist, or fashion designer, I didn’t know. I just knew it would happen eventually.

So, we got married (check). My husband and I envisioned a big family, much like the ones we grew up in—he’s one of five, and I’m one of four. We imagined our children surrounded by siblings, with a mix of boys and girls. We pictured the boys growing up to take care of their little sisters.

What we didn’t anticipate were the challenges we faced. Infertility, cancer, a hysterectomy, financial strain from my time off work for chemotherapy, and accumulating debt were all far from the dream we had imagined. Our journey was anything but sunshine and rainbows.

But I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. If everything had gone according to our original plan back in 2010, we wouldn’t have our boys now. And we are incredibly blessed to have Boy1 and Boy2 in our lives. I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world. Every struggle and heartache was worth it when I see the joy and love in their eyes.