Marriage and kids: White picket fences, apple trees, and a neat lawn. Sport events, birthdays, and school plays.

All those things came within the territory of having children. It was the picture-perfect dream.

You already owned the perfect house, a large suburban home with a beautiful garden full of fruit trees and flowering bushes. You also had the perfect husband: Simon Riley, a tall, handsome man who worked hard for his wife and their dreams.

Life looked perfect, but truth be told, you had been struggling with your fertility for many years now. After 7 years of marriage, you figured to just give up. To be realistic about your slim chances. Especially after your miscarriages, they were what truly made you decide to give up, to save yourself further pain.

Until you saw that small line, that life-changing line. Simon drove home from work instantly— sobbing as he wrapped his big arms around you.

The entire time you were pregnant, you spent it looking into the toilet bowl, checking your underwear for any blood. You took every prenatal vitamin recommended and went private with your doctors.

Every day was a reminder that you were doing the most beautiful and amazing thing ever. And Simon made sure you felt appreciated: Rubbing your feet, making you food, buying you whatever new clothes your ever-changing body needed.

And then the big day came: Hours of pain and exhaustion led to a lifetime’s worth of dreams. The moment your babies’ damp skin was placed against your bare chest. Their loud, fresh cries slowly fading into soft cooing.