Below are all the Mommy & Me giveaway entries. Please do me a favor and read all and vote for your favorite. Voting will end at midnight on the 29th.

1. I had a wonderful man in my life, so I thought. I got pregnant at 21, and then he left me. More scared then ever thinking I was alone I told no one. I hid it for the entire time and decided that I could not care for this little boy on my own. So I decided to find an adoption agency. I picked out a great family they were there for the birth and everything went great. I went home the next day. My son still at the hospital with the adoptive parents. My mom and grandma said why are you so pale, I replied just nauseated is all. After a few hours I sat down with my grandma and grandfather watching a movie. As I sat there every minute going by I couldn’t stop thinking about that beautiful baby boy. So I went downstairs to my mom who I could tell anything why was keeping this from her she always no matter what was there. She would have to understand right she’s my mom. So I stood there and started to sob she said what’s wrong? I said I have to talk to you. She said ok? I told her everything from the beginning. My mom sat and listened to my every word. After I was done she said not a word she said come with me. She took me into her room and in her closet she pulled out bags and handed them to me. Inside were baby things for a girl and the others for a boy. My mom new from the beginning… She was waiting for her little girl to come forward with what she had already new from the start. My mom said tell your grandma and pap. So I did they took me right to the hospital and I got my little boy to take home. Upsetting as it was to tell that great couple I had changed my mind they were so understanding. From that day on I realized my mom was always there and my grandma and pap. Never should I have second guessed their love for a minute. Each day on they loved and cared for myself and my baby. If not for their love and support everyday I might not have changed my mind and wondered what if. April 8th Easter day this year that little boy will be 8 years old. I love you with every beat if my heart! Now I have two more a boy 2years and another boy 11months. I love each and every one of my boys. Thanks to my AMAZING mom grandma and pap for the guidance and love. Of course to my fiancé  too. That family also mailed a few months later a picture of a beautiful baby girl.

2. My husband  and I found out we were pregnant in Sept. We were so excited to finally have a baby on the way!  I have often been told if you want to make God laugh tell him your plans.  October was starting out great.  Hubby had just got a new job. October 10th was our second wedding anniversary and our first baby appointment.  I got to hear the heartbeat for the first time and see his little shape on the ultrasound screen.  Hearing his heartbeat was amazing! Three hours later I got the call that would change our lives forever.  Hubby had a physical for his new job and his kidney levels were horribly bad.  We were sent to the ER.  We found out that his kidneys are too small and are not working at the pace that they should.  Chris needs a kidney transplant.  My 26 year old husband needed a kidney!  Our world was crashing down around us.  How could this happen?  Would he still be able to work? How were we going to live if he couldn’t work? How were we going to have a baby in May?  I believe with all my heart that God was with us the day we found out about Chris.  I believe that God has a plan! Baby Landon is a blessing and part of that plan.  Hubby is doing amazing. He is on dialysis three times a week, still working full time and waiting on me hand and foot when I get home from work all swollen and cranky! We are working on getting him on the transplant list once all his testing is finished!

My mom has been my rock through all of this.  She is the one I called when hubby told me he wasn’t going to be going on dialysis and I had a melt down in the doctors office because I needed him to still be here in May when baby Landon comes! She is the one that kept me grounded when I didn’t think things could have gotten any worse.  She gave us all a little scare herself. She ended up having to have a hysterectomy in January!  She is just as excited about baby Landon’s arrival as we are!

I will never understand why this happened! I just know that having faith is the best thing that I can do.  I have learned that we are all here for a purpose and for a short period of time.  I have enjoyed every moment of this pregnancy and can not wait to meet this little person I have growing inside of me!

3. I was young when I had my son. We found out he had medical problems 2 months before my due date. Had to go and see a specialist up in Pittsburgh. During my apptointment they made we do a bunch of tests. Then they kept me. They said I had to stay in the hospital or stay somewhere in pittsburgh area til my son was born. The risks of me being an hour was too risky for him and I. Not knowing anybody from the area, I lived at Mcgee’s womans hospital til he was born. He was born 1 month early. They took him straight to childrens hosp after he was born. I dodnt get to hold or touch him   The hosp released me and straight to childrens I went. He was in the NICU. He had his 1st surgery when he was 3 hrs. old. I almost lost him 6 times. But his fragile little body kept fighting. No parent should ever have to go through this. He was 6 months old when he came home for the first time. I stayed with him everyday and night. Came home on the weekends to meet with my tutor for school. My mother would go up and stay the weekends for me, so he wouldn’t be alone. Finially when he came home, we all had to take special classes to take care of him. We traveled back and forth for the past 18 yrs. In which hasn’t been as bad the past 10 yrs. But the first 8 was home one day, hosp a week, home a week, hosp a month. I love my son with all my heart. Even with all that we all went through, I wouldn’t change my son for the world. I thank god everyday he is here with me. I have 3 full photo albums of him and I. I was so afraid to loose him and not have enough pictures to remember him. I don’t. Know what I would do with them. Trying to take care of a sick child and finishing school is hard. But we did it! And with the help of my mother. Without her I would of never been able to to it. My mother and I wasn’t that close growing up, until I had Billy. He brought us close. He is a miracle in so many ways! Now I am a firefighter and EMT. I now enjoy taking care of people in need of help. Because I was once there. In the 18 yrs of my son’s life, he had over 60 surgerys. He is a true fighter!

4. My story is pretty simple, one that I’m sure many women have gone through. Not everyone gets a nice childhood filled with good memories, and I was no exception. Growing up my mother tried her hardest to raise myself and my sister and brother. It wasn’t easy for her being a single mother. We moved around a lot; Louisiana, Illinois, Arizona, Ohio and a few other places in between. We didn’t always have many toys or clothes or enough food. One thing my mother always gave my siblings and I in abundance was God. We attended church without fail several times a week, went to bible studies, and youth groups. We became so close with our church family, at one point they graciously brought several bags of food to our home. When I was about 13 years old, my mother was diagnosed with Lupus. She quickly became ill, so ill my older brother had to carry her to the bathroom. My mother always taught me to be very strong, as she is the strongest  woman I’ve ever known. I took over the houshold work, cooking, cleaning and doing laundry. We got through it, and now my mother is in remission. Looking back, I never feel bad about the things that weren’t perfect about my childhood. I can really say, I’m grateful. Everything I went through as a child has made me a better mother. I want to make sure I provide for my girls and give them memories, stability, and a strong mother. Every decision I have made since I became a mother has been to give my daughters all the things I didn’t have as a child. My past motivates me towards my future. It’s helped me get through (and continue) my education. I can proudly say, I’m a Pre-Med student whose had a 3.75 to 4.0 GPA. I don’t think I could not have done that without God and the motivation I have to provide for my daughters. Even if I didn’t win anything, it’s just nice to be able to tell a little of my story.

5. Well I was 19 when I found out about my son I was very happy about him as time went on his father took off so I took on the single mom role for a a while then found out I had lumps on my cervix and cyst on my ovaries had my surgerys found someone and tried to have a baby and end up miscarrying my doctor told me my changes was slim holding on over 6 weeks so he took off for a girl that could have kids so I moved on 2 in time I found some1 else found out again I was pregnant and again the same story. But after 7 yrs of trying I’m having and 35 weeks pregnant with my miracle my son is very excited 2 finally become a big brother he kisses my belly nonstop. I named the baby after my friend that was killed cause I know she is the angel of this baby and the reason he is coming into this world.

6. I have always had such a special relationship with my mom. She is not only my mom, but also my best friend. I have always felt so blessed to have such a close relationship with her. Even during my teenage years, most kids were hiding things from their parents but I always wanted to tell her everything. Now I am 32 years old and we are closer than ever and my kids think that she is just the best grammy ever! During my childhood, there were times that she worked turns and I stayed with my grandma. Looking back, we don’t have very many pictures together. I feel very fortunate to have both of them still in my life and my kids’ life as well. I always say that I will be happy to be half the mom and gram as mine were and still are. It’s a great feeling to be 32 years old and have two of the most important people in your life still be here and be as close as ever. I love your work and have to say that last year when we did the mommy and me session…It was fantastic! That was the first time ever that we all had our picture taken together (4 generations)! I would love to do it again!

7. My husband and I have now been married almost 6 years, but have been together almost 14 years.  In 2006 me got married and immediately tried to get pregnant.  A few months later, I began working for a Surrogacy & Egg donation agency helping people have children who could not.  After a year of trying, we had bloodwork done to check my levels and my OBGYN said they were fine.  We immediately sent these to 2 different IVF doctors in California and both agreed that the bloodwork showed one of my levels was too high for my age and was the reason I had been having trouble.  They also stated the only way I would be able to get pregnant would be to do IVF.  Not only would I need to do this, but I need to do this quickly as I may loose the opportunity have a child of my own genes.  I was 27 years old and devastated.  My husband thought I was crazy and we continued to try for a few more years.  We had different tests done, we tried fertility medication and nothing.  During this time I became deeply depressed and jealous of those who could have children and it seemed like it was everywhere around me.  I missed lots of birthday partys and baby showers as it seemed to hurt more.  I was always happy for them of course, but it was another stab to my heart. In 2010 we decided that we needed to try IVF to get pregnant.  I was so completely lucky working for a company that did IVF all the time and my Dr. in CA was willing to do it for free.  In Sept of 2010 we begin fertility medications and flew to CA to have an egg retrieval and then an embryo transfer.  We were there for 2 weeks and after we got home we had to wait an additional 2 weeks until we had bloodwork done to see if I was pregnant.  The waiting took forever and all of our family and friends knew so when we got the bad news, it was terrible.  We transferred 4 embryos and didn’t get pregnant!  I wouldn’t speak to noone in weeks as I was devastated.  After a couple of months, I decided to do it again.  This time only a handful of people knew and we flew to CA again in January 2011.  Again we transferred 4 embryos and the wait was once again terrible.  I went to get my bloodwork on a Saturday and had to wait hours until I heard from someone.  When I got the news that I was pregnant, I just broke down and cried.  My husband looked at me and immediately thought it was bad news.  We then cried together in joy as we didn’t think this day would ever come.  As I write this, I cry because I can remember how painful all of this was.  Of course we called everyone that day with the great news and celebrated with family later that day. Our baby is not only the best thing that has ever happened to us, but a true miracle from God.  Out of 8 possible chances, we got him.  I thank my Doctor and God every day for him as we are so blessed.  I am very open about what we have gone through to get him and I really do want to help others as well.  I know how it feels to not get pregnant and spend years trying, but I also know how it feels to now get pregnant and have a child.  I know what it is like to put someone before myself and to love unconditionally.  There is nothing more important than family or being a parent.

8. I was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer in mid-December 2008.  After two surgeries, it was time for the ‘Radiation Pill’.  This meant that I had to stay approximately 15 feet from my, at the time 3 ½ year old, little girl.  The pain of surgery and even finding out that I had the C – word was nothing compared to the pain of a mother not being able to hug and kiss her beautiful little girl.  The thing is, that this little girl was so brave and so helpful when we went through this tough time in our lives.  I spent the ‘quarantined’ time in my parents finished basement apartment and she stayed upstairs with my Mom & Dad, both of which are Saints in my book)!  My baby girl and Mom would make me breakfast, she would put it on the top step and close the door.  I would here her tiny little footsteps upstairs fade as she ran to the far side of the house, to equal at least 15 feet!  I would then go get my breakfast and sit at the bottom of the stairs eating & looking up at my brave little girl as she “ate breakfast with me”.  This went on for a week.  This is not anything I would wish on even an enemy, but I can say that I learned a lot in this rocky patch of time in our lives…my little girl is one of the bravest people I know and I love her like mad!!!

9.  This is so hard for me to tell you. It’s kind of long, I hope you can stay interested and I hope I didn’t babble too much as I write, as the tears are flowing down my face. On November 21, 2009 I married my best friend and the man of my dreams.  On December 22, I found out we were expecting our first bundle of joy. We were ecstatic and told our parents on Christmas day. We even wrapped up a little sleeper for them to open (best surprise ever). On January 11, 2010 I was rushed to the emergency room where we found out our amazing blessing wasn’t in my uterus but my Fallopian tube and I was bleeding internally from my tube bursting. I was rushed into surgery where they had to remove my baby and my right Fallopian tube. We were devastated and it took me 6 months to recover from my depression and I even missed a semester of college, it was supposed to be my last semester. The pregnancy hormones spiraled my body into what is known as PCOS. Basically, you have a hard time getting pregnant because you aren’t able to ovulate. In July of 2010 the Dr. Decided to try us on a fertility drug called Clomid since we were trying again, but having a hard time bc of the PCOS and only one Fallopian tube. We got pregnant the first month, but sadly I miscarried at about 6 weeks. The Dr. Decided to try Clomid again in September and we were pregnant again!!! We couldn’t believe it worked again because so many people have problems with it working once. I was devastated when I got the call, “Your numbers are going down, I’m sorry the pregnancy will end in a miscarriage.” We were sent to a fertility specialist in Pittsburgh who couldn’t find anything wrong. 2010 was the worst year of our lives. My husband, the amazing man that he is, stood by my side no matter how hard I cried or how mean I got. We decided to let God decide when we were meant to have a child. The heartache of losing another would just kill me.

My grandparents, who helped my mom raise my sister and me, were like another set of parents.  My grandmother had been ill for years with cancer, heart problems, and diabetes and had almost died in the beginning of 2011. Magically one day I called from school to ask how she was doing and SHE ANSWERED THE PHONE and acted like nothing had been wrong at all. She was comatose for a week before that and the dr had even called the family in from out of state. She was my best friend and no matter what I did was always there for me. She came home and we found out my grandfather had colon cancer. Should have been a pretty simple routine surgery bc it was only stage one. It turned into months of being treated in ICU in a Pittsburgh hospital bc of the poor conditions the hospital here left him in. Sadly, my grandfather passed on April 4th in a hospital where my grandmother was in as well. I stayed with her in the hospital for almost a week, she was back in again for her heart. The weird thing was she said she just couldn’t cry for him. They had been married so long and they spent every single day together. My grandfather did everything for her and you could tell loved her unconditionally. My grandmother was able to come home for his showing and funeral so I went to Robinson and bought her a lovely suit. She took everything so well and was so put together but every day said to me that she just couldn’t cry. She felt bad she couldn’t. I knew in my heart she knew something I didn’t.

One day she told me she had, had enough and she was tired. She made the decision to take herself off of all her medications and to bring hospice in. Hospice said she had about 2 weeks to live. She asked to be buried in the suit i bought her :’-(. As I noticed she was getting tired I said my goodbyes. I told her it was ok, and that I loved her. She said she loved me too. I was the last one she was able to talk to. She only lasted 12 hours without her medicine and died 30 days from my grandfather. She couldn’t cry because she knew she would be seeing him again soon. That woman was the most amazing, kind, understanding woman. And I can’t ever express how much I miss them.

The day we buried her was the day I graduated from college. I of course missed my ceremony to say my final goodbyes. I told my husband I needed to get out and maybe have a drink but I was 2 days late (not unusual at all for me). We stopped at walmart on our way home from the funeral picked up a CBE digital. I came home got ready to go out and decided to take the test right before we were leaving. PREGNANT. That day May 7, 2011 was also the day I found out about my precious Mariella Kate. We were pregnant, on our own, not even trying!! I was so wrapped up in school and my grandparents that I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would be pregnant. I truly believe my grandparents love for me had something to do with our gift. My grandparents let me know just how much that day. On December 29, 2011 at 2:40 am I gave birth to a true miracle. She weighed 6 lbs 8 ounces and was two weeks early. We named her, with a twist, after my grandmother. I am laying here with my beautiful, healthy, 3 month old who is the light of out lives. She is truly a miracle and I cherish every second of every day I have with her. She is truly a beautiful miracle. All of the heartache we’ve been through was worth it. I still think about the 3 babies we lost and hold them close to my heart. My baby girl has 5 guardian angels that protect her and I hope one day to share this amazing story with her.

10. I have not made my arrival into the world yet, but plan to make my grand entrance on May 15, 2012. I would like to take a moment to tell you about why I was lucky enough to be here. My mommy and daddy was married on June 24, 2011 and went to Jamaica for their honeymoon, at which I was conceived. Before that my mommy had been told that she would not be able to ever have me due to having her right ovary taken out and bad scaring on her left ovary due to cyst. But out of true love I am almost here to bless them with one lucky kid. But I already know I am the lucky one here. Pick my mommy & me for a memory we will always share for a lifetime.

There they are folks. Please vote by posting to this blog which number you want to vote for. You may only vote once. Duplicates will not count.