I am the youngest of six children. My oldest sister, Sarah, was unable to have a baby. They tried in vitro fertilization a number of times. All Sarah wanted was children, and it was very hard for her to escape the feeling because our family was always together and all my other siblings were starting families.

I remember the last time Sarah tried in vitro and found out that she had miscarried. She had so much sadness in her eyes, and slowly started crying. It was horrible, and I will never forget the helplessness that washed over me. At this point, we knew something needed to happen, but we didn’t expect what was to come.

I remember it clearly. My family was sitting in our living room, talking very loudly, as usual. Amidst the chaos, I noticed my parents were being unusually quiet. Then my dad asked for our attention. He told us that he and my mom had thought a lot about it, and my mom had decided to be a surrogate for my sister and brother-in-law. At first we all laughed, thinking he was just fooling, but the laughter soon turned to silence and everyone started to cry, Sarah and her husband especially. I remember sitting in my room, staring out my window in complete shock. I kept saying to myself, My mom is going to be pregnant. It was so foreign to me, being the youngest. Little did I know that we were in for a very hard nine months.

They had the procedure. Sarah was going to try to carry one more time, along with my mom. After about three days, we went to their appointment and found out that the procedure had worked and both were pregnant. We were ecstatic. My dad said that this whole thing was just like our own “Father of the Bride.”

Then my sister miscarried again. She was devastated, but it helped to know that we had something to fall back on. My mom was perfectly healthy and the baby was growing properly.

About five months into the pregnancy, my mom went in for her appointment and a test for the baby’s heartbeat. The doctor announced that my mother was carrying twins, a boy and a girl. My sister and brother-in-law were speechless. Could things have gone any better? My mom was ordered to lie down for the rest of the pregnancy. At just five months, she had little room left, and these babies weren’t finished growing! For about two months, my mom stayed on her back. There were times when she was in excruciating pain, and other times she was as happy as a clam. All we could do was wait.

At seven and a half months, she had a C-section
because no one wanted to take risks. My mom was huge, and my sister was ready. On June 11th, two beautiful babies were born. They were very premature and had to stay in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). My sister and brother-in-law’s joy was indescribable. I doubt those babies could be any more loved. They named them Simon Joseph (after my father) and Cynthia Grace (after my mother).

My mother gave my sister and brother-in-law the gift they had wanted for so long. The babies are our family’s little miracles.