“Meeting the parents” is already nerve-racking enough, let alone when you are meeting the parents while carrying a child that is not their son’s. When Nate first told me he wanted me to meet his parents AND that they wanted to meet me, I once again was a little shocked.

“Well, there isn’t much time before you have the baby and they really want to meet you before he comes”.

Nate’s parents lived about two to three hours away and at 34 weeks I was getting to the point where traveling more than an hour away from the hospital couldn’t happen. SO after a week of officially dating, I was headed to Eustis to meet the parents.

Ya’ll. I was so nervous.

(The irony of all this is that I was voted “Most likely to impress your parents” for my high school superlative. HA, not anymore!)

The day before I was supposed to head down there I made the brilliant decision to go out to the beach and only use SPF 4. For those of you who have never been pregnant, when you become pregnant your skin can become very sensitive and you burn easily.

WELL, I was a lobster. My timing is always impeccable! Now (ONCE again) I was crying to my mom about how I was pregnant and NOW burnt to a crisp and pregnant. Plus, at this point in pregnancy I was super swollen and puffy. I swear my ankles were the size of trees. SEE PROOF BELOW:

Sitting in Nate’s car for three hours, I could see my ankles growing. I literally thought to myself:“They are going to think I am so ugly. My baby is the size of a melon, my face is so burnt I feel heat coming off of it, and if you poke me with a needle I would pop. I AM SO SWOLLEN.”

We had finally arrived and I met Nate’s sister, Kalie, first. She was very sweet and didn’t act weird (although knowing her now, I’m sure she was still thinking “Wow, what did Nate do?”). We all hopped (well I didn’t hop) together into Kalie’s car to go eat lunch with his parents, who were already at the restaurant. The closer we got the more I started to sweat. I genuinely couldn’t tell if I was sweating because I was nervous or it was just all the hot flashes.

BUT I’ll never forget how they welcomed me with open arms, literally. They both wrapped their arms around me and introduced themselves. Sitting here now, I am literally in tears just thinking how they didn’t have to be like that. They had the right to question me and judge me, but they didn’t. Over the weekend we had our serious talks and they were open and honest with me about how a baby and dating wouldn’t be easy for Nate and me.

But from the minute I stepped foot into their lives I felt nothing but love from them.

And its been the same ever since.

The details of that weekend like how we went to a boat show and I how met a few family friends (leaving them super confused) are not what is important. What’s important is the fact that love was shown when judgment could have been and honestly should have been. So remember that in your day-to-day lives when you find yourself in moments where you want to judge someone, choose to love them instead. You can make a difference. The Brecklin’s made a difference in my life. They made me realize that I wanted Dawson and I to be a part of their family for a very long time and thankfully, now, we get to be.

So Brecklin Family, if you are reading this (which I’m sure you are) thank you for trusting your son. Thank you for seeing beyond the bump, seeing me, and loving me despite all the unknowns and reservations. Little D and I love you and are honored to be a part of your family forever.

With Love,

B