She was 15, pregnant, and terrified. She did NOT want to tell her family, so she didn't. Christina decided to tell a few select friends and her health teacher. Her teacher was very nice and super supportive. She respected Christina's decision to not tell her family right away and helped her through it. Christina ended up hiding her pregnancy from her family for six months and the whole time her health teacher would check in on her, talk to her, and make sure she was doing alright.
On April 13, 2006 Christina's grandfather passed away; just one day before her 16th birthday. This was a very tough week to get through and she started to let her guard down. The next week at school the nurse called Christina into her office. She had noticed that Christina had been wearing unusually baggy clothes and was particularly trying to hide her belly. Christina confessed to her pregnancy and after some crying the nurse called Christina's mother in. This is when her family finally found out that she was pregnant. Her mother wanted her to put her baby up for adoption but Christina didn't want to. After much disagreement they all agreed to keep the baby.
Finally it was getting close to her due date and she began to have serious contractions. So, she went to the hospital and was told that she was in active labor. The doctor asked if she wanted her water to be broken and Christina said no. This was fine because her baby was not under stress and she wanted to go all natural. For five long days Christina was having contractions but she was not dilating and her water wasn't breaking. Her mother and her went shopping so that Christina could walk a lot and finally her water broke. On August 1, 2006 Christina welcomed her beautiful baby girl Emma Elizabeth into this world.
In December of 2006 Emma's father proposed to Christina. At the time Christina thought for sure that they were not going to be statistics. In September of 2007 Emma's dad left for the Navy and they set a wedding date for June 2008. But just two weeks before their wedding date, Emma's dad was kicked out of the Navy and he disappeared. Christina was hurt not only for herself but also for her daughter because she really didn't even know her dad. But she began to move on. Christina began college in the Fall of 2008 and she wanted to become a police officer.
Shortly after she started classes, Emma's dad called and wanted to "work things out". Christina obliged but with reasonable caution. She refused to let him see Emma until she was sure things were going to work to avoid further confusion for her daughter. He had already walked out once and she couldn't risk putting her daughter in line for more disappointment. Christina was right in exercising caution because just a week in she found out that he was not only cheating on her now but had been basically their entire relationship. She was so glad she hadn't let him see their daughter at all. That was the last time she talked to Emma's father.
By Fall of 2009 Christina had decided that she was fine being single. But she ended up meeting a man named Atticus through a mutual friend. She had had a few classes with him but the two were not familiar with each other. Christina tried to fight it but she realized that they were meant to be together. After just one week she brought Atticus to meet her family and her daughter, they all loved him. Finally Christina realized what true love was, and it was not anything like what she thought she found as a freshman in high school. One month later Atticus proposed, and a few months after that the two eloped.
Christina found happiness. But then in April of 2010 she got really sick. She had a cyst that ruptured and got infected. This was a lot to pay for as neither her nor Atticus had insurance. So Atticus decided to join the Army. Christina and Emma were both so thankful and proud of him, and they still are.
Emma knows Atticus as her daddy and she is so proud of him that she says she wants to be a soldier just like her daddy when she grows up. Even though Emma Elizabeth is now almost six-years-old it still hurts Christina to think back to what Emma's biological father was like. Christina says that any man can father a child, but it takes a real man to be a dad. She is so grateful for her husband Atticus who has been an amazing dad to Emma and she is very happy with her life now.
This is a picture of Christina, Atticus, and Emma Elizabeth. (:
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