Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman Believes Daughter Was Gift From First Husband
Little Big Town's Kimberly Schlapman has a new children's book coming out, A Dolly For Christmas, which details the hopes of a little girl asking Santa Claus for a sibling. As it turns out, the singer can relate to offering up her hopes and prayers in a similar fashion.
As Schlapman tells People, she was unable to conceive a child with her first husband, Steven Roads, who died of a heart attack in 2005. Upon meeting and marrying her second husband, Stephen Schlapman, the singer was not too sure of her odds again in terms of getting pregnant. However, she was met with a very big surprise very soon after the two tied the knot.
“In my previous marriage, I had tried so hard to have a baby, so there was already, I don’t want to say skepticism, but I was already pretty sure I wasn’t going to be able to conceive a child,” she told People. “When we got pregnant on our honeymoon, it was just the most incredible gift. I believe that my first husband, who was in heaven, I believe he begged God, ‘Let’s give her what she’s always wanted for a wedding gift.'"
That resulted in first daughter Daisy Pearl. "I know that was his wedding gift from heaven to me. I am 100 percent sure,” Schlapman notes.
Despite being thankful for their family of three, the Schlapmans soon found themselves wanting to expand their family, with nobody more eager than Daisy Pearl. The little girl started praying for a sibling at age 4. As things were not moving along despite fertility treatments, the Schlapmans decided to adopt and were approved for adoption in Dec. 2016. Dolly Grace joined the family just prior to Christmas that year.
Schlapman was moved to write the book A Dolly For Christmas based on their journey, which will be released by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers this Oct. 6. "“I just want people to be hopeful and to know that if they’re in the middle of a struggle, they are not alone,” she says.
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