Meet Elisha Hodge: The Mom of the Friend Group and Now a Miracle Mom-to-Be
Elisha Hodge has always embraced her role as the "mom" of her friend group.
“Even in kindergarten, I’d carry other kids around on my hip,” the 37-year-old from Alabama tells TODAY.com. By the age of 10, she was the go-to babysitter, and at just 12, she was already leading Bible classes at her church.
“I knew from a young age that I wanted a big family,” Elisha shares.
When she married her husband, C.J. Hodge, a UPS driver, it felt like fate—they both dreamed of a home full of children. But life threw them a curveball.
"Maybe it was naive, but we never expected infertility to be an issue," Elisha recalls. "It really blindsided us."
The Hodge children are getting another sibling.Courtesy Kasey Hodge
The couple faced heartbreak after suffering three consecutive miscarriages. Each loss, Elisha says, felt like their “entire world was collapsing.”
Following fertility tests, they discovered that both Elisha and C.J. had medical conditions that would make conceiving naturally “incredibly difficult, if not impossible.” Even with IVF, the odds were not in their favor.
That's when the Hodges made a life-changing decision: they would foster children.
“We couldn’t justify spending thousands on fertility treatments when there are kids right here in need of a loving home,” Elisha explains. This was a natural choice, given C.J. had four adopted siblings himself.
Their first foster placement was a 10-year-old boy named Michael, who had experienced a failed adoption. Michael had some cognitive and behavioral challenges, but Elisha felt an immediate connection.
“The first time I met Michael, I looked into his eyes and thought, ‘Oh my God, that’s my son,’” she recalls.
In March 2018, the Hodges officially adopted Michael. Since then, they’ve expanded their family through adoption, welcoming eight more children: Kasey, 20; Kyleigh, 14; Jada, 12; Judah, 6; Bradley, 5; Jessa, 5; Olivia, 4; and Naomi, 14 months. (Judah, Jessa, Olivia, and Naomi are biological siblings.)
And come November, there will be another seat at the dinner table—because Elisha is seven months pregnant.
When Elisha missed her period in March, she picked up a pregnancy test, but fully expected a negative result.
“I thought, ‘There’s no way,’” Elisha says. “I even felt silly buying the test.”
But to her surprise, a faint line appeared.
“I FaceTimed my best friend because I thought I was seeing things,” Elisha laughs.
C.J. had a similarly stunned reaction—captured on video. In a viral TikTok clip, he opens a shoebox to find a positive pregnancy test inside. At first, he thinks it’s a prank. But when reality hits, he breaks down in tears of joy.
@dadof2many Well after 10 years of infertility were gonna have a MIRACLE! #babytok #infertility #miracle #viral @Queen Leash ♬ I Get to Love You - Acoustic - Mysha Didi
“He has his emotional moment, and then he calls in our eldest daughter, Kasey,” Elisha remembers. “She’s just as dramatic as him, jumping up and down in excitement.”
While the news has been met with joy, Michael has voiced some concerns.
“He worries we might love our biological baby more than him,” Elisha shares. “I tell him, ‘Michael, I could never love another child more than you. I labored for you in a different way.’”
The Hodges initially kept their pregnancy news private to shield their children from hurtful comments like, “Congratulations, you’re finally having one of your own.”
“They’re all my own,” Elisha firmly states. “I didn’t want anyone to say something that could make my kids feel like they were just a Band-Aid for our infertility.”
As for how the pregnancy happened without medical intervention, Elisha has one explanation: “It was 100% a divine miracle.”
The couple, who are choosing to keep the baby’s gender a surprise, remains licensed to foster. But for now, they're holding off on new placements.
“Unless it’s a biological sibling or a child we’ve previously fostered, don’t call me!” Elisha jokes. “If I hear another story, I’ll be out there building an extra bedroom myself!”