Amber Portwood is celebrating daughter Leah’s 11th birthday with an emotional tribute as the Teen Mom OG star breathes a sigh of relief after taking plea deal in her felony domestic battery case. Tuesday, Portwood honored the major milestone in the life of her daughter, whom she shares with ex Gary Shirley, posting a photo of the pre-teen looking contentedly at the camera while eating dinner alongside a lengthy caption.
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“Happy 11th Birthday my beautiful girl!!!” she captioned the photo of Leah. “I love our hugs. I love our kisses and I love singing together while looking into each other’s eyes. I love how you make me feel every time I see you. I love the text messages we send of funny gifs and when you say Goodnight but keep texting emojis. But what I love most of all is when you tell me I love you Mommy and I say I love you too beautiful..You are everything and more. Happy Birthday my beautiful girl with the ‘ocean eyes.’”
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Portwood can breathe easier after taking a plea deal in her felony domestic battery case against the father of her 1-year-old son, Andre Glennon. After the reality personality was accused of attacking Glennon with a machete as he held their son, she pleaded guilty to one felony charge and will serve one year of probation, which if successfully completed, will reduce her charge to a misdemeanor.
This isn’t Portwood’s first domestic battery conviction, pleading guilty to a charge against Leah’s father in 2011 and spending subsequent time in prison. On Leah’s 10th birthday last year, Portwood took to Instagram Live with an emotional plea for people to stop calling her a “bad mom” to her daughter, saying her violent ways were in the past.
“I just really don’t understand how I’m a bad mom. I really don’t, I haven’t done anything to be a bad mom,” she said at the time. “I did literally something 10 years ago that people are still holding on to.”
“Anything that I did nine or 10 years ago is something I did nine or 10 years ago but it is not something that should be thrown in my face. The only person who needs to forgive me is Gary and God, not you guys,” she said, saying she talks to Leah “every day,” despite her living with her dad and his new wife, Kristina Shirley.
“Everything I’ve been doing is all I can do. I can’t go and steal my daughter. I’m there for my daughter whenever she needs me. I talk to her every day. Any time she wants to see me she can see me unless she wants to hang out with her friends,” she continued. “Leah told me today that today was one of the best days of her life to me and it’s like I go online and get so much hate. I feel like I am getting bullied.”
She also accused Teen Mom OG of sullying her reputation in the public, saying, “The show has seriously ruined my image as a mom when the truth hasn’t even been put out there. I have such a great relationship with her,” asserted. “I will not be the villain anymore for this show because I am not a villain anymore. I can’t keep blocking haters, I can’t keep doing it.”
Photo credit: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic, Getty
