Lesson #2 - Parenthood WILL Sneak Up On You

I learned, on a Wednesday, that my dreams of motherhood were coming to fruition FAR sooner than I had ever imagined possible. I will remember that day for eternity. The man and I had only known each other for about 6 weeks...he had just come back to town from a business trip...the following day was his birthday - the big 3-0. That night we were laying on the couch talking when he happened to mention the fact that my monthly mood swings weren't as pronounced that month (I was sure to warn him beforehand, since things tend to get a little violent if not dealt with carefully). I responded, with certainty, that he shouldn't worry and things don't always occur according to the same clock. He joked and asked if I was pregnant...we both laughed. Inside, I was sure that being a few days late wasn't anything to be alarmed about...this wasn't the first time it had happened.

The next day (if you're following, this is the man's birthday) at work was like any other. Get in...check email...write a to-do list...sit at desk and type away on keyboard. Around lunch I began to wonder if the man's thoughts had any merit. I decided to make a trip to the local drug store - just to be sure. A co-worker of mine agreed to make the short walk with me. While there I decided it was probably best to get a few different test brands, on the off chance that I didn't like the results I was given. The clerk rang up my 12 tests and off I went back to the office.

I am fully aware that false positives happen. My hope was that, by some strange force, the 10 tests I had taken would have all been false positives. Yes, you read correctly...10 tests. I took 1 test every 20 minutes for almost 3 hours straight. After number 10, I decided that the tests couldn't be wrong. Not wanting to give the man any unnecessary stress at work, I decided to call my best friend.

My best friend, whom I love dearly, is not the kind of person who deals well with crying. Granted, she is a girl, but she isn't your average chickie....which is why I love her so much! Ok, anyways, I call my girl - in tears of disbelief - to tell her my story. Of course she knew of the man and how great our relationship was going...but this was definitely a shock for her as well. After a few minutes on the phone, we got off because we were both at work and, in all seriousness, she just wasn't prepared for all the crying.

After work, I went to pick up a cake for the man's birthday. Then I brought the cake home and waited...and waited...and waited...and cried...and waited!! The man finally got home from work and saw that I'd been crying. Let me add a sidebar that - at this time - the man did share his home with a roommate. In any case, we had a minute to sit down and talk...and that was when I broke the news.

Once the shock, disbelief and thoughts of, "is this really happening to us," we were thrilled about impending parenthood. The thrill wore off, not more than a few weeks later, and the feelings of shock and disbelief came back with a vengeance!!! A parent (noun) is one who begets, gives birth to, or nurtures and raises a child. While the man and I talked about having children in the future, we didn't exactly mean before getting engaged. I always said I wanted children (the more Republicans on this Earth, the better), but right now wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

Let us, for a minute, forget the fact that the man and I weren't engaged. Sure we had talked about getting married, but that wasn't for at least another year - assuming that things worked out in the first place. Let us also forget the fact that, honestly, we had JUST met not long ago. How could we bring another life into this world without really knowing each other first?! Well, we were about to find out...and that is where the babe's story began.