Everyone always talks about those three little words that will change your life. Those three little words that make everything seem as if it will all be alright. I know those words. I say those words. And, I know exactly how amazing it is when you find someone who means it just as much as you when they say it.
But there are three other words that will impact your life more than any others. "I am pregnant". BOOM! There you have it. All at once your plans for the future are shot, your world seems to be closing in on you, your financial status just fell three places, and it is all you can do not to poop yourself due to the overwhelming panic from realizing your life will never be the same. You will never get over the panic, but having someone who truly means those other three words by your side, you know you just might make it through.
Hold on, here comes the long background story that sets up this whole blog idea.
But there are three other words that will impact your life more than any others. "I am pregnant". BOOM! There you have it. All at once your plans for the future are shot, your world seems to be closing in on you, your financial status just fell three places, and it is all you can do not to poop yourself due to the overwhelming panic from realizing your life will never be the same. You will never get over the panic, but having someone who truly means those other three words by your side, you know you just might make it through.
Hold on, here comes the long background story that sets up this whole blog idea.
It all started when I was very young. Picture it, an elementary school in a little town in Oregon. A dashing young lad bravely sets foot on unfamiliar soil. The first day in a new school. No friends to ease him into the adolescent prison life. He spots the cutest girl he has ever seen and it makes his tummy wriggle like a puppy trapped under a blanket. She smiles at him from her place among the coolest kids in the school. He collects his nerves and steps forward to say hi. Before he can lift his foot to take another step, a car drives through a puddle and soaks him in the muddy water of humiliation. The entire school points and laughs at him. All but one, she confidently walks over to him and offers him a hanky from her Rainbow Brite lunch pail. The metal kind with raised characters and matching thermos, not the cheap crap like they sell today. He takes it and wipes off his face. They share a smile and he knows. He knows she will be the one he will spend the rest of his life with.
That is not at all how it happened. I met my wife in elementary school, yes, but we really never interacted that much. We had a class or two together, but I was the fat kid who had no self esteem. All the girls were out of my league. Plus, I never thought of her that way.
Fast forward to a few years ago. We had reconnected on MySpace and eventually migrated to Facebook. I was in Missouri and she was still in Oregon. She was unhappily married and I was very happily divorced. I never even thought twice about any sort of relationship with her. We were just two people who went to grade school together pretending we actually knew each other back then. You know, like those people on your friends list who sent you a request and you only accepted because, well, you don't even know why other than you went to school together. The difference was that when I made creepy jokes to scare her away, she went right along with them instead of getting a restraining order. Love was in the air, but neither one of us knew it yet.
Romance didn't start to bloom until the day she sent me a text that simply read "Boo!". Why was she texting me? What should I say? I panicked, collected myself , and sent back "AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!". That was just the first of about 15,000 texts. Eventually, I came home to visit my family and to see her face to face. I already knew we had something but I just wanted to see in person. I went home, packed up my stuff and moved back to Oregon. We have been together ever since.
So, having the most amazing woman I could ever dream of telling me I was going to be a dad made it a little easier to deal with the initial panic. But, every day since, I see how everything is going to be just fine. As long as I don't screw it up.
Fast forward to a few years ago. We had reconnected on MySpace and eventually migrated to Facebook. I was in Missouri and she was still in Oregon. She was unhappily married and I was very happily divorced. I never even thought twice about any sort of relationship with her. We were just two people who went to grade school together pretending we actually knew each other back then. You know, like those people on your friends list who sent you a request and you only accepted because, well, you don't even know why other than you went to school together. The difference was that when I made creepy jokes to scare her away, she went right along with them instead of getting a restraining order. Love was in the air, but neither one of us knew it yet.
Romance didn't start to bloom until the day she sent me a text that simply read "Boo!". Why was she texting me? What should I say? I panicked, collected myself , and sent back "AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!". That was just the first of about 15,000 texts. Eventually, I came home to visit my family and to see her face to face. I already knew we had something but I just wanted to see in person. I went home, packed up my stuff and moved back to Oregon. We have been together ever since.
So, having the most amazing woman I could ever dream of telling me I was going to be a dad made it a little easier to deal with the initial panic. But, every day since, I see how everything is going to be just fine. As long as I don't screw it up.