Introduction

A few days in the past, my beautiful wife of 3 ½ years, came joyfully bouncing up the stairs of our home, and announced to me and the world that the test was positive. Next came the words that would send my world into a nosedive, "I think- I'm pregnant".

Never before have I experienced such a variety of opposite emotions at one time. Happiness, fear, surprise, panic and the sense of victory, all attacked my tiny little brain at once.

So how did I react? Of course the way any God-fearing man would, I simply stayed calm and replied, "What makes you so sure?" to which she quickly responded, "The test says it's a go!" Now that set off a barrage of statistics from me, all concerning the accuracy of home pregnancy test. Each one being intended to keep her from getting her hopes up and of course, buy me some time to come to grip with all these opposite emotions that were attacking my central nervous system.

Needless to say after a second home pregnancy test, (also giving the same result) and a call to the doctor (who assured us that a home test is very accurate) an official visit was scheduled to have an official test done. I suddenly began to realize that it was time to accept the blessing, we hopefully, would receive in a few months.

Don't take me wrong, it was our decision to try and have a child. We had waited for over three years and felt we were as ready as we could ever be. The surprise came in the fact that we had only been trying for a month, so my wife claims.

I thought we were in that little phase of deciding exactly when we would officially begin trying. I didn't know we were playing for real, I thought it was still pre-game, you know like batting practice or warming up in the bullpen. I didn't know the game had already started.

Nevertheless, now the time had come to begin preparations, my mind was racing with thoughts of everything from setting up the nursery, paying for the pregnancy/birth, would the pregnancy go fine, would the birth go well, do I have to be in the delivery room, where will my child go to college, will it be a boy or girl, what career field would be chosen, would he/she be able to throw a good curve ball and the list went on and on and on..........

Poems

Could I see
What you see
Just for a moment.
Could I know
What makes
You glow
Just for a moment.
Little one -
I wish to
Be in your
Mind and heart -
Just for a moment.
I will love you
Always - my child,
Not just for a
Moment.

Love is as
As Love does.
Love is sent
From heaven
Above.
In my heart,
I know this
Is true.
My child - Love
Surrounds all
That you do.

• I want you to know my child, that you are the greatest gift, your parents have ever received.

• I would ask of you only one thing, never forget what we do is out of love. Your mother and I would never intentionally hurt you.

• Remember, my child, your mother is the greatest woman you'll ever know. You should not marry until you find someone with as much love in his/her heart and she has.

• Always know, little one, your relatives could not have been hand picked and be better people.

• I want you to know, my child, although I may not have all the answers, I will spend hour after hour finding the correct ones to your questions.

• Even more important, little one, is the fact that your mother is very smart and you never have to doubt the advice or answers she gives you, she is one of the sharpest people I have ever been around.

Tony Ray Weaver (weav) is a 31 yr. old General Manager of Transportation and Manufacturing, living in West Plains, Missouri. He has been happily married for 5 1/2 years to Kathryn, a speech pathologist who also performs the duties of super mom to their 15 month old daughter - Cecily Nicole.

His hobbies include hunting, fishing, martial arts, reading and coaching/playing semi-pro baseball. He has been putting words together and calling them poetry for about 8 years and is posted on numerous web-sites, journals, newsletters, anthologies and a couple of magazines.

This article Copyright © 2001 weav - Tony Ray Weaver - Reproduced with permission.