Making the Decision

After a long series of discussions with my beautiful wife the two of us decided that the way I can best support our soon to be growing family would be to become a stay at home dad.  Part of that entails my leaving my job early and getting the house and life ready to bring a new baby into it, so today I informed my boss that I would be departing no earlier than the 1st of August, and no later than the 31st of August.  This will give me a few months to get things locked down and as ready as anyone can be to begin a family.

I suppose I should begin by giving everyone reading this a little background and all that stuff.  I was born in 1968 and will be nearly 45 years old when my child is born.  Yes, I really do have a full head of greying hair.  Born in West Virginia, moved to Ohio...moved to Germany thanks to the United States Army...then here to beautiful North Carolina when I left the service.  In between there were a lot of adventures, more than a few birthdays, and one divorce. I began my current job almost 5 years ago and have been a Scientist for nearly 15 years.   I like to think that all of this gives me a better than even chance of getting more things right than I do wrong.  Not sure this or anything can really prepare you for becoming a parent.

I met my wife, as many do these days, through an on-line dating site and after our first date we have been inseparable.  On New Years of that same year I proposed to her, under a Blue Moon, and we were married the following April.  Now I have wanted children forever, but I had pretty much given up on the idea once I hit 40 and I was still not only single, but not really dating seriously.  Much to my pleasant surprise one evening Chris starts talking to me about "how do you feel about having a baby?"  My memory says I was very well spoken and erudite in my response.  I have a feeling it was more along the lines of "Du-hu, gorsh yes."

Thus began two years of trying, and trying, and trying again.  Lots of laughing, bit more crying, and wondering every day if it's all worth it or are you just wasting your time.  Then in February of 2012 we received the news that we were, indeed, pregnant.  That's when I realized something.  Couples like us, who have to work at it a bit harder than the average couple, get a double dose of it.  First there is all the stress, and BS, and all that goes into the process of getting pregnant... then comes all the stress, and BS, and all that goes into being pregnant which everyone else goes through.  As we are want to say in my lab though "it is, what it is, what it is."

I really don't know what this blog will end up being, and I am certain I don't know why you are reading it, or what you want it to be.  I guess we'll both stick around and see where we end up, k?