You're what?!

There are only a handful of phrases, comments, and words at a woman's disposal that have the ability to focus a man's attention to every single word that flows from her lips. "I'm pregnant." happens to be at the top of that very short list of phrases. I can't speak for other men but I can count the number of times I have heard those words on one hand. Each time, my heart would stop and the religion I had lost would suddenly reappear. Its impossible to truly describe the feeling that flows through your veins when dealing with a situation like that but its what happens immediately afterwards that means everything to the woman involved. This is what I dealt with last week during our Thanksgiving break.

When my wife and I married 3 years ago, we briefly discussed the possibility of having another child. Sharing the birth of a child is a special bond between a couple that can never be broken. Since we both had children of our own from previous marriages, we decided that it might be best to enjoy the freedoms that come with having older children and the financial benefits that come with middle age. I can honestly say that we became "set in our ways" over the next three years as she focused on Hannah's soccer, volleyball and basketball activites while I concentrated on Kendall's high school volleyball and getting Courtney into Baylor University. All of this on top of her pursuing her doctorate... so whats a 43 year old man to do when he hears those words when they are definitely least expected? You smile, you hold your wife, tell her you love her, and you pray for a boy.