"The Journey of Parenthood"

Throughout my wife's pregnancy we hoped, wished, and prayed that she would not go into labor before February 29th. My wife is trying to complete the last semester of her degree.

By desiring a birth after the 29th, Anna was hoping to complete as much of her student teaching as possible before the baby arrived. Anna would have a mere two weeks of student teaching to complete. She would take 5 weeks to recover, then go back to teach two more weeks. This also would allow me to attend school during the summer semester. Were these selfish desires on our parts? Anna doesn't want to leave the baby for longer than she has to. Two weeks seemed manageable. Plus, if I don't attend school this summer, it won't be until next summer that I can take some of my classes. By then, I will have forgotten most of my Chem 105 knowledge. We both had our own reasons for our desires, yet our reasons seemed to go hand in hand.

Whether or not it was a selfish desire, our wish has come true. It is now March 2, and no baby. The doctors say that for the health of Anna and the baby, she needs to be induced. We will be making the long, 1 minute drive, to the hospital tonight. She will be induced. It's a scary thing for both of us. More for Anna than myself. According to the doctors, women who are induced have a 40% chance of needing a c-section during the labor process. Was this chance worth waiting until March to deliver?

Well, tonight we will be trying to gather a little sleep as we begin our 'induction' into parenthood. The future always looks bright as long as we are peering towards the light. This will be the beginning of an amazing journey.