The path to motherhood begins...

An old friend from high school crossed paths with me in my twentieth year. We weren't tight in school, but I knew enough to know that he was a good guy. Our relationship began with the intensity of a teenage crush. From the day that we reconnected, we were together every day. Every. Single. Day. Over the course of four months, this progressed to living together and an engagement. I had never known the type of happiness that he brought me. He brought out a confidence in me that had been missing for a decade. He made me feel exceptional, as though there was no other woman in the world besides me. We were married within a year and a half of his proposal. Things progressed quickly, but without any doubt. My life was good.

At twenty two and twenty five, we were the first of any of our friends to get engaged, married and become homeowners. Things changed for us. Nights that were previously spent at nightclubs and pubs, were now filled with nesting and homemaking. Our interests changed as we matured into a married couple. It was isolating at times, but we were blissful. We didn't need anyone else to complete out perfect world.

After four months of marriage, I became pregnant. This pregnancy was not intentional, but it wasn't unwanted either. After the shock wore off, we were ecstatic at the thought of bringing a baby into our relationship. We jumped into the world of prenatal vitamins, teeny tiny clothes and baby names with both feet. I even picked up my very own copy of 'What to Expect When You Are Expecting'. That made the pregnancy feel like it was real. Perusing pregnancy symptoms and horror stories with my bag of chips in hand was like a rite of passage. I would later come to learn that this wasn't necessarily the best source of prenatal information. ;-).