Megan comes downstairs while I am working in my office and shows me a pregnancy test and says she is pregnant. I respond the way she responded to my marriage proposal by saying BS you are lying… You are messing with me (I used harsher language)! But she was not. It was positive and a dad I would become!
I instantly went into panic mode. Some of the millions of thoughts that went through my brain that day and over the next few days: My car is broken, we only have one car, I only make X amount, I need a car, what is this going to cost, how will we do this…. And it goes on like that till about a week later when I received some very powerful and moving advice. However, before that advice we went to the doctor. Unfortunately we caught this pregnancy much earlier than we thought. So we could not see anything on the ultrasound that day. So of course Megan and I are asking “is everything ok?” The doctor assures us it is and we are just earlier than we thought. So the doc tells us to come back in 2 weeks. We go home both freaking out not sure if we will be good parents or what we have gotten ourselves into or the 100 of other things running through our heads.
I reached out to Eric my boss and mentor to let him know the news and to get some advice from a third party perspective(non-related). He has 3 boys so I knew he would have some insight especially since we both work from home. And that is exactly what he did. He stated the following and instantly put me at ease: “You will do anything and everything to provide for that baby. No matter the financial issues you may run into your child will be fed, clothed, and loved because that is what you have to do. So worrying about it will not help you, the baby, or Megan. Take a deep breath and things will all come together.” Those words have stuck with me ever since and will carry me through the graduation of our child.
At that moment I was at ease. I was still scared about becoming a dad but I knew I could do this no matter the cost or issues we may run into. And from that day on I have been calm and collected and doing my best to support the Mom-To-Be.
2 weeks went by and we were back at the doctor’s office(April 4th, 2018) and Megan was still worried something was wrong. The doctor shows us the peanut in her belly and her face lit up and the smile on her face reminded me of every happy moment we have ever shared together. He tells us we are about 6 weeks 2 days. I knew then things were going to be exciting, scary, and down right entertaining.
At this point we are unsure who to tell at this stage and how do we tell them… So we called our closest friends Preston, Taylor, and Lindsey and shared the news. And told them to keep their mouths shut till we announce to close family, the rest of our family, and the world. I mean we had to tell someone it was just to exciting plus my mom was about to be here in 2 weeks so we thought we could hold out. That was the longest 2 weeks of my life. Megan and I both had shorter and less conversations with our parents and were determined to wait till April 17th to tell them.
Then the Grandparents announcement happened…
