Nine Months equals 1 hour

She is late for that time of the month but not just a day or two but weeks!  She is never late!  Time to go get the test from the drug store and find out for sure.  The anticipation builds, your mind races, come on, hurry up, and there it is... We are pregnant!   You are overwhelmed and overjoyed at the same time.  You start thinking about your life and how different it will be.  You ask yourself are you really ready to take care of something so helpless, something that relies on you for its survival.  What qualifies you to take on such a huge task?  You think of all that has to be done, we need to get the babies room ready, we need to buy a car seat, we need to figure out how to put the car seat in, we need to buy diapers, clothes, bottles, bibs, high chairs, toys, and a whole myriad of devices and tools.  What is it going to be a boy a girl, what will we name them, who will they look like? 

You get the first ultrasound and there it is your baby.  You can tell the sex of the baby so now you can narrow your plans.  You tell your family and friends and they are all excited and are planning the baby shower.  Grandma and Grandpa are preparing to be grandparents.  Planning the many ways to spoil your precious child.  There is no baby bump as of yet so it is not really real yet. 

At about 3months or so the baby bump arrives.  Now its time to panic!  This is real this is happening we are going to have a baby.  You can not think of a single way this does not change your life forever!  Are we ready, can we do this?

You watch in amazement as the baby bump grows and grows thinking surely it is going to pop now!  Finally the waiting is over, the water has broke, the contractions have started, the epidural has been administered, the doctors are prepared, the video is rolling, THIS IS IT!  Out comes baby! You meet face to face with your creation, every much a part of you as your hand is, so beautiful so wonderful.

Contrast:

Phone rings:  Hello? A boy 20 mths old? You will be here in a hour?  Click

No time to think, no time to prepare, no information, just buckle up and get ready.  This is the life of a foster parent.  It is taking some time to get used to 3 babies instead of just one.  They are just now getting used to each other as well.  The kept getting scared by one another.  One would cry and it would scare the others and they would cry.  It was kind of funny actually but not when it is two in the morning and they are waking each other up because now they have roommates that snore.