Cherish the Moments

Cherish the Moments

It just got very silent in my house as my children scurry out the door to stay the night with their friends. At times like this, I sit here and wonder what I will do with all my spare time when they are grown and leave my home. My says, "said treasure the times you have with your babies because one moment they count on you for everything and the next time you turn around they are packing their belongings to leave and start their own lives." As I am sitting here in this very silent house I find myself reflecting on the last eighteen years of my life how much it has changed, how much fuller and magnificent it has become. I've always known that having children would change my life. Although never realized it would be the most cherished and also my most chaotic times of my life. I expected to remember simple joys and experience the pleasure of watching them grow. I also knew that while raising children can be very rewarding, it is far from being an easy task. However, despite having all of those expectations before giving birth, I was still much unprepared at the time I found out the surprising shocker that I was expecting my first born my son Ryan.

It was a bright sunny early morning day in July 1992 three months after I got engaged to be married. I was sitting in bedroom of my home thinking this can't be happening to me. As I am looking done at my third pregnancy test that is showing a positive result for the third time, in a very unfathomable colored pink, I realized I was having a baby. "How could this be happening at this time in my life? I am so not prepared to have all that responsibility that becomes of having a little petite person for so many years."

I frantically get on the phone and call my sister in New Jersey. "Anita I am pregnant what am I going to do?" "Could you please come home to help ease the blow when I tell mom and dad?" "I cannot drive nine hours just to do that, it will all be fine." Anita said. How do I go about telling them? I could not tell them being alone, so I called my other sister to be there when I sat my mom down to tell her. Glenda and I are sitting in a very silent filled bedroom my mother walks in my stomach feels like it is in my throat. Glenda explains, "Evelyn needs to talk to you about something." I immediately starting weeping "Mom I took a pregnancy test and I am pregnant." there was silence in the room for what seemed to be a lifetime. She turned to me, "You will do great, you will all work out I can't believe I am having another little one to add to the nine other wonderful grandkids I have." I had never felt such relief when I heard her reaction. Now it was the hard part of telling my father the news. My mom had decided it would be better if she told him alone and I totally agreed. My mom went home to speak to him. When she walked in my dad responded with," you don't even have to tell me I know she is pregnant." Now how he knew no one knows but still to this day he pretty much knows when someone is expecting.

Two weeks later I scheduled my first doctor's appointment. I went there that day thinking that there was a slight chance the doctor would say I was not pregnant that the home tests were false positives. "Evelyn Reynolds the receptionist", called out. I got up out of my seat my hands were sweating and my heart was pounding. The nurse sat me in the chair. She turned to me and asked, "Is this your first child dear". I looked at her and answered if I am definitely expecting then yes this will be my first. I need to know if I positively am pregnant. "Sweetheart we are going to find out in about ten minutes after run the lab test", the nurse said. "That was the longest ten minutes of my life as I sat there swinging my feet back and forth on the edge of my seat waiting for the results." I heard the door knob turn as the door squeaks open the doctor walks in. He sits down on his stool, "well I have your results back and you are 100% pregnant."