The Spare to Our Heir

Our daughter was to be our only child.  We never planned to have another and that was just fine with us.  Oh, I have to admit, when I was a teenager and would dream of the future, I would usually envision having four children - a boy, twin girls, and another boy - in that order, I might add.    Of course, this little fantasy also included a New York City penthouse and a houseful of servants to help raise my passel of kids while I was busy being something fantastic.

Skip ahead a few years and I was the mother of a single child, still in Tennessee, and in something several stories short of a penthouse.  However, life was good and I had matured enough to be (mostly) content with it.

In the fall of 2004, John and I hosted a fall party for Ren, who was nine and in the fourth grade, and her friends.  One friend's mother, who was closer in age to John than me, was expecting.  By the way, my dear husband is seven years my senior and Ren, at times, lets this fact weird her out, especially when she begins to reflect and asks questions like so when you were in college, mom was just in the sixth grade?  Anyway, when the party was over John and I talked about what it would be like to experience a pregnancy at that point in our lives and how utterly thankful we were that we were not in our guest's shoes. 

Little did we know that during that very conversation I was already pregnant. 

I cannot lie and say we became unexpectedly thrilled when we found out.  Actually, I remember both of us walking around for a while as if we should have been shrouded in black.  Soon enough, though, we embraced our turn-of-events.  And now, this story and the gift it brought with it the following June, is just another reason we love the fall!



P.S.  I do feel the need to clarify one bit of information...John and I actually didn't know each other when I was in the sixth grade.  We met during my freshman year of high school and did not begin dating until my senior year.  There.  I feel better.  Maybe Ren will, too.