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Few phrases in the human languages can bring so many emotions to the surface so quickly…amazement, wonder, joy, fear. So it was, with Mr. D & me, after 3 years of marriage we felt “ready” for the parenting roller coaster. Did I mention that I still was in the Army? My monthly paycheck was a whopping $365. We lived on the Army base in housing, so that monthly paycheck didn’t have rent or utilities taken out of it.  The Army already had adjusted my paycheck down to compensate for living expenses, then they added a bit more to buy groceries. As a member of the Army Medical Corps, I worked in a clinical laboratory in an Army hospital about 50 hours a week, and then joined a combat support hospital when they needed help for their Army drills.  Mr. D, out of the Army 2 years, was finishing up an apprenticeship tool maker program that we were hopeful would secure his job future, but for now, he moonlighted part-time as a civilian security guard at an ammunition depot on the Army base.

Life seemed good, we didn’t have much, but we had good friends, good food, and the energy to do most anything. We were in the BEST physical shape of our lives thanks to the Army’s forced fitness, and of course, we were young and felt invincible! Why not have a baby?!? We were in love! We were ready! Bring it on!

Everything we owned fit well into Mr. D’s 1977 Pontiac Catalina, except for our mattress and box springs. We shared our washing machine with good Army friends who had a dryer but no washer. We shared a porch with LeeAnne & Hector who had 4 kiddos that we liked…most of the time. We shared our food & our space with many who, like us, were starting their “grown-up” lives far from home and without the comfort of their families. We became family to each other, quickly, that’s how it can be in the military, shared intense experiences forge relationships that are everlasting.  You can’t really explain that to those who haven’t experienced it…a bit of “saudade” here for sure!

So it was, our “plans” for adding to our family we’re falling into place…funny how some people don’t think of “2” as a “family”…but Mr. D and I knew different, we knew we wanted to be parents, but we were already a family!  We were excited to tell everyone, even those we didn’t know real well, but hey, good news is good news in any language …we made telephone calls to our parents, siblings, good friends. We talked of a future with “baby”, we modified our habits, and tried to eat and sleep more. I bought and read “Dr. Spock’s” baby book in a few days, folding the corner of pages to share with Mr. D when we talked of our day. I know this may be hard for many to imagine, but this was 1982, no cell phones, laptops, Twitter, or Pinterest …we got our baby information from the LIBRARY, and were only connected to each other.  Any “recharging” was done hopefully, on a weekend, with a home-cooked big breakfast with plenty of eggs & pork around.  We felt ready, willing, and able to be parents.

These were the “salad days”, the days of naïveté, leisure time well used, and dreams. I think, most everyone experiences this time, whether for a day or a season. But soon, the times would changes for us, and not the way we expected…