December 15th, 1989, I remember as if it were yesterday. The whole experience was so fast that I never had time to realize what was happening. I was twenty-three years old. I had been married for sixteen months. My wife and I had been together for a little over two years. Life with her was great. I never imagined it being any better. Boy was I wrong.
             In March of '89 my wife informed me that she was pregnant. I was in shock; I didn't know what to say. I was thrilled, excited, and shocked all at the same time. Just as soon as she told me the news, about a thousand questions rushed through my head. Am I too young to be a father? How will I handle the responsibility of taking care of a child? All of my questions would be answered in due time.
             As the next nine months passed, we tried to get everything prepared. I took care of getting the baby's room painted and decorated. I filled it with all the furniture that was needed, a crib, a dresser, and a changing table and of course, a rocking chair. While my wife took care of getting baby clothes, bottles, and a diaper service. Everything we did now focused on bringing a baby into this world.
             I can remember one of the visits to the doctor's office. We were able to listen to the baby's heartbeat. It was a very rapid beat, almost twice the speed of my wife's. And we were able to see the ultrasound, a very strange looking picture. The baby was very hard to make out, but once the doctor pointed it out I was able to see it. My wife and I had already decided we did not want to know the sex of our unborn child. So when the doctor asked if we would like to know, we looked at each other, and as if we practiced it, we both turned and said, "No."
             Eventually we had to take birthing classes. This was by far one of the strangest things I had ever seen. The classes taught us how to breath properly, to help breathe out the contractions. It was strange looking ar...