...Has me thinking about when we'll be ready to TTC and how we'll know.
I realize that there are no hard and fast rules, but how did/will you know when you're ready to start a family?
I am one of those people who over-thinks and over-plans and will never feel ready for change, even a good change. There's no way that we can wait until we're debt-free; my womb will have expired by then. HH is still dragging his feet about his grad school application, so I hate to say that we'd start TTC when he finished school, since he's not even into it yet! I'm not sure when we'll be buying a house; we're thinking it could be as early as next summer, but that depends on several factors, too.
I'll probably be applying for a job that would be an hour away from here, and I just realized that the start date for the position is next fall. I've been at my current job long enough that I'm eligible for FMLA and have also racked up weeks of unused sick days, but I'd be starting the clock all over again if I were to take a different job. So that (plus the fact that I really don't want to chase tenure for the next several years) makes me more inclined to stay put.
Argh. Curse you all and your talk of prenatal vitamins and charting and pooping on delivery tables!
Re: All this baby talk
Well, it's different for everyone...but we own our own home. We are in a relatively ok financial situation. We both have good jobs (even though I'm not technically working right now, hopefully I will be very very soon, and I DO have money coming in regardless).
Dave is totally ready to be a dad, and he's going to be an amazing father. Our friends are all getting married and having kids, so we wouldn't be going it alone. I don't know, I just know that if we were to find out tomorrow that I was pregnant, it would be a really happy day!
With that said. We are not "trying". We won't be actively aiming for goal until the spring.
It's different for each couple, of course.
I am 31 and DH is 34. We own our home, we're debt free, have substantial savings, finished our degrees awhile ago, have stable careers. We've traveled a bit together already. We want more than 1 child so it made sense for us to start sooner rather than later.
We certainly were trying and planning for this baby but it didn't mean I didn't freak out when we found out I was indeed pg. It's a huge transition to become a mother and I'm still adjusting to the idea - it's a process. The early weeks and months of pregnancy are a time of lots of emotions. I'm excited, of course, but also there's lots that makes me nervous! This is a crazy world we live in and I just pray we raise our child in a way that gives them a happy childhood and prepares them to be a good citizen of the world as they grow up. You just do the best you can when the time comes. :-)
I will be 33 next month, HH will be 40 <gasp!> on Saturday so that played a huge role in our decision to try right away. We want to have two kids and I'd like to space them out a few years. He and I have both done the club, bar, party, going out thing and we'd rather stay and home and just be together. He has traveled a lot w/the Army and I've done my own vacationing, plus we've done a few trips together. Another big factor is HH's deployment schedule. Right now he's considered 'non-deployable' and we'll be here for 2 more years but when we move he will be deployed. We wanted him to be around for the first couple of years since he doesn't have much experience with children and I want him to really bond with his own.
We were both really excited to be expecting but I won't lie - I am scared. It's such a life changing experience and it's full-time, not to mention how important it is. HH and I both love our sleep and are already not looking forward to the lack of sleep we'll have ... forever, haha. But, everyone who has kids says that it's the most amazing experience. I knew it had to be true when my sister (who has never been a kid person) had my niece and is now completely in love with her and wouldn't change anything.
I think you'll know when it's the right time for you and we'll be here when you share the news!
well let's see...
I'm 22, but my husband is 28... his Dad died young, so of course he has that on his mind.
We both have good jobs. We both have health insurance. We own a house. Our finances are miles better than where they were (Code: I made husband pay his bills ;-) ) .... and we always said we wanted to have kids yound.
So, we're trying. And I'm ovulating. So we'll see :-)