Can Pregnancy Tests be Trusted?

And here we go…Faith and I had been married for over a year.  We had been to Hawaii, to the beach many times, and to Colorado and Ohio to visit family.  We were both teaching and enjoying our life together.  I walked into the kitchen, and Faith said, “Matt, there’s something in the bathroom for you.”  I walked into the bathroom, saw a strange looking device with two lines on it, and ran out yelling, “What is that? What does that mean?”  In those few seconds, I saw my life flash before my eyes.  When we decided a few months ago to “stop protecting,” I guess I thought this wouldn’t happen.  We weren’t “trying” as so many of my friends say, but there we were, staring reality in the face.   

                Now, let me add a little insert here for those men who have yet to deal with that pregnant moment.   Show a little excitement.  After all, it takes two to tango so you knew what could happen.  I’m pretty sure Faith expected that reaction from me since she knew what she was getting when she married me, but not all women are as understanding, and she definitely deserved better. 

                After the craziness settled, I looked at her and said, “How often are those things wrong?” Of course, I asked this after reading that the test is 99% accurate.  I honestly have no idea what happened the next few days, except that I had Faith take two more tests.  I was in a daze.  Our freedom would soon be gone!  No more late nights playing games with our friends.  No more date nights because we would be on one North Carolina teaching income, which meant we would not have much.  No more sleeping in on the weekends!  The list went on and on, and I wasn’t sure what to think, but those thoughts would soon fade when I was faced with the reality that my wife seemed eternally sick from this living being inside her.   The next post will shed light on that horrible experience.

                  At this point, let me share something that calmed my fears about our financial stability since we would be experiencing such a loss of income.  When Faith and I first married, we bought a house we knew we could live in on one income.  This was not easy, as with two incomes and good credit we could have afforded more, but we made a choice.  We didn’t want our attitude to be that we “need” to work to provide for the larger house.   I cannot tell you what you should do or should not have done, but couples need to put some thought into the future before they make those selfish, unnecessary purchases that often come back to put undue stress on their lives and relationship.  We are not better than anyone else.  We have many friends who are able to survive off one income as well.  Even if you don’t have plans to have one of you stay home with the children, training yourself to live off one income allows yourself great financial peace in the future if you are able to use that second income to plan and prepare for the future. 

                Now, here’s my Solavei (www.solavei.com) update.  For those who are anxious about living off one income, sometimes finding low-risk forms of income can be that little extra money in your life that can help ease your anxiety.  Faith and I have also found that the more we sow in to people’s lives, the more we see our lives positively impacted.