It's a girl

"Ms. P?"

"Eduardo?"

"Yes!"

"Is there a baby?"

"YES!"

And oh my goodness what a brand new baby, just an hour old when my students called with their news. But a baby is a baby, and I can't help but share their excitement as I write down the name and the weight and the date. Of course, in this birth story, "We came to the hospital at two in the morning" is followed by, "Eduardo's not going to school tomorrow," and "I had to get the epidural" and "I pushed for an hour" is interrupted by, "So, Ms. P, what are we going to do about those classes?" (For six weeks I'll be her homebound teacher.) "Well," I tell the new mom, "how about we think about that later?"

You are a seventeen year old high school sophomore who just had a baby, I think but don't say. These are uncharted waters. At least take a weekend to get your bearings before you dive in. You'll need all your wits about you, at the very very least. But welcome, baby. And congratulations mom and dad. Thanks for calling. And best wishes to you all.