Chapter 15: Raising Diego: Work Is Work, Family Is Everything

While we knew we really wanted children for the majority of our six-year relationship, we also had dreams of earning our PhDs in fields we loved. Although we always placed family first, we knew it was important for us to achieve our personal goals so that we could be truly happy in parenthood. We wanted to travel, spend time together, have fun with our friends, and just enjoy being 20-somethings before our family grew. As two doctoral students, we knew that transitioning into parenthood would not be easy given the rigor and expectations associated with becoming a scholar. Yet, driven by our decision to not lose sight of our dreams for a family, we utilized our doctoral student know-how, mixed with a little creativity and resourcefulness, to embark on the most challenging and rewarding chapter of our lives to date.