Got the fever?

I'm interrupting our ongoing bathroom renovation saga to discuss something a little more personal. I recently found out that a close friend is having a baby! How exciting is that? I love, love, love babies and am ecstatic to have a scout that is testing the "parental waters" out for us before we take the dive. From what I hear, once you jump into that pool, there's no getting out. Yikes!

I'll be honest and tell you that having a baby has come up often in our 3 1/2 years of marriage. Truthfully, during the first year of our marriage we were ready to go, but changed our minds. Good call on our part. We weren't secure enough financially and just hadn't enjoyed being married long enough. Now that we're entering our late twenties (ah!), are further along in our careers, have done some traveling and spent plenty of time as a couple, we've recently begun to reassess the waters. Are we ready to be parents?

Because I don't have any experience in parenthood, nor do I have many friends with children, I am turning to you all, my wonderful blog friends, for some input. My questions for you all, whether you are a mom or not: how did/do you know when you were/are ready? Do you actually believe that there is a "right" time to have a child? I know that there is no "magic" answer, as having a baby is such a personal decision, but I'm the kind of girl that likes to learn from others experiences and information. I would love to hear your input!