A Time To Hope

It's always been a hard, fast rule that once CBS News Correspondent Steve Hartman pulls into town, in this case Morgan County, Tenn., he will find a phone and let fate chose a family out of the phone directory. Once fate has chosen, he must tell the story of somebody at that house.

Could be the mom; could be the dad; could be the kid; could be the cat…if for some reason, he wanted to get fired. Point is his choices are usually limited to the residents living in the house.

But on this special holiday occasion he decided to bend the rules ever so slightly -- to tell the story of the resident living in a mother's womb.

This is the story of the soon-to-be son of Lesa and Randy McFarland, who are about to get their first, really good look at Evan.

He is 28 weeks and already he is 3-lbs. 2 oz.

"We're going to have a 10 pounder," says the nurse.

And for the man who doesn't have to give birth, that's apparently good news. So on or around March 5, Evan McFarland will suddenly find himself in a birthing room at nearby Methodist Medical Center. And although his journey will be very short, just the length of his little body, it will no doubt feel like another planet. Such a different world this is. And not just for Evan.

"That's a scary thing bringing a child into the world at this time," say Randy.

It was about the time Evan first started kicking in her stomach, that we got kicked in ours.

"I just thought, 'oh my goodness, what's going to be here for him.' You know, what's going to happen?" says Lesa.

Is this the wrong time to be pregnant? Or the perfect time for the right child?

"Somebody that respects people, respects others. A good person cares for people. A good heart," the McFarlands say.

Evan will be just one of roughly 4 million babies born in America next year. And within each child lies the hope...that our future will be brighter than our past.

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