Welcome to Gaia! ::

I don't want to sound preachy to you, but I think that you're going to have to be a little less idealistic about what this baby is going to be like.
It's not going to be a piece of cake, and if you think of it as some kind of fairytale where you just get to dress up the kid and name it and mold it into the perfect person, it's going to be disappointing in the end. I find it easier to think about it as something exciting and special, but not to lose sight of the practicality of being a parent.

It's good that you have the support of your family, but you're probably going to have to do some icky adult things, like find out if your prenatal care or birth will be covered by your parent's insurance or if you will have to find another method of doing it. You'll also probably have to legally win custody over your child and/or put a restraining order on the child's father so that you won't have to worry about the father having any contact. If I were you, I would not seek child support from the father if you really want to make sure that he has no real say in the life of your child.

And this doesn't mean you'll never be able to date or get married, because I know one of my neighbors who had a baby at a young age, broke all contact with the father, and is now happily married with a really kind person and they had another child together. So, even though dating is probably far from your mind, just know that there will be plenty of guys out there later on who will be honored to be with you. That and your parents are being very supportive and loving, which you should feel lucky for, as most parents might disown a child for becoming pregnant.

To get ready for the baby I would suggest these few things:

First of all, I suggest spending as much time as you can with small children and babies. If you know an older adult with a child, hang out with that adult, ask them what it's like, perhaps even ask them to show you how to change a diaper or something like that. Learn the moods that babies have, and how to deal with them. This will come in handy with your own.

Secondly, don't go out and buy tons of new baby clothes! Why? Because there are TONS of older baby clothes that you can buy for really cheap at thrift stores and it's basically new. Besides, when you have a baby, it grows REALLY fast, so a lot of the stuff that people might get you for your newborn won't fit in a month or two (believe me, I know this because I have two younger siblings and quite a few baby cousins).

Thirdly, PLEASE don't get your baby too many toys. I know it might be exciting to buy stuff for him/her, but a lot of the time, this overwhelms the child and can lead to greediness and a compulsion towards hoarding objects, which is not very healthy at all. I would suggest that you get a few unisex items at first (like blocks for building/legos/ one or two soft plush baby-safe animals, a few soft books for looking through) and try to cut down on flashy and "push a button and it plays itself for you" kinds of toys. These toys often hinder independant and creative development, so that kids might grow up to only use toys for what they're "supposed" to be used for, rather than using them creatively.

Fourthly, please PLEASE remember to be verbally appreciative of your support. Whenever someone helps you out, give them a smile and a friendly thank-you. This will give people the idea that YOU are in a good mood and will encourage others to be more positive around you.

Fifthly, if people in your school are being all "whispery and gossipy" about you, bring it out into the open. Talk about it like you're proud of it, not like you're ashamed, and ask them if they have any questions. Most of the time, the people who are saying mean things are afraid and ignorant about your situation. If you're happy and open about it, people around you are more likely to stop being afraid of it, and accept you just for you.