Head on the left, tail on the right.
Jessie’s pregnant! Though most of you already knew that, we’re starting to announce it to the world. In stages. We’ve told bosses, we’ll tell other people at work tomorrow, and hockey and derby, and then facebook is last, but you can consider the embargo on general baby discussion lifted. We had our first checkup today.
I went in, and the first thing they did was take us into the sonogram room and put Jess down on the table. A little bit of petroleum jelly and before we knew it, we were looking at the baby. Wow. That’s *our* baby right there. The nurse then proceeded to look at all the other boring parts, the uterus, and ovaries, and everything else to make sure all was well, and then she went back to the baby so we could see it better.
It’s still sort of an ill-defined blob at this stage, just about an inch long, but the sonogram showed off some striking details, namely the *heart*, which you can see just beating away like nobodys business. And the round curve of the head at the left end. And then, while we were watching...
...it moved!
We both yelled at that. Very thrilling, I’m all excited to be a dad now.
The doctors appointment continued after that, and the report that we got from the doctor was that everything was just fine. All the numbers check out, the baby looks healthy and is growing fine, and Jess is taking perfect care of it. We got a bag full of random pre-natal stuff including vitamins and magazines, and formula. Somehow the fact that we now are in possession of a bottle nipple really made us both realize that we’re going to have a *baby* soon. And it’s going to need a *lot* of these. Jess also got the ‘ok’ to keep skating, as long as she’s careful with her balance. The ‘relaxin’ hormone is moving through her body now and she’s at increased risk of actually injuring herself due to twists and sprains, and that’s never fun.
We also got a lot of information about classes, the process at the hospital, things of that nature, so we’re feeling much better educated. Another milestone along the path to successful parenthood: we’re starting to feel like we might actually be parents someday.
-N
3 comments:
Wow! That is the most beautiful blob I've ever seen! Congratulations on a healthy heart beat, and crossing this milestone in style. I mean, wow. You are gonna have a baby!
In an old movie, "Terms of Endearment",a weird older character played by Shirley McClaine, reacts to the supposedly wonderful news of her daughter's pregnancy by flipping out because she's now by inference been told she'll be a Grandmother!!! Its very funny but I sort of identify with the idea. I've vaguely regarded myself as perpetually middle-aged, what with kids in college up until 2 months ago and certainly no grandkids about. I have always ceded seniority to the family's elder statement of Nana/poppa/gramma warner, not really thinking of myself as a senior presence. Now, its happening. My kids are getting grown up, we're really thinking about being retired, Grandkids on the way, I mean, its really happening. Another generation is starting. Our living family bridges from the Depression to the Great Recession, from the beginning of the Auto age to beyond the Space age. We go from the profound accomplisment of Nana's college degree out of poverty to the unquestioned expectation of that achievement in her grandchildren. Literally, my first thought when I heard the "pee-on-the-stick" news was that I was going to have to figure out how to help save for the kid's college.
There was a time when I was young, unmarried, and callow that I thought of kids as an anchor and a burden, something to destroy my ambitions and halt my prospects. Now I can't imagine the completeness I feel in my life without you all. I hope you will carry that forward long after we're gone but that we will share in its growth for many years to come.
You know, Sandlin is a scientist, and she's seen a lot of blobs, so that's a lot coming from somebody who's seen quite a few blobs in their day.
Post a Comment