Noticing the Belly

We have had 3 funny moments recently where strangers have asked about the pregnancy and we were confused as to what they were asking about.

The first one happened at a local burrito place.  Kristy and I ordered two soft drinks and I didn’t specify which drinks because it was a self-serve soda station.  As I turned around to go fill my drink the guy behind the counter asked “What are you having?”  And I assumed he thought we wanted to know which soda we were getting so I replied, “Well I think she is getting water and I am having Diet Coke…”  He looked at me with a strange look on his face and then said “Nevermind…” It was only then that I realized he was asking about the baby…

The second one happened to Kristy at work.  When ordering a glass of wine a lady asked Kristy, “So when are you leaving?”  And Kristy promptly responded, “Oh, I’m off at 7″ – She meant when would Kristy be leaving the pizza place to have the baby… 

The third one happened during a Wendy’s drive-thru.  In the past our dog Sophie has come with us and at that drive-thru they give out dog bones and the lady working always says how cute our doggie is.  So when we pulled up without Sophie, the lady asked “Where’s the baby?”  And Kristy and I were shocked that she remembered we had a dog, so I responded:  “Oh we left her at home today…besides, she would have been jumping everywhere anyway.”  The lady gave us a strange look and then handed us the food.  Kristy suddenly laughed and then told me that the lady had probably seen our car seat base and child’s mirror in the backseat and was referring to the “baby” not Sophie…we probably looked like bad parents!

What to call you?

Okay – so now that Kristy can feel the baby “swimming” around in there we are beginning to refer to the baby in the first person…BUT since we have decided not to find out the sex, it is getting awkward saying “it” or “he” or “she”.  Most of the time it is just “the baby”, but since “the baby” feels like fish swimming around we have taken to calling “the baby”, “Little Nemo”.  Sure it is a bit masculine and in both the Pixar film and Jules Vernes’ Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Nemo was a man, but it sounds cute, so it stuck.

The last doctor appointment was very simple.  He just used the fetal monitor and we heard “Little Nemo’s” heart again.  Healthy young baby.  So far so good!  Kristy is being a great host!

People have been asking for pictures of Kristy, but we do not have any yet.  Rest assured, pictures will be coming shortly!  She is definitely pregnant and you can definitely tell!  We miss all our friends and family and are looking forward to seeing many of you soon!

Are you in there?

Okay little man or girl. I still haven’t felt any kicks from you yet and I’m kind of bummed out about it. I can take it, I have pretty thick skin. I think maybe I felt some movement the other day, which kind of felt like butterflies, but I wasn’t sure. Hopefully I will feel your movements soon, until then I will be waiting anxiously.

Maternity Jeans

So yesterday I finally broke down and wore a pair of maternity jeans to work.  The are very stylish, dark denim wash and I wore a brown tunic-type sweater to make sure that the blue band across the top of the jeans wouldn’t show.  And let me tell you… those jeans are the most COMFORTABLE things in the world.  They just slip right on and you don’t have to worry about zippers and buttons to constrict you.  Actually now I’m thinking that after the baby is born, they are going to become my Thanksgiving Day jeans!!! I think everyone should invest in a pair

Time to Face Facts…

So, now I’m am finally starting to realize what eating for two means and I’m not going to lie, the clothes are starting to feel a little snug.  While my growing belly isn’t quite so prominent yet, there is definitely a kangaroo pouch that is starting to grow.  Last week, I made my first purchases for maternity wear.  The woman in the store was super helpful and knowledgeable.  When I first found out I was pregnant, I thought that I was going to have to try on every single piece of clothing to see if it fit.  Luckily, you stay the same size in clothes as you were pre-pregnancy.

When I was in the store trying on a few things, they have this pregnancy pillow that you can strap around your stomach to get an idea of what you will look like in 3 months.  When I tried on the pillow under the maternity wear, I was in disbelief that I would actually be that big.  Now I’m starting to believe it!  So I ended up getting a maternity shirt, a pair of khaki linen capris and new maternity panties.  They were on sale and we all know I LOVE to shop.  I still don’t feel like I am big enough to actually wear the clothes, but  pretty soon.

And of course I will have to purchase more, darn!  Good thing shopping for clothes is one of my favorite hobbies.  At least now they have super cute maternity clothes and not just baggy shirts and stirrup pants like from the 80′s.

Thoughts for the baby

With the baby on the way I have been thinking about what types of parents Kristy and I will be.  I am 100% sure she is going to be the best mom ever, next to mine of course (in case she reads this…love you Mom!).  But for me, there are things I am almost positive I am going to mess up on.  It is not a question of desire to do the right thing at all, because I do.  I just know that I am human and will inevitably make mistakes or pass on bad habits that I have, so as my first post for my future child, I would like to apologize for the things that may or may not bother him or her when they grow up and are old enough to realize just how much we messed them up…

I apologize for:

1. listening to music all the time. I am sure it gets annoying, but hopefully you will understand one day what drives me to do what I do.  Your mother is more tolerant of it by now I am sure…
2. being a musician/teacher. I love what I do, but I really wish I could provide more financially for you.  I am confident that you are happy with what you have, but it is just something I wish I could do more for you.
3. not being more active and “sporty”. I can’t help it.  The things I love to do the most always involve standing or sitting for long periods of time.  I promise to go outside and play as often as you want me to.
4. for not providing you with the spiritual guidance that you wanted.  I still grapple with my own beliefs and faiths and I wish I had better answers for you than I do right now, but I promise to keep my mind open and help you discover you.
5. for being the annoying father who insists on saying “I love you” in front of your friends. I am sure you will hate it, but this one you will just have to live with, sorry…
6. for not being as healthy as I should be.  Just know that I have wrestled with this for the majority of my life, and hopefully by the time you actually read this, I will be fit and trim and healthy, but if not, please know that your soon-to-be existence in my life is the number one drive to help me fix this.

That is all I can think of for now.  To future-child:  I hope you can forgive me for these things when you are old enough to, or perhaps none of this ever bothered you…and in that case, forget I said anything!

The era of Facebook

On Tuesday, Kristy and I posted our good news on Facebook. We received over 60 congratulations! Wow! So wonderful to know that our little baby (just the size of a raspberry this week) has so much positive energy around her/him from amazing friends and family.

It got me thinking…Nowadays, to notify loved ones of great news, all we have to do is type into Facebook/MySpace for a few seconds, hit enter and suddenly, hundreds of your friends and family can know simultaneously about what is going on! Truly amazing! Makes me wonder how our baby will be able to send information when he/she is our age…

I remember back before Email and the Internet existed; back when we had to have a map of the city you were going to and had to call ahead of time to get directions, instead of just “punching in” an address to get directions on Google Maps.

I would be curious to see how other parents told their loved ones; I bet there is quite a difference between 10, 20, 50 years ago!

(make sure to vote in the poll below! More polls to come!)