I've spent the past few months wondering when I would actually start documenting what should become one of our short life span's most life altering events. No more procrastinating (that's what I do best) - I'll give it a try and see where things go. It may be a bit scattered at this, "the beginning", because it all began in April when we pulled out what seemed to be just another pregnancy test.
So, this is our story. My lovely and beautiful wife, Eren, and I have been married for going on ten years this November. Most of our child rearing up to this point has been directed at our 7-year old dog (also ranked world's cutest by an expert panel of highly biased judges) named Derby. Being puppy parents has perhaps prepared us for some of life's little messes (aka all forms of projectiles) and even the discipline of schedules that revolve around potty breaks, but most parents have probably tuned me out by now because I HAVE NO IDEA and I'm talking about our dog.
We're well into our mid thirties (more me than Eren as she would want me to point out) and starting a family (more human than dog based) seemed like the right plan. After all, we had always planned on being parents at some point. Plus, the longer we went without, the longer we would have to entertain the age-old line of questioning about "When are you having kids?" - "Do you even want kids?" - "Can you have kids?" and "What's wrong with you?"
I will readily admit that the process of trying to get pregnant is somewhat confusing and often frustrating. It probably took us about a year to find two stripes on the pregnancy stick. I'm sure we shouldn't have felt alone in this, but the process definitely feels lonely given that making babies is not a spectator sport (except for Derby on the end of the bed) and it's not something that you want to call home about frequently or talk through with the same friends who use the line of questioning referenced above.
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| Camera came out quick on this one - captured 4/11/11 - 9:43pm |
But now we had something to discuss...the lines on the First Response (99.9% accurate) were both present and not disappearing. The look on Eren's face was a mix between the first time she saw her new Christmas puppy (excitement tempered with a huge dose of responsibility) and seeing a ghost (fairly obvious emotions here). I had more fun watching her reaction given that just a day prior she was almost yelling a prayer in the car that she wanted a baby. Well, He answered.
The past few months have been a blur and we're knocking on the halfway point of this pregnancy. I know I'm enjoying this process because it's not my body being invaded by an alien life form. I would say that Eren is approaching what I would call the "acceptance" phase or the "no more hiding" stage. Every day is filled with subtle changes that, in the end, amount to some large changes. My primary job now is to affirm my wife every step of the way.
If anyone wants to provide direction for me on how to keep this blog moving please let me know in the comments section. Otherwise I'll do my best to touch on all the areas that have received express written permission by the mother-to-be. It's late for me (almost midnight) and I just heard the most famous words in our pregnancy so far - "I'm hungry". I'm off to find her a snack.
