Here We Are

It has been a strange and difficult journey, but stability prevailed and Liz and I  felt that the time was finally upon us to begin our own family. It wasn't a decision that we made lightly, and just because we made a conscious decision doesn't mean it hasn't been the easiest thing in the world, but it seems that nothing worthwhile in life ever comes easily.

So (as Liz already chronicled), when Liz started craving corn dogs and jalapenos, I knew something was going on. In all the times I have had a box of corn dogs in the freezer (which has been often, I love corn dogs), I remember her asking for a corn dog one time before pregnancy, and that time, she just picked off the breading and left the hot dog, so that was indicator numero uno. We picked up on this pretty quickly and got iron clad confirmation as quickly as possible in the form of three pregnancy tests.

The cravings subsided quickly, which was honestly a little disappointing to me. I was really hoping for inventive combinations like pickles and ice cream, but alas, I have been disappointed. There has been an interesting change, nonetheless. Liz is normally someone who craves the same thing for weeks at a time, but when pregnant, she has deep insatiable cravings that subside after she eats it once. This leaves the fridge and cake keeper full of goodies that I feel compelled , nay obligated, to eat. Needless to say, I have begun to put back on weight that I lost earlier in the year, but I mean, I can't let the food go to waste, right? My brother-in-law, Josh, has commentated and warned me of this phenomenon, but I am afraid I have already been sucked in.

Some of the most amazing experiences thus far have been the sonograms. I was afraid before the first sonogram that I wouldn't be able to see anything I could recognize as a living being. I pictured myself as a character on a sitcom (like I have seen a thousand times before), who ironically is the only character that can't recognize the baby in the pictures. The audience would get a kick out of it, but I would be very sad. Luckily, this was not the case, I could instantly recognize the head and appendages. It looked most like a gummy bear to me, with no definable hands or feet yet. The second sonogram was even better in a lot of ways. The first and foremost being that he or she actually moved while the camera was on. The movement really hammered home the fact that there is a living thing in there, and it will eventually be here in the world. The second time, we could also recognize hangs and feet, along with fingers and toes.

Another of the truly fun parts of this whole deal has been getting to share the news with our friends and family. We had a blast making the video to tell our parents and siblings. The video is here: The Ultimate Scrabble Game, by the way. I also have had good experiences and responses from my friends. One of my best friends, Daniel, got me the book Fatherhood by Bill Cosby at a library sale. I think he intended it as a joke, but honestly, I am looking forward to reading it.

Being the researched driven person that I am, I am soon to embark on a vast discovery of childbirth and parenthood through books. Does anyone have any good recommendations? I do tend to learn things better from books, and while I know you can't learn things like love and affection from a book, I can learn how to parent a lot better. And I might just pick up a little along the way of how to make my child a super genius. I mean, I'd be doing him or her a favor, right? Can't go wrong with making your kid a genius.

There is much more to come . . .