A Bigger Purchase

All of last week I had heard repeated commercials for an upcoming sale for USA Baby - today was their "much anticipated once-a-year 70% off sale." I guess since we found out we're pregnant, my receptors pick up anything that's pregnancy related. It's kind of like when you buy a new car and like a particular model...and you see that car everywhere, when before you would have never had paid that much attention to it. So this morning, I told Linda about the big sale. She thought we could go check it out, to get ideas at least... It's still so early in our pregnancy, we didn't think we'd be buying anything...plus I've read that it's best to wait a few months before these purchases. But with a great sale like this, how could you pass up at least not looking?

We walked in and found an awesome deal for a Muniré Newport Lifetime 4-in-1 crib in a dark cherry finish! The only one left was the floor model which they had marked down 45%! I love stuff that's almost half-off! Anyhow, they wrapped it up in bubblewrap and loaded the Caliber... Since it was the floor model, they did not have the box for it anymore and we had to strap the headboard to the roof of the Caliber since it would not fit into the back with the rest. But we do have instructions and the hardware to put it together. It's gonna sit in the guest room, which will be the nursery, until it gets closer to time to put it together.

Once we got home and settled I pulled up the Munire's website and about freaked out because there was a product recall on one of their cribs due to lead paint... It was the same model we have, and after some research we realized it was for the crib painted in their "rubbed black" finish, not the cherry finish we bought. Plus, USA Baby wouldn't sell a product that had a recall, right? Anyhow, I think we are in the clear...

It's a great looking piece though. And what's great is, McNugget is all set until they at least reach middle school age when we will probably have to get a new bed for them at that point. Once McNugget grows, it converts from a crib into a day bed, and then a toddler bed, then a full size bed! How cool is that!

Facebook Junkie

I've found that it's kinda funny in today's world that we had to think of when and how to announce McNugget's arrival on our Facebook profiles. Ten years ago, a world before Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and the like, expectant parents would never had imagined they 'needed' to spread their news to the world like that.

We wanted to keep the news on the down low for awhile - and had originally discussed not making that announcement to our Facebook friends until the first trimester was over. However, Linda's status update yesterday was "Since Brian has told just about everyone anyway... We are expecting! McNugget should be born sometime on or around Easter (April 4) next year." I quickly commented on this and stated, "Uhhh, the cat's outta the bag?? I've only told family and coworkers!! But since you've posted on your FB - then I can too!!!!!!" And in my defense, only a handful of coworkers and most of my immediate family knew. I was just waiting for Linda to move first before I posted anything. I immediately got to work, updated my status with our news, posted McNugget's first ultrasound pictures and a link to this blog. My email inbox was flooded all night, and continues to be inundated with messages from my Facebook friends with their well wishes and congratulations! It really is heartwarming and I can tell this little one is already loved by so many! Thanks friends!

Blatant product endorsement

So, here I am at 8/9 weeks along and my pants don't fit. It is waay to early to buy maternity clothes - and expensive to buy a completely new wardrobe - so what's a girl to do? How about check out BeBands!

It's basically a cotton tube that you pull up and then pull down so they cover your unbuttoned pants. It just looks like you have a t-shirt on underneath. A friend recommended this to me, but honestly I don't know why us preggos have the corner on this hot commodity. We all - pregnant or not- have a pair of pants or two that we don't quite fit into anymore. Well, except for those crazy work out people who run marathons or do kickboxing at 5:30 in the morning. For us unmotivated people, we have BeBands!

How's this for a ringing endorsement. When I went to Target to pick one up, the girl at the register said, "Hey these work great." I asked, "Really?" And she said, "Yeah, I'm wearing one right now."

Totally looks like a t-shirt. And considering most of my dress slacks cost about 5-6 times as much as a single BeBand, I think it's definitely worth the investment.

Early Purchases

Today, I went to Barnes & Noble to pick up some reading material for someone in my position, the dad-to-be. Seems that no author has really thought about writing a book geared towards us. Seems there are thousands, if not millions, of books written for moms-to-be, which is completely understandable. What is out there for the dads, from what I've seen are pregnancy books that are often written in a crude manner that ranks up there with fart jokes. While I do appreciate a good fart joke, I was looking for something a bit more substantial and informative, and written by a father-to-be perspective. Online recommendations and the little old lady that reminded me of a grade school librarian suggested "The Expectant Father" by Armin A. Brott & Jennifer Ash. Thumbing through the pages, it looks pretty cool and very informative! Does anyone have any other suggestions for a guys point-of-view?

On the shelf, sitting next to this book was a tiny 32 page Dr. Suess book. I picked it up and skimmed through the pages and thought it was kinda cool...so I bought McNugget their first book! It's called "Oh, Baby, the Places You'll Go". So once the little one gets their ears and hearing (at around 2-4 months), I'll start reading them this book through Linda's belly!

I'm still working on her to let me take pictures of her belly though...

My compliments to the chef

Brian made dinner tonight. It was great and very tasty. 10 minutes after I finished eating I was in the bathroom throwing it up. Don't know what triggered it. I'll be happy when the first trimester is over.

I tried to prevent it as best as possible. My sister told me to squeeze my arm on the front and back where your watch face and clasp would normally be. It's a pressure point and relieves nausea. This works most of the time, but no match for sudden on-set of baby-to-be rejecting dinner.

The Excitement is Building!

As you can tell, I'm very excited for this little one and am eager for Easter to arrive! The first doctors appointment put my fears to rest, for the moment. It was reassuring to see the baby's tiny little body on the ultrasound and see their little heart pumping away. I just can't wait to actually hear the heartbeat! They didn't want to do the doppler ultrasound yet on the heart til the baby is a bit more developed. But the rate was 152 bpm (beats-per-minute) and they said this was a good strong number! Linda has another appointment scheduled for September 9th, I believe. But this will be a general checkup and get some things out of the way, but not an ultrasound that go around. I'm gonna try and go to that appointment as well, but depends if I can get the time off work...

This week is our 8th week of pregnancy! Every week that passes makes me feel more and more comfortable and less anxious and stressed about it. Not to say that I'm not worried. If I let myself dwell on something too long, my brain can imagine all sorts of situations that will make me worry for months on end. But according to my email updates I get from BabyCenter, this week McNugget is about the size of a kidney bean! Webbed toes and fingers are starting to poke their way from their feet and hands... Eyelids are practically covering the eyes now and breathing tubes extend down from the throat to the branches of the developing lungs. McNugget did show to have a tail in the ultrasound, and this week it will almost be gone. The nerve cells in the brain are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive nueral pathways. The external genitals are still developing, but it's still too early to see what gender the baby is...even though the sex of the baby has already been deciphered at conception! McNugget is constantly moving and shifting in the womb, although it's still way to early for Linda to feel that movement.

My dad has a strong inclination that McNugget is going to be a boy, so much so that he has already began referring to McNugget as his future grandson! He guessed right with my niece when my sister was pregnant 13 years ago. My sister also said she had a strong feeling this was a boy too. I, too, have had that gut feeling...but it maybe just me hoping more for a boy than a girl. Linda said she didn't have a feeling one way or another. My niece said she thought this will be a girl. Either way, I don't care what the sex is, just as long as they are healthy! Linda & I have picked out an early favorite for a boy's name, Evan William. Yes, like the whiskey. I had liked the name Evan even before we were pregnant. William is my middle name, and my dad's first name. So it also has a traditional family name feel to it... It does seem befitting to name him Evan William. If our math is correct, when we conceived, it was the night of a friend's wedding and the father of the bride was pulling us and other friends out to the parking lot to do shots from the bottle of Evan Williams he had for the occasion. If our gut instinct is true and this is a boy and we do go with this name - we probably won't share that tidbit with him til he is much older!

More on that ultrasound now that I'm over it

We took the ultrasound video up to my parents' house yesterday and watch it with them. I must admit, I got a lot more out of watching it there than at the doctor's office.

See when the ultrasound tech called me back to the office, she put the goo on my stomach and tried to see the baby that way. As it turns out my uterus is tilting backwards, so they can't see it up top and had to do an internal ultrasound.

That's all I'm going to say about that.

McNugget's first home movie!

Amazing! Here's our first ultrasound...with some pizzazz! See below:

All is well

Just got back from our first baby-doctor appointment. I really like our doctor. She seems pretty laid back and has a "less is more" philosophy that I appreciate. They did an ultrasound that we'll post later today or tomorrow. If we deliver on our due date, we will have an Easter baby on April 4. However, she said anything three weeks before and two weeks after is considered "on time," so we could have a St. Patty's Day baby. I guess we will find out soon enough.

Heartbeat (baby's - not mine) is 152 beats/minute. They said normal range is between 120 and 180.

Length: about 1.5 cm

Name for the time being: McNugget, because that is what it looks like on the ultrasound.

Nervous Wreck

As many of you know or have gathered by now, I'm the worrier of the family. I can't help it. It's just who I am. My parents were worriers, therefore it was ingrained in me at an early age. Linda jokes that she never does worry because I do enough for the both of us.

So, as you can imagine, I'm worried, anxious, and excited for tomorrow's first doctors appointment. By this time tomorrow, we should be a bit more informative about the baby and have some great news to share! Just keep us in your prayers that all goes accordingly and that everything is fine. I'm sure it is, but these next 24 hours are gonna be a killer on me. I know I'm driving Linda crazy though.

I was able to find VHS tapes at Walmart today! Took me forever to find them...and they only had a small row of them on the bottom shelf in the Electronics department. So hopefully we can share the first ultrasound with you all soon!

My stomach is doing flip flops right now just thinking about it all.

A whole new day

It is now 4:30 in the afternoon and I still feel great! This hasn't happened in over a week! I've been in meetings all day, yet I am still in a good mood. If it isn't pouring down rain when I get home, I'm going to take our pleasantly plump dog for a walk.

Usually by this time, I am doing everything I can to count the minutes until I can go home and go to bed. I usually feel nauseous. I am usually dog tired. I still have energy. I hope I don't crash between now and 5 p.m. Brian deserves to have someone other than a grump to return home to every once in a while.

And no, I am still not hip on the idea taking pictures of my belly. What woman would be?

Technology...

I know I'm the more sentimental one of the family. Not saying that Linda isn't sentimental, but I take more of an enjoyment in documenting milestones. For instance, I want to start taking pictures of Linda's belly weekly to show the progress. She isn't so hip on that. It'll take some convincing on my part. But that's one of the reasons why I love this blog. Something to show this child once they get old enough to understand and appreciate it.

So, in preparation to document this for prosperity's sake, I called the obstetrician's office yesterday to see if I could bring in a blank DVD to record the moment, or if I needed to bring in our camera. They said they didn't have a DVD recorder, but I could bring in a blank VHS VCR tape. Seriously? Do they still sell VHS tapes? But I'll track one down, hopefully. VCR's went out with "The Cosby Show". I hope our VCR still works. Can't remember the last time I actually used that thing. It's fairly new though. Right after we got married, my parents bought us a DVD/VCR combo. I'll have to try and convert the ultrasound over to a digital format so I can upload it to the blog. We shall see.

Two more days til our first doctors appointment! Stay tuned...

Top 5 Things I Dread Now That I'm Pregnant

5. Indian Food Cultural Day in the Cafeteria.

4. Chiefs games. They are terrible and Brian and I are first-time season ticket holders. How am I suppose to get through the games without alcohol? Especially in December when nearly every weekend is a Chiefs home game! Cold and bad football. Yuck.

3. Random people coming up to me and touching my stomach. That hasn't happened as I am not showing, but I do fear the day. I have heard people do this so I think I might need to invest in a taser. I will shock a b****.

2. Lunch time at work. An incredibly large number of people eat soup year-round. If it was classics like tomato, chicken noodle, chicken tortilla, those would be fine. But these people have extra stinky soup! Minestrone. Beans and rice. Chili. I've suddenly got the nose of a bloodhound and the stomach of the girl from the Exorcist.

1. Picking out a name. I've been in a terrible mood all week and I came home yesterday and Brian was all excited about a name he came up with for if its a boy. He told me the name and I shot it down like I was holding a 20 gauge. Just blasted it. I like more traditional names and he likes more contemporary names. I like Michael. He likes Kyler. Good thing we have a while to get this figured out.

Just wondering

Is there a polite way to tell someone that the food they are eating smells like warmed up road kill and is about to make you barf?

Eating for Two?

I'm sure my appetite will increase eventually, but right now ABSOLUTELY NOTHING sounds good. Probably because I feel like I am going to puke at any given second. For those of you who know me, you know this is crazy talk because I love food. I love eating spicy, tasty food.

Now, my diet consists of saltines, ginger ale and a handful of prenatal vitamins. That's all I want.

:/

My poor wife...

So it appears that the morning sickness has caught up with my wife. I thought she was gonna get off pretty easy, for the most part, as she has only gotten just a few minor waves of nausea. But that changed this weekend. As I mentioned, Saturday we were over at her folks all day. After we got home and were laying in bed, she shot straight up and ran to the bathroom to puke her guts out. It didn't sound pretty at all, the retching and gagging...but then again, when does someone barfing sound pleasant? She was in there a while and I checked on her. She said she was fine and said that she won't be eating chips and salsa again for a while. We'll see how that goes. That woman could live off chips and salsa. I think she could probably just drink salsa straight out of the jar. Yesterday morning, she still felt a bit nauseated but she overcame that and was feeling better by the afternoon. However, she's just been extremely tired and fatigued, which is a common symptom of pregnancy.

So this week marks our 7th week of pregnancy. I am still constantly on the internet researching what to expect. I get email updates from BabyCenter.com every week now that lets us know what's going on inside the womb. I find these absolutely amazing and a huge resource. This week, one of the biggest developments is the baby is growing their hands and feet. They look more like paddles at this point though. Right now the baby has a tail, which is an extension of their tailbone and will soon disappear over the next couple of weeks. The baby has doubled in size since last week and is now the size of a blueberry, or about a 1/2 inch long.

Eyelid folds are partially covering their eyes. The iris already has some pigmentation, but it's probably too early to tell what their eye color would be. However, since my wife and I have dark brown eyes, chances are the baby will too. But there could be a slight chance they could be blue or green, since her mom has green eyes and her dad has blue. In my research of genealogy I found out that my ancestors, as far back as my great-great-great grandfather and subsequent great-great grandfather, great grandfather and grandfather, were noted as having crystal blue eyes. I have a picture of my great-great-great grandfather from way back in the 1800s and you can see in that photo just how blue his eyes were. I know it's only a cosmetic feature, but I'm hoping that the baby inherits that gene...and not the shit brown color I've got!

The tip of the baby's nose has also formed and tiny veins are visible through their parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of the baby's brain are continuing to grow. Their liver is producing and churning out red blood cells until their bone marrow can take over this task. The baby has an appendix and pancreas now, which will eventually produce their insulin to aid in digestion. There is also a loop in the baby's intestine that bulges now into their umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from their tiny body.

Fascinating!

The Beans Have Been Spilled!

So the families know now! Yesterday, we were at my wife's family to celebrate her older sister's and brother's birthdays and she decided to chime them in on the news! They were extremely excited, as proof in the video below! Her younger sister, who just got married, said she was suspicious when my wife turned down a beer...

I had wanted to tell my dad, future stepmom, and sister by getting our dog a t-shirt that read "I'm Gonna Be a Big Brother"...however they are extremely busy over the next few weeks and it was going to be hard to get everyone together...so I made a phone call this morning to spread the news to them! They all are very excited for the new addition to our family! When I told dad about it, he got somewhat emotional about it and handed the phone over to my future stepmom. She said that my dad had left the room because he was probably crying! He then called me a bit later this morning and told us that when we find out what we are having to let him know because he is going to them their first pair of 'bibbers' (overalls).

Here's the video of telling my wife's family last night:

This might sound crazy but...

I think I can actually feel my stomach stretching. It's weird. I'm sitting down and feel things in my lower abdomen that feel like a muscle stretching. Bend over and touch your toes. That burning in your hammies? Yeah, I got that all the way across my mid-section just below my belly button.

Is this normal? Baby's daddy looked it up on the internet and we didn't see anything that was alarming. As he said in his earlier post, this week has drug by so slowly and I'm sure next week will too. I've never been so anxious to see a doctor.

Tick...Tock...Tick...Tock

Could last week and this week be any slower? And I can't imagine how next week will drag by... The anticipation of our first doctors visit - a week from tomorrow - is killing me. I find myself thinking about this baby all the time. My wife seems to be holding up well. She's been secretive about this to practically everyone. She's only told a few friends. I, however, have been a bit more loose-lipped about this great news. As she explained in a prior post, we told a branch of my family last week. I also have told some coworkers and others have heard through the grapevine. It's hard to keep a 'secret' like this. I want to scream it out to everyone! I'm excited...yet cautious. But we must wait til at least the first doctors appointment to tell the rest of our families. Just keep us in your prayers that everything goes well.

In The Womb

I found this on YouTube, and it goes in depth about what is going on right now inside my wife's womb and how the baby is developing! This is part is from conception to week 6 - the week we are currently in. It is part of National Geographic's documentary "In the Womb". Pretty cool stuff!

What to do?

I've already decribed our complete inability to keep surprises to ourselves. So I am struggling. I feel like crap most of the day and am trying to decide if I should tell my boss or not. I don't want him to think I am slacking, but I really don't want anyone at work to know about it yet.

I've managed to smuggle in saltines and ginger ale. This has helped a lot. But I am nervous about an upcoming all day meeting. I can put the ginger ale in a cup, but how do I hide the saltines? Do pretzels works as well as saltines? I could get away with pretzels as a snack...

Telephone, telefax, telegram or tell-a-sister-in-law

I got a phone call this morning from my sister-in-law...my wife's younger sister. She is interviewing for a few different jobs and had time to kill before she headed over to the next interview. Instead of driving all the way back to her place and since our place was close, she asked if she could stop by to chill before the next one. I said no problem...but then quickly realized that I had to cover up a few things that would lead to her suspicions that we were expecting a baby. Namely the prenatal vitamins on the kitchen counter and the home pregnancy test box with one remaining test on the fridge. Whenever she's stopped by before, she has gotten on the computer and I had to rearrange and hide our bookmark tabs at the top of our browser window - specifically this blog and BabyCenter.com.

She stopped by, showed me her honeymoon pictures (she just got married a little over a week ago and just got back from their honeymoon). She had wanted to borrow our computer to upload their pictures to facebook, but luckily her camera chip would not fit into our camera and our USB cord did not fit into her camera either...suspicions averted. As I browsed through her pictures I teasingly asked her when they were gonna start popping out kids, since that seems to be the question to newlyweds. She scoffed at this, and asked me the same in return. I made the same reaction as her. She said we'll need to start having kids before her. Soon enough, sis-in-law...soon enough.

We're supposed to go over to my in-laws to celebrate my wife's older sister and her brother's birthday this weekend. As mentioned before, it's near impossible to get through a family event without some sort of adult beverage. I wonder how that's gonna go...and how long it'll be before we can hold out or they notice that my wife isn't drinking?

Things are a'changin

I made a promise to myself that if my wife ever got pregnant that I would quit smoking. I know I needed to regardless. That reason alone seemed like the best reason, for the baby's health, and mine. So a few days have passed and I usually do okay with the nicotine fits when I'm around others. It's when I'm by myself that the urge to smoke is strongest. I am persevering however, and doing everything in my power to resist. It's a difficult battle though.

My wife has entered her sixth week of pregnancy now. I still find myself on all these different websites looking at what to expect, what the baby would be doing now, and analyzing my wife's symptoms. The website I like most is BabyCenter.com, as it seems to be the most informative. We have our first doctors appt on August 21st and it still seems so far away. It was a week ago today when we found out we were pregnant, but it feels like it was 7 months ago... Now we still have to wait for another 11 days til we see the doctor. Might as well be 11 months. I'm anxious, but I don't find myself worrying as much as I did in the first few days. Maybe that's a sign everything is going to be okay?

Yesterday, my wife and I window shopped and browsed for baby furniture. It's still early for that, but I foresee us asking for lots of baby items for Christmas this year!

According to babycenter.com, the nose, mouth and ears are beginning to take shape. The head is larger compared to the rest of the body, and dark spots are forming where the eyes and nostrils will be. Small depressions on the side of the baby's head will soon become ears. Arm and leg buds are also starting to protrude. The heart is beating at 100 to 160 times a minute - twice as fast as a grown adult - and blood is starting to circulate throughout their body. The intestines and buds of tissue that will be lungs are forming too this week. The baby's pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of their brain, muscles and bones. Right now the baby is about a quarter inch long, or about the size of a lentil bean.

The Protector

This child is on my mind practically every waking moment of every day. In fact, I've become an overprotective 'protector'. Maybe I'm tapping into some kind of primitive caveman instinct or behavior? Or maybe it's chivalry?

A few days ago, we were in the car and traffic ahead of us came to a sudden stop. I had to slam on the brakes and swung my arm out to protect my wife, even though she was wearing her seatbelt. I had never done that before...

Our dog usually sleeps with us almost every night, at the foot of the bed in between the two of us. The dog is about 60 lbs. and our bed stands about waist high. Our dog can jump up easily onto our bed, however when it's a different story when it comes to jumping down. He can't. We have to lift him off the bed and place him on the floor. My wife used to also share in this task the morning, just depending on who's the last out of bed (our dog's extremely lazy...he's not like most other dogs, he loves to sleep in). But now...I don't want her lifting anything heavy. I'm sure she'd be okay, but just to make sure she and the baby are okay, I'd rather not.

Later this afternoon, we were relaxing on the couch. The dog also likes to jump up on the couch and settle in between us. He got somewhat rambunctious and stepped on my wife's abdomen. That freaked me out and I pushed him off the couch. My wife scolded me for pushing the dog like I did, but it seemed more of a reflex than anything else. Don't get me wrong, I love the dog and up until we found out we were having a baby, the dog was every bit our child. He still will be after the baby comes, but it's just different now. I'm hoping that all's okay, and I'm sure it is. However, I'm the hypochondriac and the worrier of the family, so this will have me concerned for the next few days I'm sure.

Pretty Cool Night

I'd be lying if I didn't admit to feeling overwhelmed and in a complete haze all week. I really wasn't prepared to become a "mom-to-be" overnight and am still very anxious at the thought of being a mom in roughly 8 months.

When we found out on Monday, we agreed not to tell anyone until at least the first doctor's appointment but preferred to wait until we were close to completing the first trimester. We've had so many friends and family members endure miscarriages we thought that maybe it would be a good idea to not put our family through that.

Then again, we are terrible at waiting to surprise people. My husband and I have to wait until the last minute to buy each other birthday or Christmas presents because we can't wait to surprise the other with it. I think the longest hold-out I've had is 24-hours in waiting to give my husband his birthday or Christmas present from time of purchase or delivery.

He's even worse.

On top of our complete inability to keep surprises to ourselves, we were dead on accurate on the prediction that people would notice me not enjoying at least one glass of wine or beer during family events. Neither myself nor my husband drink all that much, its just what our families do at events.

One side of my husband's family had a get together last night. Some cousins were in from out of town and it would probably be the last time nearly everyone would be together until next year. Plus, this side of the family represents first-time grandparents, whereas his dad and my parents are already grandparents.

As expected, people were asking why I wasn't drinking. "I don't drink during the week," I replied once. "I'm really tired (which was true) and that will just put me to sleep," I replied another time. Finally, we caved.

When grandpa-to-be said he was going to go get a cigar out of his truck, my husband asked if he had an extra one. Grandpa-to-be asked what the occasion was and hubby said "because you're going to be grandparents."

Silence.

Then it sunk in and everyone screamed in excitement.

Nana-to-be (Grandma is not a preferred term) started crying and bouncing up and down in her seat. Everyone started hugging us. It was overwhelming, but in a good way. It made me realize that my husband and I aren't alone in this and at some point everyone there was probably freaked out first-time parents to be as well. I don't think I ever really thought we were alone in this, but somehow announcing our news just gave me some reassurance and I definitely feel better.

Planning how we are going to tell the rest of the family is kind of fun too. Since my family has been real PITA (pain in the a**es) about when we were going to have kids, I figured I will wait for them to bring it up again and just give them the due date.

For my husband's dad, he wants to get our dog a shirt that says "future big brother" and then see if he notices.

We can have a LOT of fun with this.

Holy crap! I'm gonna be a dad!!

I think my wife has a good idea here with this blog. I like this idea. What a great way to record our thoughts and feelings through this journey.

I'm so excited and happy, yet anxious and somewhat fearful (for many different reasons). In fact, I had a dream a few months ago, then a similar one just a few short weeks ago that has stuck with me, that we were gonna have a baby. I don't know if it was a premonition or what? At any rate, I've been ready for this moment, and to become a dad, for quite sometime now. I've prayed for this to happen, and God has answered my prayers.

My wife's account of my reaction is pretty accurate. I had just came in from letting the dog out and she was standing in the hallway near the kitchen - looking very pale. She told me she needed me to look at something. I asked what it was and she handed me the Clearblue Easy home pregnancy test, the digital readout 'PREGNANT'. My heart skipped a beat. I stood there frozen, for what seemed like hours in my mind, jaw agape. I think she's correct in quoting me...I think the first words out of my mouth were, "Oh shit!" Not out of disappointment, but only out of complete and utter surprise. We've been married now for almost 4 years (next month) and we had always taken the approach that if it were to happen, then it would happen. Well, IT happened! And I couldn't be happier! For so long, I just had figured my 'swimmers' (for lack of a better term) didn't work. You'd think after all this time, something would have happened. The other day, my wife said she thought I was, "just a little too geeked out" that my swimmers did work. Who knew?

After my "oh shit" proclamations for the next 5 minutes, we hugged and both of us let out a nervous laugh. My eyes swelled with tears. This was truly something I have always wanted.

As these past few days have passed, and I've had time to digest the thought of being a dad, I'm still very happy and ecstatic! I've spent loads of hours on the internet looking at different pregnancy websites and reading different stories. One thing I need to stop looking at is all the miscarriage stories. I fear that. I want this child. I can't tell you how much I love this child already. I know it's nothing more than just a clump of cells currently, but that's a clump of cells that will become a person. That person will be our son or daughter. A person we created. How awesome is that? In a way, it's not just my wife that's pregnant...it's me too. I just don't have to carry the child. I would if I could though.

I find the development inside the womb absolutely amazing. My wife is close to nearing the end of her 5th week of pregnancy, and so much is taking place right now. By this time, the baby is about the size of a sesame seed. They don't look so much like a baby, but more like a tadpole. The neural tube has started to develop, which will become the brain, spinal cord, nerves and backbone. The baby's heart and circulatory system has begun to form as well. In fact, this week is when their primitive heart will start pumping on it's own.

Reading all this is exciting. But in reality, I feel like nothing has changed...yet. I know I'm impatient. I know I'm annoying my wife to no end with all the questions. (See her post "Symptoms" from August 5th.) I think it'll all really sink in and hit me when we see our baby on the sonogram and see a beating heart.

Last night, we talked about names. That's kinda fun. We haven't set anything in stone. My wife is proud of her Irish heritage. Both her maternal grandparents immigrated from Ireland in the 1940s. She found a website that had suggestions for Irish names. She found a name I really liked - Teague, for if it's a boy. We couldn't find anything for a girl though. Earlier, I had thought Evan was a good boy name, and Amelia for a girl. She wasn't sold on those. She said she really liked Isaac. I disagreed. I pitched the idea of Elijah. She disagreed. But we have nine months to find something to call this child.

I found a really befitting prayer/poem by Debbie Chaffin - and it's exactly what has been going through my mind since I found out we're gonna have a baby.

Bless this child inside my womb

As she grows stronger each day

Keep her in your loving care

Watch over her I pray

With much anticipation

We're awaiting her arrival

And depending upon You Father

For this tiny one's survival

We'll love her endlessly

And care for her our very best

She'll be our pride and joy

This child with which we're blessed

Help us to remember

She really is Your child

You've put her in our home

For just a little while

Lord please bless our family

With favors from above

As we grow in size

May we also grow in love

Reality Part II

My first bout of nausea happened today and it wasn't in the morning when I would have expected it. It was in the cafeteria at lunch. I purchased a small salad from the salad bar and went to the microwaves to warm up my lemon chicken leftovers from the night before. Perfectly delicious last night. When I finished my salad and opened up the container holding the warmed up leftovers I about died.

The smell was just awful. I'm sure it smelled exactly the same way it did last night, but it was absolutely repulsive today - to me anyway. In fact, I think I threw up a little bit in my mouth. I couldn't make a mad dash to the bathroom because I am trying to keep this whole thing on the DL for now. My co-workers were already looking at me funny because I snapped the lid back onto the container to block the toxic fumes from escaping. I am sure I was making horrible gagging faces while doing it. Smooth.

I didn't know what to do to get rid of the attention so I drank the entire bottle of water I had purchased with my salad in about 30 seconds and then excused myself to go to the bathroom. I had to pee. Again.

The lemon chicken with rice is still in my lunch bag. I hate to waste it, but I am not about to open it again. Perhaps my hubbie can eat it for dinner? Who knows. I'm glad I had my salad and rice krispie treat!

Symptoms

Even before I took the test, I started noticing I was incredibly thirsty all of the time. This is getting worse. I need a BRITA at my desk and I would probably go through 4-5 pitchers just during the work day. This is great because what goes in must eventually come back out and I now have to use the bathroom 10 times more than usual. The past few nights I have had to get up 2 or three different times to use the bathroom.

We've run the due date calculators online and I'm looking at a April 4 as my date. My husband has also started sending me links to every single baby site and pregnancy site available in English.

The one I like best so far is http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/. I think I like the title. I'm pregnant. Here's how to deal with it and what to expect.

If gives you a calendar and tells you what to expect from week to week. It has me at week 5.

When I got down to the comments section, I had to laugh. I am here at work reading pregnancy web sites and that is all the commenters were writing about. At least I am not alone.

My husband is also reading it and asking me if I have every single symptom. I came home from work and he asked me if my boobs were sore and if my nipples had gotten darker. Sigh. Boys.

Reality Sets In

I have now had 24-hours to let this sink in. I showed my husband the test results last night and then we had to go to a family dinner. When we came home, I went to bed. Today is the day I have to deal with this.

I called the doctor's office and I am scheduled for my first sonogram and exam on Friday, Aug. 21. They said they like to wait until 7-10 weeks along. I think it is because they want something to show up on that first sonogram.

So that is set. Now for 5 million other things I need to address. Like, when is the appropriate time to notify work? Do you have to notify work? I'm sure they will figure it out here in the next few months, but I don't know if there is some sort of precedent for this. Where do you get maternity clothes? Are they expensive? We need to do something with the guest room. We need to move the cat out of the guest room. We need to move the cat out of our home if he can't figure out how to use the litter box instead of going beside it.

Then came the really big reality check. I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT BABIES! I don't even know how to change a diaper for crying out loud. How am I suppose to do this?

When I finished working for the day, my husband started asking me a million questions. When should I start taking prenatal vitamins? Did you know that a 4 weeks the baby is the size of a pin head and has a spinal cord? How are you feeling what's on your mind? That's when I really started to freak out on him and feel overwhelmed.

I broke the vow of silence just 24-hours in and told a good friend of mine the news. She somehow managed to calm me down. She was always the rational and practical one. After a few deep breathes, I realize that I am going to have to completely avoid all family and friends for awhile if we are to keep this news to ourselves. Everyone drinks in our families and expects you to drink with them. I managed to survive the family dinner on Monday okay without having anything to drink, but what am I going to tell them on Thursday?

The Pee Test

I usually am not one to scrutinize when the "monthly visitor" will or will not arrive. I generally have a pretty good idea and I've never been on a very rigid cycle. So when six weeks had passed and still nothing, I started getting paranoid.

My husband and I were suppose to go to a family dinner as soon as I got home from work. I told him I was going to change clothes and then be ready to roll. He took the dog outside and I ripped open the pregnancy test. This should be very simple. Hold the stick in the urine stream for 5 seconds and wait for it to come up with the result of "Pregnant" or "Not Pregnant."

It should, however, be noted that peeing on a stick, in a cup or anything other than straight down into the toilet is very difficult. We have no way to aim! Plus when you are stressed and trying to WATCH what you are doing you greatly increase your chances of having it go everywhere but in the toilet.

I managed through it and waited. Didn't even pull up my pants. I just sat there and waited while the little hour glass on the screen did flippy floppies. Then it happened. A single word appeared on the screen... PREGNANT. It was almost like it was screaming at me. Thank God I was still sitting down.My husband was still outside with the dog. How would I tell him? I've heard many elaborate stories, but I'm FREAKING OUT. Apparently this ruins my creative spirit and I decided to go with the band-aid approach.

So I waited in the kitchen for my husband to come in with the dog. He came in and I said, "I need to show you something." Then I handed him the test. He turned white. Then his jaw hit the floor. Then he said "Holy Shit" for the next 15 minutes. I half expected to curl up in a ball in the corner and start rocking back and forth. To be fair, he was completely clueless about my suspicions and completely blind-sided. He recovered and started calling me his "Baby-Mama" for the rest of the night.

We always said that if it happens, it happens. This worked well for several years. Now, it has happened. We've decided not to tell family and most friends until after the first trimester. I did speak to one friend about this and she recommended the blog, which will stay anonymous until we start telling people.

Stay tuned. I'm sure this will get interesting.