Holy crap. (In a good way!)
Obviously, you can check out Julia's post for all of the incredible details of today's doctor's visit. I'll just throw in some thoughts of my own.
Twelve weeks, and here's what I've learned so far:
1. Babies need a lot of stuff. I'm talking unborn babies, here. Think: nutrition. Have you ever read a baby book? If I didn't know better, I'd think a baby would sprout tentacles if the mother didn't get enough vitamin B13.
2. This baby thing is nerve wracking. There are approximately seventeen billion things that can go wrong between now and the due date. And I will spend roughly 90% of my time pretending like I have some control over every single one of them.
3. More than likely, our doctor's office was not designed to be an OB / Gyn office, or at least not designed with the male counterpart in mind. Imagine walking in with your wife and finding the only available chair is placed squarely in front of a set of stirrups. If this were a sporting event, I'd be paying top dollar for this front row seat. The good news? I've perfected the stand-awkwardly-and-slowly-walk-over-to-the-side-of-the-bed maneuver.
4. Ever hear a baby's heartbeat for the first time? You'll never forget it.
5. In the movies, when a women goes for the first ultrasound, the doctor squirts some gel on her belly and - voila! - there's a baby on the screen. In real life, that first ultrasound does NOT involve the belly at all. Don't see that in the movies. At least, not the movies I watch.
6. I have a feeling it'll be pretty hard to not be overprotective. I was waiting in the lobby for Julia today, and a male nurse walked up, took a look at the ultrasound pictures, and told me, "That's a good-looking baby!" I stood up, punched him in the gut, and screamed, "Don't talk about my daughter that way!"
7. Number 6 didn't really happen. But that's pretty much how I feel. That's my daughter.
8. The nicest people in Texas congregate at Babies R Us. Seriously, everyone there is so nice. I think babies just do that to people. At least, unborn, not-crying babies.
9. TV shows like "Bringing Home the Baby" are great to get an idea of what we're in store for. TV shows like "I'm Sixteen and Pregnant" are not.
10. I cannot wait to buy a load of awesome kid toys.
11. I seriously hope that this baby has Julia's smile. That ultrasound was the highlight of the day. Seeing the look on Julia's face while she was watching the ultrasound monitor was a close second.
12. Waiting is hard. I want September to be here.
There's something absolutely breathtaking about seeing your baby for the first time. I mean really seeing it - that yolk sac left a lot to the imagination. And I don't mean breathtaking because you just saw some sort of frog-legged, alien-faced creature making a home in your wife's uterus. I mean that you can look at those pictures, and see a real baby - our baby - and get lost in every single wonderful possibility that exists for that little girl.
Really takes your breath away.
Like Jules said - we're tremendously lucky to have ya'll in our lives. Thanks for honest excitement and genuine support.
love
chris
Obviously, you can check out Julia's post for all of the incredible details of today's doctor's visit. I'll just throw in some thoughts of my own.
Twelve weeks, and here's what I've learned so far:
1. Babies need a lot of stuff. I'm talking unborn babies, here. Think: nutrition. Have you ever read a baby book? If I didn't know better, I'd think a baby would sprout tentacles if the mother didn't get enough vitamin B13.
2. This baby thing is nerve wracking. There are approximately seventeen billion things that can go wrong between now and the due date. And I will spend roughly 90% of my time pretending like I have some control over every single one of them.
3. More than likely, our doctor's office was not designed to be an OB / Gyn office, or at least not designed with the male counterpart in mind. Imagine walking in with your wife and finding the only available chair is placed squarely in front of a set of stirrups. If this were a sporting event, I'd be paying top dollar for this front row seat. The good news? I've perfected the stand-awkwardly-and-slowly-walk-over-to-the-side-of-the-bed maneuver.
4. Ever hear a baby's heartbeat for the first time? You'll never forget it.
5. In the movies, when a women goes for the first ultrasound, the doctor squirts some gel on her belly and - voila! - there's a baby on the screen. In real life, that first ultrasound does NOT involve the belly at all. Don't see that in the movies. At least, not the movies I watch.
6. I have a feeling it'll be pretty hard to not be overprotective. I was waiting in the lobby for Julia today, and a male nurse walked up, took a look at the ultrasound pictures, and told me, "That's a good-looking baby!" I stood up, punched him in the gut, and screamed, "Don't talk about my daughter that way!"
7. Number 6 didn't really happen. But that's pretty much how I feel. That's my daughter.
8. The nicest people in Texas congregate at Babies R Us. Seriously, everyone there is so nice. I think babies just do that to people. At least, unborn, not-crying babies.
9. TV shows like "Bringing Home the Baby" are great to get an idea of what we're in store for. TV shows like "I'm Sixteen and Pregnant" are not.
10. I cannot wait to buy a load of awesome kid toys.
11. I seriously hope that this baby has Julia's smile. That ultrasound was the highlight of the day. Seeing the look on Julia's face while she was watching the ultrasound monitor was a close second.
12. Waiting is hard. I want September to be here.
There's something absolutely breathtaking about seeing your baby for the first time. I mean really seeing it - that yolk sac left a lot to the imagination. And I don't mean breathtaking because you just saw some sort of frog-legged, alien-faced creature making a home in your wife's uterus. I mean that you can look at those pictures, and see a real baby - our baby - and get lost in every single wonderful possibility that exists for that little girl.
Really takes your breath away.
Like Jules said - we're tremendously lucky to have ya'll in our lives. Thanks for honest excitement and genuine support.
love
chris
Ok, I really think you need to get in touch with your feminine side!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteThe Mothership
Jules and Chris, we're blown away by what each of you wrote and how well you express your wonderment and awe at the process of making and having a baby...a real, live little girl!!! You two are delightfully expressive and loaded with wisdom way beyond your years.
ReplyDeleteWith lotsa love to you,
Pops and Terri
1. Chris, you said ya'll... Jules, what are you (and Texas) doing to him?!
ReplyDelete2. YAY GIRL!!! (Jacob's future wife?!)
3. Love this blog!! And miss you two terribly!! Glad things are going well!!
xoxo, Katia
I'm very much in touch with my feminine side. It just so happens that my feminine side also represented East Germany in the 1986 European shot put championships.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, this baby is a girl only because we forced the ultrasound tech to give us something to go on. I think anytime you're identifying genitalia using "tubes", you're prone to some sort of error. But thanks, Dad - or should I say grandpa?
And Katie, I may not have been born a Texan, but I learned to speak like one as soon as I could. It's pretty easy to fall in love with the twang.
Shot put..... I am very disappointed it wasn't hockey!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI will say that the history teacher in me is very happy that you remember there was an East Germany in 1986!
ReplyDeleteI guess he's a keeper, huh? He has a way with words, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteOh and Katie -- I would be lying if I said I had not already thought of Jacob having a new girlfriend :)
You guys are both fantastic writers. "Delightfully expressive" was a great way to put it. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteChris, have you ever pushed Julia out of the way, hopped in the stirrup-chair, and beckoned encouragingly at the doctor?
Honestly, no. But I have already told Julia that for the next appointment, I should be the one in the chair when the doctor walks in. Just to throw them off.
ReplyDeleteThen again, I don't think anything GOOD would ever happen in that chair. I think I'll take my court side seat for the time being.
This baby blog is a fantastic forum that allows us to be involved and excited about the miracle of your baby's development. Both of you write with such compassion and humor, I read your blogs several times. Okay, maybe I'm a slow reader. Thanks so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Terri
No prob, Terri! Glad we can share this with everyone that we care about :)
ReplyDeleteDude. I just read this 'cause I haven't checked my Google Reader in weeks, and I'm a slacker. You made me cry. In my classroom. The kids are looking at me. Good job. :) You get an A!
ReplyDeleteI love you guys, and I'm so excited for all of us, but mostly for you!