Week 13 - Megaphones and a Rhinoceros

This has been a pretty uneventful week.

Well, for us, at least. I’m sure the little one would disagree.

She’s in there, growing toes, fingers, and a complex network of neural pathways. I watched that episode of Full House where Stephanie steals an expensive sweater for DJ.

I do have one confession to make – it’s started. No, not the over-the-top hysterics that come with realizing I’ll be responsible for a tiny, fragile, beautiful life.

I started talking to Julia’s uterus. More specifically, the baby inside that uterus.

I have no idea if she can hear me. I also don’t have the world’s most soothing voice. But it’s fun to talk to her. She’s there, and no matter how awkward it is to use my wife’s belly button as a megaphone, there’s something inherently comforting about having a conversation with my future daughter…even if it is a one-sided conversation. And because it’s so one-sided, she’ll likely be well-versed in the subtleties of NASA’s space shuttle program – I think she’s already got a solid understanding of a how a proton exchange membrane fuel cell works. She’s a smart one.

Next week, we’ve got another check-up scheduled with our doctor. As far as I know, there’s nothing overly special about this one.

One last thought. Now that we’re heading into the second trimester, we started to tell all the folks outside of circle of family and close friends about the pregnancy. All the friends that I’ve told have been completely great (as expected). One thing I’ve noticed, though, is that all the seasoned veterans are more than happy to provide hints, tips, tricks, and secrets on the art of getting ready for a baby. This is both extremely helpful and extremely terrifying. On one hand, any tips I can get are welcome. My experience with babies goes only as far as that Discovery Channel documentary about the rhinoceros giving birth in the African Savannah. And I turned that off when it got icky. On the other hand, there’s a boat load of stuff to know about car seats, strollers, diapers, milk, swaddling, crying, and feeding (among other things) that were definitely not covered in that rhinoceros documentary. It’s amazing how much there is to know, and frightening to realize that what I already know could fit in a thimble.

From what I can tell, the best source for this information is the experience of the people that have gone through it before. With that in mind, feel free to pass on any nuggets of wisdom you may have.

Thanks again to everyone for being so supportive. It’s great to have such awesome enthusiasm for our tiny little girl.