Pregnancy Magazines

This weekend, we just hung out and chilled–the rainy weather was perfect for staying in. We did manage to get in a long walk, but otherwise it was extremely low-key and filled with way too much football. I promised my wife that I am simply enjoying the last vestiges of my child-free lifestyle and football filled Sundays will not be the norm when our baby arrives. Right now, anticipation and worry are my occupation, I spend my work day listening to Dr. Laura (I can’t help it and, yes, I am ashamed) and thinking about how different my life is going to be. Tomorrow there is a possibility that we’ll know the sex of the baby–Now that we are telling folks about the pregnancy, the number one question is, “Do you want a boy or a girl?” and my response is,”we’re hoping for a healthy and happy hermaphrodite.” Seriously, I couldn’t care less about the sex, but we’ll assign the appropriate gender role as soon as we know. My wife, on the other hand, really wants a girl, because there are “so many” cute outfits for them.

On Sunday, our local paper, the Oregonian, ran an extensive feature on still-birth in their lifestyle section. In the past, I wouldn’t blink an eye at the story, but I was really sad after reading that “1 in 200 births are still“. I wanted to hide the paper from my wife, but I left it out on the kitchen table. Everything has become more intense, I feel closer with my wife and my family than I ever did before and even if something were to happen to the baby nothing could replace these memories. —Hmmm, I guess it wasn’t such a chill weekend after all. If I wanted to, I could spend every day reading and worrying about the tragic possibilities inherent in every pregnancy, but I choose to stay informed and hopeful. I’ll let you know how the ultrasound goes

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