Blog vs Rant?

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I’m not afraid or embarrassed to admit that this is my first attempt at blogging. I’ve obviously e-mailed many a person and place and posted more FB updates than the average person but blogging has never been my thing. Ranting, potentially, but not blogging. However, when Chris asked if I would be interested in blogging about this new upcoming chapter in our lives, how could I say no? I just need to figure out exactly how to do this – if there is a specific ‘way’ to do it.

As of right now, we are two days past due which basically equals anxiety, impatience and really not being comfortable anymore – at least in my book. We’ve got everything all ready for the most part. There are still a couple things en route but everything critical is at the ready.

I guess if I have to pick a specific topic for now, it would be ‘Things I’ve learned to not do or say when people are pregnant”. Well, here goes:

1) Don’t ask people, close friends or not, WHEN they are going to have a baby. Ask them IF they are going to – a purely innocent question. However, asking when is not only personal, but if they are potentially having trouble conceiving, it puts them in an extremely awkward, uncomfortable and upsetting position. It would probably make the asker feel just as awkward if this was the case.

2) Don’t ask people ‘Was it planned?’ once they share the news with you. I, myself, was guilty of asking a co-worker of this a couple years back due to my own ignorance. Now, after having been asked it by a couple people myself, it’s probably one of the rudest questions one can ask. What the hell does it matter to anyone else besides us in the first place? In addition, for anyone who knew me in college and my years of sexual health education, it’s a pretty dumb question to ask someone like me in the first place.

3) Along the same lines as above, if someone is having multiples, don’t ask them ‘Was it natural?’ What are you implying and why would it matter to you anyway?

4) This next one is something specific to Chris and I although I’m sure there are others who feel the same way – Don’t offer advice unless asked!

5) Once advice is asked for and you offer it, stay away from stuff like ‘Everybody does such and such’ or ‘Such and such always happens.’ You’re most likely wrong. There are very few statements that pertain to everybody or situations that always happen.

I guess that’s about it for my first blog – hopefully it’s considered a blog and not a rant. Either way, it’s me and what I felt like writing. More to come once baby joins us!

Still Waiting…

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So, I had my $5 riding on this past Friday for the birth of our daughter, and I still contend that it should be like “The Price is Right,” when it comes to the closest without going over.

In the mean time, I’m trying to figure out what’s the most interesting item we’v received as we prepare for her arrival. There’s been some “interesting” baby clothes, a set of window blinds that have birds all over them (my wife is terrified of birds), and a bunch of other goodies that raised some eyebrows and giggles.

Being a geek, I think that I’d point out some of the coolest electronic gadgets that we were fortunate to receive.

First up, is the Mama Roo – a futuristic baby seat that I wish they made for adults. This gadget not only rocks the baby to sleep, but it moves in several different motions to mimic being carried in the womb, rocked in a cradle or several different motions that are ment to be soothing. It plays music, white noise and a few different sound packages, and it’s incredibly quiet while it’s running.

Really, it looks like one of those chairs that Will Smith sat in during his “orientation” in The Men In Black – and really, I want one.

Medela FreestyleThe second item is the most appreciated and interesting gift we could’ve asked for. While it looks like some kind of dominatrix outfit that my wife brought on the honeymoon, the Medela Freestyle breast pump will likely be the most used item we’ve received. While I doubt that my wife will be drinking a glass of wine while pumping, you can see that it’s designed to be used hands-free, by the mom on the go. Due to the protruding attachment hooks, suction nozzles and bottles hanging from your boobs, I wouldn’t recommend using it while driving.

There are a ton of other wonderful gifts that I’m sure you’ll be reading about. But in the mean time, we’ll keep waiting and let you know how everything turns out.

.5cm down, 9.5cm to go

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39 weeks, 3 days and several hours down, and any minute now we’ll be rushing to the hospital. It’s hard to think that in only a couple of days, or maybe a week, my bride and I will be parents for the first time.

Nursery, ready. Car seats, check. Birthing classes, done. Breastfeeding class, complete. All that’s left is the “hurry up and wait” game.

As new parents, we’ve done all we can to prepare, but we know that there’s no amount of preparation that can get you ready for the arrival of your first child. That’s why we’ve created this blog.

This is an amazing journey that we’ve begun – and it’s only going to get better. We can’t wait to see what our daughter learns, how she responds to our voices, the face she makes when she yawns or the foul stuff that’s going to excrete out of her. She’s going to learn so much, and so are we.

We hope you enjoy our adventure, while we learn as much about her and parenting as she does about the rest of the world.