Part 2: Information Overload...

Last weekend I bought my first baby book. Went to Barnes & Noble and was shocked to find there were more books about ways to make a baby (pictures included)... than how to prepare for a baby. And there are even fewer for dads.

I ended up buying one of the two I found. It's called, "The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips and Advice for Dads-to-Be". What I really like about the book is it breaks down your wife's pregnancy by month. It tells you what's going on with her (pregnancy gingivitis? Is this really a thing?), the baby (currently would look like something out of the "Alien" movies) and you (apparently a majority of men have at least a fleeting fear that the baby's not theirs).

Here's the thing. On one hand, the book is doing a good job of calming my fears about certain things. I now know when Melissa is supposed to go to the doctor (next week by the way) and what to expect at each appointment (I'm really looking forward to hearing a heart beat).

On the other hand... it's also giving me a whole new list of things to worry about. Miscarriages, preclampsia, paying for college, tests like amniocentesis and the list goes on.

The worst part.... I'm only on the third month!

Part 1: Information Overload…

We’ve known Melissa’s been pregnant for nearly 3 weeks. Already I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information out there.

Ever heard of “Pregorexia”? Me neither, until I saw a story about it on the news. The lady in this story was so concerned about the weight she replaced eating with working out. Turns out, pregnant women need to eat. Who knew?

Meantime, Melissa has lost a fair share of weight over the last few months and is concerned about putting it all back on. So what do I do? I tell her I’m concerned she may become “pregorexic”. I'm sure you can guess how that conversation went after that.

Here’s the first lesson I will pass onto dads-to-be…

DON’T ASK YOUR WIFE IF SHE’S PREGOREXIC!!!

Did I actually think she was going to be pregorexic? No. So why did I ask? Because I’m an idiot.

Part 2: So... we have something to tell you

This past weekend my parents came to visit. For us, their trip was two-fold. A) To celebrate my dad and my wife's birthday B) to tell them our big news.

Here's how it went down...

Me: So how do you guys feel about being grandparents?

My dad: For how long?

Certainly not the answer I expected. Turns out, my dad was so caught off guard, he actually thought we were trying to pawn our dog off on him.

My mom on the other hand reacted this way.

Mom: You mean like you're planning on having a baby, or you're actually having a baby? Am I going to be a grandparent soon? Are you pregnant now?!?!

Each question actually got louder.

Needless to say. They were both very excited.

My mom again brought up getting an apartment close by. I told her we're moving to Egypt.

We'll take the third one from the left

Part 1: So... we have something to tell you

The next big step in this whole process has been, who to tell. Obviously, we wanted to tell our parents, but at the same time we haven't even been to the doctor yet. So, is it too early? Our we jinxing ourselves? Are they going to be cool about it?

Here's the thing. I'm torn. On one hand, I want to tell anyone who will listen. On the other hand, I want to tell no one. First, I feel like I need doctor confirmation. Second, telling people makes it really... well... real.

In the end, we didn't feel like we had a lot of choice. We were about to spend the weekend wine tasting with Melissa's parents. How were we going to avoid hiding it when Melissa passed on some of the best wines in the country?

Guess who's not drinking?

Despite my initial unease, it turned out to be no big deal. Her parents were stoked, and really said a lot less about it than I expected. Melissa says it's because its so early in the process. She says "what are they going to say... 'tell us exactly how it happened'?" Good point.

Telling her brother was fun. We were in a deep conversation about the upcoming football season and he was explaining to me why his Steelers are the greatest team ever (the same conversation we have every year at this time).

Start scene:

Me: So let's talk about something more important... would you rather be "Uncle Ricky", "Uncle Enrique"...

Ricky: What? (Looking at Melissa now) What?

Me: Well, you're going to have to decide

Ricky: You're pregnant?!? What?!?! WOW! (hugs all around)

End Scene.

Good stuff.

Today we tell my parents. Every since my cousin had a baby 2 years ago, my mom's been chomping at the bit for a grandbaby of her own. She even told Melissa that when we have a baby they'll move into an apartment nearby.

Um... well... that's... um... let's talk about that later.

The Big Announcement

In the movies when a woman tells her husband that she's pregnant, she finds some really clever way to deliver the news over a romantic dinner. In real life, your wife just blurts it out while you're standing in the parking lot of Carmax. Or at least that's how it happened for me.

Here's sort of how it went down:

Melissa (my wife): "so I took a pregnancy test this morning and I'm pregnant."

Me: "Really? (long pause) Really? (another long pause) Maybe you should take a second one".

Melissa: "I already did".

Me: "OK then."

End scene.

(This is just another example of why we make a great team, we're always on the same page.)

Two thoughts immediately crossed my mind. First, "Way to go boys! Glad all the plumbing is in order."

Second, "Holy crap! How are we going to afford this?"

Here's the thing, we had just bought a car. And by "just bought", I don't mean a month ago, a week ago, even a few days ago. I mean the final paper work went through about fifteen minutes earlier. That's why we were in the Carmax parking lot.

Either way... this is the beginning of a 9-month odyssey. The good news... we had just traded in Melissa's Camaro for something with room for a car seat.

Thank goodness we upgraded. We'll need the space