Well, I have to say that I'm very excited for this child. I know that the situation is less than ideal and it doesn't fit many of the social norms we force upon each other. I've always been one to try to shake those norms in the interest of my happiness and what I think best.
I tried to quit smoking. I had always said the day I found out I'd be a father was the day I would quit smoking. I guess I always imagined that day with my wife and so when that moment arose I declared that cigarettes and I were done at the end of the night.
I made it about half of the next day before I was smoking again. Hell. I'm smoking while I write this. I realize its important and still something I take seriously. I will not be smoking when this child is born.
I also immediately opened a savings account at SunTrust for this child. It won't be much. I'm just putting $100 in to start, and then $25/month until the child is 18 years old. This isn't a college fund, or meant to pay for anything in particular. It's just a little chunk of money I want to be able to hand my son or daughter when they leave for school to say - "Hey, from day 1 I knew I wanted to be able to give you everything. Here is just a little something to help with the adjustment to college life."
I also undertook an investigation into the local OB/GYN scene in order to identify a doctor or group of doctors that I felt most comfortable handling this pregnancy and birth. I didn't do this without the help of Emily, of course. I did use some professional contacts to ask around for people's thoughts on a series of doctors in order to find the right fit. For now, I won't disclose the doctor's name.
I also went to my office manager to find out exactly how my insurance will change once the baby is born, if I want to get the baby's health insurance through my policy.
These things may not seem like much, but in this first trimester, there isn't much "Dad" can do. "Mom" is growing the baby. We don't know the sex yet (but it's totally a boy) so we can't really start prepping anything else (i.e. my guest room).
The other major activity of the first two weeks has been Emily and I making a concerted effort to really get to know one another. We were getting there before, of course. Now, however, things are accelerated and we have to start being real with one another more than before. The process of getting to know her has been amazing. It's been challenging at times, frightening at others but generally wonderful. I think we're both starting to recognize that we have different sets of strengths and weaknesses, which could really lend itself to being a solid parenting team.
As I pushed through a crazy month at work, I finally hit the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and got a chance to catch my breath. Hilarity did not ensue.
No comments:
Post a Comment