In His Mother's Belly, His Father's Mind

It's March now. That means a few things. It means Stasia's folks have arrived--they're renting a little apartment in the Wedgwood neighborhood for the month. It means in about two weeks the world will look a little different. It means we will soon not only be a couple, but we will be parents.

Stasia is doing well. Some sore hips and sore back, but she's strong and amazing and has a great attitude even with little sleep. We've both had trouble in that department lately. Nature's way of preparing us for baby? Thank you, Nature, it's mighty thoughtful of you, but I think I speak for both of us (especially Stasia) when I say, Can you maybe back off a bit? You know, just let us get an extra few hours before the little guy arrives? Much obliged.

We've finished our birth classes. Only one Centering appointment remains (if you don't know, "Centering" is a two-hour session that includes other parents due in March and the midwives from Ballard Swedish--in lieu of standard OB checkups). We've met with Deborah, our birth doula, in our home twice ("Deborah the Doula" I call her), and Stasia has been updating her on how she's feeling every few days.

And we've been nesting like crazy.

It's funny the different forms nesting can take. Getting the nursery ready is an obvious one, but then there are others: creating this blog for instance, buying a Flip HD video camera, purging our possessions, rearranging the furniture.

As for the nursery, it's pretty much done. A few final touches to go, but I'm very proud of it. I'll get some photos up here very soon, perhaps in the next post.

It's a strange, indescribable feeling, knowing that our boy will be here in only a couple of weeks. It's a sense, a presence that's always there. It's deep in my chest and it never goes away. It's an anticipation of a major change on the horizon. Like waking up every day wondering if today will be the day the sun rises in the west.

All that said, it's still kind of hard to believe. There is no baby yet, so I can't get my head around the fact that there will be a baby. Sound nuts? Oh well. I'd be lying if I didn't admit there is some anxiety mingling with all that anticipation.

A few steps further down the rabbit hole and the only thing you'll find is a whole lot of excitement.