Baby On The Way
I can't believe that in two-to-three weeks my life will be changed forever. We learned in December that Katya was pregnant, about a week after her Ukrainian grandfather passed away (one life ends and a new begins).
The pregnancy has been a roller-coaster ever since then, although nothing like in the movies. Katya didn't experience any morning sickness, although she was super-exhausted all the time during the first trimester. She had a few bouts of migraines then, too, and spent a lot of time sleeping.
The second trimester was a breeze. She started showing and was recognizably pregnant (although too stubborn to buy maternity clothes). She had no physical problems and the OB declared that she was having a perfectly healthy pregnancy. We also learned that we were having a boy!
We followed the growth of our baby during this stage using some iPhone app that Katya had (which wouldn't sync with my Android, so it was useless to me). We watched him grow from looking like a jelly bean to a tadpole, and then to a walnut and then an alien life form.
Near the end of the second trimester he started getting active, and the kicking started. I remember going to bed and Katya giggling non-stop as the baby kept tickling her rib cage from the inside.
We also took 6 weeks of prenatal classes put on by the Wellington County Health Unit (or something like this). They were actually informative and eased some of our apprehensions. When the instructor asked the class what everyone's main concerns were, the women unanimously answered with "Labor" while the men unanimously answered with "Caring for a newborn". The instructor told us that she's been doing this for 30 years, and spent 40 years as an intensive care nurse in a hospital for newborns in distress, and in all that time, women and men have answered the exact same way!
My mother and sister in Ottawa threw a surprise baby shower for us, and we got kitted out with a state-of-the-art stroller/car seat combo and a million pieces of clothing. Then in Guelph we had another baby shower with friends and family down here, and we got more baby clothes, bath supplies and a crib! Then I went out and bought him a little onesy outfit with bunnies on it that says "Daddy Loves You", along with a soft Gund bunny toy.
Then came the third trimester, which progressed pretty much the same as the second until now, the final month. Katya is still small, but with a huge belly. People look at her all the time and for some reason strange women feel they can just come up and touch her belly. Katya hates it. In Moscow people are liable to be stabbed for touching someone they don't know. Canadians are a bit ignorant of such things, however.
The kicking isn't so cute and fun anymore. It's nearly violent, and sometimes he kicks so hard that Katya doubles over in pain. Her back is hurting her all the time and she can't ever find a comfortable position to lie in. The baby prefers that she only lay on her left side; if she rolls over he starts squirming and kicking, so her left shoulder is really sore every morning.
She's starting to say what every mother says in the final month: "Get this thing out of me!"
I bought a "Baby On Board" sign and two side-window sun shades for the car off Amazon and this weekend we're going to Sears to finish loading up the hospital bag for the big day.
I can't believe that in a couple of weeks, there will be a baby here!
My life of traveling, drinking, dating and generally being irresponsible ended when I got married, and now I feel that having a baby is the next logical chapter in my life. I'm ready and don't feel like it's holding me down; after years of adventure, having a baby, coupled with running my own business, is the next big adventure for me!
The pregnancy has been a roller-coaster ever since then, although nothing like in the movies. Katya didn't experience any morning sickness, although she was super-exhausted all the time during the first trimester. She had a few bouts of migraines then, too, and spent a lot of time sleeping.
The second trimester was a breeze. She started showing and was recognizably pregnant (although too stubborn to buy maternity clothes). She had no physical problems and the OB declared that she was having a perfectly healthy pregnancy. We also learned that we were having a boy!
We followed the growth of our baby during this stage using some iPhone app that Katya had (which wouldn't sync with my Android, so it was useless to me). We watched him grow from looking like a jelly bean to a tadpole, and then to a walnut and then an alien life form.
Near the end of the second trimester he started getting active, and the kicking started. I remember going to bed and Katya giggling non-stop as the baby kept tickling her rib cage from the inside.
We also took 6 weeks of prenatal classes put on by the Wellington County Health Unit (or something like this). They were actually informative and eased some of our apprehensions. When the instructor asked the class what everyone's main concerns were, the women unanimously answered with "Labor" while the men unanimously answered with "Caring for a newborn". The instructor told us that she's been doing this for 30 years, and spent 40 years as an intensive care nurse in a hospital for newborns in distress, and in all that time, women and men have answered the exact same way!
My mother and sister in Ottawa threw a surprise baby shower for us, and we got kitted out with a state-of-the-art stroller/car seat combo and a million pieces of clothing. Then in Guelph we had another baby shower with friends and family down here, and we got more baby clothes, bath supplies and a crib! Then I went out and bought him a little onesy outfit with bunnies on it that says "Daddy Loves You", along with a soft Gund bunny toy.
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| A surprise baby shower in Ottawa |
The kicking isn't so cute and fun anymore. It's nearly violent, and sometimes he kicks so hard that Katya doubles over in pain. Her back is hurting her all the time and she can't ever find a comfortable position to lie in. The baby prefers that she only lay on her left side; if she rolls over he starts squirming and kicking, so her left shoulder is really sore every morning.
She's starting to say what every mother says in the final month: "Get this thing out of me!"
I bought a "Baby On Board" sign and two side-window sun shades for the car off Amazon and this weekend we're going to Sears to finish loading up the hospital bag for the big day.
I can't believe that in a couple of weeks, there will be a baby here!
My life of traveling, drinking, dating and generally being irresponsible ended when I got married, and now I feel that having a baby is the next logical chapter in my life. I'm ready and don't feel like it's holding me down; after years of adventure, having a baby, coupled with running my own business, is the next big adventure for me!
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| How I imagine life with a son |
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