Baby on the way

[wmonroe]

OK, you've had a lot of congrats so I'll bypass that and go into advice mode: 1. Don't ever get your kid hooked on a pacifier. If you do, then you will find yourself having to find that thing whenever it falls out of the baby's mouth. All day and all through the night. Then, when you have finally had enough, you have to wean the kid from the pacifier and that will be two days of h*ll. DAMHIKT 2. For the first year, everywhere you go - to the supermarket, to the fair, just walking down your street - people will stop you and want to pet the baby and tell you how super cute it is and you may find yourself believing that you have the best-looking baby in the world. You don't. It is just as cute as any other baby and it will grow up to look a lot like you.

Good to know about the pacifier.

That's funny you mention "the best looking baby" because I just told a good friend of mine if he catches me saying anything like that to tell me about it. It always cracks me up when I hear that.

 

[s219]

Heck, I am amazed our daughter is so beautiful. She clearly didn't get her looks from my end of the gene pool!

 

[wmonroe]

Heck, I am amazed our daughter is so beautiful. She clearly didn't get her looks from my end of the gene pool!

I'm hoping our child takes after my wife in the looks department and not me.

 

[4shorts]

Well congratulations to you and your wife. Life is about to change for you both and for the better. I always said our greatest accomplishment in life was to rase to find sons.
The very best to you both.

 

[wmonroe]

Well congratulations to you and your wife. Life is about to change for you both and for the better. I always said our greatest accomplishment in life was to rase to find sons. The very best to you both.

Thanks we appreciate it.

We had our first doctors appointment today and it was a little scary with all the disorders and birth defects they talked about.

 

[Cat_Driver]

Prayers headed your way for a health baby. When they say they grow up fast - YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW how fast it goes. Seems like yesterday I was cutting the umbilical cord, then walking, then sleep overs, then school, sports, driving and that's it. Take a lot of video and pictures of EVERYTHING, you will appreciate those later in life.

 

[s219]

Thanks we appreciate it.

We had our first doctors appointment today and it was a little scary with all the disorders and birth defects they talked about.

That is part of the "gravity" of becoming a parent -- you have to start thinking about all that stuff and be prepared. We had screening tests (standard for all pregnant women) that showed a high "statistical" risk of Downes and heart problems, and had to go for follow on tests, high-res ultrasound to study the baby's heart, and eventually amnio-syntesis (spelling?). It was a sobering and scary experience waiting a week for results. But it made us more sure than ever that we'd accept and love our baby no matter what. Thankfully the final results ruled out the risks and we had a perfectly healthy girl, but the experience made us face down those possibilities and really think about them. I think it was a preview of what parents have to deal with from time to time.

I've spoken with many other couples that went through the same thing (the statistics for birth defects go up as the woman ages, so many couples over 30 run into this). If we had to do it again, I'd skip the tests and just know that we'd love the baby all the same in the end.

 

[wmonroe]

Prayers headed your way for a health baby. When they say they grow up fast - YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW how fast it goes. Seems like yesterday I was cutting the umbilical cord, then walking, then sleep overs, then school, sports, driving and that's it. Take a lot of video and pictures of EVERYTHING, you will appreciate those later in life.

I can't express how much I appreciate the prayers. Thank you.

 

[wmonroe]

That is part of the "gravity" of becoming a parent -- you have to start thinking about all that stuff and be prepared. We had screening tests (standard for all pregnant women) that showed a high "statistical" risk of Downes and heart problems, and had to go for follow on tests, high-res ultrasound to study the baby's heart, and eventually amnio-syntesis (spelling?). It was a sobering and scary experience waiting a week for results. But it made us more sure than ever that we'd accept and love our baby no matter what. Thankfully the final results ruled out the risks and we had a perfectly healthy girl, but the experience made us face down those possibilities and really think about them. I think it was a preview of what parents have to deal with from time to time. I've spoken with many other couples that went through the same thing (the statistics for birth defects go up as the woman ages, so many couples over 30 run into this). If we had to do it again, I'd skip the tests and just know that we'd love the baby all the same in the end.

That's what we are deciding now whether to have the tests or skip them. Either way we this is our child and we will love it no matter what. Thanks.

 

[TnWV]

Congrats on the baby! It's an exciting time. My wife and I had a baby boy last October, I was a couple months short of 32. We already have a 3 year old girl and thought we knew everything, wrong! Huge difference between the two, so everyday is something new! Enjoy the whole process, it's a real life changer!