Well, I must say that even though I've always wanted to be a Dad, the moment we found out that Lyzz was pregnant was rather surprising and a little terrifying. As much as being a dad can be cool, fun, and all that, knowing that a little life will be my (and Lyzz's of course) responsibility freaked me out. What happens if I screw them up FOREVER?!? Will they hate me? Will I hate them or myself? WHAT AM I DOING?!?
After our first weekend of knowing that we are going to become parents by the end of the year I started to really look forward to this new adventure. A quick read through my patriarchal blessing brought some added reassurance as well. It says, essentially, that my wife and I will be kind and loving parents who create the type of home their children are happy to return to at the end of the day. Our kids will come to me for advice as a father and a friend. I don't know exactly what I'm doing, but it's nice to have that reinforcer there reminding me that I can be a good dad.
So, less about me freaking out and more about the picture here (yes, Lyzz told you I would likely do this in her post). This is the ultrasound from our May 13th appointment, so it's not the newest one we have, but we can't find our USB cable for the scanner at the moment (stupid packing and boxes and having to organize things all over again). At the time of the picture here, baby was just about an inch long, has arm/leg buds, and was very actively moving around. Our more recent visit, on the 18th (a mere five days later), the baby is nearly two inches long and has more defined facial features and limbs. The number of fingers and toes is still unclear, and is actually something we've been wondering about since Lyzz's twin brother is missing an entire forearm and our newest niece has 6 toes on her left foot. Hurray for mutations!
Lyzz is not showing her pregnancy yet, and if things with her sisters apply here it may be a little while yet, but she does have a new glow about her. She's been tired and a little sick some days, but nothing super serious that matches any of the horror stories I've heard about pregnancy. Each morning we lay in bed and I talk to her tummy and tell the kiddo to treat Mommy right. She's worried about being a mom, but I know that she'll do great. She's kind, fun, energetic, and creative, so any kid of ours will likely be tired out by the time bedtime rolls around. The closest thing we currently have to children are our cats, and Lyzz has taken a more motherly attitude with them recently. Sure, they still get into cupboards, chase each other around the house at odd hours, and make noise when we're trying to watch a movie or have some quiet time together, but Lyzz no longer gets frustrated by this. Now, it's only when they claw her in process of hurdling her on their way to attack a spot on the wall or use her tummy as a springboard to reach the window sill. At least with a kid they'll be able to learn and understand what we say to them. I'm pretty sure the only things the cats understand are their names and the sounds of treats being rattled in a can, or Lyzz's finger snaps that generally mean "scratching time!"
I know that we won't find our our baby's sex for another 9 weeks or so, but I'm guessing it's a boy. The fact that baby was using the placenta as a pillow and tried to roll over away from the ultrasound last time is a strong indication of guyness and our "Leave me alone. I'm trying to sleep" reactions. I'm sure the ladies do this too, but I'm just saying it's more of a guy thing to do. I suppose if it looks like baby's having a tea party next time I'll change my prediction.
On an unrelated note, Lyzz and I are in the midst of packing all our stuff up to move to Ferndale with my folks for a little while so we can save some money while I look for a new job. My Comcast sales position has been a great job for a little over a year now, but I've started to learn things about the way this company is run since I became a sales team leader/manager that I just don't find ethical or good business. Comcast pays all contractor companies the same amount of money for a given type of sale and then it is up to the contractor company to pay the contractors out of that total. Other companies pay as much as 50% of what Comcast gives them to their employees/sales people while mine is only paying about 33%. As far as I know, my boss does not have any extra costs associated with running his operation as compared to other contractor groups, so this difference is simply a way for him to make more $. Also, the fact that my boss has quite literally been ignoring the employees in Bellingham lately is just getting aggravating. Cutting corners to save a few bucks is pretty standard business practice, that I understand, but when cutting said corners means your team doesn't have the basic resources for customer information you're doing something wrong. I have applied to a few jobs that could be very promising, but we're just sitting on our thumbs since we have yet to hear back from them.
