Friday, December 18, 2009

"Uterus... They don't even know us?"

Today was the day we had been waiting for. All three of us hopped into the Big Daddy-mobile and headed for the doctor's office. It was time for Allison's 11-12 week check-up, and we were hoping to hear a heartbeat. We had borrowed a heart monitor from one of my co-workers and I was doing my best to find a heartbeat all week long. In the end, all I found was disappointment and possibly gas. I had hoped that the well-honed radar skills of the Dr. would return more satisfactory results, but apparantly, we are still at the early stages when it comes to heartbeat detection.

However, in spite of the inaudible heartbeat let-down, the appointment wasn't entirely without excitement. It turns out that Allison is "showing" more than is normal for a woman at eleven weeks, and furthermore, the uterus is riding higher than one would expect at this stage. When the doc considered these facts, as well as the high frequency of multiple births in Allison's family, it was off to the doc-phone to book an earlier ultrasound appointment.

Here's how I look at it - if there's one or two children floating around in there, we'll handle it no problem. If there's three or more, we'll be looking for a nanny. Perks of the position will include luxurious accommodations (a.k.a. laundry room floor), convenient transportation (metrobus stop just a minute's walk away), and a competive hourly wage (in Zimbabwe dollars). Time to brush up that resume Frank ;)

I remain most Sincerely (and Curiously) Yours;
Big Daddy J

Friday, December 4, 2009

Fun Fetal Fact #1

So... my bathroom reading has changed in the past month. I used to spend my time on the throne reading wargames magazines, rulebooks, and history books. Since Allison now has every bathroom stocked with a respectable-sized pregnancy and pre-natal literary section, I've started reading bits and pieces out of many books. In the not-to-distant past, pregnancy and childbearing were considered a woman's domain, and I'm beginning to see why. I've learned things about the female body (particularly the nipples) that I would have been fine never learning for the rest of my life.

However, there is one book in particular that I really like called In the Womb, which takes the reader through each week of the pregnancy and shows what's happening on a biological level. During my bathroom reading before work this morning I learned something very interesting.

Have you ever noticed the surprisingly strong and tight grip of a newborn? Did you know that most scientists believe the tight grip to be a genetic survival instinct that human babies share with their other primate cousins? In short, most other primate species (chimps, monkeys, gorillas, etc...) are covered in fur (c'mon everyone... this is kindergarten-level biology here...) When a chimpanzee baby is born, it must immediately be able to hold on to its mother's fur to prevent itself from falling on the ground, as the mother will continue on with her foraging, leaving her baby without any physical support. I found that very interesting. In fact, if I was endowed with a thick, lustrous man-rug on my chest, I would test the theory out when Baby Tilley arrives. Sadly, although I was blessed with charm, wit, intelligence, and humility, I was out sick on the day they were handing out chest hair. Maybe my brother would be willing to take part in a little experiment...

Until next time, I remain most sincerely yours,
Big Daddy J

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Fatherhood: From the Beginning

I became Ben's stepfather when he had just turned four-years old. Now in his 10th year, I've been "Dad" for longer than either he or I can remember. Although we live life together like any other father and son, I missed out on all the "baby stuff." So when you find out that your wife is pregnant (like I did around a month or so ago), you realize that as a stepfather, it all happens in reverse order for you. I've already dealt with behaviour issues, homework, bullies, and dinner battles, but I'm a complete virgin when it comes to burping (baby's, not mine), farting (see burping), feeding (see burping and farting), and infant feces-handling (often referred to as "diaper-changing.)

Blogging about my miniature painting and wargaming hobby has brought me great satisfaction and enjoyment. In fact, I've improved in all aspects of my geekly pursuits since I started blogging about them. Who knows... maybe blogging about fatherhood will help me improve as a parent, or even help me prepare mentally for the forthcoming bundle of joy.

The due date is July 9th. I"m counting the days.

Big Daddy J