Punchy- (That is what we are calling you until we let people know what we are actually naming you)
96 days until you due date.
Last night your mom and I talked about this blog a bit and she asked me if I was going to print it out when it was done. I may just do that. If you are not born on the 22nd of October but instead the 27th or 28th like some people have told me they think you will be I will keep writing until you are here. No reason to end the project just because you were born a little later.
Last night I felt you kick for the first time. Your mom and I had just finished listening to the Mayoral primary debate on the radio and she called me over to feel you kick. It was the first time it has happened. Not the first time that you have kicked mind you, it just seems like she feels you move then she calls me over, and when I put my hand on her belly you stop. Like somehow you know that I am trying to feel you move too and you will have none of it.
A few weeks ago we played you some lullabies and she said you moved to some of them, and did not to others and it made us wonder if you have an innate sense already of what kind of music you like and what you do not. (takes the whole nature vs nurture thing a step deeper) I think it was on the same night that I blew raspberries on her belly and she said it made you move.
They tell us that at this point in time you can see light through the belly, and that we should play with a flashlight with it. I am not sure it makes sense, but that is what they tell us.
I seriously can't wait for you to get here. There are so many questions I am curious about that I have no way of knowing right now. I wonder when you will have your first freckles (I have little doubt you will have them at some point) What your eye color is, what your hair color is. They can tell us about how long you are and how much you weigh. We are just excited to meet you, when you are ready, no need to rush the next 96 days.
Mom is starting to not fit in her pre-pregnancy clothes and we are just about to start the last trimester so we know you have a ways to grow. They tell me that your brain is developing, so mom has been making sure we have a good breakfast of eggs every morning so you are getting the protein you need. 96 days until we get to meet you. They say being a father changes a man. I am not sure if that is so, but what I do know is that I want little more than to be there to support you when you need help, if you are confused about things or want to know why things are what they are, I will be there for you.
Dad's advise for the day:
I have been doing some of the things I do a long time; Sword being one of them. Some days I feel like I am working really hard to do my best but even at my best it is not 100% natural to me. There are going to be things that you want to do that no matter how hard you want to be the best, they may not come naturally. Don't give up. If it is something you really want, you will get better. That is not to say you will one day be the best at some things, but that does not mean that you give it up. Some things come easier to some people than others. A guy who is 6' 3" is going to have an easier time winning a foot race then someone who is 5'3". If you love it, if it makes you happy, give it what you've got. Surround yourself with people who believe in you, even if you do not always believe in yourself. They may tell you they think you can win and you don't feel it. They may tell you that you are one of the best they know, and you still fail. The thing is this though when it happens you have not let anyone down unless you did not give it all you had that is all that we can expect from anyone. If you are in it to do your best, you do the best you can. Sometimes it means you did not succeed, but if you gave it your all, you can't be disappointed by how you did, and there is always next time.
I will see you in a few months, (I get to catch you and clamp the cord, or so the birth plan says.)
-Dad
