BrainStream: Countdown to Fatherhood

Well, one more step to fatherhood today. We picked up our first car seat today - a Graco SnugRide. We too some time to wander about BabysRUs and look at the plethora of strollers, car seats and stroller-carseat combinations called "Travel Systems".

We wandered rather aimlessly and half-heartedly tried to figure out the difference. I think we were both embarrased really - neither of us wanted to ask for help. Finally, I pulled out the cell phone and called my sister-in-law, haning the phone to the wife. Basically, we need a car seat. The "travel systems" tend to be heavier and a little more expensive. But we definitely needed a car seat - we could get by without a stroller if we had to. Besides, who can resist carrying baby around with a snuggli?!

So we picked up the car seat and tossed the matching stroller on the Baby Registry. We've been a bit frustrated because we have a shower being thrown at work and there are a lot of grad students who have been asking what to get the baby. They don't really need to get us anything but there's no "low-budget" items on our list. Plus we cannot seem to find many online to add to the list. We can find the sing-along CDs and relaxation music in the Music store but we cannot add them to our Baby Registry. So we created our child's first Amazon.com Wish list. A bit cheesy, I know, and probably a bit presumptious. It was bound to happen sooner or later - I mean, his parents are incredibly geeky.

I'm getting incredibly nervous with .....what should I call it.....anthropomorphizing doesn't seem like the right word since he's certainly not inanimate - I felt the baby hiccuping the other morning. But "he" has a name, we talk to him and basically assume he's always there with us. My wife has had an incredibly good pregnancy. Only a little bit of nausea in the beginning and other than that she keeps saying things like "I forget I'm pregnant". She looks gorgeous, radiant, and very healthy. Still....I wonder if I'm jinxing things.

I've also been thinking about people who say "it's going to change your life" and "things will never be the same". Sure, I believe it to an extent - especially in the beginning. Sleepless nights, potential medical issues, raising someone who is essentially a blank slate. But I think our social live is incredibly different than others. We don't go out a lot except to dinner, (alone), and to the movies (alone) once in a great while. We enjoy spending most of our time at home playing on the computer, watching TV or DVDs. We love to cook, like to lay about and read books and truly enjoy each other's company - i.e. we have no active social live.

Who knows. Perhaps, like most people I will come back in a month or two and say "you have no idea". But for now, I'll continue the final month looking forward to being a dad.

[BrainStream]
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