For the joy of new life

Last week Cara and I attended a pregnancy class put on by the Corvallis hospital. It was two hours long and surprisingly intense, somehow as a guy I guess I'd forgotten how entirely uncomfortable pregnancy is, not to mention childbirth. The nurse giving the presentation passed around several life-sized rubber representations of the baby and uterus at different stages of pregnancy. The baby grows incredibly fast and as it does it begins to crowd out her organs, things such as lungs, bladder, and stomach are all affected by the baby's size and weight.

During mid-to-later stages of the pregnancy, Cara will need to eat smaller meals because her stomach has been compressed, she will tire more quickly, and generally feel uncomfortable much of the time. At the end of the pregnancy, Cara has to endure excruciating pain for many hours. She has been considering doing it without the shot that numbs you and I can't even bring myself to offer an opinion. She's the one who has to deal with all that pain. (and yes, I think Tom Cruise is a schlub) As a protective husband it's overwhelming to think about.

I have often wondered why that was the curse God gave Eve after the initial sin. Toil with your hands, or painful childbirth? Give me Adam's punishment any day! Painful childbirth seems random and just plain cruel. The only thing that makes this process worth enduring is the child that is within her, the hope of new life. Then it hit me, this is an exact picture of Christ! He lived a relatively short, and extremely uncomfortable life knowing that it would terminate in many hours of intense pain. How could he go through it knowing all this beforehand? It was because of the hope of new life, our new life! Cara chooses to endure because she knows that the child within her is worth it. Christ endured what he did because he thinks we are worth it.

She's Tired...

One of the earliest changes I noticed in Cara has been a complete lack of energy. Normally she is a very peppy person, accomplishing 2-3 times as much as I do during the day. She is also the one who motivates me to get out and do things, the adventurous one. It seems like she has energy during the day ok, but now in the evenings she just wants to sit, and I'm the one getting a bit stir crazy.

Ultrasound!

We just got back from the doctors and here's the first ultrasound. The image was a lot easier to make out live on the monitor, this is just a screen capture so it's pretty fuzzy. No idea what gender yet but at 9 weeks it has a head, arms, legs, and a heartbeat. It's beautiful!

Baby moving?

I think we're at about 9 weeks now, (leave it to a guy to lose track of time) and last night Cara said she thought she felt something move inside her! Could she have felt the baby? I can't wait for the ultrasound...

Dumb ol housing market

My wife is definitely nesting, and from what I've read it'll only get worse. Unfortunately it's hard to nest in an apartment. (and it makes painting the baby's room completely out of the question.) We're looking for a house, but Corvallis is defying the current bust and prices remain pretty solid. I know God has something for us and we just have to wait, but it's hard.

A whole lot of sleeping...

One of the first things I've noticed about pregnancy is that it seems to require a lot of energy. You're probably thinking "no duh!" but I honestly wasn't expecting it to take this much out of her this early in the pregnancy. (8 weeks) My once vibrant wife is sleeping peacefully next to me on the couch, and has been since 9pm. (which is very early for us)

Showing

Today she is showing for the very first time. We drove to OSU and took some pictures, I'm not very good but I don't have to be, she is beautiful, glowing.

Being a new father is exhilarating and frightening. We worry, plan, and hope. Will it be a boy, a girl? What will it look like? Will we be able to find a house? Have enough money? When we're tired the line between dreams, reality, and fears all blur together. It's hard to make sense of it all.

For anyone wondering, I used a softening filter for this picture. (that's why it's a little blurry in spots)