Baby on board

Although it's reality, I still can't believe I'm going to be a father.

I recently turned 40 and am just now cracking open the "Daddy-to-be-books" for the first time while many of my friends have the same books buried in the back of bookshelves. It's a little intimidating knowing many of my fellow father friends have children that are 10 or some that have teenagers. I guess I'm a late bloomer in this sense because as much as I've always wanted children, I never wanted children with anyone until I met my dear Kelley Lin.

Baby Husband chilling.

That fact of the matter is that I no longer care of my age or the fact I'll be 58 when my kid graduates from high school — a future GJHS Tiger for sure. I consider myself the luckiest father-to-be alive because I'm on this journey with the only woman to ever make me weak in the knees. All that matters to me now is that Kelley and I provide the best possible love, support and positive environment for Baby Husband, because if there's anything I've learned from our great friends with children, whom some are old enough to drive and even vote, it's that understanding and actually practicing the true responsibility of being a good parent can pay off in the long run.

So many of my friends have already been through the joys and fears I am going through right now and have moved onto bigger and much better aspects of parenting. Bill and Robin, Scott and Laurena, Braden and Pam, Greg and Sarah and Jay and Amber and so many others ... thank you for being the remarkable parents you are. You may not know it, but the unbelievable parenting you provide to your children is incredibly contagious to this daddy-to-be.

Aside from our great friends, our sisters are great parents, too. And our parents ... forget about it. How can any person not give praise to their parents. I know I can speak for Kelley when I say I am who I am today because of my parents.

When Kelley and I found out we were going to have a child we both were incredibly overwhelmed with joy and fear. Of course the initial joy of knowing we will be parents was filled with every feel-good emotion possible. We cried, laughed and hugged for what seemed like an eternity. After awhile, however, the fear set in. I don't know for certain, but I'm willing to bet the fear is a common thread in the initial stages of pregnancies. The questions were popping up every which way:

* What do we do know?
* What books do we read?
* What foods does Kelley need to stop eating and start eating?
* Midwife or OBGYN?
* What do we need to change in our lifestyle?
* How the hell are we going to do this? (This one, at one point, drove me to a six pack of Bud Light.)

All common questions (or fears) but eventually we both took a breath. I stopped making sure Kelley was on top of her vitamins and eating more like a really pissed off drill Sergeant. We relaxed and did the one thing that solved all of our fears. We communicated. We talked and talked and talked. We found the best way for us to deal with this and that. We simplified it all in the best way that suited us. And then, we went to our doctor and she helped us simplify it all even more.

Baby Husband Bump.

And now, we are a little more than 15 weeks pregnant. Our fears have slowly faded from a laundry list to a short list and our joy and excitement of parenting has exploded to unimaginable levels. Kelley has survived the first trimester where the toilet and bed got much more attention than me. She's doing great, but still has those struggles a pregnancy can give any woman. She's a trooper and I'm so proud of her and think it's truly amazing what women go through during a pregnancy. Mad respect!

We've had two ultrasounds and done all kinds of testing, including a test to detect Down Syndrome. So far, everything is, as our doctors have told us "above normal." Hell, Kelley and I were even referred to as "incredibly healthy" parents. All of this allows us to rest easy on the worry list and focus more on the pre-parenting tasks.

And now, the journey continues for the Husband's. Kelley's belly is growing, my nerves are slowly getting back to normal and together we are finding the right path to parenthood. But most of all, Baby Husband is doing just fine!