Letter to Baby, Monday, July 20

Dear Baby,



This morning I woke up when the day was still quite new. Our bedroom window was open, and I could hear sounds of our neighborhood waking up. My husband was still asleep and was tucked down deep under the blankets. I couldn't see our alarm clock, but somehow I knew I had about an hour of being awake before him. Even though I could really sleep as long as I wanted to - I am not working and have no morning appointments - I couldn't sleep.

I felt my face smiling and a lot of nervous energy in my stomach. I felt like I was eight years old and the first to be awake for Christmas morning. I remember feeling this way as a child, half of me wanting to sneak a peek at the presents under the tree, the other half contented to shiver with anticipation for the last few moments pre-Christmas. This morning I felt such excitement about getting you, a real present for my life.

I felt like it was a very special morning, and I know that according to our plans, this is the last Monday morning we will have, pre-baby, as a couple. We aren't just going to be friends or spouses or teammates, we are going to be parents together. We won't have the same relationship again, ever. We probably won't spend mornings together in bed like this for a LONG time.

When I got up, I wanted to see what the day looked like, to see if it looked as different as it felt. This morning was an unseasonably cool July morning, and I did feel a bit special. I ate Oreos and milk for breakfast, and did some house chores. I kissed your father goodbye as he left for work, and I knew it was the last Monday morning of my life without a baby in the house.

I have the same sort of feelings of ending a chapter in a book as I did on the last day at home before I moved to college, the morning of my wedding day, my first day of being a teacher, and now each day as I consider, "Is today the last day of pregnancy? Will I meet my son tomorrow?" I feel like everyday is sort of like the day before my birthday because your birth will be the birth of a new life for me.

Your father and I have a comfortable, happy, and blessed life. We have enjoyed 6 and a half years of love and 4 years of marriage. With these being the last hours we have as a duo, each one that passes is special. Somehow I know that we are going to enter an even better phase in our lives, even though now its hard for me to imagine that it can get any better.

I hope I let you know every day how important you are to our lives, and how you enrich them and make us into a new, improved family.

Love,

Your mom.

Conversation Baby May Have Overheard....

Dan: "You want your baby's daddy to meet him with a goatee?"

Bethany: "Nah, he's really never seen facial hair before. Might scare him. Keep shaving."

Kid, You are Lucky...

And I wanted you to know it.

I've gotten several notes from former students who have said things like, "I've always thought you are one of those people who will be a great mom!" and "I wish you were my mom because I think you'd teach me a lot and be really fun when I was little" and "You are going to have a really smart kid because you'll teach him how to think properly for himself".

I know, sort of bragging a little. Or a lot. You can learn humility from your father!

Reading List

I've read a lot of pregnancy resource manuals... some were fantastic, some were boring, some were fear-inducing, and some were lame.

I feel like the pregnancy thing is getting under control, now that I am half way finished, and it is time to begin reading up on much more important topics, such as being a parent to an infant.

I recently purchased these titles:

1. Institute, The Guiran. It's a Baby Boy!: The Unique Wonders and Special Nature of Your Son From Pregnancy to Two Years
2. Huggins, Kathleen. The Nursing Mother's Companion: Revised Edition
3. Jana, Laura. Heading Home with Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality
4. Pantley, Elizabeth. Perfect Parenting
5. Pantley, Elizabeth. Gentle Baby Care : No-cry, No-fuss, No-worry--Essential Tips for Raising Your Baby

I hope these books are insightful resources that in one year's time will have made my life a bit easier.