(Week 8) Our little bottle lid

Week 8, my baby is the size of a bottle lid. I don’t think that is the common comparison at this stage, but that is how my wife described him to me today. As far as I’m aware my little bottle lid is doing just fine, and is swimming around in his/her’s Mummy’s tummy (Mommy for my american relatives and friends) without a care in the world. He doesn’t have a care in the world because I don’t think his brain is developed enough for him to have them.

Anyway, enough science stuff for this week… and that was science.

So what exactly did week 8 have in store for me, quite a lot actually as I started a new job, which I think took my mind off the whole ‘Dad’ thing for a bit, not that I wanted to forget about that, but my brain has been so full of baby stuff recently, it was nice to focus on something else for a bit. Unfortunately this new job also meant my worrying continued, my worrying about telling people I’m going to be a Dad.

At work I keep hearing people mention babies, one guy has just become a Dad, one guy is going to be a Dad soon and one woman is heavily pregnant. Maybe I just didn’t notice these things before, but babies are everywhere! It’s frustrating though, as I want to be able to talk to them about it and get advice, but it’s difficult to do that without me giving it away.

I’ve found it difficult this week, having so many people not know. I am scared to tell them as I’m scared of the reaction (which i know is ridiculous – it’s my Dads fault I worry!), but I also want to tell them because I think, in a way I want their acceptance. I want my friends, my peers to be excited for me, to pat me on the back, buy me a beer and tell me I’ll be a great Dad. I have a fantastic family, and I am in no way saying that the support I’ve got from them isn’t appreciated, of course it is, my parents have been amazing, as always, maybe I even take it for granted slightly, but this is a different. I guess it’s because my friends are the people I imagine I’ll be parents alongside one day. Even though none of my friends have or are having kids yet. I think it’s because I am the first, so I don’t know how people will react, because it hasn’t happened yet.

I am excited to tell people, because then it will become more real, and I can actually talk to people about it. But at the same time I’m scared, really scared. I hope that is normal?!

This week has been a pretty rough week for my wife, she’s really getting bad morning sickness, which I think personally should just be called ‘sickness’ as it comes in the morning, middle of the day, evening and middle of the night. Sometimes it’s better than others, and it can really start anytime. One minute she is fine, the next anything she see’s or smells will set her off. It’s really difficult being the man in this situation, because it can come from anywhere at anytime you have to be prepared. I’m still never prepared though.

She also faces the problem of not being able to do certain things, such as going to a friend’s birthday drinks, because she suddenly feels sick, and can’t explain it’s because of the pregnancy, because nobody knows! She also has to explain why she won’t be drinking alcohol at parties or work events, how do you keep it up without giving it away?

She is also starting to show a bit now, only very slightly, but very slightly is still very exciting for us, most little things are at the moment. That little bottle top is causing quite a stir in our life and he/she doesn’t even have the brains to know it!

I am starting to show a little too, I think this has something to do with the fact that most foods we have in the fridge and freezer are now disgusting to my wife, and I don’t like to see food go to waste, so I am starting to grow my own little bottle lid, I shall name him Steak Pie!