Friday, March 30, 2007

31 days to go!

That's just a month of days folks! Woo hoo! I keep swinging from sheer joy and excitement to just a bit of terror. :) I am so excited about Kylie's arrival and what having her in our lives will mean. There are so many things I want and hope for her....so many dreams I hope she sees fulfilled in her lifetime (both my dreams for her and her dreams for herself). I can't wait to see her and hold her and touch her and smell her. Don't you just love that baby smell?!?

Really, it doesn't seem possible that she's almost here. There have been so many times throughout this pregnancy that we have waited on something and wanted time to pass faster than it was. But, now that we're so close to the end, I look back and wonder at how fast the time has actually gone. Now...you may hear a different story from my sweet Wendy who has dealt with all the ups and downs of the changes to her body and carrying Kylie so safely and so well all these months. I think there have been times that have gone much slower for her than for me. :)

But, I'm just so thankful for the wonderful experience of this pregnancy. I've had numerous men attempt to verbally bring me into the "dad's club" with comments like "has she bitten your head off yet?" and "the bigger they get the harder they are to live with" and "won't you be glad when this is over?". Harumphf, I say! I have thought nothing of the sort during this whole wonderous adventure and have treasured every moment...really. Every up and every down has been a part of this amazing journey and I wouldn't trade one minute of it away for anything in the world. I think I find it surprising that men seem to take the pregnancies of their wives so hard (I know not all men...but most that I've been around fit this category). It's like the pregnancy put them out somehow and that they should be given some kind of special award for having survived it. That's just totally bizarre if you ask me. I'll say it once again in this blog that I am just honored and awed to be my sweet Wendy's sherpa during this journey.

And...while I can't wait till Kylie is here, there will be a part of me that misses the journey that brought us to her arrival. But I suppose as with all things, the end of one journey is just the beginning of another, right? :)

- Karen
[35w,4d]

7 comments:

Lynanne said...

Karen, I love it when you share your perspective on Wendy's pregnancy. You have such a beautiful way of writing!

As for the “Dad’s club,” I specifically remember this being hard on my best friend when her partner was expecting. She hated that all the spouse/significant other books were written from a man’s perspective and covered things like financial matters, etc(women can’t take care of finances?) Sexist issues aside though, I think women really feel for other women in ways that some men can’t (or have been taught not to?) I know we joke it’s because they don’t experience “that time of the month” (wild hormone shifts, pain, etc) but I think it’s more than that.

I’ll probably get lynched for this comment. I better add that I know of many very empathetic and compassionate men that defy the “male” stereotype. My husband is one of these. Of course, he doesn’t make comments like you mentioned either. He wants the baby here so he can share the experience in ways he can’t now. He commented that it’s like touching the baby through bubble wrap. He can feel a foot but doesn’t really experience the full sensations of the kicks. (Or the mind-body connection that Wendy wrote about earlier in her dreams post?)

Anyhow, I think it’s absolutely wonderful that you are so involved and in tune with your partner. Wendy is so lucky to have you (and vice versa of course!) As for being close to the end of this journey – this is the saddest part for me too. Hold tight to those memories. You’ve both recorded many of them so beautifully here. Maybe you could print out some of your entries to make a scrapbook? (we hope Blogger will be around for a long, long time, but who knows).

Alayna said...

I can't believe you guys have a month to go! The transition from pregnancy to parenthood is definitely intense - it's great that you've recorded so many of your thoughts and feelings here so that you'll remember them later!

Ethan Barry's Momma said...

Karen,
Thanks so much for sharing your perspective as this journey nears its' end. I have enjoyed watching you as much as I have enjoying watching Wendy. You have been such a loving and attentive spouse and sherpa from day one. The love that you feel for each other and for Kylie is palpable. I can't wait to see you hold your precious little girl in your arms.

As far as experiencing a bit of wistfulness over the journey changing, I had that too...and still sometimes do. Those days of just the two of you will never come again and there is some loss to that but for me, the gain was so much greater. As with everything in life, it's just a shift. It reminds of me of the little song we used to sing in Girl Scouts..."Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold."

Love,
H

hotomiky said...

Oh so exciting! Yes - Love the smell of baby! Sure miss having baby. :o)

Stacey said...

yay, not long now!!! we're all looking forward to kylie's arrival.

it is scary and different and exciting all at the same time. i know you two will be wonderful moms. :)

Denise said...

I have always said if I had another girl Her name would be Kylie or Ashley. Love the name K

Estelle said...

Ugh. I hated it when AJ was pg. Towards the end, I really and truly understood why people kill pregnant women (note- this was never something I actually considered doing).
You'll have a kid soon... have you put the car seat in yet?? Email me if you need help, and make sure to get it checked by pros and DON'T use outboard LATCH in the center!