It’s time to go public: I’m (probably, b’ezrat hashem) going to be a dad. And soon.
The baby-to-be’s placeholder name is Woombie. (He’s the brother of our robot vacuum named Roombie).
We’re thinking of names now. I’m looking for something that, like my name, is plausible both in hebrew and farsi, and doesn’t sound terrible in english.
Mom and dad (and Sarah’s mom and dad, separately) came and upgraded the apartment a few weeks ago. We got a crib, a bed, and objects. We generally dealt with the fact that the majority of my possessions, by weight, are books — new shelves, threw some old novels out, and re-arranged furniture. Lead-proofed the water.
Being a parent-to-be is hard. Nerve-wracking. So many books to read. So many decisions to make. They tell you to store up sleep — at least I can do that easily.
I like how we’re doing it, though. Sarah and I spend a lot of time in the evening playing board games together. We get excited about what we’d be like as parents. I’m collecting old children’s television shows and books for Wombie. Many people tell me I’d be a great dad. That’s nice.
It’s been tough for Sarah. Her pregnancy complications are pretty intense. She’s limited and pained in a way that is not normal, even for a pregnancy. Much of my time and energy is used taking care of her. On the more prosaic side — she’s gotten really big. She misses rock climbing a lot. I miss it too. The winter, and baby stuff, really has pushed me indoors.
We’re trying to be intentional on what we keep chill on. We don’t want to make a big deal about the sex or gender of the child (a boy). We aren’t having a baby shower or traditional registry, but we are having a “Woombie’s first birthday party” and making our “to buy/acquire” google sheet quasi-public.
We’re part of a parent’s group (a real community organization!) that sets people up in cohorts. (So we’re in the “April 2025 parents”, for example). Of the many, many, couples that introduced themselves in the intro thread, I think I was the only guy to be the ambassador for theirs.
They say children are a great way to manufacture meaning in life. I hope that’s true. I’m worried for Sarah. She’s going through a lot. This is not normal.
But we only have a little while left! And I’m so glad to enter the mysterious social world of parents. PTA meetings, thumbs up at each other’s strollers, walking around the Botanic garden with a baby strapped to me — that sounds so fun. Let’s go.