8 Weeks + 4 Days

Today it was my turn. Time to tell Mom and Dad Guittar, Mary and Ron. This is a whole lot different than telling Steph's family. First of all, my parents aren't becoming first-time grandparents. Secondly, they've never really pushed the topic of grandchildren on us. As a result, I honestly had no idea how my parents would react.

It's been about a week and a half since Steph and I returned from our vacation in Ithaca/Niagara Falls. The plan was to gather up all of our travel pictures, pamphlets and souvenirs and spend the day hanging out and talking about the trip. In addition to the travel photos, we also planned to bring a series of stills from Steph's first ultrasound. Now, as a father-to-be, I've come to recognize that you always need to expect the unexpected. Well, let's see. . . we procrastinated getting the pictures developed and we mistakenly left the ultrasound stills at home. So, what do we do now with no photos whatsoever??? Luckily, breaking news to my family has always been a casual affair. I decided we'd just go to their house, relax, and enjoy ourselves. When the time was right we'd simply tell them the news. Out new plan was to have no plan at all.

My mom planned an early lunch consisting of a variety of homemade soups. I had told her the prior day that Steph had been craving soups, chicken noodle in particular. My mom's homemade soups are as good as it gets. She is usually in denial over how good her cooking is, but trust me, she never disappoints. Anyway, as we stood chatting in the kitchen, I made a comment about how Stephanie really needed a bite to eat or nausea would set in. Casually, my mom remarked, "Sounds like she might be pregnant." Of course, she wasn't being serious at all, so we just went on with our conversations.

I was sitting at the island next to my parents' kitchen trying to figure out when to tell them. I kept signaling Steph to tell her, but she kept replying (silently) "you do it". Not being one for the dramatic, I just questioned my mom. "Remember earlier when you asked if Steph was pregnant or something, well . . . . " And that's how the conversation began. After the customary congratulations, my mom said "wait, I've got something for you that I've had for a long time". You see, for those of you who don't know my parents well, they have a great way of building up gifts for people. When they're out shopping and they see something that reminds them of someone, they just buy it and store it until the time is right. Well, the gift that my mom was about to give Steph was purchased approximately 4 years ago, just after Steph and I got married. It was a baby hair brush and comb in the shape of a guitar. . . perfect for a baby Guittar.

They were very happy for us, and I'm sure they could see the excitement/fear in our faces. My parents are very much like me in that it takes some time before news like this really begins to settle in. This was a great day! Steph and I, along with my mom and dad, desperately needed a lazy day. The rest of our day consisted mostly of chatting while we lounged in the living room watching television. Later in the evening, as it began to get dark, we decided it was time to head home. As we backed the car out of the driveway, we rolled the window down and said our goodbyes (a tradition for us). It was at that moment, while looking over at my parents, that I began to sense how happy they were for us. My dad's facial expressions often tell volumes. The content smile on his face made me very comfortable with the fact that fatherhood was creeping up on me. Looking at them as we drove away, I was filled with thoughts of my childhood and memories of a happy homelife. What do I have to be worried about, I thought. I've got the two best role models a young parent could have. Thank you both for preparing me for this journey. The next 7 months will be interesting. . . . and then the real task begins. . . PARENTING.