We just had the 19 week scan of Marisa’s tummy and wow what a spin out!

Technology is an amazing thing – it gets into every single industry so we can all benefit. To slop a bit of goo on your skin and run what looks like a barcode scanner over your tummy so that you can see a living breathing human inside is pretty awesome.

The thing that amazed me most was the development of the baby’s spine… it was perfect. Seeing every vertebrae magically interlocking into each other was phenomenal.

The 4 chambers of the heart pulsing away beautifully, both sides of the brain forming exactly as it should, every finger and toe in perfect alignment.  Sometimes i feel pretty chuffed with myself when i manage to change the oil in my car but seeing this little miracle transforming into a little person just blows me away.

We are over the half way mark now and just cant wait to meet our new member of the family, picking names is the next big task to think about.

Its a pretty special time right now and we are enjoying every minute. A friend of mine gave me some nice advice today since his baby daughter was born not long ago… he said, “dont listen to any of the negative stuff people say: things like, you dont get any sleep once the baby is born  and your life changes forever and say goodbye to those quiet nights at home. Ignore that stuff because what I have found is the bad stuff is half of what I expected and the good stuff is ten times better than I expected”

Bring on the good times!

Today i want to share with you a moment my wife, Marisa and I and our unborn child had last night.

It was late in the evening and Marisa was already in bed and I jumped in to join her; as i lay down I brushed my foot against hers and she threw the covers back and said, “I can feel something!” Feeling exhausted from the day i simply said, “That’s my foot”.

She said again, “No i can feel something!”

At this point i thought there was a snake in the bed and I repeated, “I know, its my foot on your foot!” Marisa grabbed my hand and put it on her belly and said, “Its the baby!”

Feeling pretty stupid but excited i sat up in bed and looked at her belly in anticipation; we waited for it to happen again. I put my head on her belly listening for something and trying to communicate hoping we would get a response.

Again Marisa had a little tap tap on her belly! I couldnt actually feel it because she has just gone 17 weeks so its very small but it was amazing to have the first sign of life. It was like the baby was introducing itself to us for the first time.

We took photos and made notes in the diary so we could remember what happened the first time our baby made a physical connection with us, it was pretty special.

Being a  male I don’t get to experience the whole pregnancy physically and because of this its easy to forget what is actually happening in Marisa’s tummy. Every day she wakes up and puts her hand on her belly knowing that a little person is growing inside her. For me, its not so obvious so when a physical movement presents itself it brings it all into reality.

Marisa has been really sick for the whole 17 weeks and the morning after the kicking from the baby, she woke up feeling great! She didn’t feel nauseous anymore and the fatigue seemed to have disappeared, just like that.

It was as if the baby woke up and said, “Oh hi guys, i just worked out what’s happening in here, i am a human growing in your belly so you don’t have to be sick anymore…. its all good, see you in 5 months”

Going through this experience for the first time brings up an array of emotions and they come up without notice. Joy at what is coming into our lives, fear that everything is going to be ok, anticipation for what to expect, love for each other and the gift we are being given, worry that we will be able to cope.

In the end i think it all comes down to trust. Trust in each other that we will be awesome parents and that the universe will make everything as it should be.

Its a good feeling when you take away all the fear of the unknown and just go with the flow and enjoy the ride. Life is a gift, a gift to be treasured, especially when we are given the gift of another life.