Farewell to the good life

[groovlstk]

My wife and I are coming up on four years. It's been a great ride, and we both sometimes shake our heads in disbelief at how well things have worked out for us. We loved each other very much when we married, but our relationship had to grow in many new directions once she arrived, otherwise it would have withered and died.

We've been trying for a child, or at least allowing nature to take her course, for a few years, now. We used ovulation kits for awhile but then got lazy, particularly in the last six months. We're far from rich but we live comfortably and I have access to some fantastic vacation deals through my work, so some of our favorite and most frequent late-night conversations are about where we wanted to travel to next. We began to worry that we were enjoying life too much, since we'd lost that urgency to have a child. Life was fun, we both were working hard and enjoying the fruits of our labors, and looking back I know it was one of those periods where enjoyment comes so regularly and so naturally that you can't help but blithely think it will last forever.

Lo and behold, we found out a few weeks ago that my wife is pregnant. I sometimes think the dad-to-be experience must be more enjoyable when a guy's in his 20s -- I once heard someone say that it's a good thing that God hides the difficulty of life from the imaginations of young people, otherwise they'd have no heart to start. Regardless, we're both absolutely ecstatic and ready for a new phase in our relationship, in our lives. Don't know if we'll have a boy or girl and I really don't care, I'll be happy with a healthy child. My wife feels the same.

Here are some photos from our recent travels, those who know me personally please don't tell my wife as I don't have her permission to post these (just kiddin').

PS: To those RW and their husbands who've gone through this, are there any particular foods that can help with nausea? My wife is sick most of the time, her doc says it should fade in a few weeks as she's near the end of her first trimester, but I've bought every consumer product known to mankind that contains ginger, but nothing seems to work.

[Boethius]

Congratulations, groov!  Great news!

I never had any relief from ginger either.  Years later, I read that some women swore by sea bands.  Though I've never tried them, it couldn't hurt.

[Jumper]

Congrats Groov!!!



I would say fatherhood has been "The good life" for me..
so enjoy every moment of it..!
 

[Ade]

Congratulations dude. I wish you and your wife the best.

[ECOCKS]

Grats Groov!

A whole new part of life is about to unfold.

Enjoy it!

[pitbull]

Congratulations, Groov!!!

Life will never be the same after the little bundle of joy arrives! My only piece of advice - sleep now while you still can

Regarding nausea - honestly don't know, wasn't nauseous a single day.

[viking]

Wow !!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS. I promise you will be entering one of the best times of your life. I wish you both the very best. And in about 4 years mark off Disneyland as you next vacation spot.

PS. As far as nausea is concerned some women have a better time of it but there is not much you can do. Be prepared for some strange cravings in another few weeks.

[tim 360]

CONGRATULATIONS GROOV!  I think the "good life" is really just beginning 'cuz kids love to travel too.   

[Vaughn]

Great news, groov !!   A completely new chapter is correct. When I think back to my pre-parenthood
days, well, while they were fun - they've become blurry. Adventures await you both - enjoy them.

[Faux Pas]

Congrats groove! I was and still am a father in my 40's (closing fast) but not to young toddlers unless grandparent counts. But, you can rest assured when you first lay eyes on that baby, travel will be the farthest thing from your mind. The good life will likely just take a temporary hiatus and eventually you enjoy taking the child along. Great news for you both!

[Son of Clyde]

Congratulations, Groove. Best of luck.

[Daveman]

Geez, I was completely fooled by the topic on this one.  I refused to read it for most of the day.

Glad I finally did! The old have a baby and steal your life scam!  :evil:

Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Groov!

 

[Gator]

CONGRATULATIONS!

Its not the end of the good life.  Its the beginning literally of a new life and all the joy that comes with it.  My two sons have been and still are my greatest source of joy.

About nausea: there is not much you can do other than be empathetic, buy her anything she craves,  and don't question any of it.  You will open your fridge, see all these strange foods and have the "Oh My God!" feeling.

Living in NYC, I don't even know if you have a car.  Yet this commercial is glorious. 

http://www.popisms.com/TelevisionCommercial/20000/Nissan-Commercial-for-Nissan-Maxima-2010.aspx

[JR]

Contragulations Mr n Mrs Groove. Nothing wil be that same again. Parenthood is magical, only way to describe it. Don't lose the moments, they come but once....

[roykirk]

Congrats, Groov!  I don't know how old you are, but I was (and still am, obviously) in my 40s when we had our first child just a few months ago.  It's definitely different at this age, but I was definitely ready.  There are certainly some life changes in store.  It sounds like my wife and I were similar to you before the baby came along.  Kind of along the lines of "I can cobble a week off next month, let's go to Italy," but certainly not so rich we could do it more than a couple times a year.  When the baby news unexpectedly arrived, we were planning a trip to Australia.  Needless to say that got put on hold.  

The baby is going to change a lot of things, but it need not be the end of life as you know it.  The hardest part for me was coping with getting up several times in the middle of the night.  Thank God at 4 months old she's pretty much sleeping all night most of the time.  Some people aren't so lucky.  The vacations need not come to an end either.  We're already planning a trip for her first birthday.  By then she'll be old enough for grandma to come stay with her while we trot off for a couple of weeks.  The financial part wasn't as bad as people led me to believe either.  At most she's added $400 a month to our household expenses, and probably less than that.  Of course I know the big sticker shock comes when she gets to her teen years and then off to college, but for now things are definitely doable and my wife doesn't even have to worry about working for the foreseeable future.  

I don't know what to tell you about the nausea.  My wife tried everything and none of it helped.  She was sick off and on up until the last 2 months or so of the pregnancy.  I sort of got used to the sudden sprints to the bathroom to hurl every day.  Not much I could do about it except tell her how sorry I was she felt bad.  

[Misha]

Wonderful news indeed! Congratulations to you and your wife!

[GQBlues]

Groov, big shout-out, man! Congratulations!!

The pics are pretty nice. Where is that place where the swimming pool pic is?

[BillyB]

Grats Mr and Mrs Groove!

Google "tips for (reducing/eliminating or similiar word) Morning sickness" and you'll have plenty of tips for the wife to feel better during pregnancy.

[acctBill]

Congrats groovlstk.  As for the nausea, my wife was told by her doctor to try anything and everything when she got pregnant and had morning sickness.  Apparently what works for one pregnant woman might not work for another. 

[facetrock]

  Congrats Groove. You will make a great father, no doubt. All this talk of babys lately is what made me change my avatar.. I am regressing.

[Aloe]

Congrats

I read this article, it says morning sickness is a sign of a healthy pregnancy!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39544741/ns/health/

women younger than 25 who had no morning sickness were four times as likely to miscarry compared to their peers who had nausea and vomiting, while miscarriage risk was increased nearly 12-fold for women 35 and older with no morning sickness.

And the longer a woman had these symptoms, the lower her miscarriage risk, the researchers found; this association was especially strong among older women. Women 35 and older who had morning sickness for at least half of their pregnancy were 80 percent less likely to miscarry than women in this age group who didn't have these symptoms.

[Aloe]

From the same article:

A number of theories have been put forth to explain why morning sickness might signal a healthier pregnancy, Chan said. "Some postulate nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is a mechanism to help improve the quality of a pregnant woman's diet or a way to reduce or eliminate potentially harmful substances from the mother in order to protect the fetus," she explained.

While these ideas are "plausible," the researcher said, she thinks the symptoms reflect a pregnant woman's sensitivity to the sharp rise in certain hormones key for sustaining pregnancy that occurs during the first trimester.

If that theory is true, and it very well may be, then it's better to leave the sickness alone. If it's helping to get rid of bad stuff

[I/O]

are there any particular foods that can help with nausea? My wife is sick most of the time, her doc says it should fade in a few weeks as she's near the end of her first trimester, but I've bought every consumer product known to mankind that contains ginger, but nothing seems to work.

Mrs couldn't cop anything with ginger, just made her worse (and she was bad..!!). Medico ended up prescribing Maxolon but only after 12 weeks. Instant success and the sickness passed fairly quickly after that. At 25 weeks she is blooming and looks fantastic, can't beat a ship in full sail. Your best is in front of you and the cravings ain't limited to food.

[GQBlues]

Mrs couldn't cop anything with ginger, just made her worse (and she was bad..!!). Medico ended up prescribing Maxolon but only after 12 weeks. Instant success and the sickness passed fairly quickly after that. At 25 weeks she is blooming and looks fantastic, can't beat a ship in full sail. Your best is in front of you and the cravings ain't limited to food.

Oh well then....Congratulations to you and Mrs. I/O, too.

By the way things are progressing lately, RWD ought to have a 'Baby' section soon...

[Gator]

At 25 weeks she is blooming and looks fantastic...

And congratulations to you and Mrs. I/O too.  I recall that you and your parents really fancy your wife's young boy, so having a common child will be a special delight for all. 


I am sure you will have a clever response to the comment 10 years from now:  "Wow, your grandson is a great football player!"   

...can't beat a ship in full sail.

   You always have an interesting expression.  However, at 25 weeks she is not yet in full sail.  Wait until her spinnaker has been unfurled.