Conception

The most sure-fire way to make God laugh: make a plan.
My wife and I decided to try to have a baby months ago. To put it mildly it took a little longer than we had hoped for us to conceive a child. I imagined that the process of conceiving a child would be, well, fun. You hear horror stories about couples who try for years before they conceive, and even worse stories about couples that simply can not conceive, ever. My heart goes out to those people. It normally takes a woman anywhere from three months to a year to become pregnant. That means that it might take up to twelve cycles before that one fateful stick she pees on finally grows a little pink line. The would be parents could wait for as many as twelve months having their anticipation dashed, their hope of progeny snuffed out, their plans for parenthood postponed month after month before their waiting even begins to fall outside the realm of normalcy. Others we knew conceived right away, and while I am of course happy for them, their good news only made our waiting all the more long and arduous. Damn them.
In the end my wife and I conceived within the normal span of time that it usually takes for couples to conceive. We are happy. I still , however, remember the monthly tears, the fear that it would never happen, and the frustration. I know that there are those out there who might read this and look on our situation with envy, having waited much longer than we did for their miracle, who might think that I have nothing to complain about. They would be right. I am not sharing this out of self pity, but rather empathy. If God is laughing at you as he did at me when I planned to have a child, then you have my sympathies. It's hard to want a child, to be ready for a child, to plan for a child and to have to wait for God to stop laughing before he grants you a miracle.

Introduction

My wife is a fan of blogs. She checks several every day. Specifically, she checks baby blogs, even more specifically, those of our friends and family who have recently had children. It has become a trend among young mothers (at least those I know) to write humorous parenting anecdotes and post cute pictures of their children. The quality of writing one finds on such blogs is surprising. I have come to recognize my sister-in-law as a genuine talent. Still others are exuberant amateur videographers. There really is nothing like watching an infant dance to inspire laughter. Let's face it babies can't dance, which is why it's so hilarious when they do.

I have decided to add my voice to this chorus of baby bloggers, though I must admit that I hope that this blog will cover a broader range of subjects. I don't want to limit the scope of this blog. It's even a little early to be writing about my child. He or she won't be born until October.