And then there were three

We know that most of you already know, but you can consider this the official announcement...

Melissa and I are expecting a child.

Yes, repeating it hasn't made it sound any less weird. Childbearing? Yes, maybe someday... but suddenly that someday has become this day. I remember having the same feeling about getting married, and I expect (without being morbid) to feel the same when I die. Each represents a massive shift in the experience which I call my life. Since the circumstances of my life define who we are, it is we who are changing, transforming in the same way that the joining of two strands of RNA is quickly becoming a full-fledged human being.

It is in these experiences that I come to understand what theologians mean by 'mystery'; the things that we experience without being able to understand or explain. The experience is both humbling and exciting, as our perspective is transformed in ways beyond our control.

Yet, the whole thing is still only a theoretical reality; our day-to-day life is not much changed. Sometimes we wonder whether it could really be happening at all. In three week's time we'll have an ultrasound scan, which will hopefully add some sensory evidence.

And there are all the tantalizing questions: Who will this person be? What will they be like? What will it be like to have her or him in our family? Will I be an okay parent, and will that be enough for them?

I set up this blog to keep record of our journey to England, and suddenly we find ourselves on the brink of a much longer journey. At the moment we both have a strange sense of calm; maybe because we're getting used to these expeditions into the unknown, or maybe because this one hasn't sunk into our psyche yet, who knows. Anyway, I will try to keep some record of the medical checkups and the state of our life for anyone who is interested, as well as our own posterity.

Melissa's first appointment was today, not much happened except answering the doctor-type questions ("are you the father of the baby?") and the upsetting questions ("is this a wanted pregnancy?"), and some blood tests to check for diabetes and stuff.

The whole birthing process is different here than in the US, something I will talk more about later. Melissa's main point of contact is a midwife. Also, she has the option of giving birth at the horspital or at home, as long as things look okay. There are also some pregnancy perks, including free prescriptions and dental care!

Her next appointment is in three weeks' time, when they will check the due date (tentatively March 17th, St. Patrick's Day!) and do an ultrasound scan. So, with any luck, the little one can make her/his online debut at that time.

If this news has renewed your interest in keeping up with the blog, make sure you've subsribed to the RSS feed, so you don't have to keep coming to the website! The address is http://bryanadventure.blogspot.com/rss.xml If you have no idea what I'm talking about, search the internet, or just ask me.

I think that's all for now. Send us all of your questions. I'll try to get Melissa posting at some point as well. As we begin down this long road, it is nice to have others to share the experience with...

-Chris