The New One
So what have we really been up to in the first half of 2019?
January
I toasted the first moments of 2019 with sparkling apple cider. When I told my cousin it was because I’d already given up the real stuff just in case, it sank in that life was about to start changing fast.
A few weeks later, we went to see The New One on Broadway, simply because we love Mike Birbiglia’s one-man shows and this was, well, the new one. We had no idea going in that the title referred to his new baby and the whole show was about the insane experience of becoming a father. I laughed, I cried, and I braced myself.
February
I couldn’t stop thinking about the The New One’s turning point moment, when hundreds of toys and baby paraphernalia suddenly and spectacularly fell from the ceiling and crashed onto the stage. I continued my new year mission of decluttering as much mess from our home as possible, preparing for our own eventual “new one.”
March
I woke up one morning and sure enough…
A week later, I had the best 30th birthday I could ever ask for. I went to the doctor and got the confirmation we had been waiting anxiously for all week. That night I went out for an amazing birthday dinner with my best friends (and went bananas not being able to tell them right away).
Then we took a trip to New Orleans that ended up including a timeshare presentation. We told the guy that we just found out we’re having a baby so there was no chance we’d buy anything he was selling. He immediately dropped his pitch and spent the next two hours just hanging out with us and excitedly passing on his wisdom about pregnancy, becoming a parent, and where to have a good time while we’re in town. He proudly staged this photo of us in all our bliss on the rooftop deck of the property he was supposed to be selling us.
(Months later, when we finally told our friends Chris and Mary the news, they admitted that their suspicions went up as soon as they noticed I didn’t have a single drink the whole time we were together in NOLA.)
April
We had our first ultrasound at 10 weeks and saw our baby moving on screen. We got to see the heartbeat, and a few weeks later, even heard it. (Just one! We’d now definitely ruled out the suspicion of twins I’d been joking about for years.)
On April 29th, Jon and I happened to bump into each other on our way home from work. We were simply meant to be on the bus together when I got the phone call we’d been waiting for all week. Our doctor told us our latest test looked perfect and we were having a girl. I don’t think these smiles came off our faces all night.
May
We caught up with one of my oldest friends over lunch with her and her husband, their adorable little daughter, and their second baby on the way. After all our joking in junior high about our imaginary children, it’s absolutely perfect that we’re now expecting our real ones at the same time.
June
One June 1st, now at Week 17, we launched water lanterns at Flushing Meadows Park, making wishes for our little one. Without telling each other what our messages would say, we both happened to write down the name we’d started considering for her. It felt like we’d made an unplanned ceremonial decision that night. We agreed to keep it a secret until she’s born.
July
And here we are now, coming up on the 6-month mark and enjoying just about every minute. It’s been wild and can only get wilder. What can I say? It is time.
