George, we eagerly await your arrival! You’re already a bit of a troublemaker, making your mother go the doctor twice a week to make sure you both are doing well. We hope that you stay in the womb for at least a few more weeks, but you may have plans of your own. As I write this, George, you are 29 weeks along.
The nursery is prepped aside from a few odds and ends. Most of the essentials – crib, car seat, bassinet – are in. I am working my way through Cribsheet and already finished Expecting Better, both by Emily Oster. You might not expect it but Dad’s Guide to Pregnancy for Dummies was quite a helpful read. Kayla has kept pace through Whatto Expect When You’re Expecting. Somehow, all this reading leaves me feeling like we know what’s coming but also that there is so much we don’t know.
There are common themes to the advice we get from parents. One of the most common is “get ready for everyone giving you advice, solicited or otherwise.” Those comments are usually followed up with “if I can give you one piece of advice, it’s ….” Most of the advice is reassuring, but not a single person has said parenting is easier than you think. Quite the opposite.