It's Not Delhi Belly

On February 22, give or take a few days, I’m scheduled to become a father for the first time. I’m not going to lie, I have no idea what I’m getting myself into. Many of our friends already have kids, so I'm sure I can learn from them. Thankfully, there seems to be a second wave of friends and/or acquaintances in their mid-thirties all trying this parenting thing for the first time, many of whom with due dates within plus or minus three months (which means some are even lucky enough to get that little tax miracle in 2012). Taxes notwithstanding, I'm sure we'll learn together.

That being said, we have some things taken care of and other things are not. The nursery is 95% complete (I realize it’s early, you realize it’s early, let’s not share that with my wife). We’ve read a little about what’s been going on in various books, though probably not as diligently as we had planned. We’ll take some sort of classes after the first of the year. We'll get the tour of the hospital. I still have no idea how to install a car seat. We’ll finalize whether we’re going to get a nanny or elect daycare (we’re leaning heavily toward giving the nanny thing a shot). We still need to find a pediatrician. There is still a lot to do.

Regardless of how well or how much we prepare, the one thing that doesn’t change is the fact there’s an actual human being growing inside my wife, which becomes more and more evident each day. While we haven’t found a need to track on a daily basis, for the past few weeks I’ve sent a picture and email to family on Friday called, “It’s not Delhi belly, week "xx." Some might find that title offensive or inappropriate (for those not familiar with the term “Delhi belly,” it’s basically the Indian equivalent of “Montezuma’s Revenge” or whatever mild-to-severe, generic gastro-intestinal issues might befall a visitor to the developing world.); however, the reality is, what is getting documented is not Delhi belly, so it’s completely accurate.

Plus, Lindsay looks awesome, so how can it be offensive (though it will be interesting to see how long she let’s me continue this little recurring bit)?

With that, I get you up to speed on the previous eight weeks in anticipation of tomorrow's newest (and only) weekly feature, where you can follow along with what is most certainly not Delhi belly (and yes, I think Lindsay is looking into copyrighting an official “pregnant pose” and/or wearing a cardigan while pregnant).

Week 21

Week 22

Week 23, Central Park

Week 24

Week 25, Key West

Week 26

Week 27, Magic Kingdom

Week 28