Ureshii Returns - this time it’s personal
Tuesday, November 6th, 2007
A while back, I put a little placeholder on this blog mentioning some extremely good news that I’d had on August 20. Well, it is (finally) time for the unveiling. I am extremely tickled to announce that UltraBob and UltraGirl hope to carry their Ultraness into the realm of Parenthood. That’s right, a little Ultra is on the way, and it seems like Mommy will not be letting me name it Ultra.
It is with an increasing sense of wonder and a gradually decreasing level of terror for me that we head towards another appointment with the doctor and hopefully another Ultrasound to commemorate week 16. I have never in the past been able to make heads or tails of an ultrasound photo, but I completely get these. It is amazing what a little personal interest will do for you.
So far, the magical UltraGirl seems to be having a textbook pregnancy, following all the symptoms to the letter. Her morning sickness ramped up and calmed down at the appropriate times, and then she picked up the constant congestion that she was supposed to. She’s really a stickler for the rules it seems. She is starting to have a bit of lower back pain from time to time, which worries me quite a lot, but she has been wonderful if a bit hormonal at times.
My favorite episode so far was when I asked if she would like to have a sip of my latte. She angrily turned to me, arms akimbo and demanded, “Why do you always force me to do things like that?!?” Fortunately even in her hormonally delicate state she could not fail to see how ridiculous this was and we both had a good laugh about it right before she slammed my head in the waffle press.
I have been spending half of my spare time reading up on what to expect and the other half trying to come to terms with the fact that our lives will never be the same again, and trying to figure out how I can possibly not completely muck up this fatherhood thing.
I still haven’t quite come to terms with the fact that our baby will not spring from the womb ready to walk around and have rudimentary conversations with me. I don’t have a mental picture of the nothing but eat, sleep, poop, and cry phase of a babies development, or maybe my mind is blocking it to keep me from running away screaming.
Having realized that it will be our last chance to go on a trip together as free people while we are in our 30s, I am planning a trip to Osaka and Kobe where we will enjoy each others company, some great food, and some interesting sites. Any must-see, -do, or -eats?
And now a word from UltraMummy:
Except for the first month of the pregnancy, until about a week ago I was feeling worn out from morning sickness, but fortunately it is disappearing and I feel really thankful even though I still have a stuffy nose and back pain. I heard other mommies have nausea right up until the moment they go up on the delivery table, that would be horrible and I feel fortunate.
Also until now, all I had was misery from the nausea, but I didn’t really feel like I had a baby inside me. Finally entering the 5th month, my belly’s becoming large enough to almost be noticeable, and I’m finally starting to get the sense that there is a miniature human living in downstairs UltraGirl.
UltraBob has been very helpful and considerate, and he’s much more conscientious than I am about making sure I eat healthily, get the appropriate nutrition, and other aspects of making sure I have a healthy pregnancy. He’s going to have to do all the housework around our house while I’m back at my parents’ house the month before the baby is due and a couple of months after the baby is born. Traveling back to the parent’s house before and after the birth is a Japanese tradition known as satogaeri, but UB is still having a hard time getting used to the idea. He was, of course, greatly comforted to know that he was invited to come with me.
Speaking of Japanese traditions, the subject of my next blog post will be the activities that take place during the day of the dog in the 5th month of a pregnancy in Japan. Tanoshimi ni shiteitene (be looking forward to it).
Congratulations!! I look forward to hearing about little Ulta in the future.
Congratulations to the new UltraClan.
I’m really interested in hearing all about the Japanese pregnancy traditions, rituals, and lore. I know that the gestation period is “ten months ten days” in Japan as the months are lunar ones. Works out to the same number of days as the Americans’ 9 month gestation.
So, is the baby going to be born on my birthday???
Finally, the secret is out! And in such a classy, but uproariously funny manner! It struck me, as I was reading, that the “Ultrasound” is such an appropriate name for a picture of the nascent little “Ultra”. UltraGrandma wishes tradition sent you to the Dad’s mothers house for awhile! Wait a minute....I think there is one....let me get my book on McDonald family lore....
Congratulations, I’m really happy for you guys, and look forward to being the scary foreign uncle. I also think it’s pretty hilarious that it is an Ultrasound, in the context. In fact I suspect that Bob started this ultra trend all those years ago with this very end in mind. What a devious character!
Congratulations! I recommend ‘My Boys Can Swim’ (from Amazon.co.jp) for him, and Kaz Cooke’s ‘Up the Duff’ for her. Glad to hear you’re feeling well. I was one of those ‘sick till the day they were born’ people.
Wheee! Public congratulations to you both!
I’m still amazed our kids are going to be born very roughly around the same time.
Tell UltraGirl I’m puking in sympathy for her.